Landscape Architecture Systems & Design
If you live in, or in the vicinity of, Perth and considering upgrading your garden with a new landscape design then you will have lots of choices to make. With many of them, you will have carte blanche to choose anything you wish, such as the ornaments, decking, and seating; however, according to Perth Landscapes, there will be other choices where you have some limitations. Specifically, we are talking about the types of plants that you can have in your landscaped garden.
The reason we say you have limitations is that plant selection for any local landscaping project must be guided by the conditions that exist in and around Perth. This relates to the local climate and also the type of soil that exists. Both of these will dictate the types of plants that will thrive, and also which plants would not be suitable for your new garden.
As you will be aware, the climate in Perth, especially through the spring and summer months, is one with lots of sunshine, high temperatures, and minimal rainfall. It follows, therefore, that many of the plants that will thrive in Perth’s gardens love the sun and can survive in soil that is invariably drained of moisture.
At this point you might be thinking, “Does this mean I have to carry out comprehensive research into which plants are suited to the Perth area?”. In truth, we would recommend this as it will increase your knowledge of what is suitable for your garden, however, being the generous types that we are, we thought it would be easier if we simply outlined ten native plants which are known to thrive in Perth’s landscaped residential gardens.
Climbers
Parthenocissus: Its alternative name is ‘Boston Ivy’, and it is a climbing plant suited to walls and trellises that offers a variety of colours throughout the year with its deep green foliage turning a beautiful orange-red colour in autumn.
Stephanotis Floribunda: With an alternative name of ‘Madagascar Jasmine’ this climber loves warm conditions. It will have your sense of smell at its peak thanks to the wonderful, sweet aroma emanating from its white flowers.
Trees
Lagerstroemia Indica: ‘Crepe Myrtle’ is this tree’s alternative name, and it is a tree suited to smaller landscaped gardens that catch lots of Perth’s plentiful sunshine. In summer, be prepared to see its amazing pink, purple, or white flowers bloom to create a wonderfully, colourful display.
Tristaniopsis Laurina: Known as the ‘Tristania’ tree, you need to be aware that it can grow to a considerable height of over 50 feet. To do so, it requires lots of warm sunshine and as such will reward you with beautiful yellow flowers.
Tall Hedges
Laurus Nobilis: Known simply as ‘Bay Tree’, this is an evergreen shrub that thrives in sunlight rather than shade. Its thick foliage, which can grow to well over 30 feet, helps to create privacy and shade for those sitting in your landscaped garden.
Murraya Paniculata: This is an evergreen shrub that is also called ‘Orange Jessamine’, however, that is a bit of a misnomer as its flowers are white. Its foliage can grow up to 15 feet tall if it is sited where it can receive maximum sunlight.
Mid-Level Plants
Buxus Japonica: This evergreen, small shrub’s name means ‘Japanese Box’ and is found in many of Perth’s gardens due to its thick growth which makes it ideal for hedging and providing shade.
Radermachera: Known as ‘China Doll’ it has very appealing foliage and not only does that make it a popular choice for Perth’s gardens, but it also thrives in all climates including hot, dry summers.
Accent Plants
Crassula Bluebird: The stunning grey-blue foliage of this plant makes it an eye-catcher and is perfect if you wish to add vibrant colour to your garden.
Agave Attenuata: No one will miss this colourful plant, especially with its prominent blue-green foliage. This is particularly suited to Perth’s climate as it can tolerate long, dry periods.
When you start looking at different landscape design ideas, you may soon realise that many of them are targeted towards homeowners with large, sprawling sections. While it’s true that you can do a lot more with a much larger area, that doesn’t mean you are greatly limited with a smaller section.
If you’re struggling to come up with ways to transform your small outdoor area with landscaping, Principal Landscapes has provided the following ideas that may put you on the path to success:
Create Sections
It might seem counterintuitive to create divided areas in what is already a small space, but you may be surprised at how this landscape design idea can actually make your yard appear bigger. Create an area for gardens, one for relaxing, and perhaps one for socializing.
They don’t have to be large spaces, which is likely to be the case if your property is only small, but they can add some definition while preventing your small area from appearing cluttered and disorganized.
Get Clever With Perspectives
You can’t change how large your yard is, but you can change how people perceive it with one clever addition: long, straight lines.
If you slant long lines of something like flowers or a pathway from the start of your yard to the end of it, you can add the perception of length. This can make your yard appear much larger overall than it actually is.
Use a Variety of Elements
Because you only have a small space to work with, you might think that you should use just one of each element to avoid taking up too much space or creating clutter. However, when used correctly, you can add a variety of hardscapes, softscapes, paving materials, and lawn areas to the smallest of spaces.
Having all of these different elements can add interest to your space, making it hard to tell that your yard is as tiny as it is.
Create a Vertical Garden
You might have dreamed of one day having a large, sprawling garden filled with a variety of different plants, but that might not be your reality right now. In the meantime, look at what you can achieve with a vertical garden.
Plant upwards on trellis, retaining walls, and fences. You can even buy products that have space for you to add soil and plants without taking up any usable space. Vertical gardens are growing in popularity, with homeowners only having a small patio area – or even a balcony.
Rely On Outside Views
Some small yards can appear very boxed in, especially if you have tall fencing. However, if you can ‘borrow’ the view of your neighbours’, you may be able to make your yard appear much larger.
For example, if your property has a backdrop of trees that aren’t within your boundary, add elements in front of them in your own yard that work in harmony with the trees. Before long, it can look like what your neighbours have actually forms part of your own property.
It’s not always easy working with small spaces, and most landscapers can attest to that. However, it’s not entirely impossible to create an adorable space that both looks and feels larger than it really is. Any of these options above may be perfect for your unique situation.
Most of us are familiar with the most common landscaping designs today. Low maintenance tends to be the aim of the game, along with privacy and drought tolerance.
However, what may surprise you is that today’s landscape trends can be incredibly different from those from several decades ago. From grand entrances to extensive rose gardens, here is some surprising information you may not have known about the landscaping trends of our past.
Grand Property Entrances
When you meander down your average suburban street, you mostly see fence after fence, with the occasional tree and mailbox for good measure. We don’t blink an eye to this property appeal, but it used to look much, much different in many parts of the world.
It wasn’t uncommon for the front lawn of any home to be a grand entrance to the property. The homeowner may have put time into installing bird feeders and birdhouses, along with fish ponds, rock gardens, and boxwood hedging. Maintenance was a full-time job, but what better way to welcome guests to your home?
Large Rose Gardens
Rose gardens remain popular today, but perhaps not as much as they used to be during the 1930s. Those large, grand property entrances were not as desirable during the 1930s due to the financial implications of the Great Depression. Not everyone had spare money for landscaping.
So, a new trend was emerging. Homeowners were planting inexpensive but gorgeous rose gardens, along with vibrant plants like lilacs and hydrangeas. They were vibrant and eye-catching but required much less time, money, and effort than previous preferred landscaping options.
Vegetable ‘Victory’ Gardens
Vegetable gardens are still widespread throughout the world, but they became particularly popular in Australia during World War II.
Food shortages were having a significant impact on the Australian home front, with labour shortages, droughts, and seed stock and fertiliser importation shortfalls. As a result of these issues, households were encouraged to grow their own vegetables to support the war effort.
Neighbourhood gardening groups were formed, public parks became vegetable gardens, and homeowners gave up the aesthetic appeal of their properties for a more functional purpose.
Sprawling Lawns
You won’t find too many people who don’t love looking at a perfectly mowed lawn. It’s pleasing to the eye, smells gorgeous when cut, and provides plenty of space for fun activities.
However, it wasn’t until the 1950s that people truly came to appreciate a beautiful lawn. Homeowners were starting to put effort into perfecting those stripes and growing boxwood hedges to border their perfectly manicured, lush grass.
Complex and Eye-Catching
With the invention of computer-based design in the 1980s, more and more homeowners started toying with landscape designs on their computers. They realised that they could bring a design to life on their computer to see if it worked with their home design before actually going ahead with it. This saw an increase in unique and jaw-dropping landscape designs brought to life by DIYers and landscaping companies alike.
Today, we can enjoy an eclectic mix of landscape designs to suit a wide range of homeowners. However, it’s incredible to see just how much has changed over time. Who knows, we may still yet see a shift back towards expansive vegetable gardens, sprawling lawns, and grand entrances in the future.
Summer is the perfect time to make the most of your outdoor space. Whether you have a sprawling backyard, a neat terrace, or a small balcony, you can use landscape design to create a beautiful atmosphere that you can enjoy with family and friends. Landscape design focuses on enhancing the aesthetic and functional qualities of outdoor spaces, and it allows you to customize your outdoor space to reflect your individual style and preferences. In this article, we will discuss some of the key tips for maximizing your outdoor space with landscape design. You’ll find advice on how to select the right plants, rocks, and features for your outdoor landscape, as well as how to choose the right colors, textures, and materials. With these tips and tricks, you can create a vibrant and inviting outdoor space that you and your family can enjoy all summer long.
1. Consider Your Outdoor Activity Needs
When it comes to maximizing your outdoor space, the first step is to consider your outdoor activity needs. Think about the activities that you and your family want to do in your outdoor space. If you want a swimming pool, you will need to work with a pool designer or an architect to determine the most suitable size, shape, and location. If you are looking for a garden design, consider the type of plants and trees you want and where they will go in the garden. You should also consider the amount of space available and whether you need to hire a designer or an architect to help with your garden design. By taking the time to think about your outdoor activity needs, you can make the most of your outdoor spaces.
2. Design a Functional Landscape
Designing a functional landscape is a key part of maximizing outdoor space. Garden design, swimming pools, outdoor spaces, and other outdoor features should be considered when deciding how to make the most of the area. Working with a qualified designer or architect is essential in order to ensure the landscape design is suitable and fulfills its purpose. When designing a landscape, careful attention must be paid to the type of plants and trees used and their positioning, as well as to any architectural elements such as fountains, patios, and pathways. Furthermore, the arrangement of the various elements should be thoughtfully considered to ensure they come together to create a cohesive and attractive design.
3. Incorporate Appropriate Plantings
When it comes to garden design, incorporating the right kind of plantings can go a long way towards maximizing your outdoor space. Strategic plantings, such as trees and shrubs, can not only add beauty to your garden, but also provide a measure of privacy and shade for your swimming pools and other outdoor spaces. When selecting plants, be sure to consult with professional landscape designers or architects to ensure that the plants selected are appropriate for the conditions of your garden. Doing so will ensure your outdoor space is optimized to the fullest, while also providing an aesthetically pleasing and functional space.
4. Make Use of Pathways and Walkways
Maximizing your outdoor space can be achieved with the help of pathways and walkways. Whether you are looking to create a garden design, install a swimming pool, or create a usable outdoor space, pathways and walkways can provide a practical and attractive solution. Designed and installed by experienced garden designers and architects, pathways and walkways can help define your outdoor space and provide a practical pathway between areas of your garden. By using materials like natural stone, brick, and concrete, you can create pathways and walkways that are both attractive and hard wearing.
5. Utilize Proper Soil Preparation
Utilize proper soil preparation for any landscaping project. Your garden designer or architect should be able to help you determine what type of soil you need for your project. There are several types of soil for various landscape designs, such as swimming pools, outdoor spaces, and more. Without proper soil preparation, the project can be ruined. It’s important to do your research and communicate with your designer or architect to ensure you have the right soil for your project.
6. Use Low-Maintenance Plantings
When it comes to garden design, designers and architects often recommend using low-maintenance plantings to maximize the use of outdoor spaces. These plantings can be used near swimming pools, decks, patios, and other leisure areas, and require minimal effort to maintain. Low-maintenance plantings also add to the aesthetic of any outdoor space, as they come in many varieties, colors, and sizes. Additionally, low-maintenance plantings are often suited to local climates, meaning they will be able to thrive without too much care.
7. Incorporate Appropriate Drainage
One of the most important aspects of garden design, whether you’re creating a garden from scratch, renovating an existing one, or adding a swimming pool, is incorporating appropriate drainage. Without proper drainage, outdoor spaces can become waterlogged and unhealthy for plants. Professional designers and architects are trained to look for drainage issues and suggest suitable solutions that will not only keep outdoor spaces looking their best but also be cost-effective and long-lasting.
8. Consider Lighting and Electrical Outlets
Lighting and electrical outlets are essential elements of garden design. When designing your outdoor space, it is important to consider the type of lighting and outlets you will need. Spotlights, floodlights and downlights are just a few options to consider. Swimming pools, ponds, and other water features should also have adequate lighting and electrical outlets. Designers and architects may also suggest installing low-voltage lighting, which is abundant in outdoor spaces. Additionally, it is important to ensure your electrical outlets are weatherproofed and safe for outdoor use. This is essential for the safety of your family and guests.
9. Select Durable and Sustainable Materials
When it comes to garden design, swimming pools, and other outdoor spaces, durable and sustainable materials should be used to ensure your landscape remains beautiful and functional for many years to come. This means selecting materials that can withstand weather, temperature changes, and other environmental elements. Architects and designers are a great resource when it comes to selecting the best materials for your outdoor space. They can provide valuable input on the durability, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of any materials you may be considering.
10. Hire an Experienced Landscape Designer to Ensure Your Project’s Success
As you look to maximize your outdoor space, one of the most important considerations is to hire an experienced landscape designer. Landscape designers can help bring your garden design ideas to life and ensure that your project is successful. They can provide advice on swimming pools, pathways, and other features you may want to include in your outdoor space. Furthermore, experienced landscape designers can work with architects to ensure that your project is completed with your vision in mind. Investing in a landscape designer is a great way to ensure that your outdoor space is optimized.
All in all, the landscape design process is an enjoyable one that can result in outdoor spaces you’ll enjoy for years to come. By creating a plan, researching materials and plants, and choosing an appropriate design, you can maximize your outdoor space to create a place of beauty and comfort. With these tips, you can create a landscape design that suits your lifestyle, budget, and environment.
Landscaping has pros and cons, and if you have a landscaped garden, you will hopefully experience more positives than negatives. As for maintaining and caring for your garden, some of you may view this as one of its most desirable aspects, assuming that you are a keen gardener and love everything gardening involves. Alternatively, as advised by landscaping experts at www.intreeglandscapes.com.au, many customers might appreciate their lovely landscaped area and love sitting in their garden but hate any work required to maintain it.
For those of you with either of these views and all the others in between, there is no getting away from the fact that maintaining a landscaped garden is essential. Otherwise, it will deteriorate and, if left uncared for, could cost as much to put right as it did to have installed in the first place. Also, poorly maintained landscaping not only fails to add value to your property, but it could also lessen your property’s value.
As for the specific tasks required to maintain and care for landscaped gardens, one of the most important is dealing with pests. By pests, we mean undesirable bugs, fungi, and the like, not your neighbours’ unruly children. That might be just as well, given that we are going to explain ten tips to help you naturally rid your landscaped garden of pests, which we assure you does not include chasing kids from your lawn.
Tip #1 – Strive For The Healthiest Soil Possible: One of the most effective ways of discouraging harmful bugs whilst also encouraging your plants to grow, is to take steps to ensure that the soil in your garden is in optimal health. Using natural fertilisers will help you achieve this.
Tip #2 – Choose Pest Resistant Plant Varieties: A wise choice of plants when your landscape design is being created can help reduce harmful pests. This is because some plants are naturally resistant to pests.
Tip #3 – Place Plants Correctly: Where specific plants are placed can help reduce the occurrence of unwanted pests. Take into account sun levels and water requirements to ensure a plant is positioned where it will be the healthiest and thus more resistant to unwanted bugs.
Tip #4 – Do Your Watering First Thing: A simple action is to water plants first thing in the morning as this ensures they are well-hydrated during the day and pests tend to avoid plants that they know are strong and healthy.
Tip #5 – Remove Organic Debris: The likes of fallen leaves and grass cuttings are a magnet for harmful fungus, bugs, and pests to breed so make sure you remove all organic debris from your landscaped garden without delay.
Tip #6 – Weed Your Garden Regularly: Weeds are what compete with your plants for nutrients and water and the fewer of them there are, the stronger and more resilient your garden plants will be.
Tip #7 – Encourage ‘Good’ Bugs And Insects: Not all bugs are undesirable with prime examples being ladybugs and hoverflies who will eat the larvae of many of the harmful bugs in your garden. As such, encourage these helpful bugs and insects by including the plants they like in your garden.
Tip #8 – Maintain And Care For Your Garden Properly: We would hope you do this anyway, but if not, be aware that those gardens which are well-maintained and cared for are the ones that suffer less from harmful pests.
Tip #9 – Introduce Physical Barriers: You can stop bugs and pests from getting anywhere near your most sensitive plants by creating physical barriers using insect mesh and horticultural fleece. Secure them properly to the ground to ensure the pests do not simply walk underneath.
Tip #10 – Use Natural Pest Repellents: Possibly our favourite tip as, in a sense, this is plants fighting back. What we mean is that there are varieties of plants, including some herbs, with strong scents such as chives and thyme that naturally repel and deter harmful bugs and pests from entering your garden.
Throughout their careers, landscapers will be asked to create gardens based on a huge array of themes, with some being outright quirky. Beyond the more unusual garden themes, there are several which are extremely popular and some of these are based on parts of the world beyond the shores of Australia.
One in particular which you will find in Australian gardens, and indeed gardens in many other countries, is a Japanese theme. For many people, Japanese garden design principles create harmony, tranquillity, and an almost spiritual ambience within them. It is therefore unsurprising that those homeowners who want their landscaped garden’s design to produce a peaceful and relaxing space, often request that their landscapers create a Japanese theme.
As for the individual elements that go into creating a Japanese themed garden, here are some of the most commonly included in landscapers’ designs.
Stones
For centuries, Japanese culture has seen stones being an integral part of it. This includes smaller stones such as those found in gravel being regarded as sacred ground, which is why many monuments and statues in Japan sit on ground that has gravel covering it. Large stones are also worshipped by those who follow the Japanese religion, Shinto. As for specific stones for your garden, you have a carte blanche.
Water
One of the beauties of water is whether still or flowing, both create a peaceful background within a garden, although the ideal preference should be for flowing water. In Japanese culture, water is an expression of calm and renewal, and the sounds of its movement should help to calm one’s mind.
Bridges
As a complementary addition to the water in a garden, a bridge supplements the beauty of that garden, and also provides an additional way that one can experience the water whether by sight or by sound. Ideal materials for your bridge include stone, wood, or if you want the full Japanese experience, bamboo. You could even go further by adding koi carp to your pond and relish the scene as you watch them swim under your bridge.
Pathways
One of the benefits of a Japanese garden is the opportunity to stroll through it, and you will need pathways to do so. Japanese themed garden pathways should use paving stones which provide the most natural materials for walking on. One landscape design idea is to use the pathways to create zones within your garden which may each have a different use or sub-theme.
Lanterns
Nothing says “Japanese garden” more than lanterns, and that is why you will want some in your garden. These not only have the practical purpose of providing light at night, but they also add even more to the atmosphere and authenticity of your Japanese garden. Rows of lanterns can also be used to identify specific zones and they can be hung singularly, in pairs, or grouped depending on their size, type, and style.
Plants
Last, but certainly not least, we come to what most gardens are about and that is what grows in them. To list every plant appropriate for a Japanese garden would take several thousand words, so instead, we will name just a few. The lotus, which is also known as the flower of Buddha must be a prime candidate if you have a water feature. Others include Azalea, Camellia, Hosta, Iris, and Hydrangea.
For ambitious landscapers, one of their primary goals is hopefully to build their business to be more profitable and potentially reach the point where they can consider expanding, either to take on more work within their current location or open up in another town or city. One hurdle that might stand in their way, however, is that whilst they have a huge knowledge and expertise of landscaping, they may not be as sure how to grow their business.
That is nothing to apologise for, as there are millions of businesses that have owners who are unable to take those businesses to another level as they struggle to discover how that can be achieved. Whilst we cannot outline an entire business plan for them, or specifically for any landscapers reading this, we can give you some tips that can help you start that journey towards expanding your landscaping business.
Give Sales Your Primary Focus
When increasing sales gets mentioned the automatic assumption by most is it means getting more clients. Naturally, part of it is, but that should not be the only avenue you go down. Perhaps if we amend it to ‘sales revenue’ it might become clearer that you can do so without adding clients.
Think about any additional services you offer clients. The obvious one is garden maintenance and repair services. Are you actively promoting these, or simply mentioning them in passing? How about calling all your previous clients and offering them a discount to sign up for maintenance? There are so many possibilities, so get thinking about how else you could increase your revenue.
Instigate A Digital Marketing Strategy
The internet is here to stay, and any business that has not taken advantage of it is missing out, especially if it has plans to expand. Having a digital marketing campaign specifically a search engine optimisation (SEO) campaign created by an experienced SEO consultant, allows you to target, reach out to, and connect with many of the local population who are your potential next clients. Some might not even know you exist, but they will with an effective digital marketing campaign set up. If you do not know how then hire a digital marketing agency.
Become The #1 Local Landscaping Brand
Most landscapers reading this will operate within a defined local area. If so, then one of your top goals is to become the landscaping business that everyone in that area thinks of first when the word landscaping is mentioned. The aforementioned digital marketing campaign can help towards that aim. You can also boost your branding locally using promotional material, sponsorships, and seeking positive publicity via local media.
Enhance Your Customer Service In Every Way You Can
We trust customer service is important to you, but even so, ask yourself if it is truly world-class. By world-class we mean does it ‘wow’ your clients from the moment they first contact you, through the creation of their garden, and then afterwards when you follow up with them to ensure all is ok. These and everything in between must be head and shoulders above your competition.
Get All Your Financials Aligned
Although maybe not as exciting as the previous tips, we cannot ignore the fact that for your business to progress, everything behind the scenes must be in order, especially your landscaping business’s finances. Examples include seeking to reduce fixed costs, ensuring that you actively seek client payments when due, and helping your landscaping business retain a high credit rating by paying all its bills on time.
Many homeowners want to install swimming pools so they can enjoy summer fun without lining up at their local public pool. At a moment’s notice, you can wander outside your home in your swimsuit and jump right into your very own pool.
However, as convenient as having a swimming pool is, it does come with responsibilities. Caring for a pool can require some time and effort, so consider some of these helpful tips below to get on top of it.
Skim Daily
Insects, debris, and all sorts of contaminants can end up in your swimming pool, regardless of whether you use a swimming pool cover or not. To keep your water fresh and clean, get into the habit of skimming your pool daily. The more often you do it, the less time it takes. There are plenty of pool products available to help make this process as easy as possible.
Take Care of Your Filter
Your swimming pool’s filter has a very important job to do – removing impurities from your water. In return for its service, you need to take care of it. Once a week, turn off the filter, remove the filter cap, lift out the filter basket, and remove any debris that’s built up inside.
Then, once a month, perform backwashing so that you can clean out the pipes that help with the filtering process. Backwashing is a straightforward process. All you need to do is remove the leaf basket and turn on the pump until your waste pipe ejects clear water.
Keep On Top of Chemicals
While skimming and filter care are essential, if there’s one job you don’t want to let fall by the wayside, it’s chemical care. If you aren’t incredibly fastidious with chemical use, you can cause pool occupants to suffer from irritated skin and eyes or have your pool not be clean at all.
There are at least six different chemical considerations your local installer may recommend as being important for your pool water, including calcium hardness, free chlorine, cyanuric acid, total alkalinity, and acidity/alkalinity.
Free chlorine is a sanitizer that keeps your water germ free, while cyanuric acid protects the chlorine from sunlight. You might consider calcium hardness to prevent plaster damage to your pool and acidity and alkalinity to manage your pH levels.
Look After the Water Level
With kids splashing about, intense sunshine, and heavy rainfall, your pool water levels are bound to fluctuate from time to time. Keep an eye on this for safety reasons and to protect your pool materials’ integrity.
Your pool water levels should ideally be halfway up to the opening of your skimmer. If they aren’t, use a garden hose to add as much water as you need.
If you’re having the opposite problem – too much water – hire a submergible pump to drain excess water. Take care if your pool is fiberglass or vinyl, as a submergible pump may not be the best option. If you’re unsure, consult a pool expert to find out what may suit your unique situation the best.
Pool ownership is a lot of fun, and thousands of homeowners reap the rewards daily. However, your pool’s longevity may just rely on you considering these care tips above and fastidiously maintaining your pool to the best of your ability.
When we start looking at our landscape design options, our first priority is to make a space that best suits our needs. We might include an outdoor entertainment area to enjoy with friends and lighting to make sure we can enjoy it at night.
But what about wildlife? As it turns out, there are ways to welcome them into your yard with landscape design, as well. Here are some helpful ideas below.
Put Thought Into Plants
Even though you might have a vision for how you want your property to look, that vision might have to change ever so slightly if you’re also trying to welcome wildlife into your yard. What you plant can actually matter quite a lot.
The best chance you have of welcoming native wildlife into your yard is to choose plants that are native to Australia and your area. By taking this approach, you may increase your chances of attracting the animals already found in your area to your property.
There are plenty of options to choose from, so find a nursery that specialises in indigenous plants to find out what will suit your location the best. Be sure to put some thought into soil and rainfall requirements, as well, as this may give your plants the best chance to thrive.
Consider Water Elements
Even if you hadn’t originally thought of adding something with water, it might be how you welcome more wildlife into your property. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to attract animals.
You can fill up a small container that you top up and often refresh or go all-out with a pond installation. If you decide to create a pond, add native fish to increase the appeal of your property while also taking care of the local mosquito population.
The addition of sedges and rushes may also see your property encouraging frogs, which is bound to bring some joy to your family.
Add Shelter Elements
We’re pretty lucky here in Australia to have many different lizard species that love to hang out in our gardens. If you’re wondering why you never seem to see them, that might be because your current landscape design doesn’t have everything they want or need.
Many lizard species want somewhere to hide and stay safe. Provide shelter in the form of branches, bark, and even some rocks, so that they have somewhere to keep warm or cool and protected from predators like ravens.
Don’t Use Chemicals
It can sometimes seem like the only way to get rid of weeds is to use a herbicide or pesticide product. These products are effective, but they can be fatal to frogs, fish, and other creatures. Where possible, use safer alternatives like pyrethrum.
Pyrethrum is a natural daisy extract that may be less harmful than synthetic chemicals that you can buy in your local garden store. If you put some thought into your landscape design, you might also be able to create gardens that require very little maintenance, like weeding, anyway.
Even though you’re designing your landscape to suit your own needs, don’t be afraid to come up with a landscape design that also takes care of our native wildlife. You may be surprised at how easy it can be.
We are very fortunate to have some of the best landscaping professionals to call upon for property transformations and maintenance here in Australia. This much is obvious when you see the many wonderful spaces they have created at homes and businesses throughout the country.
However, many of the landscapers today have been able to benefit from some of the greatest landscapers in history – those that have developed techniques and features that remain popular even today.
Below, you can gain insight into some of the most well-known landscaping legends and what they have done for the industry.
Corajoud Michel
Corajoud Michel was a French landscape architect who was born in 1937 and died in 2014. Corajoud was known for being able to integrate architecture with landscaping for a seamless design. He also emphasised the importance of people’s connection with the space, how they enjoyed it and utilised it.
For his efforts and many years of service, Corajoud earned many awards. Today, you can see some of his handiwork, such as the famous Water Mirror along Bordeaux’s Garonne river bank.
Pechère René
Throughout Pechère René’s long and fruitful career in landscape architecture, until he died in 2002, he was involved in nearly 900 different private and public garden spaces. And he didn’t just stay in one country, either. Pechère made his mark in many different countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.
He was well known for his participation in the outdoor area of the 1958 Universal Exhibition and Botany Park in Brussels. Pechère had an incredible talent for being able to incorporate colour, sunshine, and shadows into his designs.
André Le Nôtre
André Le Nôtre, son and grandson of French court gardeners, was born in 1613 and died in 1700. Throughout his lifetime, he was famed for his unique perspective on landscape architecture. He gardened for French lords and was even hired to restore the gardens of Versailles and tend to King Louis XIV gardens after catching his eye.
Today, he is remembered for a long list of garden creations, including the gardens of Versaille and the Garden of Caux-le-Vicomte.
Gertrude Jekyll
Using her passion for arts and crafts, Gertrude Jekyll became one of the first famous women in landscaping. She knew how to balance colours, use proportions, and make certain fragrances and textures work in harmony.
For this unique skillset, Gertrude was called upon to create over 400 gardens throughout England, Europe, and America. Many have been lovingly restored to keep the memory of Gertrude alive, who died in 1932.
Roberto Burle Marx
Even though Brazil-born Roberto Burle Marx, born in 1909, was known for his contribution to art, painting, and music, he was also highly regarded for his incredible gardening and landscaping abilities.
Roberto studied fine arts, but he was also passionate about botany and enjoyed studying tropical plants. He even had an extensive plant collection of over 3,500 plants. These are now state-owned and are considered a national monument.
Even today, landscaping experts know the name Roberto Burle Marx, and plants are named after him, such as the Burle Marx Calathea.
Even though we have many talented landscapers among us today, we can’t forget who laid the groundwork for the techniques, styles, and processes we use today. It’s incredible to think just how much our public gardens today have been influenced by talented landscapers from the past.
The Eco Whisper is a low noise wind-turbine, looking more like a jet engine compressor blade than a conventional large aircraft wing-type wind-turbine attached to a hub.
The Eco Whisper is installed at Geelong, Victoria, Australia, and is designed by Renewable Energy Solutions Australia Holdings Ltd, Brisbane, Australia.
The wind turbine uses an automatic slewing mechanism to keep the blades pointing into the wind, and can generate 20kW of power. The Eco Whisper is 21.1m (69.2ft) tall with 6.5m (21.3ft) diameter blades, fitted with an outer cowling that is designed to prevent spanwise airflow, increasing the 30 aluminum blade lifting efficiency and helping generate more power at a given wind speed.
The shorter blades and cowl are claimed to reduce bird deaths and the hinged tower allow the turbine to be maintained or lowered when there are storms.
Visit: Renewable Energy Solutions Australia Holdings Ltd.
Via GizMag
Life gets busy, and as much as many people would love landscaping designs that incorporate acres of flower beds, it’s simply not realistic. Therefore, when they approach landscaping companies for help transforming their yard, the term ‘low maintenance’ is thrown around a lot.
But what’s really involved in creating a low-maintenance yard? The following design elements have become worth their weight in gold.
Outdoor Entertaining Areas
It won’t take most people long to work out that outdoor entertainment areas with paving stones, decks, fire pits, and gravel are far less work than flower beds with all your favourite plants.
As a result, many people steer toward sacrificing lawn and garden areas for their own little space that requires minimal time and effort throughout the year. While you might miss out on flowers blooming and brightening up the space, you’ve got somewhere comfortable to socialise with your friends during the warmer months.
Return Some Yard to Nature
As challenging as it might be to let nature do what it’s supposed to do, it can be worth it when you can give up some of your gardening responsibilities. If you have a back garden area with trees and shade, let this space work its magic for wildlife.
The fallen leaves from the trees will create mulch for the soil, and birds will make it their own slice of paradise. While you may like to add a few native plants and rocks to this space, it can otherwise be self-sufficient.
More Hardscapes, Fewer Plants
If you don’t have the time to care for giant flower beds and endless lines of shrubs, hardscapes can be your friend. Landscaping experts can build raised garden areas that are not only somewhere to relax, but just have a small amount of garden space around the edges. You can also add colour with outdoor furniture, garden pots, and stones.
Be Choosy With Your Plants
Sometimes, people become overwhelmed by gardening because they’ve opted for the neediest, fussiest plants in the garden centre. When you’re giving your outdoor space a new lease on life, choose plants that require minimal care. Even better, select plants that thrive in your area without your help at all.
Sacrifice Some Lawn
If you live somewhere with equal parts rain and sunshine, you’ll likely find yourself pushing a lawnmower more often than not. It’s almost like as soon as you’ve mowed your lawns, they’ve started growing again.
While you don’t need to give up your lawn altogether, you may be able to transform part of it into a paved area that requires minimal maintenance. Weed spraying from time to time may be all it takes to keep such a space looking at its best. You can then leave your weekends free for activities you actually like doing, rather than lawn mowing.
Use Ground Cover Plants
Right up there in terms of people’s least favourite chores is weeding. It’s almost like they grow before your very eyes. Give up much of this task by investing in ground cover plants. They spread out over a soil area and leave very little space for weeds to thrive.
Low maintenance landscaping is becoming more popular by the year, with more and more homeowners having less and less time to spend toiling away in their garden. Any of these ideas above may be how you get back your freedom.
Cheaper algae aviation fuel is about to become actualized, if the work done by University of Sheffield Professor Will Zimmerman, and recently published in the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering becomes a commercial reality.
Flying planes on algae oil has been around for a few years, but it is expensive because the algae need removed from the water. By providing microbubbles to bring algae to the pond surface, it may be cheaper to harvest, and their micro-bubble maker uses a 1,000 times less energy than other versions.
“.. we used microbubbles to grow the algae more densely,” professor Zimmerman explained. “…algae biofuels still couldn’t be produced economically, because of the difficulty in harvesting and dewatering the algae. We had to develop a solution to this problem and once again, microbubbles provided a solution.”
Via BusinessGreen
I just read recently the BBC News article about microscopic plastic particles that have been found in marine animals, including the fish we eat, and then they end up inside us. Where does all this plastic come from? From those discarded plastic bags of course, all that trash that gets dumped in the ocean or washed out to see or partly burnt and blown away, and that really obnoxious polystyrene shipping foam that breaks into little balls. Much of that plastic photo degrades into smaller and smaller pieces, and has been written about before.
But this microscopic plastic contamination is different, it comes from the synthetic clothes we buy, wear and wash! The research is published in the Journal Environmental Science and Technology, and shows that 1,900 tiny fibres come off each item of clothing and into the water that gets flushed away.
“Research we had done before… showed that when we looked at all the bits of plastic in the environment, about 80% was made up from smaller bits of plastic,” said co-author Mark Browne, an ecologist now based at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a member of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, USA
Other research shows that plastic particles less than 1mm in size get eaten by animals.
“Once the plastics had been eaten, it transferred from [the animals’] stomachs to their circulation system and actually accumulated in their cells,” according to Browne’s interview with the BBC. At 18 beaches around the world the researchers found evidence of the microscopic plastic particles. They tested city sewage discharge and looked at the outflow from washing machines and clearly showed the microscopic plastic was coming from water discharge from washing machines.
“It suggests to us that a large proportion of the fibres we were finding in the environment, in the strongest evidence yet, was derived from the sewerage as a consequence from washing clothes.”
I remember (unfortunately!) that back in the 1970s and 1980s there was a big push to buy synthetic clothing, including polyester shirts (that really got very sweater, stained and stunk), nylon/polyester bed sheets that gave you a million volt shock every time you pulled back the sheets, and the countless sock, trouser, jacket, glove and scarf that came in a combo of synthetic textiles. Most of them made my flesh creep and it sends a shiver down my spine even thinking about it.
Is it any different today, I don’t think so, probably much worse as there seems to be an ever increasing mix of spandex, latex, viscose and whatever other funky fabric combo they dream up. And have you ever wondered where all those little fibrous and dusty bits go when you shake out your clothes – even if they have been in a drawer or wardrobe or just washed. Then there is the laundry soap, with activated chemical scrubs and a whole bunch of sulphates, phosphates, benzyl, softeners, whiteners, anti-microbials, and more…!
Now I only buy, as best I can, only organic cotton, wool, and natural fabrics, and use the most benign clothes washing detergents. My clothes last longer (I’m not a dedicated follower of fashion!), they look clean, I don’t think I smell (!) and I don’t get zapped by a million volts every time I get into or out of bed or walk across the room in my organic cotton/wool socks.
Trevor Williams is a University of Victoria Mechanical Engineering PhD candidate specializing in renewable energy, power grid modeling and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. He has a bachelors in Aeronautical Engineering, a Masters in Management Science and over 23 years international experience in the space industry, having worked on Earth observation and telecommunications satellites. He is the author of the Eco-Geek blog.
As there can be a lot to learn about landscape design when you decide to make changes to your property, it can be worth speaking to experts from Martin Cuthbert Landscapes. You might even hire experts to care for the entire project.
In that case, you probably want to learn as much as possible about what’s involved and what you can expect. Here are some of the best questions to ask before you decide to proceed with your project.
How Much Does Landscape Design Cost?
If you were to ask a landscaping expert how much their services would cost, they wouldn’t be able to give you a straight answer. The standard landscaping price can vary from a few thousand dollars to $50,000 and beyond.
Typically, your wants, needs, section size, and the sheer volume of work involved in what you’re looking for can determine how much you can expect to pay. Therefore, it can be worth having a fair idea of what you’re looking for in mind before requesting such information.
What Are the Principles of Landscape Design?
There can be a lot involved in landscape design, above and beyond simply buying a few plants and placing them around a barbecue and seating area.
There are seven landscape design principles: unity, scale/proportion, balance, simplicity, variety, emphasis, and sequence. These elements all factor into anything involving colour, texture, lines, and forms.
How Do You Design a Landscape Plan?
If you’re hiring someone to take care of your landscaping, you won’t need to worry about how to design a landscape plan. After all, they take care of it for you and simply add in the features you requested.
However, it can be worth asking this question if you plan on trying to design it on your own. The most important thing to do first is create the outline, which forms your property’s boundary.
You can add any existing features that you won’t change to this outline, such as the house, garaging, pathways, rocks, and waterways. With this basic sketch, you can begin adding the things you want, such as ground cover and other design elements.
How Do You Landscape Your Yard on a Budget?
If you only have limited funds to work with, you may be trying to make your yard as aesthetically pleasing as possible without spending too much. Talk to your local landscaping businesses about the budget you do have to see if they are able to achieve anything within it.
Otherwise, you can look at cost-saving ideas like using ground cover plants to cover as much bare earth as possible, looking for plants people are giving away online, and using cheaper alternatives to mulch, such as a mixture of grass clippings, leaves, compost, and pine needles.
What Are the Three Landscaping Design Elements?
If you want your new landscape design to be akin to those you see in house and garden magazines, it pays to be aware of the most critical landscaping design elements. These are greenscape, hardscape, and waterscape. Include all three in your design for the most aesthetically pleasing space.
If you have never given much thought to landscaping before, you’re bound to have many questions. These five above are a few of the many you may like to ask your local landscaping team before you get stuck into your next project.