Landscaping your home can be an exciting and invigorating experience, particularly if you plan to do the work yourself. There is something that can get lost in this process though – a healthy lawn. To often your grass pays a price when your attention gets diverted to other sections of your garden. Here are a few suggestions of ways to prevent your lawn from suffering while working on your new landscaping projects.

1. Proper planning

You will probably spend a lot of time planning the landscaping of your new garden. Don’t forget about your grass when planning your new layout! While water features and plants are more exciting than the location and shape of grass, it is these green areas that will give your garden its unity and allow you the space to enjoy your new creation. Grass many seem a secondary consideration, but proper planning ahead of time can save a lot of stress on your grass in terms of cutting and moving.

2. Be Aware of Wear and Tear

Landscaping often involves a lot of moving of soil and stones and plants so you want to think ahead and consider what spots on your grass will receive the most traffic. Some grasses stand up to wear and tear better than others so you need to figure out what type of grass you have and how it might fair. Try to reduce the stress on your grass by limiting the amount of traffic that goes across it. You could even lay down boards on the spots that you anticipate the most traffic going through. This may mush up your grass a bit, but will protect it from any major damage. If you do lay down boards, you’ll want to make sure that you list them up for mowing and watering so your grass gets all of the care it needs.

3. Continue Your Usual Maintenance

After spending hours in your garden landscaping, the last thing you probably want to do is cut the grass. It is important that you be consistent in your maintenance throughout the landscaping process. By staying on top of things like length and weeds, you may save yourself valuable time later on. Though it may be the last thing you want to do after a long day slaving away in the garden, your grass still needs the usual maintenance.

4. Try a Little TLC

If you do neglect your grass while working on your landscaping project, then be sure to give it lots of TLC when the project is over with. Grass that has been ignored can often be brought back to it original state with a little care and attention. You’ll need to be consistent with your mowing and watering and you might also need to apply fertilizer depending on the state of your grass and the time of the year. You’ll also need to address any weed problems that have crept up while your attention was focused elsewhere. If you have neglected your grass to the point that it has brown spots, then you will need to try to bring that grass back to life through a lot of watering. You can also apply sugar to these brown spots to get the microbes active again. If the damage is too extensive, then try encouraging new growth by spreading grass seed. You can lay new sod if there is no chance for your grass after the landscaping process is over.

5. Water, Water Everywhere

Water can work wonders on neglected grass. When working on your landscaping project, be sure that you are giving your new plants enough water, but don’t forget about your grass. Consistent watering can often revive grass that has long been neglected in favor of other gardening projects. Grass that has lost its lush texture and rich color can be revitalized simply through watering in many cases. Watering while the grass is under the stress of landscaping can also really be beneficial.

By ensuring that your grass is getting the nutrients and moisture that it needs, you’ll be saving yourself a lot of time in the long run and guaranteeing that your newly landscaped garden looks perfect right down to each blade of grass.

If you live in the Chicago area and you are interested in getting some landscaping, Chicago native plants are your best choices. If you choose native plants you will find that your garden or yard will be much easier to take care of as time wears on. At first working in the yard may not seem like a big deal but you may get sick of it when the bloom wears off the rose, no pun intended. This is normal, we start to take our yards for granted and it is not so much fun to work on the landscaping Chicago anymore.

You can even use these native plants to solve your drainage problems. Chicago, for instance has many problems when it comes to drainage. They get a lot of different weather there and it affects the gardens more than you might think. When you are landscaping, Chicago weather needs to be taken into consideration at all times. Talk to your landscaper about what plants will be best for your yard. Don’t skimp with your landscaping, Chicago residents will know you did it and that is never cool. Take your time and find the perfect plants to suit you and your goals. And mention to the landscaper if you notice that you have any drainage problems and perhaps he will be able to suggest some good landscaping Chicago native plants to use. Just make sure that you see a picture of any plant before you agree to use it. Who knows what you might get otherwise. Everyone’s tastes are different and yours may be the polar opposite from the landscapers.

When trying to choose the right plants for landscaping Chicago take a look around you. What kids of plants do your neighbors have? Which ones do you like and which do you despise? Show the landscaper that you choose what you are interested in seeing if your own landscaping. Chicago landscapers tend to be very flexible and open to ideas. This is your yard after all and you and your family are the ones who have to live with it forever.

When looking into landscaping, Chicago perennials may be the way to go. This way you will not have to plant new flowers and plants each and every year. That is a lot of maintenance and most people with landscaping, Chicago residents anyway, do not have the time for this kind of thing.

Japanese gardens are becoming more and more popular as landscaping features. This is because Japanese gardens seem to have an inherent feeling of peace and calm attached to them. Additionally, if properly planned and maintained, they do not need to be expensive, nor do they need to be time consuming to take care of. One of the biggest misconceptions that many people have is that a Japanese garden is supposed to have exotic flowers. This is not true, as most Japanese gardens actually make more use of structures and plants to give them their distinctive look. It is a good idea to understand the principles behind Japanese gardens in order to have one that is truly authentic and one that is not hard to take care of because of high maintenance exotic flowers.

One of the first principles in planning a Japanese garden is to take into account nature. Square ponds are not natural, but round ones are. Also, using shapes that occur in nature, such as rounded edges, complements the feeling of nature and peace. Also inherent in the principles of Japanese gardens is the elements of space. Many people feel that there are “empty” portions of such gardens and the impulse is to fill them in. Leaving some attractive empty space accents the other portions of the landscape. Also understanding the concept of size is important. Do not put something large in a small space. It looks out of place and is not in balance with its surroundings. Try to create a garden space that complements the rest of the landscape, and use elements that complement each other.

Enclosures are also part of the basic design of a Japanese garden. Fences and gates create a feeling of seclusion, and also of retreat. Entrance and exit are important, not only to seal the garden away (often symbolically) from the outside, but also because it indicates moving in and moving out. Additionally, fences offer a barrier from the world, where the garden can be enjoyed fully without reference to the cares that exist outside the garden.

There is no singular design in a Japanese garden, and many people prefer to take elements and aspects of the garden and incorporate them in unique ways. Some elements of Japanese gardens include rock, water, plantings, ornaments, and borrowed scenery. Each of these has a specific purpose.

Rock is the main foundation of the garden. After properly laying out the stones, the rest of the garden practically builds itself. Stone elements include tall vertical stones, short vertical stones, horizontal stones, arched stones, and reclining stones. Stepping stones and rock pathways are also used. Placement of the rock is important, as the rocks have meanings. However, if you are more about aesthetics, you can simply place the rocks where you feel they best complement the look and feel of the garden.

Water can be literal, as in a built water feature, or simulated, as with raked gravel or sand. You can even make symbolic water by fitting river stones tightly together. The sound of actual water is calming and soothing, and it adds to the serenity of the garden. The Japanese also view water as the symbol of the passage of time.

Plantings are secondary to the role of stones in a Japanese garden. However, they are important and a main concern of the design. Placement of the plantings, as with the stones, is important to the harmony of the landscape design. You need not use bamboo trees or maples for your garden if you do not find them pleasing. Ornamental grasses, evergreens, and a variety of deciduous trees can be very attractive in your garden, and still fulfill the basic principles of the Japanese garden.

Ornaments are things that serve to enhance the garden. They should not be main focuses. They are simply accents and not to be treated as main architectural elements in the garden. Some ornaments include lanterns, basins, stupas, and even some sculpture. Borrowed scenery consists of element that can be seen from within the garden, but that are not actually located inside the confines of the garden. Different elements can be placed to accent a distant mountain or to reveal a beautiful tree on someone else’s property.

As the summer season approaches, many will be considering the care of their lawn. In deciding the maintenance for your lawn, you can also decide to allow your grass to become greener and healthier than what it has been in the past. The reason why some lawns are greener than others is mostly because of the amount of nutrients that the yard is receiving. The way that lawns are cared for adds onto the green that they are able to produce in return. This maintenance allows nutrients from the soil to be given to the grass. By watering your lawn properly, mowing and aerating your yard, you will be able to make a greener looking lawn.

One of the factors which may be adding to your grass not being as green is the location where it is at. If your lawn is shaded by trees, or other outside factors, it will be harder for it to receive the right amount of sunlight each day. This can eventually lead to the grass dimming out. If a tree is preventing sunlight from reaching the grass, you can trim the branches to allow more sunlight to come in.

Another thing to consider is how much traffic is moving through your lawn. By people moving over your grass, it causes the aeration that is needed through the soil to not move right. This causes the grass to have a lack of oxygen and may also add onto water moving into the soil as much as it should. You can solve this by aerating your lawn. If you notice that the soil is compact, or if there are flat places on the lawn, then you should aerate your lawn. Make sure not to do this in the middle of summer, as it will stress out the grass. In preparation for your yard to become green, it is best to aerate your lawn at least in the spring, and possibly in the fall.

Making your grass greener also includes watering the grass at the right times and with the right amount of water. When watering your lawn, it is best to do so in the early morning, as this will allow the water to move into the soil instead of evaporating by the heat of the sun. It is also important to make sure that you are watering it evenly throughout your yard, instead of in patches. An easy way to do this is to use an irrigation system for your yard. It is also important to make sure that the soil is not staying to wet, or becoming to dry between the days that you water. This will help in making sure that your grass becomes greener.

Another factor in making sure that your grass becomes greener is making sure that lawn thatch and debris aren’t taking over your yard. This may mean raking your lawn consistently and removing thatch that is over a half-inch in your yard. This will allow more aeration to move through your grass, as well as allow the water and nutrients to move freely through the grass and soil.

The soil that you are using for your yard is an important factor to consider in making sure that your lawn stays green. The soil should have the right pH balance, as well as the right texture with the grains. If it doesn’t, you can easily add compost or fertilizer to balance out the soil. This will help with giving the grass the right amount of nutrients, which will help it to stay greener. Depending on the type of soil, or the problems you see from the grass, as well as the time of year which you will be applying the fertilizer, will determine the type of fertilizer that you should get for the lawn.

Another important consideration in keeping your grass greener is when to mow your grass. You should remain aware of the mowing height and clippings that you should use. If you cut your grass too short, it may stress out your grass. If you don’t cut your grass enough, it may cause problems with water and sunlight moving into the soil.

Aeration, proper nutrients, the environment around the lawn, as well as mowing will all help your lawn to become green and stay greener. By keeping the maintenance in mind with your lawn, you will easily be able to produce a green lawn.

There are quite a few things to take into consideration as you design your landscape. While creating your own design for your yard can be a very rewarding experience, it is important to carefully consider your plans before putting them in action. Additionally, asking yourself a few questions and thoughtfully addressing the answers can help you make improvements to your design and can help you better plan to use the space around your home. When you think about what you are doing and make a plan, you are much more likely to enjoy a successful landscape experience as you design an improved environment to surround your house.

The first question you need to ask yourself has to do with budget. Can you afford to make all of your planned improvements at once? Or do you need to create a plan of phases that can help you reach your goals one at a time. You should know how much money you can spend on each phase of your project, and you might even consider what you will do if you come in under budget. Will you buy a couple more plants? Add a more decorative retaining wall? But you need to set a total amount that can be used for your landscape and then stick to the budget.

A budget rule of thumb is as follows: costs of landscaping should be about 10 percent of the value of the home. This cost includes things like irrigation, fencing, decks, patios, ponds, and any other element you wish to include in the yard. There is no need to pay this all at once, however; it is much more reasonable to improve over the years with ready money in order to leave yourself less encumbered by debt.

Another thing that you need to ask yourself is what the space will be used for. You need to think about what activities will be taking place, and how you would like to use the space. Figure out how you and your family move through the landscape. This will help you determine where you walk most often, and allow you to accommodate for that. You do not want to create a design that suddenly makes it more difficult to get to the mailbox or to get groceries from the car. Consider where you would like children to play, and think about how you will incorporate trees, fences, flower beds, and other elements into the space without damaging its utility.

How does sunlight cover your property? This is a very important question, as it will help you determine where to plant certain vegetation. You need to know whether certain sites receive full light (at least six hours a day of sunlight), partial shade (four to six hours — this is also called partial light) or full shade (less than four hours). Figure out which plants will go where according to how much light they will need.

Ask yourself what kinds of plants grow well in your area. You might really like how some succulents look, but if you live in a very wet area, they might drown in all the extra water. Make sure that you know what plants are native to your area, and what plants are native to areas with a similar climate. Along with this, you should be sure to find out your soil composition. It is very important that you know what plants will survive in the soil in which you plant them, or whether you will need to improve your soil with amendments such as crushed shells or organic compost.

Finally, ask yourself what you think would be attractive. You can do this by take a picture of your yard and then mentally adding plants. You can also sketch out what you think would work well, and decide whether it really does accomplish the look that you want. You also want to ensure that the new landscape design is convenient and doable, especially if you will be creating it yourself.

By taking care to ask yourself a few simple questions and honestly answer them, you will find that your landscape design plan can be carried out more efficiently, with regard to effort, time, and cost.