Garden Edging Ideas

 Landscaping  Comments Off
Oct 302011
 

Do you have a garden with different types of flowers and shrubs, but it still does not look great? Do flower beds seem to spill all over the place and you just can’t put your finger on why your garden does not have that neat and appealing look? The answer to that might lie in the fact that you do not have any garden edging. Having good garden edging is very crucial if you want to give your garden a cohesive and neat look. Having garden edging helps the eye to look at each element of your garden and also gives the garden symmetry and beauty. Without good flower bed edging ideas, your garden will lack the look of a beautiful landscaped design. There are many different types of edging materials available for you to choose from. Here we are going to discuss all about garden edging ideas.

Flower Garden Edging Ideas

One of the best ways to add edging to a flower bed is with the use of stones or pebbles. There is something about the harmony of the rough texture of stones with the delicate blooms, that makes such an edging look modern and elegant. You can either stack river stones one over the other to create an enclosure for your flower beds or you can use more flat faced stones like bluestone and flagstone to create a beautiful edging. Special edging stones are also available in nurseries and you can use them too. It is one of the most used garden edging in formal landscapes since it imparts a very beautiful ambiance to a flower garden and looks natural too. Stone garden edging ideas works well for both formal landscaped gardens as well as informal ones.

If you are looking for cheap garden edging ideas then, go for brick edging. Bricks are relatively inexpensive and you can even use old mismatched bricks to make an edging. Traditional, brick edging involves using paved brick stones set around the perimeter of the flower bed horizontally for landscaping. You can modernize brick edging by laying the bricks at an angle so that only the top angle of the brick appears over the ground. To make this kind of edging, you do not require the services of a professional. Just dig up a trench and fill about 2 inches of it with sand. Now place the bricks diagonally so that only the top corner of the bricks are exposed. Lean the bricks against each other and then fill the trench with soil.

Another inexpensive garden or lawn edging ideas is to use plastic. Plastic edgings are available at any good hardware and garden store and they are quite easy to install. These edgings comes with grooves on the sides that fit with one another. All you need to do to install them is dig the ground to about 2-3 inches and tap the edging with a wooden mallet. Although one of the least expensive garden edging ideas, plastic edging is not preferred by many home owners and gardeners because it looks unnatural in a garden. Also it does not have much aesthetic appeal. Nevertheless, it is a good option to consider if you want an inexpensive but durable garden edging.

These were some garden edging ideas that you can use for your garden or backyard. If you want to be more creative, you can use some other materials like old soda bottles, cobblestones, cedar shingles, wine bottles and pieces of wood fencing. All these materials can make great garden edging for your rock garden or flower garden. It will give a whimsical and personalized look to your garden. Good garden edging adds an aesthetic element to your garden, so choose and install them with care.

 Posted by at 5:34 pm  Tagged with:

Landscaping Shrubs

 Landscaping  No Responses »
Oct 252011
 

There are many shrubs which can be used for the purpose of landscaping. One should make a choice depending on the soil and climatic conditions. The purpose for which a particular shrub is going to be used holds greater importance. One should determine the position of the given (landscaping) plant in the garden by taking into account shade/light requirement. Landscaping shrubs need a soil that is well-drained. It is necessary to add compost to the soil before planting these shrubs. These plants require plenty of water for a healthy growth. Let us understand more about shrubs and bushes for landscaping through descriptions presented below.

Landscaping Shrubs and Bushes

The names of important landscaping shrubs are presented in following paragraphs. These plants are commonly used for the purpose of landscaping.

Boxwood: The boxwood is amongst common landscaping shrubs. It is commonly used as a hedge plant. The hardiness zones 5-9 as specified by USDA are suitable for growing boxwoods. The boxwood shrubs flourish in shade however, can also grow in bright sunlight. The Buxus sempervirens is a commonly used dwarf variety of boxwood. The boxwood can be pruned into different shapes like the angular, rounded mounds, etc.

Lilac: The long branches of lilac are its characteristic feature. This plant also produces a pleasant scent. The lilac plant can be used for screening and also grown separately. It grows well in hardiness zones from 3 to 7. This plant flowers in spring season and the overall growth takes place well in bright sunlight. The lilac has flowers with a pale lavender color. However, there are hybrid varieties with colors like red and white. Information on types of lilac bushes should be useful.

Spirea: This is another commonly used landscaping shrub which can be grown in hardiness zones of 3-8. Spirea yanhoultei is the most popular variety which produces white colored flowers. The plant can reach a height of 6-8 feet. Leaves of this plant are green-blue colored during the summer season. In the autumn season, these leaves turn yellow. The change in color of leaves proves to be useful for the purpose of landscaping. This plant is generally used for entryways; it grows well in average soils and also with moderate watering. Full sunlight promotes the growth of this plant.

Holly: This landscaping shrub can be grown year-round and in a variety of hardiness zones. The holly is also quite versatile; the different types of holly bushes are used as a hedge, foundation and screening plants. It grows well in both shade and sunlight. One would have to plant male and female plants of holly. since it is dioecious in nature. The prickled leaves provides protection; berries produced by the holly plants should help feed birds. The holly is therefore, one of the landscaping shrubs for privacy.

Rhododendron: The Rhododendron catawbiense is a commonly used species of this plant. The rhododendrons are characterized by shiny and leathery leaves that have a large size. Flowers of rhododendron which bloom in the spring/summer season possess a shape that resembles a trumpet.

Juniper: This landscaping shrub is basically a coniferous evergreen plant. It grows in a variety of climatic conditions in a variety of height/size ranges. Color of the juniper shrubs range from light-green to blue-green. The juniper is used both as stand-alone and hedge plant. This plant is resistant to pests and drought. It is not very difficult to care for juniper plants. Information on desert plants for landscaping should also prove to be of some help.

List of Landscaping Shrubs
Here is a short list of landscaping shrubs. These are the shrubs not included in the above descriptions.

Shrubs for Landscaping
Butterfly Bush
Rosa Rugosa
Forsythia Bush
Dwarf Burning Bush
Red-Tip Photinia
Liriope
Black Chokeberry
Common Witch Hazel
Red Chokeberry
Compacta Burning Bush
Sweetshrub
Red Rum Honeysuckle
Red Leaf Japanese Barberry
Variegated Yucca
Winter Honeysuckle

The information discussed in this article describes different landscaping shrubs used in gardening. With proper care and maintenance, it is possible to grow healthy shrubs and bushes for landscaping.

 Posted by at 5:30 pm  Tagged with:

Concrete Edging

 Landscaping  No Responses »
Oct 202011
 

Concrete edging is popularly used in most of the gardens and backyards. Amongst the various options available in edging, concrete is a hot favorite of many landscape designers and homeowners as well. If you are still confused about the term ‘edging’ let me tell that it is a barrier which is used to create transition between the sections of your backyards. Like a barrier used between lawns and walkways or that used between play area, flower bed and lawns. Here’s more about concrete edging.

Concrete Edging: Benefits and Options

Benefits of Adding It
While you use concrete edging to create a classic transition between various elements of the area, it offers many other benefits as well. A higher level concrete edging will help keep animals out of flower bed. Average sized edging helps keep water inside the section. More than anything else it is a perfect beautification element amongst the other garden decor. With the right concrete edging you can easily give a well-defined look to your gardens and backyards. Moreover, these offer an easy way to have a designer touch to your gardens. Like you can install concrete edging blocks in the desired way to create a straight line or a curved line. That definitely adds to the landscape design of the area.

Concrete is a Better Option
While you use concrete edging to create a perfect border around the flower beds, walkways, play area, pool, lawn, relaxing space or the art pieces in garden, you will realize that it is definitely a better pick than other options in the category. Other options like rocks, bricks and edging stones might offer a great look, but are not permanent and often dislodge from the place disturbing the flow of edging design. Concrete edging is permanent and requires least maintenance of all the options. While it stays fix on the area where it was laid, you can have a perfect looking designer landscaping done using the same. No matter if your garden lacks plush walkways or colorful flower beds, you can have the space beautified using various garden edging ideas.

Beautification With Concrete Edging
Here are some backyard, gardens and lawn edging ideas that you can opt for while you lay the concrete blocks. You can use ready-made concrete blocks for edging. These are available in various sizes. Make sure that you pick same sized pieces. You can also consider directly laying out a concrete edging using concrete edging molds. As the same is done on the spot you can consider adding colors and textures to have a decorative edging. What’s more, this option also offers addition of embellishments to the edging. You can add decorative glass pieces, pebbles and stones while you lay concrete mix. Adding colorful pebbles is one of the best flower bed edging ideas.

I am sure that you will consider concrete edging for sprucing up your gardens and backyards in the best way. While concrete edging cost is more as compared to brick or stone edging, the same is definitely worth the total expenses. With the aforementioned ideas you can give a lovely touch to the simple edging design. Consider curved and round sections of flower beds and walkways instead of simple straight ones to create a wonderful looking space. You can have a mix of concrete mix and ready-made concrete bricks to play up the area in the best way. Double edging around the art pieces is sure to highlight the same and add to the overall effect. So, ready to spice up the landscape design with concrete edging?

 Posted by at 5:25 pm  Tagged with:
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