Landscapes & Gardens

Water Conservation & Sustainable Landscaping

Australia is one of the driest continents on the planet. Almost all of Australia’s major population centres suffer water shortages from time to time, which come hand in hand with sometimes severe water restrictions. This means that we need to do whatever we can to reduce our water usage, especially in our gardens – one of the core concepts of sustainable landscaping – ensuring you are watering your garden right.

If you’re serious about creating a truly sustainable and environmentally friendly garden with the help of Landscaping Sydney, water conservation should be at the front of your mind. I know how hard it can be to plan a garden that doesn’t use much water, so I’ve put together a few tips to help get you started:

Think About Your Gardens Topography

Even the most challenging species will need water occasionally if you want them to look their best. You can make small changes to increase water use efficiency when planning your new garden.

For example, don’t plant a garden raised above a concrete path with no barrier to prevent water from running away. Ensure that water is contained within garden pots and beds and that it glides onto another garden bed if it has to flow somewhere. Don’t install sprinklers that spray water onto a road or veranda; think carefully about where you plant certain species.

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Landscapes & Gardens

Why is Landscape Design So Popular?

Landscape architecture, or landscape design, is at the forefront of many homeowners’ minds right now. While people are actively renovating their homes’ interiors, they are also setting aside funds to make sure the exteriors of their homes look just as smart.

But why is landscape design so popular? As it turns out, there are many reasons, which you can learn more about below.

To Solve Problems

Unless you have moved into a home with a bare yard and a blank slate, you may be faced with many problems left behind by the previous owners. These problems could be minor or significant, but many of them can be solved with landscape design changes.

For example, if one part of your property floods when it rains, you might need to dig holes, improve drainage, and make other changes. Or, if one part of your property sees much more shade than the rest, you might need to plant shade-tolerant plants or address the source of the shade.

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Landscapes & Gardens

Reasons Why You Need to Leave Pool Design to an Expert

Australia is full of DIYers people who love mucking in and giving anything a try. While that’s okay for painting fences and changing lightbulbs, it’s not for landscape and pool design. If you do not have the expertise, knowledge, and qualifications, then you should leave it to an expert. Here are a few reasons why you should steer clear of pool design.

They Take Your Ideas and Bring Them to Life

When you have a whole lot of ideas to introduce into your new landscaping plan, it can be a challenge to bring them to life on their own. The same problem arises with trying to plan out a pool. You may know where you want to put it and what you want it to look like, but how will it look in person and work practically?

That’s where a pool design expert comes in. They listen to your ideas, check out any imagery or photos you have, then bring them to life. They can draw out proper sketches of how your pool can look, which may make you decide you’re happy with that or would like to make changes.

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Landscapes & Gardens

Five of the Best Pot Plants for an Outdoor Oasis

To many people, the kitchen is the heart of the home. After all, it’s the place where the family gathers to raid the fridge and catch up in the morning for breakfast. However, the outdoor patio area or balcony, with garden pots, nature, and spectacular views, is coming in at a close second.

Many people are beginning to see the value in creating exceptional indoor-outdoor flow with their home. They want a property that’s as comfortable outside as it is indoors. Most importantly, they want an outdoor oasis with an emphasis on nature so that they can step out into a paradise on their doorstep. These plants might be able to help achieve that look.

Silver Lady Fern

When you start looking for plants to add to your garden pots gracing your balcony, a silver lady fern should be one of the first to consider. Even though it seems quite pretty and precious, it’s one of the more robust plants for an oasis environment. It can handle adverse weather conditions while standing out from the crowd with its lush fronds.

Imperial Bromeliad

If you have plenty of space and want to fill it with plants, garden pots, and nature for as far as the eye can see, then there are few better plants to start with than the imperial bromeliad. This plant is a real beauty and spans at least two metres wide.

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Design, Eco Products, Landscapes & Gardens

Winterising Your Pool

You may think that once winter hits and no one wants to go swimming, you’ll have less pool maintenance to do and can give your automatic pool cleaner a rest. Preparing your pool for winter is not difficult, but it is something that must be done, not just once but regularly over the winter months to ensure your pool water does not turn green.

Fortunately, in areas where the water doesn’t freeze, winterising the pool is much easier. If you have a pool blanket installed it will be even easier, but it still needs to be done, so there’s no getting out of it.

The first thing to do before covering your pool is to make sure the water is still of good quality.
Add a long-lasting algaecide so your water doesn’t turn green over the winter months.
Remove all the sticks and leaves as they’ll stain the floor of the pool if left over the winter. This will need to be done regularly all winter if you don’t have a blanket.

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Landscapes & Gardens, Sustainability

Sustainable Garden Design

The same as: ‘Location is everything’ when we talk real estate, it also holds true for sustainable landscape design. According to a leading landscape architect Space Designs, a successful looking garden is going to need some very different elements to a garden in coastal Sydney. It all depends on where you are, your location, that determines the sensible use of local materials.

Some Common Denominators

Every landscape is unique. But to create a sustainable garden there are a few common aspects that apply. Things like:

water usage
native plants
appropriate and well-designed irrigation
the management of storm-water run off
lawn reduction

are some of the elements to create a successful sustainable garden regardless of the customer or the climate.

The Right Plants

Whether the garden is built in Melbourne or Darwin, the main goal is to use plants that require small amounts of water. Just because you have drought tolerant plants doesn’t preclude you having a beautiful garden.

Less Lawn

The reduction of lawn is of paramount importance. Everybody loves the look of a beautifully manicured lawn, but they are high maintenance, requiring regular lawn mowing and high water usage. A better option is native grasses that require no watering at all. Sometimes to improve the aesthetics, some lawn is unavoidable, but it’s better used to break up different garden areas. Lawns are not yet on the way out, but as we develop smaller properties, they are becoming a luxury that homeowners can no longer afford.

Saving Water

Saving on water costs makes simple, economic sense, especially in drought prone Australia where most cities have summer time water bans and restrictions in place. In cities like Perth, constant sunshine results in a lot of expense to keep high-maintenance gardens in top condition.

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Landscapes & Gardens, Sustainability

Earth Saving Lawn Maintenance Tips

Make Your Lawn Extra Green

When it comes to landscaping your garden having a green lawn isn’t all about how lush and literally green the grass is. It is lovely to have a well maintained lawn, and walking without shoes on over your well groomed turf is something special. However, with the dwindling amount of fresh water available on the planet, and the rising levels of harsh chemicals that are finding their ways into the planet and waterways each year, having a large lawn can be incredibly un-green if you’re not careful.

Choose the Right Grass

According to lawn care experts, you might not be able to choose a native type of turf, but finding something that thrives in your climate is important. This will reduce the amount of special attention that your lawn needs, such as cutting and watering. For example, if you live in a particularly hot part of the world, choose grass that does not need a lot of moisture to stay healthy. Talk to someone who is an expert in turf, so that you won’t plant the wrong type of lawn and have to rip it up and start again.

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Landscapes & Gardens, Sustainability

5 Uses for Sustainable Shade Sails

If you are looking for a way to increase your sustainability, you might want to consider just how eco-friendly shade sails are according to Shade Sails Perth. But not only do they help the environment through using less material than other building choices and by the materials being recyclable, they cost less than a regular building would.

Here are 5 ways to use a sail on your property that will not only ensure sustainability, but will enhance your lifestyle and add value to your home.

If you don’t have a garage or carport for your car, adding a sail to the side of your home can be a solution. Sail cloth material also provides about 70% protection from rain, as well as the sun protection which varies depending on the material used. Since a car left in the sun constantly will suffer a lot of internal damage especially on the dashboard and back shelf areas, protecting your car will save you money in the long run.

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Homes, Landscapes & Gardens

5 Eco-Friendly Options For Your Fence

Today’s watchword is sustainability, and many people have chosen to live their lives with an awareness of how to save the earth’s resources at the forefront of their minds. According to fencing experts, there are at least five eco-friendly options to choose from that save the earth’s resources and cost less when it comes to maintenance and replacement issues.

So, what are these five options? Fencing contractors would tell you the following five are sustainable choices.

Bamboo has the advantage of being pest and disease-free, so no harmful pesticides, fungicides or other poisonous sprays are used in its growth. It proliferates – sometimes 90 centimetres per day- and is easily renewable. Styles available are reed or fence panels. It provides an attractive fence and background for your plants and some wind protection.

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Landscapes & Gardens, Sustainability

Summer Landscaping the Eco-Friendly Way

When summer begins to take hold, it becomes more important than ever to mow, water, and fertilize a lawn and tend to your landscape design to keep it looking great. However, that green, luscious lawn that you might work quite hard to maintain is not the best thing for the environment. “Green” is not always green, in this regard. More often, all your labor and expenses wind up producing a lot of waste and having a negative impact on Mother Earth.

Here are six great tips for keeping your garden eco-friendly:

Plant more trees. This tip comes with a multitude of benefits. First, you can create shaded spots in your yard without having to install a costly gazebo or extend your verandah. The natural appeal of your property can also increase when you plant the right types of trees. Strategically placing those trees can also help to protect some parts of your home from the heat of the summer sun. This will keep your power bill down as you won’t need to spend as much on keeping your home cool.
Start a compost pile. You can start turning your house’s organic waste into a valuable source of nutrients for your yard. If you would rather not have one yourself, you can find composting services that will take your waste materials and turn them into compost for you. The resulting compost is wonderful for keeping your lawn and plants lush and green during the warmer months, and this type of mulch-like substance can also help to retain moisture without the need for more watering.
Cut down on your water use. Much of the water use for the average household goes into landscaping and yard maintenance. If you don’t have one, consider installing a water-saving irrigation system that will also reduce a lot of your manual labor. If you do have one already, make sure that there are no leaks and keep an eye on how much water it is using.
Upgrade your watering system. Consider installing a greywater irrigation system. These recycle water that is put down the drain in your home. While greywater is not safe to drink, it is considered safe for use in landscaping and to put into the soil. You can seriously cut down on the amount of perfectly potable drinking water that will otherwise be used for your gardening needs.

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