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Mark's Landscaping Blog
Mark Keightley, Owner of Artistic Landscapes
Your
backyard can be the perfect vacation retreat that you can enjoy 52 weeks a
year. Your investment in your backyard retreat increases the value of your
home, reduces stress and adds enjoyment to your every day life. It can be
enjoyed at all hours, especially in the evenings when your home from work and on
weekends. Work at home? Your outdoor living space can also serve as an
office. Today’s technologies make it all possible. Your yard can also go
green, and be environmentally friendly.
A home
is not where you live your life; it’s how you live your life.
We all
have our own ideas about what our perfect backyard resort would include. My
favorites touch the senses and reduce stress. I especially enjoy the crackling
fire in a gorgeous stone fireplace. You may prefer a fire pit for roasting
marshmallows and hot dogs. The night is not complete without the sound of
running water from your waterfall into a beautiful Koi pond or swimming pool.
For entertaining nothing beats an outdoor kitchen emitting the aroma of great
barbeque with a refrigerator and bar for your favorite cold drinks. Lounge on a
stone or paver patio with tables and stone benches, maybe a hammock or couch.
Some may enjoy a high def television mounted above your fireplace or on the wall
of your veranda. Walk on pathways leading to outdoor garden rooms. Enjoy the
view of gorgeous landscaping with beautiful trees and flowers. Here are a few
ideas to wet your appetite
A
rapidly growing number of Atlantans
are leaving their homes and heading outdoors to their outdoor living rooms to
cook, congregate, and enjoy its ambiance. The outdoor living room includes a
fireplace or fire pit, a cooking station, and comfortable furniture and is
something Americans have been investing increasingly large sums of money in for
the last decade. In a 2005 survey taken by the Hearth, Patio & Barbeque
Association, Americans spent nearly $150 billion on home remodeling and
one-third of that went towards outdoor living areas. The survey also showed that
80 percent of Americans feel that an outdoor living space is important to them.
And while 35 percent already have one, 34 percent are planning to design one in
the next few years, at which point, 67 percent plan to purchase an outdoor
fireplace or pit. The American Society of Landscape Architects confirms this:
Fire pits and outdoor fireplaces top their list of biggest trends for 2007.
Bottom line – sales of outside fireplaces are blazing.
An
outdoor kitchen is the place to grill your favorite foods and store your
favorite beverages. Outdoor kitchens include outdoor grills, usually natural
gas or propane. These range in price from $ 500 to over $ 5,000. These can be
as simple as less expensive units sold at The Home Depot, to contractor grade
Grills from BBQ Galore, to top of the line, wallet busting grills from Viking.
My favorite for great tasting food is good old charcoal or mesquite wood. The
newest trend for this type of cooking is in a grill called the “Green Egg.”
With a
great paver or stone patio, your outdoor table is a great place to gather and
enjoy great company with great food. Dining outside uses all our senses, in
turn, enhancing our palate and tickling our taste buds. An inviting outdoor
dining area can be a fun place as well as a sensual one. Your plans may call
for throwing hot dogs on the grill for the kids or uncorking a favorite bottle
of vino for that special someone by candle light. An outdoor dining area is
guaranteed to be an outdoor living room where tall tales are told and special
memories are made to last a lifetime.
What
will you put on your outdoor dining room Wish List?
An
outdoor fireplace or fire pit is the focal point of an outdoor living room.
After you have dined on your favorite barbeque and while enjoying your favorite
beverage, sitting around a warm fire is the perfect place to tell stories and
create special memories that will last a lifetime.
Which
do you like better, a stone fireplace or fire pit?
Many
folks work from home now, so it just makes sense to make sure your outdoor
living areas is wired properly for computing and that you have an outdoor table
suitable for working.
Wish
you were reading this from your outdoor office right now?
No
backyard is complete without the sound of flowing water. A beautiful
waterfall
is a great focal point for any backyard. Add to that a beautiful water garden
filled with beautiful and entertaining Koi and you have an attention getter that
never loses interest.
Several types of outdoor structures are used in today’s outdoor living
environments. Below is a description of several outdoor structures.
A Veranda is a roofed
open-walled gallery
or porch attached to a home or structure that includes a railing. Verandas are
also called a Loggia.
Loggias are considered part of the home or structure, but are
open-aired on at least one side. Their purpose is to offer protection from the
sun and rain.
Lanai
is the sixth largest island in Hawaii. A lanai in housing terms is a living
room that is open to the outdoors on one or more sides. A Lanai is furnished
very similar to an indoor living room.
Porticos
are compliments of Greek culture.
A portico (from Italian) is a porch that is leading to the entrance of a
building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway,
supported by columns. This idea first appeared in Ancient Greece and has
influenced many cultures, including most Western cultures. A common Portico in
America is a raise room over a driveway supported by columns where the vehicle
can drive under, creating an elegant carport.
Courtyards
are open-aired rooms but the surrounding home structures are its
"walls." They do not have any covering and the sky serves as the roof to a
courtyard. The earliest courtyards were known to be in Iran and China.
A pergola
is a garden feature forming a shaded walk or passageway of pillars that support
cross beams and a sturdy open lattice, upon which woody vines are trained.
Modern pergola designs tend to favor wood over stone structures, and are thus
more affordable and increasing in popularity. Generally, pergolas are either
made from a weather-resistant wood, such as Red Cedar or Redwood, or are painted
white.
Pavilions
are
small garden outbuildings sited a short distance from the main residence, whose
architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a
connection with relaxation and pleasure in its intended use. A pavilion built to
take advantage of a view is referred to as a gazebo. My favorite pavilion was
an outdoor poolside tavern complete with a bar, tables and chairs and a
television.
Gazebos are considered to be pavilion structures and are usually situated
to provide ideal views of surrounding landscape... thus; it comes from Latin
meaning "beautiful view." Often octagon in design, they are mostly free-standing
but may be attached to the residence in some fashion. They are also referred to
as a "summer house" or belvedere." They are roofed with open sides that can be
easily screened.
Cabanas are free-standing "rooms" detached from the home ranging in size
from changing room to suite-like. They may be enclosed with walls or have
"walls" of curtains or decorative drapes. Often found by bodies of water as
dressing rooms, they are becoming a popular poolside addition.
Wish
you had a room like one of these to retreat to after a long day at work?
Artificial putting greens and sport courts are becoming popular. A sport court
can combine a basketball court with tennis and volleyball courts on special
outdoor surfaces. Artificial putting greens can be fun but they are not as true
as a regular golf green. Artificial grasses can be used in shadier areas where
grass does not grow well or for the homeowner who does not want any grass.
Horseshoe Pits are also easily constructed in any backyard.
The secrets to a
perfect
lawn are based in knowledge and planning
more than in painstaking hard work. To achieve
the perfect lawn, you need:
1. A
great landscape design.
2. A water-smart
irrigation
system.
3. The proper fertilization
4.
Consistent
lawn maintenance.
The best grasses for the perfect lawn are
Bermuda
and Zeon
Zoysia. The best Bermuda varieties are
Tifway 419 and Tifsport. Warm season grasses
such as Bermuda and Zoysia grown from seed are
inferior to sterile hybrid sod. Do not over seed
these grasses. Tifsport may be mowed at a lower
height. These grasses should be installed using
sod from a high quality turf farm such as North
Georgia Turf.
The sod should be installed on well drained
soil. If there are wet areas due to poor grading
or low lying areas, fix these issues by changing
the grade or installing a French drain to allow
excess water to drain away.
Top soil can be brought in (a 2 inch depth is
sufficient) if the native soil is poor. The soil
should be loose enough to allow root penetration
but not so loose that the yard is full of foot
prints. The soil should be free of rocks. Manual
raking or a rock hound on a bobcat can
accomplish this. New sod should always be rolled
to eliminate air pockets, provide good contact
with the grass roots to the soil, and to smooth
the lawn to give the mowed lawn its best and
even appearance.
In summer, the grass should receive at least 8
hours of sun light for optimum growth and
beauty. Shaded areas will have thinning turf
more prone to weed development, especially
Poanna, an annual bluegrass. Shaded areas should
be plant beds, annual beds or hardscapes.
The shape of the yard should be designed to
maximize the curb appeal of your home. The
landscape design often centers on visually
leading your eyes to the front door and
maximizing the curb appeal there. The sides of
the property are used to frame the yard with
beautiful shrubs, flowers and specimen trees
such as Japanese Maples, Crape Myrtles and
dogwoods. Avoid River Birches and Bradford
Pears. The beds bordering the lawn may contain
attractive boulders, or raised mounded beds. The
design should not be property line to driveway
grass with a tree planted in front of the front
door.
Once the proper design and grass type are
accomplished, next we focus on its care. Taking
care of the above items first will keep you from
spending time and money maintaining a less than
optimum yard. Doing it right the first time
yields the best and most cost effective results.
A talented, knowledgeable and experienced
professional can help a lot in this regard.
A great lawn should be evenly watered when
needed. Consider irrigating annual beds
separately from the grass. A rain sensor should
be used on the
irrigation
controller to prevent watering during and
after sufficient rain. The system should be well
designed by an
experienced landscape professional to assure
proper watering, with all spray heads properly
placed and adjusted. Watering needs are
dependent on temperature and sunshine.
Zoysia
roots are shallow compared to
Bermuda.
More frequent watering may be necessary for
Zoysia.
A soil test can be used to determine the best
nutrient requirements for your yard. Call your
county extension agent to coordinate this.
A
lawn fertilization company operates on a very
cost competitive basis. They most likely will
apply less fertilizer than your yard needs to
look its absolute best. To achieve the perfect
lawn, we use a granular fertilizer on a somewhat
heavier application. We use the sprinkler system
to water immediately after application and we
water more frequently during the first week. We
use a well balanced fertilizer (13-13-13) for
the spring green up (Late April in Atlanta) and
a fertilizer such as 24-4-8 in the summer.
Pre-emergent should be applied in late October
and February.
Hard compacted soils and lumpy or wavy terrain
will prohibit your yard from looking its best.
Core-aeration and topdressing the turf with ½”
or less of sandy loam topsoil in May can give
your turf better roots and evenness for
appearance and mowing. We fertilize after
core-aeration but before applying the thin coat
of topsoil. Applying the topsoil too thick wick
kill the grass underneath.
Your lawn grows most rapidly in May and early
June. It may be necessary to
cut the grass twice per week. The key is to
avoid cutting more than ½” of turf at any one
cutting. Allowing the grass to get very high and
then scalping it back is very damaging, and
leaves the brown grass blades exposed, providing
brown spots in your green lawn. Heavy riding
mowers can leave ruts in your yard, especially
when the soil is wet. The wider the cutting
blade on your lawn mower, the more likely you
are to deep scalp marks in areas where your
grass is not level. You lawn mower blades should
be sharp! You want to cut the grass, not tear
it. Torn blades look less attractive.
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