Tuesday, 31 January 2012

Decorative Landscape Curbing - Help For Creating the Perfect Look For Your Lawn and Garden

Are you looking for a new way to make your home stand out? Need a change and looking for some curb appeal that will stop the neighbors when they drive or walk by? Well, now there is an affordable way you can add that decorative touch to your curbs and really impress everyone.

So what exactly is decorative landscape curbing and what types of materials do they use to create the effects you are looking for? Decorative landscape curbing is a creative way of enhancing the way any yard or property looks to aid in the charm of your home. It can be placed as a border around beds of flowers or up and down the driveway. It is concrete that is continuously laid down in one piece with the use of an extruder and stamped and colored in various ways afterward. This unbroken border is custom fitted with any design you may have for your lawn and garden ideas.

There are a variety of packages to choose from when deciding on decorative landscape curbing options for your yard. Some of the reasons homeowners are opting for this choice is because it's affordable, it highlights and defines your yard, property lines and planters, helps with problems like keeping mulch in your flower bed, doesn't rot, rust or deteriorate, comes in a wide selection of shapes, colors and stamps to go with any decoration idea you have in mind, and it also saves time on mowing, weeding and edging.

These concrete landscape borders do not take much time to create the desired look you had in mind, and the results you will see will be completely outstanding. Some of the choices available for you with decorative landscape curbing are:

Slant Style edging geared for holding in gardening materials due to the higher back end. The front is lower so you will not have problems mowing around it.

Mower Style edging is very popular is built to both accommodate the lawn mower wheel at the same time as retain your gardening materials. It has great curb appeal by giving the landscaping a "picture framed" look.

6 x 4 Curb Style is the popular choice edging used in commercial lawn settings because it can handle the larger lawn mower wheels and has a more massive look. It can be installed as regular gray concrete or it can be textured and stamped. There is also a 6 x 6 curb style that is often used by commercial architects and placed deeper into the ground. These can also be used to help keep in your gravel, gardening materials and other driveway or walkway problem areas.

Once you have decided on the edging you would like to use, you will want to choose a finish. This is where the fun can come in. There is a wide variety to choose from such as Ashlar, BasketWeave, Bick Bond, Cobble Stone, Flag Stone, H-Brick with 2 variations, Herringbone, Nine Inch tile, Offset Bond, Random Stone, Six Inch Tile, Slate, Soldier Course, and Wood Grain.

You can either find a company by searching online and checking into their catalog of options or you can look in your local yellow pages for a location near you. With a short consultation, and a little time for planning, you can design a superb new look for your yard by choosing decorative landscape curbing designs.

Monday, 2 January 2012

Some Amazing Garden Edging Ideas

Garden edging is generally done to banish those pesky lawn grasses from your landscape beds. However, it also adds a lot of beauty to your garden if done with some intelligence. A little bit of smart work can give a ravishing look to your garden. It can transform your garden from a simple garden to a classy aesthetic one.

A garden lawn edging could be of many types, the common ones being plastic strips, wooden edging, spade-cut trenches and the brick paver. The technique that you deploy could depend on multiple factors.

Gardens having ornamental plantings would generally require Plastic strip garden edging. However it is also important to note that this technique requires some additional maintenance, especially in the event of excessive rains or snow. This is pretty similar to the steel strip form of garden edging, just that the former is available in different sizes.

Wooden garden edging is another very common technique. It is often used because it's very cost effective. It also gives a good look to your garden and goes well if you have a wooden finish to your home. It gives a distinctive look. However the disadvantage here is that it doesn't last long especially when there is too much water.

Spade-Cut Trenches are also elegant. The biggest advantage with this technique is that they go along with any type of home and background.

The Flagstone technique uses the flagstone to give a kind of unfinished, yet elegant look to your garden. Here the uneven edges standout and make the garden look very natural.

There are many more techniques for garden edging. The best among them are highlighted here. It is always important to consider your surroundings before you decide on a particular technique. Also remember to factor in the weather and the location where you stay. It is possible to use any technique that suits you. You can also get innovative with the materials that you use for decorating your garden. It may even be stuff which you never use again. Even simple metal pieces can give a decorative look to your garden. Lots of cheap materials are available in the modern day home improvement stores. Just watch your neighbor's gardens and see how they have done it.

In short, all that is needed is a desire to have a good garden. You can use any technique that suits you and your environment. Be innovative and you will surely be surprised after seeing the end result yourself.

Friday, 23 December 2011

Garden Edging Techniques - Creating Beautiful Landscape Designs With Edging

Garden edging is a great way to make your landscape designs pop. You can achieve many clean and decorative looks with various edging techniques. Garden edging will open up a world of landscape design opportunities in your yard because you can choose from a multitude of designs, edging materials, and edging techniques.

If you are not familiar with edging, it is a term used to describe a landscaping technique used to create "edges" around various landscape elements. You can place an edge around trees, shrubs, flowers, and hardscape elements like light posts and mailboxes. Creating an edge around elements in a landscape gives them a clean look and sets them apart from other elements in the yard.

Depending on the style you want to achieve with this technique you might want to choose certain materials over others. For example, cement can give a more modern look and brick can be used to create a more traditional look. Stone and brick are the easiest materials for homeowners to work with on their own. To begin you can try any one of these simple but beautiful techniques that use stone and brick.

Boulder Technique -- This is a very simple landscaping technique to start with. All you need are large sized rocks. Anywhere from 8 inches to a foot in height. Then you place them around your selected garden bed. You can use rocks that slightly vary in shape and color. This technique gives gardens an organic look.

Flagstone Technique -- Flagstone is a popular stone to use in landscapes. It has a distinctive look that most people recognize--a flat, wide surface with uneven edges. Because it is so flat it should be placed in small stacks to give it height. To create a simple edging with flagstone, take small stacks of the stone and place them side-by-side around a garden bed.

Diagonal Brick -- This landscaping idea gives a beautiful old-world look to landscapes. You can create the diagonal brick look by building a small trench around a select garden bed (minding plant roots, of course). Then, set your bricks in the trench so that they are laying on top of each other at a diagonal angle. Fill the trench back up so that most of each brick is covered. When you are done it should look like there are little pyramids of brick sticking out of the ground in a row.

You can create garden edging on your own or you can consult with a residential landscape designer who can create edging designs for you. However, creating your own beautiful edging only requires that you have an eye for detail, a steady hand, and a few materials. You can literally edge with anything that inspires you (sea shells, old bottles, etc.), but some traditional garden edging materials include wood, metal, brick, stone, cement, plastic, and aluminum. You can find pre-made edging materials at your local home improvement store that can easily be put together. You can also buy brick or any variety of stone to create you edging. This is most common. Professional landscape designers typically create cement edges but you can also buy pre-cast cement or faux cement edges that are easy to put together.

Sunday, 18 December 2011

Landscape Improvements - Flower Bed Edging Ideas

If your landscape needs a little sprucing up, but you're not ready for a complete redo, some minor improvements to your beds' edging can make a dramatic difference. While looking attractive, edging around your flower bed is also very practical. Edging keeps your lawn and flower garden separate, reducing the problem of grass invading into your flower bed.

There are several types of flower bed edging you should consider. Some of the options are listed below.

Dug or Drop-Down Edge

This is a somewhat difficult method that is more work to maintain. However, a trench edge or lowered flower bed is a naturally appealing design. If you already have a flower bed set up, try digging a several inch wide trench with a hand trowel around the current area. Patience is the key to success with this edge. When your done, the trench can be left empty or filled with pebbles or crushed shells.

Plastic Edge

Plastic borders are sold by the roll, and are often installed by driving the strips into the ground with small stakes. This is a useful tool if you want to separate your plants from crossing between the bed and the lawn, but don't want a large or noticeable border.

Natural Stone Edge

With the growing popularity of natural landscaping features, you can easily purchase very elegant stone to create a border with, including granite and flagstone. This asymmetrical and uneven border will complement both highly organized garden spaces, as well as more "wild" type flower beds. For the do-it-yourselfers, try to incorporate rocks from your own yard instead of purchasing natural edging.

When working with natural stone borders, you have a lot of freedom with the shape of the outline. In this case, simple is usually best. Complicated or winding borders are distracting and displeasing to the eye, so aim for wide sweeping lines.

Wood Edge

Attractive wood edging is simple to do, and the appropriate lumber can usually be purchased at your local hardware store. Make sure that if you choose a wood that is pressure treated it has been rated to be safe for soil contact. For a touch of classic suburban fashion, try isolating one small flower bed with white picket fence. Overusing this stark white border takes attention away from the landscape, but just a touch for accent is eye-catching and appealing.

Brick and Cast Stone Edge

These styles have decreased in popularity over the years for residential homes. Most people prefer more natural looking alternatives, but there are some pre-cast and brick borders available that are very attractive, durable and inexpensive.

Plant edging

The last type of edging that I will mention is often overlooked, and that is plant edging. Plant edging is easy to do and always a cause for positive compliments. Work with low growing flowers in simple, uniform shades of colour for thinner borders, or small shrubberies for larger borders.

Monday, 5 December 2011

Use Decorative Garden Edging to Set Your Garden Apart From the Landscape

There are many different types of gardens that people choose to grow. Some people choose to grow an herb garden, others choose to grow a vegetable garden, while still others choose to raise a garden full of beautiful flowers. Any of these types of arrangements can be made quite attractive with the addition of some decorative garden edging. This type of edging can be found in all types of materials and styles to make your particular garden an aesthetically pleasing spot.

For those who are interested in a rustic or natural look, there are all types of wood edging that can be used. This type of edging can be bought ready made or can be handmade. It can look like a small wooden fence with finials or it can be fashioned out of different heights of wooden logs. Another natural look is stone garden edging. This type of decorative garden edging can be found easily. Or, if the owner of the garden would like to give this type of edging their own creative touch, he or she can collect all sorts of stones from nature and place them accordingly.

Some garden owners will prefer decorative garden edging that is made out of metal. There are all different types of metals that can be used for this type of application. There are simple and quite fancy options. It all depends on what the particular person would like to choose. Metal lawn edging can also be created by a person with an artistic touch.

Brick edging is also a popular choice among the owners of gardens. If the owner has a brick home, then this can be a nice touch to tie in the garden with the home. Yet, brick can be used regardless of what the home is constructed of. All in all, it really comes down to what the owner of the garden would like to do to set his or her garden apart from the rest of the landscape. With all of the different choices of materials and styles of decorative garden edging that are available, all it should take is a little thought and the edging project can be made one that will be admired.

Friday, 18 November 2011

Basic Landscape Edging Options

A gardener should consider why he wants to begin installing edgings of physical landscape, before he actually does it. As it relates to installing, using and maintaining edgings, each type has its own advantages and disadvantages. Installation becomes less difficult if you chose the most suitable kind of landscape border to meet the needs and wants of a gardener, allowing him more time to take pleasure in his flower beds or yard.

Inground and aboveground are the two types of basic landscape edging options. Inground edging is seated flush within the ground and has little or no ornamental appeal. Aboveground edging however is firmly planted in the ground and has a decorative rim that peeps above earth's surface. The same groundwork is needed for installing aboveground edging as is for inground edging, but more manoeuvring during installation to get the component of the aboveground to sit in a manner that is pleasing. If a decorative effect is not desired by the gardener for his edging or lawn, then installation and time will be saved by selecting inground edging and also for later on when kits time to trim the plants, weeds or grass around the edging.

The material for landscape borders should also be considered by gardeners. Though masonry is appealing and durable, it is difficult to move if the person installing it is working alone. When choosing to install masonry features such as paver edging, it is better to get the assistance of a friend. Wood in comparison is easily manoeuvred as it is a lightweight, but it wears out with time even when it is properly cared for. Plastic however not just a lightweight but it is also cost effective, though it may not be so appealing aesthetically.

When installing a landscape edging, timing is crucial. Avoid the installation of any kind of yard edging right after heavy rains. Edging placed on very wet ground may move and shift while the soil is drying. Being his heavy, metal or stone lawn edging is not as affected by this shifting unlike other types. Dry soil is hard to work with and needs to be more loosen prior to putting up a landscape edging. Decide on landscape restraints that are lightweight or slightly wet the soil before starting the installation.

A clear border between one fraction of the yard and another is provided by landscape edging and it also complements plants. If the edging is warped or mislaid, then its effect becomes lessened. Tools such as levels should be utilised by gardeners an added set of eyes should be used in order to get a border that is just right.

General rules of safety should be observed by the person installing the landscape edging. Large jobs may become difficult and cause physical injury. Heavy materials used in shorter jobs may also cause physical injury. Utilising proper lifting procedures and back brace support and gloves does a lot to make sure the installation s completed with no hazards.

Saturday, 22 October 2011

Landscape Edging: Choose The Most Appropriate!

Many times, the best home improvements are very simple and easy. It is not important always to spend thousands of dollars for home improvements on high-end outdoor lawn enhancing edging. A simple touch or brush up can definitely bring in considerable changes to your lawn and increase the overall feel. landscape edging is a quite easy way to make your garden look beautiful and appealing. Simply changes may add up immeasurable value to the lawn and attract everyone instantly. It is a kind of implementing changes by relative standards to increase the overall appearance of your lawn.

A planned design and edge lying can bring in all the essential difference between an attractive edging and an ordinary looking garden. For making it really nice, you have to level it on a recommended limit and lay down a piece of edging under supervision.

Choose from a wide range of different types of edging:

Landscape edging Materials:
In order to get the desired lawn, you need to choose the right material for your landscape edging. Look into advantages and disadvantages of several choices.

Wood edging:
Wood edging is a kind of very exotic landscape edging material. It adds a timeless look to your garden. It generally doesn’t cost you much as well.

Brick, Stone, and Concrete edging:
Brick, stone, and concrete edging are the best choice for everyone who appreciates the look of brick or stone.

Metal edging:
These edging materials are strong and durable. These can be easily transformed into decorative features to get that interesting feel that you desire.

Saturday, 1 October 2011

Discover More Around Landscaping Edging

When folks take a look at their gardens normally they see an unbroken expanse of lawn which normally has some flowering plants around the borders of your garden and close to your house. Past this youll need to see about investing in some genuinely good landscaping edging materials. Given that there are numerous different firms which are engaged in landscaping you may find it feasible to decide on the landscape edging which will fit you.

The various firms which may present you with great seeking garden landscaping edging components will incorporate stone edging concrete edging bricks as well as terracotta tiles. These different edgings can be used to divide your garden into appealing sections. With the suitable selection of edging it is possible to turn your normal garden right into a actually great spot through which to take it easy during the summer months and inside the afternoon.

Ahead of you create a selection of garden landscaping edging kinds you should see are ones which can help to produce your garden look right without having cramping all the plants right into a space in which theyll not have the ability to increase properly. Extra to this simple fact youll need to take the cost of the edgings into consideration. Among the very best ways that you can uncover the two reasonably priced landscape edgings and desirable searching ones is usually to do some comparative buying.

When youve located the edging which youll be able to manage and ones which will search very good within your garden you will need to learn just just how much you will want of the edging. This has to be referred to as you need to have adequate edging left if any troubles occur.

Right after youve bought the necessary garden landscaping edging that you want it is time to begin arranging where you are going to be laying the edging. To enhance the seems of ones garden it really is finest in case you see exactly where the land might be divided to ensure the edging isnt going to overwhelm you garden. There are many spots that will appear great together with the proper alternative of edging.

For instance youll be able to use big stones with the desirable shape as a garden landscaping edging for bordering your flower beds near your home. The contrast in between the green of your grass the stones and the flowers will help to create your garden glimpse very desirable. You might also use terracotta brick edging to mark out the boundary lines of the front walkway. Not simply will this edging inhibit the expansion of grass onto the walkway but your walkway by itself will have a appear of elegance to it.

They are just a few ideas that you simply can use with any type of garden landscaping edging will present a lot of prospects to suit your needs to examine. According to your tastes and the size with the garden landscaping edging supplies can turn any normal garden right into a function of innovative elegance.