Landscaping - Building a Backyard Pond The Smart Way

A backyard pond can turn a ho-hum property into a thing of absolute beauty. It can be the perfect finishing touch to a landscape or the centerpiece of a yard. Backyard ponds are increasing in popularity, as a variety of inexpensive kits and products hit the market. For years, backyards ponds were a luxury that only the very wealthy could afford. Today, it seems, any homeowner willing to put in a little effort can add a pond to his or her property.

SOURCE:http://www.landscapingideasonline.com

SOURCE:http://www.landscapingideas.com
Unfortunately, in the mad rush to integrate ponds into home landscaping, many do-it-yourselfers make mistakes. There are a number of important factors you should consider before and during the construction of a backyard pond. Let’s look at some guidelines for building your backyard pond the smart way. Keeping these points in mind will allow one to avoid several common pitfalls associated with do-it-yourself pond construction.

First, integrate the pond with your existing landscape. In many cases, amateur landscapers simply find a convenient open area and get right down to work. The finished product? Well, it looks just like a backyard--with a pond in it. The pond just doesn’t seem to fit. It seems “forced” or somehow incongruous with overall look and feel of the property. In these situations, the presence of a pond can actually detract from the beauty of a yard and can serve to diminish curb appeal and resale value.

If you are considering adding a pond to your hard, take the time to select a design and a location that flatter your overall landscaping. Don’t simply “plop” it down somewhere in hopes that it will look great. In many cases, it won’t. If you don’t feel as though you can trust your own design and aesthetic judgment on the matter, seek the opinion of others to guide the location and shape of your new pond.

Second, think about the elements. If you place your pond in complete shade, you might have a problem providing adequate warmth to maintain a fish population. If you place your pond near a tree, you may find yourself constantly working to keep leaves out of the water. The environment surrounding the pond will have a large impact on both its appearance and overall well being. Think about your property and the elements before starting work on your backyard pond.

Third, size matters. You need to make sure your pond will be sized correctly to meet your goals. Those with limited space may wish for a pond with a large fish population, only to find that the space available won’t support enough finned friends to satisfy them. Others may want to experiment with a variety of aquatic plants. These also have specific space requirements that you should consider. If your pond is too shallow or too small, your range of options will be limited.

Another example of considering size carefully has to deal with the depth of the pond. This is particularly true in colder climates with ponds containing fish. If the pond is too shallow, it can freeze completely. It should come as no surprise that a total freeze is likely to cut down on the number of fish in a hurry! Proper pond depth is essential in many situations to maintain a healthy fish population.

Adding a backyard pond can be a great way to make outdoor living more attractive and enjoyable. If done correctly, it can add a certain luster to a property and can even serve to create a substantial net increase in the property’s value. However, a poorly conceived backyard pond can be incredibly frustrating.

Today, almost anyone can add a pond to the backyard. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about doing that. If you are considering adding a pond to your property, be aware of the factors you must keep in mind in order to do the job right!

Retaining Walls - Tips For A Great Retaining Wall

There are many situations where homes require retaining walls. That does not mean walls to retain the kids, or your wife or husband, when you want some peace and quiet! The term here applies to walls to retain your garden or backyard!

Many homes have been built on sloped ground, and while the home itself is level, the gardens or yards have been left on the sloped ground. In this situation many owners prefer to have the slope levelled off into sections to provide, for example, flat play areas for the kids, barbecue areas and flat flower and vegetable beds, with steps leading down to each area. If the garden is large enough, even a pool may be required, and a sloped pool is ‘against the laws of physics’, as Mr. Spock would say.

This is done using retaining walls. Retaining walls have to be able not only to hold the weight of earth behind and above them, but also to allow drainage in the event of a storm. The home-owner, on the other hand, wants retaining walls to look good; to fit in with the landscape design of the garden. So what basics are required in retaining walls to ensure that they are safe, before the aesthetics you may be looking for should be considered?

Strength for a start. That’s a no brainer. Retaining walls must be built on a proper concrete foundation, or they will be eventually swept away as the earth below softens as it rains. If there is not a concrete footing, the wall might sink or be simply swept away – it is on a slope - remember? Also, wet soil is very heavy, and exerts pressure against the wall. If there is nothing to relieve that pressure, the wall could fail. Drainage pipes within the retaining walls to allow water and soil slurry to escape and relieve some of that pressure.

The drainage pipe should be running from an area of small stones that filter the water from the slurry, or the drainage pipes themselves would be blocked. A diameter of 3 – 4 inches round the exit pipe should comprise small pebbles. The drainage pipes should be connected to the domestic drains to facilitate removal of the water rather than pass it to the next step, and so compound the problem with the other retaining walls.

Materials of construction used for retaining walls are also very important. Many are made from heavy timber planks, bricks and even concrete. However, consensus is that segmented retaining wall systems (SRW) are the safest. This is generally the professionals’ choice, though your decision will be based on the height of the retaining walls involved and how high your retained steps are.

If they are a foot or two, then any material would do, and you hardly need a foundation. Some means of allowing water run-off would be useful, but otherwise any construction will do. Above that height and you are advised to use a good foundation, an SWR system or poured concrete and draining pipes running to a drainage system rather than straight through the retaining walls.

Bearing in mind that retaining walls can be several feet high, the correct construction must be used. Would you be happy having your child stand beneath a wall retaining tons of mud and earth just after a heavy thunderstorm, when young children like to run out and look at all the water? Retaining walls must be constructed correctly and by professionals.

Attracting Wild Birds With Flowering Dogwood Trees

Flower Trees
I always get itchy during the cold-weather months to look aloft outdoors and find branches blooming once again. Their winter nudity becomes a pleasantly distant memory. The spring garments they don are so flashy that they somehow manage to steal some of the thunder even from the colorful spring bulbs. Flowering dogwood trees are one of my spring favorites and, by fall, they'll be attracting wild birds, to boot.

Yes, our springs would be much the poorer without our blooming specimens. And while their spring colors, alone, would justify growing flowering dogwood trees and other spring beauties, the benefits don't stop there. This article touches upon a few of the many gifts bestowed upon us by the standout trees and shrubs of spring. On Page 2, I rank them in a Top 10 list, headed by flowering dogwood trees. As an alternative to flowering dogwood trees, incidentally, you can purchase a shrub form.

Birdwatching and landscaping can complement each other beautifully. The trick is knowing which blooming specimens are most useful for attracting wild birds. Many decorative berries, while inedible for humans, are a boon to your winged friends. Some of these berries will be snapped up quickly by them, while others, such as the berry on the sumac shrub, serve as emergency food during hard times. The latter are not among their favorite foods, but they will provide you with excellent birdwatching opportunities in late winter and early spring, when their desperation for food makes attracting wild birds easier.

Some blooming specimens serve double-duty, furnishing the fall landscape with colorful foliage or berries. Others offer multiple ornamental qualities, plus edible fruit to boot. They also have a number of functional landscape uses:


•Plant specimen flowering shrubs on either side of an entryway to help direct the eye to it. Do, however, choose a varieties of flowering shrubs with interesting foliage to perform this function, so that the entryway will be enhanced beyond the spring season.


•Hide a high house foundation with flowering shrubs that serve as foundation plantings. Again, be at least as concerned with foliage as with flowers.


•Flowering shrubs can be planted near a home to "soften" the landscape, breaking up vertical or horizontal lines that are too strong.


•Some flowering shrubs are particularly effective in controlling erosion.


•Flowering dogwood trees and flowering shrubs with attractive foliage can be used as a border to separate two properties. They can be similarly employed within your own property bounds to define distinct outdoor spaces. Even a driveway can be transformed from a utilitarian component of a landscape to an aesthetic achievement, if planted with such borders.


•Taller specimens, such as some of the larger varieties of magnolia, offer shade.


Flowering Dogwood Trees

All things considered, 'Cherokee Chief' flowering dogwood trees (Cornus florida 'Cherokee Chief') and Japanese flowering dogwood trees (Cornus kousa) win the top ranking for spring bloomers, with an impressive array of landscaping benefits. The lower branches of the 'Cherokee Chief' cultivar have a horizontal branching pattern, which in itself lends interest to the landscape. 'Cherokee Chief' flowering dogwood trees grow to a height of 20'-25' and spread 12'-15'. This tree puts out red blooms in spring, while its fall foliage is bronze-colored.

Japanese flowering dogwood trees (Cornus kousa) usually bear white, star-shaped blooms. Their blooms appear later in spring than do the flowers on other dogwoods. Fall foliage is purplish-red. The red berries of Japanese flowering dogwood trees persist into winter and are eaten by wild birds. Average height and spread of 15'-30'.

SOURCE:By David Beaulieu, About.com

Flowering Dogwood Tree, Hemlock: Shade Plants

Flowering Plants
Flowering dogwood tree is one of the hottest landscaping trees out there. But while it's a hot item, the flowering dogwood tree prefers a spot in your landscaping where it can stay cool, in the shade.

Flowering dogwood tree wants to have it "made in the shade." Homeowners eager to garden in shade-plagued areas with their favorite plants probably wonder why this phrase has such a positive connotation. They find their garden design plans thwarted again and again by the lack of sunlight in their gardens. But there's a shade plant or shade-tolerant answer to almost any landscaping need, as this Top 10 list for the shade shows. For trees, not only does the list include flowering dogwood tree, but also hemlock (in case you prefer an evergreen). Quite simply, the following list is composed of ten different categories of plants, all of which are shade plants -- or at least shade-tolerant.

SOURCE:By David Beaulieu, About.com