Designing is considered to be an art, and tools are the equipments that help a person to perform any art accurately and beautifully. Similarly, the appropriate use of the right tools can help create the most elegant landscape for the garden.

The most basic and essential tools would be the spade, hoe, rake and the garden fork. All of these are hand tools serving the basic functions, required to maintain the landscape of the garden. These tools help in digging, sorting the soil and removing stones and pebbles, loosening the soil around the plants, breaking lumps of soil, removing seed drills and raking dry grass and leaves. Apart from these, onion hoes can be used for separating crowded hedges and plants, and secateurs, basically small hand cutters, for cutting and pruning the hedges.

The bigger version of these secateurs is known as loppers, which help in cutting longer and stronger branches with the help of their straight blade. These loppers are also known as parrot bills. Unlike the secateurs that are comparatively light weight and used with one hand, loppers are used with both hands.

Apart from the hand tools, some mechanical tools are also useful to maintain the look of the garden. These tools primarily include lawnmower and rotavator. Another commonly used tool is the trimmer used for trimming and thus keeping the hedges in shape with the help of shredders and chippers. A standard wheelbarrow needed for moving soil, stones and other necessary materials, would complete the gardening kit. Usually, a builder’s wheelbarrow is considered to be better than a garden wheelbarrow, which is too heavy to wheel around when fully laden. Thus, the builder’s wheelbarrow is considered to be ideal for moving heavy materials around.

It is advisable to properly check the functionalities of these tools while buying, as most of them are quite expensive. It is also important to check and compare the prices and quality of the tools available in various stores, as gardening tools are not something a person buys too often. Thus they should be well chosen and worth the money spent.

If you need a low maintenance, simple border for your yard, then you may want to consider using shrubs. With very little effort, you will find that shrubs can add beauty and a touch of color to your yard and home. You will find a great variety in shrubs to allow you to find the one that best fits your lawn and your landscaping design.

Different Types of Shrubs

There is a great variety of shrubs that you can use in your landscaping design. These shrubs help give your lawn color and texture to help make it more visually attractive. Some common shrubs include dogwood, azalea, lilac, hardy shrub rose, and hydrangea. A border with colorful shrubs will make a beautiful focal point around your home or walkway. The landscaping shrubs can also help to add height to your garden and lawn.

A Great Border

A beautiful border will consist of many different layers of colors, height, and textures. It does not matter what shrub that you choose, it will add color and texture to your lawn and landscape. Keeping your shrubs trimmed is essential to help keep them at a manageable level and allow them to show their natural beauty and style.

Shrubs can also be used to line your property line between you and your neighbors. They will make a border without closing in the space as trees do. They are a great choice for this particular purpose that you and your neighbors will appreciate and enjoy.

Taking Care of Your Shrubs

Good soil that drains well is essential to keep your shrubs healthy. It may be necessary to add some compost to your soil to make it healthier before you begin planting your shrubs. When you are ready to plant your shrubs, check to make sure that the roots are not root bound. If they are, you only need to loosen the roots using a knife to make them ready to plant. Make sure that your shrubs get plenty of water so that they will stay green and healthy.

Do not be concerned if your landscaping shrubs do not look filled in at first. Before you know it, the shrubs will grow and fill in those gaps. That is one of the benefits of using shrubs in landscaping. It is not necessary to plant a great deal of shrubs to cover an area. You can use smaller flowers or plants to fill in the gaps. Use your creativity to create a landscaping plan that works for you and your needs.

Landscaping your yard is a great way to make your home more beautiful. It may increase its value by as much as 15%. For both reasons, you want to make sure to do the best job you can with your yard. Thankfully, landscapers are available to help.

The Perks of Landscaping

Landscaping makes your yard more attractive. This helps you get more money for your home when you decide to sell it. In fact,

many people won’t bother to look at a house without “curb appeal.” Curb appeal, made commonplace by the HGTV show, is how nice a house looks from the road. Landscaping increases curb appeal by creating a great first impression. Even if you don’t plan to sell your home any time soon, it helps make you feel better about the way your home looks.

Deciding on the Right Landscaper

A landscaper will be able to help you improve the look of your yard. He or she does this by doing more than just choosing plants. They also build additions such as decks, patios, gazebos, and retaining walls. They can even help you by planning and installing lighting systems. This type of landscaping is called hardscaping. If you need a landscaper to help you with hardscaping, be sure the person you choose has the skill to do this.

Years of Experience

In addition to having the right knowledge, your landscaper should have experience. Find out how long he or she has been in business. A company that has been in the business for many years is more likely to do a great job. Also, find out how much experience the landscaper has with the type of design you are interested in. A landscaper who has years of experience building retaining walls is not your best choice if you are

building a gazebo.

Professional Groups

You should also look for a landscaper who is a member of national or state landscape organizations. One who is involved with these organizations is more likely to know more about the

latest trends and ideas, because they share important industry information. In addition, some organizations only allow member with proven track records to join.

Licenses and Certificates

Licensing is also important when choosing a landscaping company. In fact, many states require landscapers to be licensed or certified. The license helps guarantee the landscaper is knowledgeable. For these companies to be licensed in some states, they also must show that all their employees are

knowledgeable. Choosing a licensed landscaper increases your chances of getting one who will do a great job.

Budget

Of course, your personal budget is important. When choosing the right landscaper, you need to know how much money you have to spend. When deciding this, be sure to find out what is included with the job. For example, a landscaper that provides his or her own insurance is ideal. You do not want to be responsible for any accidents that may happen in your yard.

References

The way to find the best landscaper is to talk to references.

Visit the homes of other customers. Ask if they were happy with the final outcome. If possible, visit a yard still in progress. This will help you see how professional the company is. It will also give you an idea of how the landscaper works and if it is compatible with the way you doing things.

Your home is your most major investment. With these days of low interest rates leading to high increases in home prices you may well be either deciding to sell your home or upgrade. Homes have had the best rate of investment returns in the last number of calendar years – far outweighing such traditional investments as stocks, bonds and bank accounts.

A house is much more than that – it is the place you call home and raise your family.

If you decide that it is time to sell – perhaps you are an “empty nester” Now is an exceptional time to sell your home. Or you may just simply want to upgrade or to change.

Remember that economics is ultimately supply and demand.

The tooth is there is more demand from buyers than the supply available from sellers.

Now is an exceptional time to sell your house.

Your property may be very valuable – being in an older established neighborhood.

So ultimately in order to obtain the highest selling price what can you look for to increase your selling and asking prices as well as sell your property sooner during peak real estate sales periods . (Spring and summer for both possessions before and after the school year)

With homeowner’s priorities shifting to their outdoor living spaces, it is more important than ever that your landscaping and backyard areas look their best when it comes time to sell. And with more outdoor living spaces come more elaborate and beautiful landscaping.

Studies have shown that attractive landscaping can increase the value of a home. ” The Contribution of Landscaping to the Price of a Single Family Dwelling , South Carolina” pointed out not only homes with excellent landscaping sell 4 to 5 % higher , but homes with poor landscaping in neighborhoods with excellent landscaping sold for 8 to 10 % less.

The right landscape design can make all the difference to a prospective buyer, especially when it is beautifully and carefully executed. “First impressions are not only important for buyers but for appraisers and real estate agents as well.” South Dakota home assessment quantifier Shinderpal Jandu says.

So how much time, effort and money should you put into “sprucing “up your landscape if you are selling?

If you put in small amount of money, time and effort into your backyard, you will sell your home and probably get enough boosts in price to warrant the work. However, if you do extensive landscaping, you can consider it money spent for personal enjoyment not as a payback investment… It will certainly help you to sell your home faster, it may allow you to sell your house without needing a real estate agent but it will not impress buyers enough to increase the asking or selling price.

Some good suggestions to improve your landscape:

If you backyard is nothing but weeds, get a weed eater and cut the weeds.

Remove unsightly trees – too tall, large or inappropriate. Ensure though that you can dispose of the remains both easily, with little cost and legally.

Plant trees that will not grow to large. Fruit trees are always a good choice for a backyard

Plant low level flowers and shrubs on your lot.

_ Make sure that your back yard as well as the front is clean neat and livable.

– If there is fence make sure that it is reasonable shape if possible. A fresh coat of paint will always help to improve the value of first impressions as well as hide a multitude of sins.

Remember it is not just your house but your home and biggest lifetime investment . When you prepare to sell your house pay attention to your landscaping. Simple proper steps to landscaping can both enhance the selling price of your home and make it easier and quicker to sell.

Before installing a water feature you need to ask yourself several important questions first:

What is your budget? How much can you spend on the entire project? You could spend $3,000 on a water feature and find out you still need an additional $1,000-1,500 for plants and amenities, such as a deck, gazebo, walkways, fish or landscape lighting in the pond, waterfall and lawn. Other possible extras are a biological filter, auto-fill for pond, skimmer, back-flushable bio-filter, and more.

How big is a water feature? If you are building your own, then structurally size is not that big an issue! I would charge the same price for a 3-foot high waterfall as I would for a 5-foot; the same for a 3 by 5-foot pond as a 4 by 6. There is only a $200 difference in cost between the 1,000 and 2,000 square feet of concrete shell surface. Your main concern about size should be space, not cost. How much of your yard can you sacrifice? Even if the space between your house and the property line fence is limited, a water feature can be incorporated.

Small ponds 1½ to 3 feet deep can facilitate a sump pump located within the pond. Even though a sump pump is inexpensive, it consumes much more energy than an above-ground pump. A pond any deeper than 3 feet requires an exterior pump for better accessibility and maintenance, and at a higher cost. But they pay for themselves in a short period of time with the energy savings. Also, larger ponds require greater filtration, more cleaning and maintenance.

The size of the waterfalls will determine the size of the pump needed. The higher the waterfalls, the bigger the pump needed to supply the water and the greater the cost for electricity. Height creates head pressure which requires more energy and is the major factor in operating cost.

How much entertaining will you do? Will you need a deck? If so, how big? You might consider placing a pond next to an existing deck. Many people do just the opposite, they build a pond and then construct a deck beside it. In this case, you can take advantage of an existing deck and construct an open stairway (stair bridge) to span the pond. This affords unique access to the opposite side.

Will you have adequate room for table and chairs? Do you want a spa? Or a fire pit or barbecue? Enough lawn for games? Where do you spend most of your outdoor leisure time? That is the area for your waterfall! The waterfall will bring you the most enjoyment, therefore it should be located closest to the area where you plan to spend most of your time out of doors.

Do you want to see or hear the waterfall from indoors? Consider adding an exterior patio or French doors to your house to access your water feature area. Do you wish to have fish and other aquatic creatures? Long term, a properly maintained nitrogen cycle costs less than maintaining a pond that uses chlorine and other chemicals. Fish, plants and proper bacteria are needed for healthy pond and nitrogen cycle. Once properly established, a healthy fish pond is virtually maintenance free.

Are you willing to remove or replace certain trees or bushes to enhance the waterfall and pond? Some trees have very aggressive root systems that can literally move concrete as they grow, causing cracking and upheaval. Certain trees can contribute a great deal of debris to the water feature that fouls the water and may cause premature failure of the filter system.

What type of rock do you want? A commonly used rock is cobble stone. However, because of the round shapes, water rolls over the surfaces and creates a minimum of sound or visual effect. In contrast, irregular, angular, sharp-edged granite or similar rock creates turbulent conditions similar to white water as it flows over the edges. The greater the “white water” the more sound is produced. Also, a side benefit is the aeration of water which benefits fish and discourages the production of algae. However, do not attempt to match the color of rock with the decor of the house, brick and other features of your home. Stay natural – contrast is good!

What about electrical supply for the pump and equipment? In 20 years I have never seen the electrical costs for supplying power to the equipment site exceed $1,200, and the average is less than $400.

What about a water supply for an automatic water leveling system? Water is very accessible in any household and getting it to the water feature site is a minor expense. Simply tap into an outside water faucet.

There are hundreds of questions that arise in the course of a water feature project. It is best that most of these questions are answered prior to commencement of construction, it could save you hundreds of dollars by avoiding mistakes.

Look before you leap and research before you weep. Happy koi, peace and joy.

Should I landscape my investment property? I mean, isn’t it a waste of money to plant flowers, prune, water the lawn, etc.?

There are many aspects of property management that are not glamorous, exciting or necessarily exhilarating. After the adrenaline of the acquisition has faded into the not-too-distant past, there is the day-to-day care and feeding of the investment property itself and landscaping falls into this category. The thinking on this topic is all over the map, including some property owners who believe that the more concrete one has, the better. According to that line of thinking, shrubbery is simply an added expense. I would disagree, however. Remember the primary theme that governs our acquisition and finance of investment grade real estate, namely that we want to own properties that are charming, romantic, and beautiful. That is, we want to own the very properties that people want to live in for all of the intangibles reasons that we’ve discussed on this website – great properties don’t have vacancies, but waitlists, great properties protect our downside because they will hold value better than unattractive properties, and great properties will appreciate faster in an appreciating market.

An investment property with no landscaping lacks all of the beauty, charm and romance that we consider to be critical to our overall real estate investment strategy. After all, who wants to live in a concrete jungle? You don’t want to and your prospective tenant won’t either. So you should landscape. Tenants who comment on or are attracted to well-maintained surroundings are the types of tenants that you want. They notice beauty and they care about their surroundings. Nice landscaping also tells prospective tenants what your standard is for the care of the building – by landscaping, you setting expectations up-front.

Lastly, good landscaping helps you build relationships with your neighbors, particularly if your apartment building is nestled in a residential neighborhood among single family homes and you do not live close by. Neighbors who appreciate good landscaping will stop you on the street and ask you about your plants, so it’s a great platform for starting a conversation, and you want your neighbors to be your friend. They live with your building and your tenants every day, so they are probably the first to know if something goes awry. If you have a good relationship with them, they will notify you right away if they see anything suspicious.

Okay, I agree. I should landscape. What exactly should I plant and what shouldn’t I plant?

Here are my high-level guidelines for landscaping your investment property:

1. Very large trees close to your property that grow quickly with large roots. Very large trees create ongoing maintenance problems that a property owner must deal with on a regular basis, including potential foundation and plumbing problems, not to mention expensive pruning of high branches.

2. Very large trees close to your property that shed profusely. Very large trees that shed profusely will tend to clog the gutters of your building, not to mention the mess that accompanies the falling leaves, particularly during the fall. If your building is in the Puget Sound Area, you must also take into account the rain during the winter season and the fact that leaves can clog gutters, which can cause roof leaks if the building has a flat roof.

3. High maintenance shrubbery. There is a class of plants called ornamental annuals, which are typically used to provide splashes of color to an otherwise colorless or indistinguishable garden. Examples would include begonias, petunias and hollyhock. These are plants are lovely and they do exactly what they are intended to do, namely provide a garden with color, character and personality. That said, ornamental annuals, however, should not be part of your investment property landscaping plans. Why? They die at the end of the year, so you must replant next year. This is expensive and time-consuming. Save the ornamental annuals for your own personal flower garden. What a property owner should plant is something called perennials. What are perennials? They are the opposite of annuals. They only need to be planted once and they will beautify your investment property for years to come. They require maintenance too. All plants require maintenance, but perennials won’t die on you at the end of the year. You will need to be aware of the water requirements, the heat resistance of the types of perennial that you plant, and how vulnerable they may or may not be to direct sunlight. For sunny gardens, try Bergenia Winter Glows, Russian Sage, or Baptisia Australis. Of course, small evergreens are always desirable because they stay green and theoretically live forever. Your best bet would be to visit your local nursery (in Seattle, I would recommend Molbak’s in Woodinville) and ask the nursery to recommend hearty, long-lasting perennials for your investment property landscape.

4. Other Considerations:

1. Consider the basics – climate, location, sun exposure, soil conditions and moisture requirements.
2. Choose hearty plants.
3. Consider scale (the size of the plant at maturity) to the size of the building. Plants that are too small make a big space look “lonely.” Plants that are too big make a place look cluttered. Don’t plant tall things in front of short buildings and stuff like that.
4. There is the aesthetics part about balancing texture, colors and scale to make sure everything mixes nicely. This requires that you pay attention and develop an “eye” for style.
5. Consider the impact of your choices on the building. Plants should be at least one foot from the building, if not more and they should not block windows.
6. Other than watering, your shrubbery should not require light weeding, trimming and deadheading more than once a month. Regular fertilizing and preparation for seasonal changes will increase the longevity and health of your plants.
7. The “preferred plants” are “hard working” and offer something nice to look at for at least three seasons of the year (bud, bloom and foliage). This is about stretching your landscaping dollars.

5. Grass. Grass is lovely, but too much grass creates huge maintenance problems. Grass is also extremely inviting to dogs, cats and other animals. Grass invites animals to do things that you may not want them to do on the grass, at least not on a regular basis. You get the point. Grass also grows quickly in the summer and can make your property look like an Amazon jungle if not maintained regularly and sometimes at significant cost. In the Pacific Northwest, one can create charming gardens with minimal grass that instills charm to your property without the attendant maintenance inconveniences associated with excessive grass. Use your best judgment when it comes to grass, but use grass sparingly. Remember also, in the Pacific Northwest, grass will turn brown in the summer unless watered regularly. Watering grass so that stray animals will have luscious green bedding on which to do their thing will only increase your water bill. So be frugal with grass!