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What Is Landscape Gardening?

Landscape gardening is basically the art of setting out grounds or planting of ornamental plants so that a picturesque effect is created. In other words, it can be seen as the beautification or decoration of a portion of land to generate a naturalistic effect in a limited space. However, it should also be noted that landscape gardening meant to beautify places, but also important and very functional as our surroundings make a whole lot of contribution to the quality of our lives. Landscape is a word that’s not only used to qualify an beautiful scenery, but also stands for a great historical records of natural features created by human activities over time. So what are the general principles of landscaping?

• The right landscape garden should express some thought or feeling, just like a good landscape painting. The expression can be bold, quiet, retired and more.

• The landscape garden area should be divided into various sections with a plan for each individual area. The whole plan should be actualized in such a way that an observer or visitor can imagine the entire plan and purpose without having to analyse each parts.

• It’s of great importance to combine both beauty and utility effectively.

• The design’s simplicity should be emphasized while executing the plan.

• The garden and building should perfect blend with each other in such a way that they could be seen as one rather than the landscape garden stopping abruptly in front of the building. The view of the garden from the building’s door or window should offer an breath taking scenery. In short, every part of the landscape should be planned so that every visitor will have a surprising effect when seen.

• The ideal landscape should not be too tight and should possess an open space.

• Do not overcrowd the plants and objects.

Chances are at some point you’d probably given a though about how steps would fit in perfectly in your garden, except of course, your yard and garden is flat. Adding steps and gardens makes it a lot easier to get around your yard while also enhancing its curb appeal. In order to avoid the cost of hiring a professional to get the task done, you might be tempted to make it a DIY task. However, if you lack the required skill and confidence to pull this off, we’d strongly recommend you call in a professional so as to avoid costly errors. In this post, we’re going to take you through the garden steps building process. Let’s take a look!

1. Measure the vertical height of the slope by marking it with two parallel lines. Once done, proceed by connecting a string line to the slope’s top and hold it in a horizontal way, take a measurement of the flight’s length and breadth. Divide the measurement by 200mm to get the number of steps that’ll be required. Then proceed to divide the number by the height to identify the depth of each step.
2. Working downwards from the flight’s top, dig the step shapes and also dig a shallow trench and install a concrete foundation.
3. Enable the foundation to harden by leaving it for about 48 hours, then install two courses of bricks on the concrete strip and use gravel to backfill.
4. With the help of a trowel, apply mortar to the top of the brickwork. Place the first slab on the mortar bed and press down. Then, make use of a spirit level to make sure that the steps are level.
5. On the back edge of the first tread, you should proceed to build the second rise, backfill and install the slab to form the second tread – just like the previous step. Repeat this process until you’ve gotten to the top of the flight.

Everyone wants a good-looking lawn! If you’re wondering the best time to scarify your lawn, then you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’re going to consider this in order to help you make the best-informed decision possible. Let’s take a look!

The short and simple answer to this question is when your grass is actively growing. This is the best time to scarify a lawn as it enables it to recover faster once it has been scarified. What’s more? The conditions also have to be appropriate as extreme weather condition, be it too cold, too warm, too dry or too hot, will hinder the quick and proper recovery of your lawn. It’s also important to take note that scarifying of a lawn is going to leave the soil exposed which makes way for weed and other unwanted plants to grow.

During the year, there are two different times which tends to provide the most ideal conditions to scarify a lawn. The first of these periods is late March or April when the spring is in the air and your grass receives all the warmth and moisture it needs to thrive. It’s also advisable not to wait till too late in the spring as right after this period comes the heat and dryness of summer. Furthermore, the lawn shouldn’t be scarified too heavily during the spring as summer usually comes with weed seeds which means your grass won’t recover fast enough and weeds will quickly make way for themselves.

If you wish to scarify your lawn heavily, then the perfect time to do this would be in September or October – during autumn. During this period, the summer weed seeds would be gone and the grass will grow properly.

When your driveway is suffering from depression, it becomes unsafe for driving (a danger zone) and ugly - no homeowner wants that! Unfortunately, most driveways won’t hold flat for long as they tend to develop cracks and potholes pretty quickly. Here, we are going to take you through how to fill asphalt driveways’ depression so as to ensure the sinkholes in your driveway poses no threat to you or your loved ones, while also beautifying your property. The approach to be used depends on the intensity of the depression. If its only a few cracks and holes, this can easily be repaired with some equipment. But if otherwise is the case, then calling a reliable professional will be your best bet. In this article, we’ll show you how to repair dips in your asphalt driveway relatively quickly.

✓ Pick a date with warm and sunny weather. This is because if you work in a cold weather, chances are the materials will freeze and hence, unusable. So find a day when the temperature will over 50 degrees Fahrenheit and below 80 degrees Celsius and when there would be no rain. We’ll advise a day between May to October.

✓ Prepare the area. Remove all loose stones, soil, dirt as well as vegetation from the holes. Once done, you can then proceed to washing the area with a pressure washer or sweep with a broom.

✓ Apply a thin mixture of asphalt to the area. Use a flat stirring stick to coat the low driveway area with a thin mixture of asphalt.

✓ Tamp the asphalt repair mix. Purchase the right kind of asphalt to repair the driveway. Fine aggregate asphalt mixture is more suited to filling small holes, whereas the coarse aggregate is more suited to filling larger holes. Apply layers ( about 2 inches each time) of the asphalt repair mix to the sunken area and use a shovel to give it a smooth finish. Once done, simply make the area smooth and protect it with a piece of plywood. Do not walk or drive on the area for a couple of days.

Uneven lawn? Well, for an outdoor space which looks great and serves its purpose throughout the year, there’s a need to learn how to level your garden. While its best left for a professional to handle, there are also some simple steps you can follow to ensure your DIY task turns out a success whether you’re preparing to lay a patio or deck, landscaping the whole space or tackling a lumpy lawn. A level ground comes with a bunch of benefits which includes maximizing the functions of your yard, helping with drainage while also enhancing your property’s curb appeal. Good news is, you can level your sloping lawn by hand. Want to know how? In this post, we’re going to take you through the processes involved in levelling an uneven lawn. Let’s take a look!

You can simply level your lawn using your hand if you aim to make your lawn a more even surface or to install a patio or deck. If your goal is only to make the lawn more even, you should have it in mind that, even though lumps and bumps aren’t always pleasing for most people, it can actually create a good drainage for your home.

Top dressing is the solution for depressions that are about 2cm to 3cm deep. To resolve this, simply get a top dressing mixture or make yours using two parts of sand and topsoil and a single part of compost. Use this to fill out the depression evenly and make compact using a rake or your feet, then water. Leave this for two days before applying grass seed alongside a thin layer of topsoil, then water as needed.

If you have a deeper depression, simply dig out to around 4cm to 5cm and remove any lumps of soil or stones. Once done, proceed to top dressing as explained above and grass seed to fill out the bald spot.

When it comes to fence ownership and responsibility, this is often a subject of dispute between neighbours and understandably so. Owning a fence comes with a number of responsibilities such as arranging and paying for the maintenance and more. Therefore, if you’re not yet sure who owns the garden fence, then you’d probably want to have that sorted to make sure your property stays protected at all times. In this post, we’re going to give you an insight into some of the rules guiding fence ownership in order to help you make informed decisions. Let’s take a look!

There’s no rule of thumb on whether you own the fence on the right hand or the left hand side of your property. Therefore, if you’ve heard any “rules that states otherwise, you can fling that out the window because not everyone will own the left hand side to their fence. The first way to determine who owns the garden fence or which side of the fence you’re responsible for is simply by looking. Although this is not guaranteed or a definite way to determine ownership, it can go a long way to give you a good idea. As you would have expected, fences are most likely built on the land that belongs to the boundary’s owner with the further edge of the fence making the actual boundary. As a result, you can determine a fence ownership simply by identifying where the frames are.

Also, you can determine fence ownership using the title deeds for an official and accurate answer. A copy should be given alongside your paperwork which is received when purchasing your house.

How Much To Landscape A Garden?

Also known as a nation of gardeners, the UK is filled with individuals who take their outdoors seriously. As a result, it’s little surprise many people over here employ the services of expert landscape gardeners to help out with various tasks such as decking, building patios, ponds and reshaping their gardens to keep them in a top condition and make them a lot more useful. However, before you get started with your landscape gardening task, you’d like to figure out a estimate of the amount it’s going to cost. Let’s have a look!

Providing an accurate assessment of a generic landscape gardening project is almost impossible as gardens are all unique. A total refurbishment of a big garden will definitely run into thousands of pounds even before accounting for essential items like garden furnitures and planting. We’ll break them down to smaller elements of landscape gardening and give a rough estimate of the cost.

Firstly, a patio is an effective means of increasing your garden’s usability whose cost varies depending on the materials used. Generally, a patio will cost within the range of £70 to £90. This price may be higher in areas with greater demands like London.

A decking also serves the same purposes as a patio or paved area. However, it’s usually made of wood which delivers a much more natural feel perfect for the garden. The cost of decking varies largely depending on the wood incorporated. For instance, if you opt for a cheaper wood such as pine, the cost you can expect to pay would be within the range of 60 pounds to 80 pounds per square metre. However, for more quality and durable hardwood, you’ll have to pay about 200 pounds per square metre or more.