The long winter days cooped up inside are nearly over. Spring will be here again before you know it. Soon it will be patio season. The warm balmy days are the best times of the year. It is the time to start getting that patio in shape and drag out the patio furniture. Having a patio is a good way to utilize yard space to better enjoy being outside. Outdoor patios are a great place for family time during the warmer weather as kids love being outside and playing.



Barbequing is a big favorite when it comes to patio season activities. A barbeque grill is a key feature for most patios. They just go together hand in hand for a very enjoyable time being outside. Many families look forward to the patio season all winter and as the cold weather begins to move out the anticipation starts to build as they start thinking about how much fun it will be to be able to get outside again.


When Spring finally makes its debut then this is the time to give the patio, patio furniture and the grill the once over. To make sure that we keep enjoying the patio season then everything needs to be in good shape and in proper working order. Generally things will only need to be sprayed down with the water hose and scrubbed. A quick inspection of cushions will ensure that there are no holes or tears. Barbeque grills that have been stored all winter should be cleaned prior to being used even if it was cleaned and covered when it was put away.
After everything is cleaned and in place then you are ready to enjoy the patio season. A few plants or pots of flowers as an added touch will only increase the appeal of your patio.

Trees can be used to fulfill many different purposes for us. We plant them for fruit or as points in our landscaping designs and we also use them for shade. We often plan gardens or patios around existing trees in our yard, but the tree can also be planted to around those things to enclose a private space from view.
Privacy is a very important thing to most of us and we go to great lengths to obtain it. Many people put up fences or hedges to ensure their privacy when they are outside but trees are able to give a much better screen to hide things from prying eyes. They grow taller than hedges and won't need the maintenance that a fence would. Trees live a very long time, some longer than others and will only provide even more privacy as they do.

When choosing trees for privacy you should opt for the thicker branched varieties that stay green year around. The will always be full so your privacy fence won't just disappear when fall arrives and the trees start to lose their leaves. The Evergreen is most likely the best choice if you are planting for privacy. There are hundreds different types of trees available in many stages of growth. Some trees can be purchased at already taller than the average man. These may cost a bit more but you will not have to wait as long for them to grow to start aiding in the privacy of your yard.


Many trees are labeled as "fast growers" which means they will gain maturity much faster than other trees. When planning to use trees for privacy there are a few things to consider. You will need to decide exactly what type of tree you want, how soon you would like to start "seeing" the privacy factor, and where your new trees need to be planted to fulfill their intended purpose.

When it comes to gardening and landscaping at your home to what extent do you get involved? What about Hardscaping? Hardscaping encompasses basically everything that is not alive that you would incorporate into a planned yard design. Most people love to have a fully landscaped yard or garden. To beautify one's grounds give a person a great sense of pride, and most enjoy getting their hands dirty in the process. When you lay out your garden you probably love to choose all of the flowers, plants and groundcovers and relish putting each one into the ground. Do you use a border for your garden? If you use pickets or stones and place them yourself around your garden then that is Hardscaping.


Path stones are often used to lead the way through a garden or yard and come in various shapes and colors. Do you have these in your landscape design? Did you choose them to compliment your design and then place them yourself? If so then that is also Hardscaping. Are you a Hardscape person? If so then you are one of those people that thoroughly enjoy every phase of the landscaping experience. Many people will go all out planning the layout of flower beds and the arrangements of bushes and shrubs and dig every hole and plant and plant, but when it comes to Hardscaping then many will leave it to professionals. They don't realize that they can do it themselves. In these DIY times there are instructions for simply everything.


Hardscaping can be an integral part of the "big picture". Why not get in there lay that patio tile, put down those garden stones, or pour that sidewalk you have been wanting. If you already do these types of landscaping then you are most definitely a Hardscape person. If not then, give it a try.

This is the new Garden Widget.

Below is a new online product that can determine your Plant Hardiness zone by simly entering your Postal Code. The Plant Hardiness Zones map outlines the different zones in Canada where various types of trees, shrubs and flowers will most likely survive. It is based on the average climatic conditions of each area.

I see most new pools incorporating a natural stone diving rock, now I do like the looks of them in general, however most simply look like a bump on the pool deck and in the end look very out of place with the surrounding landscape.


So to be “Different” you can have a diving platform, yes… a platform that protrudes from the end or side of the pools deep end and provides a nice comfortable surface for your tender feet made specifically for diving into the pool. Call it a Huck Finn Feature. Kind of a visit to the olde-swimming hole type of look n feel.

Often I see a large swimming pool in a backyard with an adjoining stone patio or deck that acts as a wedge between the house and pool. In most cases there is nothing to soften the hard line of the pool with the patio surface edge and you end up with a long and boring albeit functional edge to access the pool.
I have always tried to obscure this edge somewhat by breaking up the long surface with a garden not exactly in the middle but offset. This garden will allow you a place to plant a tree and gain the valuable vertical space these areas demand. The down side is that creating this garden space will block or hinder the east to west travel from the shallow end to the deep end. I have always considered it a necessary evil and the aesthetic benefits far outweighing the monetary “running on the pool deck” mentality.


Believe me this has been a super tough sell when discussing pool positioning with clients, and some have resigned themselves to it only to be presently surprised when it all comes together. So “loosen up” you have a large pool worth lots of patio surface to pool edge ratio, so you do not have to loose much of this, just enough.

Something that always bewilders me is why are built in BBQ units 3 times as expensive a the SAME stand-alone units, they contain identical specifications, size and features, what about the legs/wheels, do including these items make the stand-alone that much cheaper?

Well to continue, purchase a “Stand Alone” unit with the intent of reverse engineering it:
-have a look at how easily the side trays can be removed without ruining the integrity of the unit.
-Look at the side burner(s) to see if they can be removed and integrated easily
-Make sure the storage door and compartment can be separated from the wheels
-You may need to leave the steel structure intact and simply remove the wheels

I will elaborate further on the types of walls that can be used to integrate your new sudo-built in BBQ.

Plants form a spreading shiny carpet of deep green, leathery leaves, which turn bronzy-red in the fall. Wine-red stems pick up the accents in the white and crimson flowers which are arranged, lavenderlike, along dense 2 to 3 in. terminal spikes held over a foot above the foliage.
As the blooms mature, they darken to a crimson-rose shade, and finally end their days colored a rich rusty brown.
Loamy soil, consistently moist soils, Excellent when used as a groundcover in either sun or part shade, especially
effective around dwarf conifers. Also nice in the rock garden, or for edging, containers, cascade over walls. Nice
along water. Drought tolerant once established. Deer and rabbit resistant. Thrives in cool, moist areas. Provide extra moisture in warmer zones
Fleece Flower
Persicaria affinis 'Dimity'
Polygonaceae
Perennial-Deciduous
6" 24"
July-September
Pink
Full Sun Partial Shade
medium growth rate
Zone 3a - 7a

Most homes have the kitchen area positioned towards the back area of the home and usually the sole access point to the backyard landscape. The family BBQ may reside on the backyard patio surface. So marrying the two destinations is very important to complete the outdoor experience.

BBQ-ing often it involves the following exercise:
1)Gathering carrying food, utensils and beer from the kitchen.
2)Doing the balancing act to open the patio door.
3)Navigating down steps to the BBQ area.
4)the tray onto the BBQ shelf.
5)Returning to the Kitchen to get something you forgot



When BBQ’ing I find that you can never carry everything at once so there are multiple trips involved between the fridge and the BBQ in the outdoor cooking process. So why not make the path or journey easier.

Construct a stoop or landing that is level or slightly lower than the elevation of the patio door sill and large enough to house the BBQ. This will remove the step navigation issue, just remember this puts you closer to the fridge=beer. This landing area has to serve 2 purposes: the main one requires a generous amount of room so the traveler can safely navigate the steps and also for the cook(s) to have some wiggle room.

Great for the front of a sunny border, or planting in mixed containers, mass planting, cut flower. Attracts butterflies.
Deer resistant. Cutting back by a 1/3 to 1/2 in late summer will keep the plant compact and in flower. A new development in threadleaf Coreopsis, the larger flowers appear along the stem and on top creating a much fuller appearance Neat ferny foliage is resistant to mildew. Tolerant of poor soil conditions, Average to low water needs.Once established, it is rather drought tolerant

Coreopsis
Coreopsis 'Creme Brulee'
Asteraceae
Perennial-Deciduous
20"-35"
June-September
Yellow
Full Sun
Medium
Zone 4a - 9a

I see this all the time, folks pushing landscape items and features into the corners and edges of their backyard! So it is common to see planting around the fence perimeter, a garden structure pushed into the back corner and a waterfeature in the other corner. What I would suggest is to put something “Right in the Middle”, yes that’s right. Choose the main feature such as an Arbor, Pergola or Waterfeature and plunk it square in the middle of your backyard. This will seem foreign to most folks but buy placing that item in the middle it has this effect on the landscape:

Engages you to the landscape.
Unique vignette gardens can be offset around the center.
Adds “Depth of Field” to the landscape
Breaks up a large backyard space

So I would consider this a simple design idea to consider when designing.

Can take a wide range of soil types , normal to sandy average water needs, tolerants drought well once established. Looks great in borders, well suited to a rock garden. Can be used in masses for a visual impact. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds .Rabbit resistant. Easy care, just shear back spent flowers to allow a new flush of blooms.
This is an easy and outstanding perennial, selected in Nebraska and tolerant of harsh conditions. Plants form a sturdy mound of leaves, beet-red during the spring and fall, greener in summer. Upright stems of very pale-pink tubular flowers appear during the summer months.

Bearded Tongue
Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'
Scrophulariaceae
Perennial-Deciduous
36" 18"
June-August
Pale Pink
Full Sun
medium growth rate
Zone 3a- 9a

I like to insert random flagstones into the garden to create somewhat of a functional path to un-traveled areas of the garden, however using this type of passive path is in itself an Artform. Often we are two obsessed with creating a direct path from a-b with to much emphases on the destination instead of the traveling. In my opinion there is no better way to soften a landscape then by putting in paths that blend into the ground and when planted become one with the surface as opposed to a paving stone thrufare that screams “hurry up get in here”.

So next time you are creating a path try to put this thought towards your visitors “take your time, don’t trip”

Yes I guess the internet age is upon us and I now find myself trying to figure out another new technology just minutes after figuring out the last one. So now you can keep updated to the NEW blog or Forum posts on Twitter

So below you will see my ‘latest tweets” you can choose to Follow

Often there are two parts to a front entranceway: the driveway and everything else, there is never a great marriage between the two items as the driveway runs square off the garage face down towards the curb, so you are left with a HARD line between the driveway edge and the entrance walkway.
I have always tried to muddy this look so that the eye is trained away from this HARD edge my making it less conspicuous, this can be done in many ways the simplest method is to have the entrance walkway surface extend into the driveway surface, this coupled with a pattern change in the pavers can obscure the senses into thinking there are now 3 parts to the front entranceway: the driveway, the approach and everything else.

Landscaping does not have to be expensive, by implementing some simple pattern changes and or offsetting colours when selecting a paver product you can achieve some aesthetic results without breaking the pocketbook.