With a little ingenuity and Knock Out roses you can transform your landscape into a real stunner.

(ARA) – You only get one chance for your home to make a first impression. With a little help from Mother Nature, you can demand a second look from passersby with a show-stopping front yard.

“Every canvas needs to start fresh and clean,” says James A. Baggett, editor of Country Gardens Magazine. “So roll up your sleeves, stick your hands in the dirt and get ready to personalize your yard with color and style.”

With a little ingenuity you can transform a ho-hum landscape into a real stunner with these simple tips that add professional-looking curb appeal to your home:

* First things first
You can’t enhance anything until you have a clean slate. So mow the lawn, get rid of the weeds, rake up and dispose of any leaves, edge the sidewalks and remove the grass growing between concrete seams and brick pavers. Prune the trees — especially the ones near or touching the roof — and add a layer of dark, natural mulch to any flower beds or under trees.

* Cover up the bald spots
Now you need to take a good look at your yard. How can you enhance your best features and minimize your worst? Here’s a great trick: Print photos in black and white and you’ll easily see the problem areas. Determine what “flaws” you want to fix. To update your look, fill empty spaces and add interest to a drab corner or “hide” unsightly spots with colorful, ever-blooming plants like the very popular shrub roses in The Knock Out family (www.TheKnockOutFamily.com). Available in seven shades ranging from raspberry pink to soft yellow, there is a Knock Out rose to fit any homeowner’s taste and landscaping style while providing year-round curb appeal.

Add interest to a drab corner or "hide" unsightly spots with colorful, ever-blooming Knock Out shrub roses.

* Put out the welcome mat
The entry garden is the most visible garden space and sets the mood for your entire home. Whether formal or relaxed, it should draw your eye toward the front door. Plant a pair of carefully pruned boxwoods on either side of the front door to add symmetry. Add a light fixture that matches the home’s exterior and shows your personal taste.

* Contain yourself
For those with minimal or no yard, or if you just want the elegance and ease of containers, pot up pretty annuals and perennials around your entrance, mailbox or along the front walk. To have striking color year after year, use perennials for fistfuls of continuous blooms that help stretch your dollars. Yellow and red are hot colors this year so plant the newest Sunny Knock Out rose paired with your favorite red annuals to be in step with the latest trends.

* Express yourself
Decorate a garden with a favorite antique, treasured collectible or statue. Look for objects such as driftwood, rocks or even empty mailboxes to punctuate certain areas. Use color to attract the eye. Paint your front door a bold, welcoming color or try a bright, punchy color on the shutters.

* Plan for sustainability
Look for plants that are easy to grow, save water and don’t require a lot of work. Pick plants that are native to your area for low-maintenance beauty. Eco-friendly shrub roses are a great choice, especially when paired with perennials for year-round color.

Baggett thinks shrub roses are perfect for first-time homeowners since they are extremely easy to grow and are low-maintenance. “Shrub roses give you a lot of bang for your buck,” he says. “They are really no work for the homeowner — and don’t require spraying, harsh chemicals, pruning, deadheading or lots of water. They bloom from May to the first hard frost in the late fall, offering season-long color and visual impact in the home landscape.”

The most popular shrub roses are The Knock Out Family of roses. They are available in seven shades ranging from hot raspberry pink to soft yellow, fitting any homeowner’s taste and landscape style while providing continuous year-round curb appeal.

Enjoy the days you get outside to renew your yard and garden. You’ll have folks taking a second look. For more information on The Knock Out Family of roses visit www.theknockoutrose.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Looking for instant color to dress up your deck or patio for that summer garden party or backyard barbeque? Or maybe you need a dash of color to brighten your landscape with long-lasting visual drama. Whatever your garden quandary, consider a low-maintenance shrub rose for nonstop color from spring until fall.

Shrub roses are easy to grow and cover any landscape with gorgeous color and flowers. They look beautiful spilling over the sides of a container, either alone or mixed with your favorite perennials or annuals. User-friendly and low-maintenance, they need little to no care for year-round color and nonstop blooms. Shrub roses are one of the hottest trends in gardening today, says Doug Jimerson of Better Homes & Gardens.

“Think of shrub roses as a flowering plant — not a rose,” Jimerson says. “The great thing about shrub roses is you don’t have to have a green thumb to make them grow. They are so easy — just plant in a sunny spot, water them and watch them grow. They’re the perfect plant for today’s busy homeowners.”

Jimerson recommends these four steps for a rosy garden:

1. Get Rich: Use healthy soil in a big hole for roses. Experts say to dig a hole twice the size of the container the rose is in. And be sure to provide ample space for the plants roots to assure healthy and beautiful roses.

2. Sun Kissed: For the most prolific blooms, plant Drift Roses in a location with plenty of sun. Hardy to zone 5, these ground hugging, ever-blooming shrubs are perfect as a border or bedding plant. Growing only about a foot around, they make a stunning low hedge or edge on a border.

3. Feed Me: Drift Roses aren’t fussy eaters. Give them a good dose of slow-release or timed fertilizer, which releases nutrients to the plant when the plant needs it most, and you’re set for the season.

4. Cover Up: And remember to mulch your roses. Mulching helps to buffer the cycle from wet to dry, keeps the feeder roots from drying out, and helps to establish the roots quicker. And less watering is required.

New Groundcover Roses Perfect for Your Landscape

This year try planting Star Roses’ new Drift Roses for a dramatic groundcover effect in your garden. They combine wonderfully with perennials intermixed with other upright shrubs like coreopsis, veronicas or lambs ear and even hostas.

Choose from four cultivars that bloom from spring to early frost. Ranging from scarlet red to bright soft peach, they provide the gardener with a complete range of color solutions for landscape use or in containers.

Two favorites in the collection are the Peach Drift Rose and the Pink Drift Rose. The most floriferous of the series, Peach Drift’s small bright apricot-salmon blooms have dark green, semi-glossy foliage and grow up to 2 feet in height. Pink Drift’s low growing mound of semi-double deep pink blooms, reaches 1-1/2 feet in height with a 3-foot spread.

Make no mistake that these are not finicky miniature roses. These hardy groundcover roses are true low spreading, dwarf shrub roses that grow only about a foot high by 1-1/2 feet wide and are covered with blooms that open to 1-1/2 inches. Drift Roses are perfect in small gardens, splashing your landscapes with visual delight.

Appealing to today’s busy gardener, these low-maintenance roses are highly disease resistant. They require no spraying except in the most humid regions of the Deep South. Bred to be “chemical-free,” Drift Roses resist rust, mildew, Japanese beetles and black spot while blooming for months on end.

Whether planting for a shock of ever-blooming color in a spectacular landscape or seeking easy, carefree ways to solve a gardening challenge, think easy-care Star Roses for long lasting, maintenance-free color.

To find out more about these and other Star Roses, or to find a garden center near you, visit www.starroses.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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I find that I tend to gather ideas like that.  Passing by a house and seeing how well an idea works for them that I feel the need to rush out and copy it.  This idea was very simple and made use of cinder blocks and impatients.

The owners of the house had created two large flower beds on either side of the stairs leading up to the front yard, something that tends to be pretty standard for a lot of homes.  Instead of relying on a simple plant to create the boarder of the flower bed, the person took regular cinder blocks and placed them along the flowerbeds with the hollow portion of the blocks facing up.

A passerbyer would only see the dark grey stone and the flowers and shrubbery that peeked over the top of the stones and alone it might not have been that interesting.  That is if they had kept to just the border.  Instead, they took the cinder blocks and built up a mini stair case going up the sides of the stairs in an interlocking pattern.  Once the blocks were in place, the cinder blocks were filled with soil, and an impatient was placed into each one to create a boarder/planter out of each block.  The effect was amazing and it really made me think of different ways to use this little idea.

I felt the overwhelming need to share so that is what I did.  Lately, I have seen a big move to living mosses on stairs but this took the idea to a new level and instead of having to worry about moss tripping guests, the homeowner was able to create a different sort of steps leading to the house and also create a frame for the garden around the front door.

So if you are looking for an inventive way to do your edging, I would strongly suggest cinder blocks and a nice flower that can rest securely in each one.

Sirena Van Schaik

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3. Add a Touch of Privacy

This need for privacy has created a growing market for privacy fencing and other products that separate backyard oasis from the busy world outside.  Unfortunately, privacy fences are not always the most attractive thing in the world to grace a yard.  Thankfully, though; there are things that you can do to create both the privacy and elegance for your space.

Using Foliage:

Of course, one of the most basic things that you can do is to use foliage as either a privacy wall in itself or to cover up a privacy fence.  Dense privacy shrubs can provide a living screen for a yard and can be purchased in varieties that need very limited care.

If you need a fence, for things such as keeping your pets in the yard, but don’t want to see it, simply cover it up with large bushes, evergreen tress and shrubbery or climbing plants.  There is a lot that you can do to cover up a privacy fence and you can incorporate it all into the overall theme of your landscaping.

Elegant Blind-spots:

Although  most privacy fencing is done to the complete yard, there really isn’t a  need to do so.  You can create privacy areas for entertaining or relaxing by using decorative screens.  Mount them in flower beds and you will have elegant partitions that also serve as a focal point to your landscaping.

Screens:

Lastly, use backyard screens.  These can be simple from a trellis to extravagant, such as a decorative wooden room divider.  You can add a touch of rustic with built in wooden planters or make it whimsical with thin metal framing.

Screening can also be done by using large flower beds with tall perennials or with trees.

There are many ways to combine practical and ornate when it comes to privacy fencing and it is simply a matter of finding what works best for you and your space.

Sirena Van Schaik

Photo Credit 

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Hidden treasures are really what brings a landscaping design together. Sure you can make a pretty spectacular landscape with large bold statements that can be seen by all but it lacks a special something that personalizes the whole space. There are many ways to add hidden treasures in your landscaping ideas and these can be:

• Vases or urns: Hide them in plain sight or in places where no one will even think to look. I came across one home that had urns filled with brightly colored flowers tucked beneath some vibrant green foliage. A quick glance didn’t really show the layers of textures and colors but when you sat down in the space, you picked out the subtler details and the effect was beautiful.
• Secret Gardens: Mini gardens or little oasis in your landscaping plans are excellent ideas too. This can be extravagant to something as simple as a small bird feeder or bird bath nestled into a shady spot under a cove of small trees. A person jogging down the walkway may not notice this little oasis but if he was meandering, he might be surprised by this little secret world that you created in amongst your greenery.
• Add some exotics: Having a few rare blooms or greenery can also be a nice touch. Not everyone will get the rarity but for those who do, you will enjoy surprised exclamations when they notice the little treat.
• Personalize: A few personal touches, things that you love can be a great way to add a hidden treasure to your garden. This could be with stepping stones, wind chimes, candles or anything else that would be a treasure to you. I know when I was about 10, my dad and I went on a hunting trip in British Columbia where I grew up. We were passing this huge field that sloped down the side of a mountain when I had this urge to go for a hike. My dad grumbled about it but climbed out thinking that maybe I saw a deer and didn’t tell him (I did that a lot on hunting trips). We didn’t find any deer but what we did find was this breathtaking boulder that had split completely in the middle. I had him lug this 40 pound rock back up the side of the mountain and when we got home it found a cherished space in one of our flower beds. It became a hidden treasure with a personal story and even when we sold the house, we took that rock with us.

And there are a few ways to add hidden treasures to your landscaping ideas.

Sirena Van Schaik

Photo Credit 

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Some Popular Ones

The first question to answer for landscaping ideas is what kind of budget you can realistically manage for this type of project. A hundred dollars can buy enough flower seeds, but to purchase things like stepping stones and wall blocks, you’ll need some money that you’re willing to spend. There are many different types of materials that you’ll potentially have to purchase, including mulch, river stones, dirt, lighting fixtures, and seeds, to name a few.

Any one thing might only cost you ten or fifteen dollars, but it can also cost you hundreds of dollars in some cases. Not only that, but it wouldn’t make sense to buy half the materials for a given area because of budget constraints and leave the rest to go for later because we all know what putting off projects really means.

Once you know your budget, it’s time to get some landscaping ideas. Some popular ones revolve around gravel paths and sitting areas. Other ones include ponds, fountains, and bird baths for a water theme. Before you go looking for landscaping ideas, you should get a firm idea in your mind of what you want from your landscaping project in terms of functionality and aesthetics. Next, you’ll want to start looking at lots of pictures and television shows. These will show you different examples, and if you only like one part of a particular project, you can easily take that part and fit it into your customized landscaping idea.

Landscaping ideas are free to be had by all, and there are thousands to choose from. People spend long weeks and months, years sometimes, perfecting their yard, and one of the most enjoyable aspects of landscaping is showing it off. So, most of these people post photos online or send them into magazine publications to show them off to a very wide audience, and you can get them for free online or for a small fee in a magazine.

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Homeowners in diverse regions of the country, gardening zones and styled spaces are all motivated to begin fall gardening chores for various reasons. Whatever the intention, and whichever the landscape style or region, the following tips can enliven any outdoor space as the chill of autumn sets in.

1. Trade Summer-shabby Turf for Fall Plants

Harsh summer conditions can do appalling things to a lawn, leaving it dry, brown and, for all practical purposes, dead. It is becoming an annual trend to give worn-out, sun-dried turf a new look for fall by replacing or substituting it with creeping perennial plants. This updated, longer-lasting alternative to traditional lawns can be easily created by adding an array of hardy plant varieties like Stepables (www.stepables.com), the line of over 140 creeping perennial plants that withstand, and even thrive from, foot traffic.

“Creeping perennials have thousands of tiny, compact root nodes that firmly grasp the soil,” says Fran Hopkins, founder and CEO of Under A Foot Plant Company and creator of Stepables. “When you and your kids step on them with the soles of your feet, they will vigorously take root; the more they are walked on, the faster they will creep across the landscape.” Using low-growing plants like Stepables instead of grass is also a means of being green-friendly, since they need no mowing and less watering, fertilizer, and chemicals than common, resource-eating lawns.

2. Prune for Autumn Rejuvenation

Fall is the best time to prune woody plants, after summer growth has completed developing for the season. Plants that need to be thinned or de-limbed should be pruned for the health of the plant, human safety reasons and, finally, for landscape aesthetics. Most homeowners, even master gardeners with true green thumbs, dread the possibility of dismembering a living thing in their yards. Doing detrimental damage to a tree or shrub while pruning might excite panic; but, fear not. Like a bad hair cut, most badly pruned trees and shrubs do grow back.

For pruning like the pros, proper tools are essential. Gardener’s Edge by A.M. Leonard (www.gardenersedge.com) has created a beginner’s pruning kit that includes small specialty shears, hand pruners and a tri-edge folding saw. Respectively, the size of branches to be pruned and the amount of pruning to be accomplished will determine which tool should be used. Essential tools and techniques for pruning include:

* A sturdy, comfortable pair of pruning gloves.
* Clean, sharp equipment.
* Specialty and hand shears should be used for branches up to a quarter-inch in diameter.
* Loppers are used for branches up to an inch in diameter.
* A pruning saw should be used on limbs larger than an inch in diameter.

Once the necessary pruning is complete, a small secondary project for fall should be to clean all gardening tools. Sharpen pruners, mower blades and shears to be ready when spring arrives. Clean hand tools and garden shovels by removing dirt with a wire brush and rust with steel wool or light sandpaper. Spray any metal hand-tool parts with lubricant oil, which will help to fight rust build-up over winter. Last, any worn or ragged edges on tools should be sharpened with a file and stored in a dry place.

3. Add Garden Markers for Stand-out Fall Foliage

The forget-me-nots of the garden, foliage plants provide color, shape, texture and interest to the garden even when blooms are absent. Creative tags, markers and garden labels for fall perennial foliage compliment the traditional practice of spotting blooms on flowering perennials and shrubs during spring and summer. For an artistic way to identify and take pleasure in out-of-bloom foliage plants during fall and winter, add a garden marker or plant ID tag with botanical and common names at the base of each.

Every plant from the Garden Splendor line (www.gardensplendor.com) comes with its own Remember Me garden marker. “These anodized aluminum labels identify and mark the location of foliage plants for years to come,” says David Wilson, marketing director for Garden Splendor. “Whether master gardener or novice, they allow gardeners and visitors the chance to identify foliage plants for their texture and color, and appreciate the ability to point them out by name.” Two such plants with bright fall foliage are Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’ and Coreopsis ‘Pinwheel’. To supplement fall foliage, add a fall-blooming vine such as Clematis ‘Daniel Deronda’.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Many don’t realize that visitors and passers-by will judge a house and its occupants by their first impression of the yard. This is why you need a perfect balance between design and function when it comes to landscaping yards. Although this doesn’t mean you have to design your yard for other people. You can choose to landscape your yard the way you want, but just make sure it gives off the right impression to people.

Functionality

When it comes to landscaping yards you should always take into account your functional needs. Although each individual will have a different view of the word functional. This means you should define what functional means to you first and then design your yard around it. There may be those who want many plants and flowers in their yard while others want a yard that is very easy to maintain. For those who want a yard that is easy to maintain then a lot of trees won’t be good. Although for those who enjoy trees and don’t mind spending time raking this may be a good option.

Designs

For those who want a designed look when landscaping yards it is a good idea to include borders and bricks to have clear paths with an organized feeling. Not only will this make your yard look good, but it will also make your garden easy to maintain. Other popular design ideas when landscaping yards includes using fountains and ponds to give an exclusive look to your property. This option may cost you more, but for some it is worth the extra money when they see the results.

These are just a few basic ideas for landscaping yards since the are of landscaping a yard is much more complex. However, these basic ideas can help you start planning for your own landscaping. Always remember that planning is the key to seriously designing your yard. You don’t want to spend out a lot of money and take a lot of time only to have it undone later when you decide you don’t like how it looks.

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You can find on-line courses which provide you with landscaping tips and planting techniques. There are some basics that apply to all landscaping but there will be some things that are specific to the area you live in. Basic landscape design and the materials needed will be covered in any beginning on-line course.

If you have a patio you might consider a book which contains landscaping tips for patios. You can learn how to turn your outside patio into a garden oasis which will be a relaxing place to end your day. Placing a water fountain on or around your patio can provide you with the soothing sounds of water rippling into a pool.

Landscaping Tips To Create A Backyard Oasis

You might want to forget planning a summer vacation and focus instead on your own backyard. There are many features that can be added to the privacy of your own yard to provide you with a relaxing retreat away from the rest of the world. The great thing about this type of retreat is the fact that you have access to it everyday.

Almost every household in America today has either a deck or a patio. This is a relatively inexpensive way to add living space to your home. Decks can hold picnic tables and hot tubs. By adding a cover to the top you will be able to enjoy your deck even when it is raining. Pretty landscaping around the deck will add to the beauty and enhance your enjoyment. This will make you proud to invite over your family and friends for a relaxing evening outdoors.

With a little planning you can create a backyard garden which will provide you with hours of pleasure. Check out your local garden store for some landscaping tips that will help you get started. You can learn what plants and flowers attract butterflies or which ones to plant if you like to watch humming birds. You can create flower beds out of landscaping timbers and garden paths out of natural stone.

The whole idea of landscaping is to provide curb appeal and owner appeal. Every homeowner loves to make their home look nice, both inside and out. Landscaping can help you enjoy the outside of your home and give you a sense of pride about your property. It also helps to present your personality to the neighborhood.

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Landscaping Suggestions

Primarily, landscaping must be made with the current land formation in mind. If the owner wishes to change the land area drastically, then it must suit the area and blend well with the surroundings. The landscaping ideas of both the owner and the designer must meet to create a natural and complement the surroundings. Sometimes the owner may have some landscaping ideas that may clash with the surroundings or may not be suitable as a landscape aspect. It is the designer’s responsibility to try and make the owner see reason.

It would be nice to integrate a small water formation to the landscape. Water formations usually cool the surroundings and encourage plants to grow well and animals to come and visit. These types of landscaping ideas encourage the natural beauty and behavior of animals. Some people like to see animals in their surroundings, especially birds and squirrels.

Other landscaping ideas that may be desirable are to put up a man made structure like gazebos or trellises to provide shade and shelter incase of rain. These structures can be integrated to a landscape design by considering the size, the material used and the overall design of the structure. It should wholly complement the landscape and blend naturally with the surroundings.

Plants for Landscaping

Plants should also be considered when landscaping. Smaller areas that are to be landscaped do not need plants that grow too fast or too big. These plants will restrict the growth or some smaller plants and destroy the beauty of the area within a few months of growth. For smaller areas, choose smaller plants that do not grow too fast. Several landscaping ideas can be based on the kinds of plants that are to be added to the landscape.

There are choices of foliage or flowering plants and even smaller trees or topiaries for the landscape. If you have the time and effort to maintain the area, you can choose more diverse plants that may need more care but if you do not intend to tend to the plants too often, the kind of plants you need are the ones that do not need constant attention.

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