Landscapes R UsWe provide landscaping services to the Piedmont Triad!

Incorporating rock landscaping into the grounds of your home or business is a fabulous move. Not only does your yard or grounds look regal, you also create an elegant oasis, offering visitors to your outdoor space a quiet respite from the hustle and bustle of life. Adding rock landscaping to your property also adds to its value and by adding rock, you are removing considerable yard work for yourself. More rock landscaping means less lawn to mow! Rock landscaping comes in a variety of forms and styles and at Landscapes R Us we have plenty of experts to offer you guidance and help. We also recommend spending some time studying your available yard/garden space and seeing what can and cannot be done, before even getting started. This article offers five interesting rock landscaping ideas to consider for your next spring project.

1. Create a rock waterfall

One popular idea our customers love is creating a rock waterfall. When creating a rock waterfall in your yard or garden we suggest trying to imitate nature as best possible. Spend time in nature listening and watching how a waterfall operates in its raw, natural form, then, replicate this in your garden. We suggest incorporating a variety of boulder sizes. Create twists and turns in the waterfall.

2. Create a dog house

Building a doghouse, sort of an igloo shaped structure with stone, is a great way to use any leftover rock and a great way to offer shade to your pet. A doghouse also looks pretty, and rustic. Create the structure with plastic first, then, mount your rocks over the form. Once complete, plant some vine to climb over the house. Voila! You have an attractive, rock made shelter for your pooch!

3. Add stone to your fireplace

Another great rock landscaping idea is to add rock to your existing outdoor structures such as your fireplace. Simply secure rock on the exterior of the fireplace. Try being mindful of the natural flow of the rock, making the formation and design replicate nature.

4. Make a rock garden

Slopes can be tricky to navigate in any garden, but rocks can make a slope look more rustic and less bland. Another incentive for adding rocks to your slope is rocks prevent erosion and allow your plants to be anchored, therefore accelerating and helping their growth. When placing your rocks on your slope, we suggest digging a hole larger than the rock. Place the rock in the hole, then fill in the dirt.

5. Build a wall

Another interesting rock landscaping project is building a wall. Walls don’t have to be simple or boring. When done well, rock walls can look stunning! Please keep in mind however you will need a building permit if your wall exceeds four feet. We suggest adding steps up to the wall, then, add a vine or two. Beautiful! And yet so affordable and simple!

Call us at (336) 442-0160 for expert guidance and advice! We are here to help you!

Spring has sprung! What a gorgeous time of year and the weather always draws me outside wanting to plant flowers and plants. With this in mind, here’s a helpful blog on some cool flowerbed ideas for 2012. Let’s get busy planting!

Full Sun Flowerbed ideas

1. Shasta Daisy

For the garden where you receive full sun throughout the day the Shasta daisy is a wonderful flower. This bright, white flowered daisy has a sturdy stem and looks great in a vase. Shasta daisies do best in well-drained, rich soil. These daisies grow two to three feet tall.

2. Sedums

These are another gorgeous spring plant that look great as soon as they emerge from the soil. As long as you have full sun and good drainage, the sedums will do great and may well thrive into your winter.

3. Purple Coneflower

As the name suggests, the purple coneflower is a cool plant to add to your spring flowerbed. Birds and butterflies love this flower, and so will you!

4. Siberian Iris

The name is as exotic as the flower, just gorgeous! This was named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow and comes in many colors.

5. Catmint

We also love the catmint because of its sturdiness. These come in a silvery blue color and weather all those strong North Carolina thunder storms well. Your cats will love it too!

Partial Sun Flowerbed Ideas

6. Red Painted Daisy

One favorite perennial flower is the red painted daisy. This thrives in a partial sun/shade environment and is a stunning, bright red. This flower cuts well and can’t be beaten for elegance.

7. Japanese Anemone

This is another gorgeous partial-shade flower that blooms in late summer to fall.

8. Aster

It’s an old classic but a beauty and also blooms in late summer to fall.

9. Baby’s Breath

This dainty but sweet flower comes out in full bloom in summer.

10. Balloon Flower

You can expect to see this gorgeous flower in your flowerbed in late spring to summer. The Balloon Flower does best in slightly acidic, well drained soil.

Click here for some helpful information issued by North Carolina State University on other perennial flowers for our fine state.

Spring is a gorgeous time of year and the Piedmont Triad area weather is perfect for spending time outdoors with friends and family.  What better motivation than to spruce up your yard this spring?  This blog offers five useful tips for improving your yard and making your outdoor area a place of which you are proud!

• Aerate Your Lawn

Your lawn should never be overlooked — if you’re like most North Carolinians your lawns is the most used part of your yard.  Especially if you have children or pets, over time your lawn can become very compacted and even mowing will compact your lawn more.  Aerating your lawn will make it more beautiful and luscious.  Simply insert holes in your lawn about 3 inches deep either with a aerating machine or with an aerating tool.  Then, step back and see the great results within just a few days.

• Water Your Lawn Deeply

Another quick trick to improving the look of your guard this spring is water your lawns deeply and less often.  Experts suggest watering your lawn with an inch of water once a week.

• Fertilize Your Yard

We don’t just mean fertilizing your lawn; fertilize any areas where soil exists.  This way your flowers and vegetable crop will be in full bloom by late spring early summer, making your yard a true oasis for you and your visitors.

• Clean Your Grill and Deck

It’s easy to overlook the deck when you’re thinking about the yard.  But when you’re entertaining the payoff for your cleaning up will be big.  Thoroughly clean your grill first, remove all trash on and under your deck, power wash the deck down and even apply a new coat of paint.  Power wash your furniture while you’re at it and bring your indoor plants outside and on to your deck.  Voilà!  Your yard already looks transformed.

• Plant Some Things

For under $100 you could add some colorful pots with plants or flowers at your entrance way, and add two or three trees to your yard, then, plant some flower seeds.  The investment will be worth it.

Call us at (336) 442-0160 for a quote for any of your spring landscaping projects. We’d be glad to help!

Homeowners can add considerable value to their home with landscaping.  You wouldn’t think so, but anecdotally and also officially from experts, the word is adding even trees to your front yard can add value to your property and to the homes around you.

But before leaping in you should also know while landscaping is joyous it is also arduous and tricky requiring much planning and research ahead of time.  There are plenty of common mistakes you could inadvertently make when trying to beautify your property.  Here are some of the common pitfalls we hear about:

Don’t Leap in without a Landscaping Plan

Before moving one rock or planting one tree, it absolutely pays off to hire a contracted landscaper working in Greensboro, Winston Salem or High Point, North Carolina to offer you their expert landscaping advice.  These experts will know which plants, shrubs and trees grow best here.  They’ll know how high trees will grow and how much shade they will offer.  They’ll also ensure the layout is not only pragmatic from a growth and landscaping perspective, the layout will be pretty and calming to the eye.  With a landscaping plan you can also take on something more ambitious, such as installing walls, gazebos and paving.  An expert landscaper may come up with ideas that never occur to you otherwise.

Plant What Thrives in North Carolina

Whether you research this alone or with your landscaping expert, always consult with experts to ensure the plants, shrubs, flowers and trees you plant will thrive in this North Carolina climate.  Many homeowners like to make their garden a surrogate for the places they left behind – but this is a common mistake.  Soil types may be different here versus other states and countries, rainfall is higher here than elsewhere along with the severity of wind, lightning and thunder.

Don’t Default to Having a Lawn Just Because Your Neighbors Do

While lawns are ubiquitous in Greensboro, Winston Salem and High Point neighborhoods, not every homeowner or renter needs one.  If you don’t feel motivated to mow and irrigate your lawn frequently, then consider other landscaping options.

Work with What You Have

If your yard is rocky then incorporate rocks within your landscaping plan rather than eradicate them all.  Don’t try reinventing the wheel — you will exhaust yourself and deplete your resources fast.

Try Thinking Seasonally

As you develop your landscaping plan try thinking year around to ensure you have brightness and growth throughout the year, not just summer and spring.

Be Practical

Always be practical in your landscaping decisions rather than just think about the aesthetic.  Bottom line: your landscaping goal is to design an oasis in which you can relax and enjoy.  Anything requiring massive maintenance on your part can take away some of the joy of a beautiful landscape.

Invest in Your Tools Early on

One of the biggest time wasters when it comes to landscaping is returning to your home improvement store to restock products or items that are depleted, or to buy items you thought you already owned.  Before getting started on your landscaping, take stock of what you possess and make a big shopping trip to purchase all you need.

Contact us or call us at 704-684-7211 for more information.

Landscaping your property, either commercial or residential, adds considerable value to your investment, (or at the very least makes your property more appealing to buyers or renters when you’re ready to move on.)  Realtor.com, the official website of the national Association of realtors, states even adding a few trees in the front yard can be one of the major draws among buyers when it’s time to sell.

One national expert stated landscaping your property can increase your property value by 20%.  Landscaping can also cut down on burglaries — nothing deters burglars more than thorny bushes lying beneath windows!

In their recent special Home and Garden magazine cited livening up the landscaping as one of the 20 ways homeowners can add value to their home.  Their suggestions included adding a shaded seating area in which people can relax, adding elegant water features and lush plants.  In the same special, Home and Garden magazine suggests adding a deck as part of your landscaping.  They say most decks cost around $10,000 but can add considerable value to your home.

The National Association of Homebuilders also points out that trees can improve your heating and cooling bills, not only your resale value. “Trees can produce shade, food, firewood or just a beautiful scene. Trees also attract birds and other wildlife,” the report says.

But keep in mind the following as you begin landscaping your property:

• Choose tree species that will thrive in North Carolina. With high rainfall plant trees that require much moisture. Areas like ours with hot summers and cold winters work best with deciduous trees.

• Consult a landscaper at Landscapers R Us on which species will be successful.

• Be smart where you plant your trees. Choose spaces with adequate sun and water then protect the trees from pests.

• Think of how big the tree(s) will grow and how much care will be required. Trees are most vulnerable in their early years so take care to protect them from drought.

Landscapes-R-Us provides lawn mowing and landscaping services to homes and commercial properties in Greensboro, High Point, Winston Salem and the Lake Norman region of NC. Contact us to find out more.