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August 6, 2009

Plant Shade Trees to Lower Your Energy Bills

Filed under: Landscape Design & Installation, Landscaping/Outdoor, Services, Tree Planting & Tree Service — Tags: , , , — Kathleen @ 1:14 pm
Dallas pavestone, drainage

Dallas pavestone, Dallas covered decks

Did you know that just three trees properly placed around a house can save up to 30% of home energy use? This is according to the U.S. Forest Service Center for Urban Forest Research, which carried out computer simulations of annual cooling savings. They found that a typical energy efficient home in the Southwest spends about $250 each year for air conditioning. Shade from two 25-foot tall trees on the west and one on the east would save this same household $57 a year, or 23%.

In addition to saving you money, shade trees can also add to the beauty of your landscape. Just look at how they compliment this home (above) in the Dallas-Fort Worth area!

Some things to consider when planting trees:

  • Deciduous trees: Deciduous trees (ones that lose their leaves) should be planted on the east and west sides of your house. They will keep your house cool in the summer and let the sun warm your home in the winter, reducing energy use, and lowering summer air conditioning costs by up to 35% according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Be sure to check out the latest Arbor Day Foundation Hardiness Zone Map to see what deciduous trees will best grow in your area.
  • Evergreen trees: If you live in a cooler climate, after the leaves fall in autumn, the sun pours through tree branches to warm your home in winter. The sun travels lower on the southern horizon in winter, so you’ll want to avoid planting evergreen trees on the south side of your home where they’ll block winter sunshine. Instead, plant an evergreen conifer windbreak on the north and northwest of your home to block cold winter winds. Planting a row of conifer trees on the north and northwest sides of your property creates a wall against cold winter winds—saving your heating costs by up to 30%.
  • Planting locations: Trees or shrubs planted to shade air conditioners help cool a building more efficiently, using less electricity. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10% less electricity than the same one operating in the sun. And trees that shade patios, sidewalks, and driveways can cool the concrete or the entire yard.

The economic benefits of tree planting will vary from location to location depending upon climate and other factors. To get a better idea of how much you can save by planting a tree in your yard, check out the Tree Benefit Calculator from The Davey Tree Institute and Casey Trees.

August 3, 2009

Landscaping Around Your Water Feature

Filed under: Landscape Design & Installation, Landscaping/Outdoor, Services, Water Features — Tags: , , , , , — Kathleen @ 3:22 pm
Water feature, waterfall, Dallas, Atlanta

Dallas Water Feature

More and more homeowners are choosing to add water features to their landscapes. Water gardens can add interest to an otherwise unremarkable yard, form an appealing border for a patio or deck, or provide soothing sounds to drown out the noise of a surrounding neighborhood or nearby street. Just look at how the pond and waterfall we installed for a Dallas-Fort Worth area homeowner adds to the appeal of this backyard!

Water gardens are fairly simple structures. Most begin with a pond of some sort, and ponds are built by digging a hold in the ground, laying down a liner, and placing rocks or other hardscape around the edge. But no pond is complete without plants, both in the water and in the area surrounding the pond.

Adding plants to the water itself is the key to avoiding algae problems. It’s important to cover at least 60 percent of the water’s surface with plants such as water lilies, water hyacinths and oxygenating plants, which actually filter the water to help keep it clean.

In addition to placing plants in the water, you should add plants in the area immediately surrounding your pond to mask the pond liner and soften the look of the rocks or hardscaping that forms the border.

Which plants should you choose?

  • If you want to create a Japanese feel, try dwarf conifers (such as Alberta Spruce) with minimum color or alpine plants.
  • To add height, you can use conifers, crimson fountain grass (Pennisetum rubrum) and Siberian iris (a bog-loving plant).
  • Other good plants to use around ponds, especially those with a lot of rock, include some of the sedums and hen-and-chicks. They add a variety of color. Some are tight and low growing, while others are more leggy. They do great in full sun and help soften the rocks by growing right around them.

When all of the plants are in place, the next step is to add mulch to help prevent the soil from eroding away. It protects the plants and provides a finished look for your water feature, but also helps retain moisture and keeps the weeds away. Be sure to water all of your plants regularly to get them up and growing.

July 20, 2009

Incorporating Stone into Your Landscape in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area

Filed under: Landscaping/Outdoor, Natural Stone, Patio Installation, Pavestone, Retaining Walls — Tags: , , , , , , , — Kathleen @ 7:52 pm
dallas firepits, patio covers

Dallas Firepits, patio covers

The Dallas-Fort Worth area’s humid, subtropical climate means that you can enjoy your yard year-round. Why not expand your outdoor living space and get more out of your time outdoors through the incorporation of stone in your landscaping? Take a look at the work we did for one Dallas-Fort Worth area homeowner. The new stone patio, fireplace, retaining wall, and water feature make the backyard feel like an extension of the home and create a new, outdoor room for entertaining or family meals!

Stone can be used in many functional and decorative ways to enhance patios, pathways, and garden borders, and to construct outdoor structures such as water features, fireplaces, outdoor kitchens, columns, gazebos, and raised planting beds. Why is stone so popular? Because it is attractive, versatile, and available almost anywhere.

Some of the key things to consider when selecting stone are:

  • Material: Both natural stone and pavestone products can be used in landscaping. The choice of stone depends to a large extent upon the look and feel you are trying to achieve with your landscape. Natural stone can be used to create a custom look, or a more natural and rugged feel, whereas pavestone results in a more uniform and structured look.
  • Color: Stones with dark colors may not be the best choice in shaded or dark areas but, instead, brightly colored ones that can brighten the area would be appropriate.
  • Shape: Stones that will be used in steps should be flat with a coarse surface so they will be easy to walk on but not slippery when wet. Stones that will be placed in sitting and dining areas should also be level and not pointy so that tables and chairs will not tilt.

Many people spend hundreds of hours a year making their personal space comfortable and attractive. What sets every home, yard or garden apart is the individual ideas of the homeowner. With an almost endless range of sizes, shapes and colors available, there is a stone to fit every taste and budget.

July 9, 2009

Building Shade Into Your Dallas-Area Landscape

Filed under: Garden Arbors & Pergolas, Landscaping/Outdoor, Services — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — Kathleen @ 10:12 am

You’d be surprised how many people forget to incorporate shade into the design of their landscape when first getting started, especially when doing the work themselves. A professional landscape designer would not make that mistake. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s hot climate, unless you want to spend hours admiring your landscape from your home’s air conditioned interior, some form of enveloping shade is a necessity to truly enjoy it.

dallas arbors, dallas patios, dallas firepit

Dallas Patios

There are a number of ways to build shade into your landscape. Three of our favorites include:

  • Trees: Most people tend to plant ornamental trees and shrubs first for their beautiful blossoms and/or foliage. But a good shade tree – or several – is more important and should be one of the cornerstones of your landscape design. Located appropriately (i.e. the southwest corner of the dwelling), trees can not only impart shade, they can also be used to reduce temperatures inside the home – and that can make a big difference to your utility bill.
  • Pergolas: In addition to trees, there are other, man-made options that will create shade as well as enhance the overall look of your garden. Pergolas are a very popular solution for those who want some relief from the sun, but not necessarily total shade. Because pergolas provide shade while allowing some sunlight to come through, they help define an outdoor space without constraining it. Pergolas can be add-ons to your existing architecture at entryways or over decks, or they can be designed to emulate a room. Take a look at the pergola we put in over a Dallas-area patio. Not only does it create a shady spot for the homeowner to enjoy, it creates an outdoor dining room right in the backyard!
  • Arbors: Arbors are open frameworks designed to offer shady resting places in a garden or yard. Arbors are often made of rustic work or latticework which serves as a trellis on which climbers may grow or on which creepers may be trained. Because they are free-standing structures, arbors can be placed anywhere in your yard to highlight your landscape, create a nook for sitting or dining, or offer support for a prized climbing vine.

However you choose to create shade in your landscape, it will be well worth the time, money and effort spent the very first time you sit in your cool, shady, comfortable outdoor space.

July 1, 2009

Using Concrete for Your Patio Project

Filed under: Decorative Concrete & Curbing, Landscaping/Outdoor, Patio Installation, Services — Tags: , , , , , , , — Kathleen @ 9:18 am

If you are interested in adding a patio to your home but haven’t found the right materials to fit your budget, consider using concrete for your patio project. Concrete designs are one of the hot new trends for patios, floors, entryways, countertops, pool decks and more. Concrete is no longer plain, grey and boring – new, decorative concrete products are available in a wide range of colors, textures, and finishes to suit any taste or budget.

Concrete patios, sometimes referred to as cement patios, provide the perfect sanctuary for outdoor living spaces because they are often connected to the house and blend the interior with the exterior living areas. For example, homeowners can match the stone facade of their house by installing decorative concrete to create a stone patio without the expense of installing traditional individual stones.

One reason that an increasing number of homeowners are choosing concrete for their patio designs is that it can be stained a variety of colors to match your decore. Stained concrete combines the best of both worlds: beauty and functionality. Concrete staining imparts a luxurious richness that can’t be achieved by any other coloring medium while leaving behind permanent, flake-proof color. Just look at the gorgeous color and finish on this patio we installed for a Dallas-Fort Worth area homeowner!

dallas patios, covered decks

Dallas patio and covered decks

Here at Enhancescape, we also do a lot of work with stamped concrete – a system of adding colors, patterns and textures to a plain concrete slab at the time of pouring. The concrete is poured, colored and then imprinted with a stamp to create the appearance of natural stone. Many different textures are available that simulate slate, granite, brick, cobblestone, or even custom designs and imprinted in concrete. Borders can be created for plain, matching or contrasting patterns. This technique can also be applied to stairs and ramps. This decorative concrete process creates a finished stamped concrete surface with an attractive, three-dimensional, two-toned appearance.

The advancements in concrete tools, concrete stains and dyes, textures, and patterns have made decorative concrete the most versatile, durable and cost-effective material on the market.

June 10, 2009

Five Great Low Cost Landscaping Improvements

Filed under: Landscape Design & Installation, Landscape Lighting, Landscaping/Outdoor, Pathways & Walkways, Services — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Kathleen @ 1:37 pm

In the current economic climate, people are increasingly looking at low budget options when it comes to home improvement and landscaping. Believe it or not, there are plenty of landscaping projects you can do that will have a big impact on a small budget.

When it comes to maintaining a landscape, the four factors that incur continual costs are trimming, mulching, weeding, and watering. By minimizing these, you will not only reduce the amount of maintenance (and work!) needed to maintain your garden – you will also save money!

dallas pavestone, dallas patio covers

Dallas Arbors, Fencing

 

Listed below are some landscape design tips that will help reduce the cost of maintaining your landscaped garden:

  • Replace mulch with gravel: Using gravel in place of mulch can help reduce weeds and also aids in soil retention. And unlike mulch, gravel seldom needs replacement.
  • Choose plants wisely: Avoid insect- and disease-prone plants (such as Azaleas), as well as plants that need continual pruning (such as dwarf yaupons and boxwood).
  • Develop various points of focus in your garden: Consider the use of things other than plants to serve as points of focus. Adding pathways to your landscape design can be a great way to allow access to various parts within the space, and can be quite pleasing to the eye.
  • Invest in landscape lighting: Lighting can help you showcase the most beautiful parts of your landscape, while masking those that are less desirable. Good lighting also provides security, and is a great economical way to increase your home’s value.
  • Add a water feature: Outdoor fountains are appealing to the eye and a great way to de-stress, and not all water fountains are expensive.

Not all landscaping projects require big budgets, and sometimes small changes can make a big difference in the look of your yard as well as your enjoyment of your outdoor space. Check out the beautiful pathways we installed around a Dallas-Fort Worth area home!

With some careful planning and wise investing, you can improve the look of your landscape without breaking the bank.

June 4, 2009

Five Ways that Landscape Lighting Can Improve Your Home

Filed under: Landscape Design & Installation, Landscape Lighting, Landscaping/Outdoor, Services — Tags: , , , , , , , — Kathleen @ 9:53 am
dallas landscape lighting, dallas patios

Dallas Patios and Landscape Lighting

Landscape lighting is a great way of enhancing the look of your home and yard after dark, making your yard more pleasant to relax in at night, and an attractive place for evening entertaining. If you’ve put the effort into making your yard attractive, landscape lighting will ensure that your hard work doesn’t go to waste once the sun goes down.

Homeowners install landscape lighting for a variety of reasons. Lighting can be used to illuminate steps and pathways for added safety, to highlight specific architectural details of your home, or to create a particular mood (from subdued or relaxed, to dramatic or formal) in your yard.

If you are thinking of installing landscape lighting as part of your overall landscape design, here are five ways you can use lighting to beautify your home and improve your landscape:

  • Pathway lights blaze a clear, bright walking path through your landscape while ensuring the safety of residents and visitors alike in the evening hours.
  • Patio lighting invites cheerful gatherings by adding practical light without sacrificing the evening atmosphere.
  • Uplighting carefully placed behind foundation shrubbery illuminates not only the shrubbery and your home’s façade, but also provides pathway lighting to increase safety and present a more welcoming appearance for evening visitors.
  • Poolside lighting yields a soft effect for your pool area, enabling safe evening use of the pool and unobtrusive visibility from the house. Take a look at the work we did for one Dallas-Fort Worth area homeowner – the new landscape lighting adds warm atmosphere to the pool area and enhances the safety of the deck and pool at night.
  • Recessed outdoor lights can be used to direct the eye to the movement of water in a fountain, waterfall, or other water feature.

Think of outdoor lighting as jewelry. Landscape lights can really make a home pop at night, but getting your lighting plan right can be tough.

A good landscape lighting contractor will approach each home as a blank canvas, considering the architectural details, landscape highlights and open spaces before crafting a lighting design that draws attention to the best aspects of all of these things. The results should leave your home’s outdoor areas more beautiful at night, safer for your family and more inviting for lingering and lounging outdoors into the evening and through the night.

May 27, 2009

Using Xeriscaping to Reduce your Water Bill in Dallas

Filed under: Landscape Design & Installation, Landscaping/Outdoor — Tags: , , , , , , — Kathleen @ 12:33 pm

dallas_fort_worth_landscape_installation1

Much of Texas is hot and arid, thus conserving water can be an important part of your gardening experience. In Dallas, the water department estimates that 50 percent of the city’s drinking water is used to water lawns and gardens in the summer! This means that half of the money spent on water bills during the summer goes towards watering the lawn.

One way to reduce the amount of water needed to maintain your landscape – and lower your water bill – is to xeriscape. Xeriscaping involves using water wise plants and technologies such as drip irrigation to create a landscape that will thrive, even under extreme heat and dry conditions.

In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, you can use the following xeriscaping strategies to reduce your water consumption and get the most out of your yard:

  • Water your plants and turf deeply and less frequently. Frequent, shallow watering keeps plant roots too close to the surface of your yard. Less frequent watering trains roots to go deeper into the ground, where they are better protected from the Texas heat and better prepared to grow strong, resulting in bigger and healthier plants.
  • Use an automated sprinkler system to maintain your yard. Incorporate a rain sensor to ensure that your system does not run during rain events.
  • Audit your sprinkler system by observing where and how long your watering zones need to run. Reposition sprinkler heads so that you’re not sprinkling the sidewalk or street. Using empty tin cans as measuring devices, run zones for as long as it takes for the cans to fill with one inch of water and then program your sprinkler system accordingly.
  • Take note of what side of the house you’re planting on and where and how much sun there is in these areas. When planning the layout of your garden or yard, make sure plants that are next to each other require the same amount of water. This makes watering much easier.
  • Use native and adaptive plants that can take hot Texas summers without requiring copious amounts of water or care. These plants use 80% less water and require fewer pesticides and fertilizers to thrive in the Texas environment.

Not sure how to get started with xeriscaping? An experienced landscaping contractor can work with you to develop a landscaping plan that incorporates water-wise plants and technologies. The investment you make in xeriscaping will pay off quickly by conserving water and saving you money on your water bills, but it will also beautify your home, attract native butterflies and hummingbirds, and prevent and reduce storm water pollution. And the best part is, xeriscaping principles can be incorporated into any style of landscape design including traditional, English, Japanese, Southwestern or Italian.

May 18, 2009

Home Putting Greens – Not Just for Celebrities!

Filed under: Backyard Putting Greens, Landscape Design & Installation, Services, Sod, Sprinklers and Irrigation — Tags: , , , , , , — Kathleen @ 12:32 pm

The land around your home can be used for many things. For people who enjoy golfing, it is possible to build a putting green into your landscape that can be used for fun, practice and entertainment. Putting makes up about 40 percent of your golf game, so the best way to cut strokes off your handicap is to practice your short game. Where else is putting practice more convenient than in your own backyard?

Personal putting greens were once considered a luxury enjoyed by celebrities and pro-golfers, but now they are growing in popularity amongst homeowners and recreational golfers. Take a look at the beautiful putting green we designed and installed for a home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area!

dallas putting green, dallas fencing

Dallas Putting Green and Fencing

Installing a professional putting green can be rather complicated, so it’s a good idea to work with a qualified landscape design and installation contractor that specializes in constructing putting greens. They can advise you on issues including:

  • Drainage: For a really smooth coating of grass, drainage must be perfect. The base beneath your putting green should be made of sand or soil mixed with a high sand content. To make sure the drainage works efficiently, it is a good idea to raise the putting green slightly above the rest of the area. The putting green lawn should be kept watered evenly and carefully weeded.
  • Turf: To get the kind of lawn needed to surface a smooth putting green, you need to use special turf varieties that will grow the fine blades to form a velvety, even carpet. These are special grass varieties developed specifically for this use and are usually planted by sod, sprigs or plugs.
  • Grading: Make sure the contours of the putting green surface are calculated by someone who understands how the ball will respond on its roll into the hole.
  • Irrigation: Locate your putting green where it is in full sun and set up a limited, low-volume sprinkler system to keep the area well watered without waste or run-off.

Whether you are practicing putting, chipping, pitching or approach shots, your backyard putting green shouldn’t be a one size fits all. Also, no matter what type of putting green you design, landscaping around the green should be considered along with the installation of your putting green. Great landscaping will ensure that your home golf green looks as though it has been in your backyard all along!

 

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