Everyone wants a beautiful garden in which they can relax and be at one with their own little piece of the great outdoors. The trouble is that very few of us have the time and effort spare to commit to maintaining one. Mowing the lawn, weeding, planting and all of the usual activities necessary for a beautiful garden may be fun and easy over the summer months but when the leaves fall from the trees and the rain clouds come out in force, many of us prefer the creature comforts of the great indoors.

The quandary, then, is how can we put together a garden that is not only beautiful all year round but requires an absolute bare minimum of maintenance. Believe it or not, it can be done. Here’s how…

Lose the lawn

A lush green lawn is a beautiful addition to any garden, but it also requires regular maintenance. If you’re not prepared for mowing, clipping and weeding on a weekly basis then it may be time to consider the alternatives. Fortunately they can be both beautiful and affordable. Paving your garden gives you absolute control over the look of your garden and with the huge variety of colors, shapes and materials on offer, there’s huge scope for customization allowing you to tailor the look of your garden to your own personal tastes. Of course, even the most robust weed control membrane may be breached every once in awhile so it’s important to be vigilant and patrol your garden with a bottle of weed killer handy every now and then.

For those who want the low maintenance benefits of paving while still enjoying the ability to plant, gravel lends a Mediterranean style to your garden while allowing you to plant drought resistant plants like lavender. This way you can give your garden some beautiful, colorful flourishes that provide nectar and pollen for visiting insects while also preventing weeds.

However, if you want the appearance of turf, as well as providing a soft, safe surface for your children to play on, a synthetic turf such as Multiturf may offer you the best of both worlds. Synthetic turfs look and feel much like regular grass yet require no mowing or other maintenance. For those who want a neat, lush lawn all year round, synthetic turf is the way to go.

The perfect plants

A lawn free garden will require some plants to prevent it from looking and feeling sterile and lifeless. But since we’re looking for low maintenance options, it’s vitally important to choose the right plants. Fortunately, there are many beautiful and hardy perennials that will add color and vibrancy to your garden yet expect almost nothing in return. Evergreen shrubs like holly, lavender and daphne are famously reliable though if you’re looking for a little more range of color we recommend the ‘Jules Verne’ peony, the Japanese barberry and ribbon grass.

With a little imagination, a beautiful yet relatively maintenance free garden is not a pipe dream but an affordable and attainable goal.

In our heads, we all love the idea of being out in the garden, enjoying our little slice of the great outdoors. However, the reality is somewhat different if we don’t look after our garden and encourage it to be the hub of blossoming beauty that we have dreamed it would be for so long. That is why you need to start your clean up as soon as possible. Yes, everyone with an avid interest in gardening will tell you that spring is the ideal time to get stuck in, but we’re here to tell you there’s no time like the present.

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

So, without further ado, here is our list of gardening tasks you should get going with right away. Trust us, by the time spring comes round, you’ll be grateful you did.

Love Your Lawn

Nothing oozes beauty like a well-mown lawn, which is why it’s so important that you keep on top of it all year round. Mow it, keep it level, fertilize it when you need to, encourage root growth by aerating, scratch at it with a rake, and stay on top of the whole de-weeding, especially when it comes to the white-flowering clover. A healthy looking lawn is the foundation of outdoor beauty.

[Photo courtesy of Skitterphoto/pexels.com]

Pruning And Trimming

How you prune depends on what sort of plants, shrubs, and trees are in your garden. But trimming your garden back now is probably the best thing you can do, as it will hold up pretty well between now and Spring. The other thing you should do is sort out any tree removals before fall arrives, which is best done by speaking to someone like www.gordonprotreeservice.com/full-tree-removal. Not only will this improve the sense of space in your garden, but it could also protect your home from the threat posed by dead trees, including stumps.

Weeds And Compost

These are two of those things that are best done in the spring, but there will be no harm done by popping on your proactive weeding hat and going around your garden now. Your best bet is to do this in the morning or wait until the ground is damp, and then pull your weeds and any seedlings that may still be growing. Then add what you clean up to your compost pile ready for use next spring. Planning ahead, that’s what we’re all about.

[Photo courtesy of Lukas/pexels.com]

More Mulching

When was the last time you mulched? Spring. Maybe even last year? Well, if that is the case, then you need to set to and start mulching now because so many wonderful things can come off the back of this, as discussed at www.yardapes.com/benefits-of-mulching/. It conserves water (which is needed in summer), cools the roots of the plants (also needed right now), allows food to get to the roots and, yes, also smothers those pesky roots. Basically, your garden deserves to be munched, and you deserve to do the mulching.

Paint And Treat

Your garden fence and decking probably took a bit of a pounding over the winter months, and then took another kind of assault over spring and summer, which is why now is a great time to give your wooden bits and bobs a bit of a revitalization with some painting and treating. This will improve the looks, by bringing back some health and color, but it will also ensure that your fence and patio last that much longer too. Hot sunny days can be just as detrimental as a Game of Thrones style winter, so make sure do your bit.

If your home doesn’t seem to be selling, it could all be down to your property’s curb appeal. What exactly is curb appeal? It’s how good your home looks from the curb. So even if your interiors are up to scratch, a bad curb appeal could be dragging your property down. Want to know how you can increase the attractiveness of your house from the outside? Here are some fantastic ways to do so on a budget.

[Photo courtesy of jaymantri.com/pexels.com]

Invest In Artificial Grass

Don’t want to be stuck in your garden mowing the lawn all summer? Then you should think about buying artificial grass. You can find it for quite low prices in many garden centers and DIY stores. All you need to do is dig up your lawn and replace it with this artificial grass. There’s no need to water or keep it trimmed. It’s a super easy way to create a pretty garden without having to continually spend money on keeping it neat and tidy!

Fix Garage Doors

If your garage doors are noticeably broken or faulty, it can decrease the security of your home. And if potential buyers notice this when they view your property, they may not want to place an offer on your home. So it can pay to renovate your garage doors to ensure they are both safe and attractive. Get a professional company to sort them out, such as www.GarageDoorService.com/overhead-door/

[Photo courtesy of jaymantri.com/pexels.com]

Declutter Windows

If there is a lot of clutter on your inside windowsills, it can make your home appear messy. Even if it is actually very clean and tidy inside! But as passersby will only be able to see items perched on your windowsills, they can make or break people’s impressions of your home. So it is best to keep ones that are visible from the street clean. Move any ornaments to other ledges or surfaces in a room and keep decorations on your windowsills down to a minimum.

Trim Hedges

If you use hedges to plot out the boundaries between you and your neighbours, you need to ensure that they are kept neat and trimmed. They don’t grow as quickly as grass, so you won’t need to trim them as often as a lawn. In fact, just one prune at the beginning of summer should be enough. If you leave them to grow, they can make your garden look overgrown and like a jungle. They could even make it difficult for passersby to notice your pretty flowers and plants! You can find out how to prune a hedge online: www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/pruning_prunehedges1.shtml

Plant Flowers

Keep your front garden and yard bright with lots of gorgeous flowers. They will add beautiful colors to your garden and will certainly catch people’s eyes as they walk by. People may find this very attractive for other reasons too. It means that the garden will look great when they move in, so they won’t have so much work to do!

Most of us love having friends and family over for a meal and a drink or two. It’s a wonderful way to spend quality time together. It doesn’t have to be a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary. But having enough space to relax and feel comfortable can be a challenge for a big party. That’s why our outdoor spaces can be ideal for a big gathering.

If you’re thinking of hosting an event at home this year, why not treat yourself to a garden makeover? Landscaping your garden to make the most of the space can be a good idea. And it needn’t cost as much as you think. Best of all, it’s a great project to take on if you enjoy improving your home and DIY.

[Photo courtesy of Field Outdoor Spaces/flickr.com]

To create a great space for entertaining in the garden, you may need to bring in some extra tools and equipment like a Dingo. Dingos are mini-diggers that make light work of your garden remodel. Levelling the land you have makes it perfect for laying patios or installing decking. Once your garden is cleared and levelled, you can see clearly just how much space you have. Now it’s time to sketch a design.

Ideally, you will create a dining area just in front of your patio doors. This makes it easier for carry dishes in and out of the house. You don’t need a huge space here, but it can be a good to create a little more room than you think you might want. This allows for walking around the table when people are seated, and you can squeeze in one or two more chairs. Cover over this area is essential too. If you can’t stretch to a full outdoor room, consider a gazebo.

From the patio, you should create paths that lead to the other key areas. You may choose to do this with concrete, pavers, or even decking. Decking is the easiest choice if your garden is multi-level so you can create the steps needed. You may want a seating area with garden sofas or a bench. Perhaps you are building a water feature or some planters. An artificial grass lawn can be an excellent addition to a child-friendly garden too.

You may be in a good location for growing your own vegetables. If your soil isn’t ideal, why not build up a planting area? You can then fill it with good quality compost and soil and plant what you need. It is often easier to cover if you’re prone to insects or frost. You can even use hanging baskets for growing fruits. It can be a nice gesture to let your guests pick their own while they are with you too.

Installing garden lights means your gathering can continue to use the garden after dusk. Use cascading fairly lights on the gazebo. You can even hang lanterns along your veranda. Most garden lights are solar powered with a movement sensor. This means they will only come on while people are in the garden, and they’ll cost you nothing to run. Enjoy your party.

A dull and barren lawn could somehow influence your mood for the day. Just imagine waking up every morning and you’d be welcomed by such an unpleasing sight. Surely, you would feel lifeless as well and you might bring it at work. Seeing greens along with your newly installed driveway gravel is a great idea.

If you’re worried about not having the magical green thumb, then you can make use the majority of your humongous space into a permeable paving and just place some full grown flower beds on the sides or perhaps bushes.

See to it that you already know the things that you want to see in your front and back yard. Each home owner has their own preferences when it comes to garden landscaping and paving. Others would want to walk along fresh and well trimmed grasses while some would want the hard and solid ones placing all the plants on the sides.

You should also familiarize the wind patterns in your place as well as the angle of the rays of the sun. You might want to transform your lawn into a grilling space wherein you host barbeque parties or similar events. If the wind blows hard in that area, then it isn’t a perfect place to grill anything. The rays of the sun would also matter. Make sure that your fully transformed mini-nature-park lawn won’t be receiving the longest sun exposure until it sets because it won’t be suited in the afternoon wherein people would most likely relax and sit outside. Nobody would want to face the sun the entire and get sun burned.

If you don’t how to start the beautification of your yard, start looking at home magazines or perhaps search the internet on unique garden landscapes and from there you will get an idea on how you would like your yard to look like. You consult a professional landscaper or watch do-it-yourself videos if you really want to do it on your own.

Homes look appealing no matter how they are designed if their yard is surrounded with greens. Well-manicured lawns along with a beautiful landscape can soothe the eyes and relaxes the mind. It is always a pleasure to see the beauty of nature right in your backyard. But what if the homeowner lacks the time to tend the plants and maintain the lawn? Do not worry as landscaping today has evolved as life has become too complicated and the cost of maintenance has skyrocketed.

Artificial grasses can solve your landscaping woes and they add curb appeal to your home frontage and backyard. Residents in Arizona are installing them instead of planting real turfs for a lot of reasons.

Simply Awesome

There is no doubt that artificial grass adds aesthetic appeal to your home regardless of its design. Artificial grass Goodyear AZ offers a lot of grass type to make your home totally awesome and gorgeous. Bermuda grass is a good choice for areas that are often used and they can withstand even during summery months because it employs heat reduction technology. Its tan and green thatch zone is specially designed to blend in as the season changes, particularly during summer. Truly, it looks like real with its structure designed like a horseshoe blade. Homeowners can request for Libra grass that is light green with a brown thatch zone to make it look more natural. Its blade is slightly wider and thicker.

[Image courtesy of Nytt kunstgress/en.wikipedia.org]

Cost-saving

Artificial grass can save you a lot of dollars, especially if you live in an arid region. It becomes a yearly headache for homemakers to maintain their lawn when El Niño strikes as they have to water the grass most of the time. It is sad to note that homeowners will use drinking water to water their lawns daily to retain their moisture and keep them protected from the scorching heat. This means, they have to spend more for their monthly water bill.

Environmental-friendly

How many gallons of gas are used by homemakers to power their push mowers to maintain the height of their grass? Each trip can add more pollution to the air compared to an hour travel by car. Aside from the pollution, the cost of gas continues to increase and it means that you have to allocate a budget for mowing. Grass grows fast when there is a high amount of rain in your place. Most homeowners have to mow their lawns at least twice a month. Another problem with mowing is the noise it creates that can blow your nerve, causing your neighbors to get pissed off. Artificial grass does not create noise and air pollution because it does not need to be mowed to maintain its growth.

Less maintenance

Growing turfs in your yard can be tedious and hassle for someone who has to divide the time for work, household chores and family. Maintaining a lawn needs patience, time and effort, as there are many things that you have to do to upkeep its looks. Aside from daily watering, and mowing, you have to clean the lawn from dirt and fertilize it to keep it healthy. Installing an artificial grass will reduce time and effort to come up with a beautiful landscape. Entrusting your yard with Artificial grass Goodyear AZ will increase your productivity and time for family bonding.

Allergy-free

Real grasses, though they look naturally appealing, they can sometimes cause skin allergies. If you have kids around who play in the yard, it can be costly for you because you have to bring them to the doctor and buy the medications to treat the rashes. But with artificial turf installed in your yard, your kids can roll over and lie on the grass without getting allergies. Snakes, centipedes, ants and other creatures are discouraged to thrive in the artificial grass. So, your kids are secured while frolicking in the yard.

Artificial grass is specially designed to make things light, easy and cost saving. After installation, you can expect more value to your property as it looks attractive to potential buyers. It is a good investment for homeowners for it can withstand against extreme weather condition. It has anti-aging properties, resistant to ultraviolet rays and made of monofilament yarn. It is ideally a good choice for homeowners who love the outdoors, but too occupied to maintain their lawns.

Wooden decking requires a lot of time and care to put up but it’s worth it. Having outdoor decking means that you can enjoy the great outdoors comfortably, providing a solid surface for furniture and sun loungers.

Our decking allows us the luxury of an extra room outside where we can socialize with friends or enjoy then sunshine, and for those with families it provides a space where parents can keep a watchful eye over kids whilst they play in the garden.

However, many people forget to maintain their decking. Here are 5 simple tips to help you keep your decking well maintained so that you can enjoy it for years to come.

Don’t put potted plants on your deck

A lot of people put decorative plants on their decking. However these plants collect and drain water onto the deck. This allows moisture to gather at the base of the pot which can cause mold, rot and also wears away at any wood stain or treatment that you may have applied to your deck. So tip number one is to avoid putting potted plants on your decking.

Check for damp areas

Leading on from the first point – If you notice that there’s an area on your decking that seems to gather moisture and dampness then check it out. Damp areas can lead to mold. If you find any mold then use decking cleaner to remove it. You can also find mold resistant decking paint that will help with this problem.

[Image courtesy of Unsplash/pixabay.com]

Don’t let bugs live in your decking

Your wooden decking may seem like the perfect home for a range of insects, many of which will be harmless. But still, check your wood every now and then to see if there are signs of insects eating away at the wood. If you do suspect that insects are eating your decking then contact a professional.

Replace damaged boards

Decking naturally acquires damage with repeated use. Maybe someone had one too many drinks at your last party and drop something heavy which split your decking. In that case you should replace the damaged board. This will mean that your decking will look pristine condition, as well as being much safer than having a split piece of wood. Replacing a single piece of wood board is easier than you think.

Clean Your Decking

This may seem obvious but a lot of people fail to do this. Clean your decking a few times a year using specialist decking cleaner, and power wash it too If you have the facilities. This will blast away and dirt and blemishes on your deck.

We hope you found these 5 tips helpful, keep them in mind throughout the year and you can potentially add years on to your decking’s lifespan.

During my high school days we always have a special day where all students needs to go to school just to clean around and one of the requirements is to bring a scythe, no scythe no grade. Sometimes no scythe means grades deduction like instead you are going to get 100% you will instead get 90%, well those are the days.

On college I have noticed our school administration hired people to cut the grass occasionally when they are already full grown and instead of using scythe they’re using petrol grass cutter which is perfect for cleaning large lawns or areas.

Using petrol grass cutter is a big advantage than cutting the grass the traditional way, it save time and less work. They are also easy to use because you can navigate it on your own as it has no wire unlike the electrical one. You won’t worry anymore about electric cable and using extension you can just drag petrol lawnmower to any place you want to be cleaned and trimmed.

Like most other things petrol grass cutters are available in various brand and sizes and they come with wide range of accessories.