No make a difference either we reside upon an acreage or a smallest city lot, together with Lavender in freshness. Even if we select to occupy a solutions of the learned desig designerclassical crop up. Rise a landscape we have been forgetful of?
Even small properties can be approached in this manner, often resulting in the illusion of more space. Determine which plant communities would have existed on the site had it not been disturbed, and use these as a design model. Determining native plants is easiest on a site that still contains remnants of indigenous growth. If this is not the case, you can obtain information by observing nearby natural areas with similar ecological Backyard Concept Landscape Design 11 conditions, analyzing the soil and hydrology of the site, obtaining geological maps and studying the natural history of the area.
If the post-disturbance soil and water conditions are no longer capable of supporting these plant communities, consider basing your design on a community with similar conditions. The indigenous landscape is a constantly changing system composed of plants, animals, insects, microorganisms and soils. Plants are not isolated entities, but participants in a system constantly in flux. Different types of systems change at different rates. The annual meadow immediately resulting from a disturbance may last for only one year, while the perennial meadow may last for 10 before yielding to pioneer forest species.
By contrast, an old oak and hickory forest may last for hundreds of years if left undisturbed. Once these changing systems are understood, the designer can decide which aspects to encourage, discourage or manipulate to fit the requirements of the client and site. Designed landscapes need not be static photographs frozen in time forever, doing battle with the forces of nature.
A basic law of almost any native ecosystem is that if nothing is currently growing in a given space, something soon will. The more available space is filled, the less opportunity there is for a weed to enter. Plants grow against each other, above each other and below each other. Even a 3-foot-tall meadow has a multi-layered structure designed to seal off the area.
There are obvious lessons here for the designer interested in creating landscapes that have the ability to fight off weed invasion without the aid of mulches, fabrics and grub hoes. Mulched beds around isolated groupings of shrubs are an open invitation to neighborhood bullies such as Canadian thistle Cirsium arvense , knotweed Polygonum and nut grass Cyperus esculentus. A mixed, densely planted herbaceous ground cover layer, composed of plants with complementary aboveground and belowground growth habits, will be far more successful at inhibiting weed invasion than any mulch.
If this ground layer is also designed for succession of bloom and contrasting foliage texture, we can create a reduced-maintenance landscape that suggests the diverse tapestry of our native ground covers while achieving an artistic and colorful composition. Current landscape practice often considers surface water as something to be eliminated.
Meanwhile, water shortages are a frequent problem in our communities. Whenever we grade a property to direct surface runoff into the storm water system, we are sending a valuable commodity out to sea.
Aquifer recharge, the replenishment of our underground water tables, depends upon the absorption of rainwater into the ground. We can assist this process by using ponds, irrigation catchments, porous paving surfaces and bog gardens. Low wet areas can be converted into colorful assets by designing them as wet basins containing a range of colorful water tolerant plants like turtlehead Chelone lyonii , Joe-Pye weed Eupatorium purpureum , New England aster Aster novaeanglia and blue flag iris Iris versicolor.
The American lawn has become the focus of a great deal of controversy. Great quantities of water, fertilizers and fossil fuels are expended for lawn upkeep and the amount of pollution from herbicides, pesticides and small engine exhaust is well documented.
Although there is nothing inherently evil in a blade of Kentucky blue grass or the person who likes it, replacing substantial portions of mowed lawn with other, more ecologically friendly plantings would have a positive effect on our environment.
A mowed lawn does serve a unique function in that you can walk, lay and play catch on it�activities that are difficult in a tall grass meadow or a cottage garden.
It is possible, however, to offer alternatives that are affordable, easily sustainable, ecologically sound and aesthetically pleasing. The first alternative to lawn is lawn. Not the resource-intensive grass monoculture that we normally plant, but a diverse ground cover of creeping broadleaf plants combined with slow-growing drought and disease-resistant grass cultivars or native grass species.
These plants could include buffalo grass Buchloe dactyloides , Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica , wild strawberry Fragaria spp. A lawn of this type would require little or no fertilizer or chemical application, and would need to be mowed less frequently than a traditional lawn.
Wildlfower meadows are currently the most popular lawn alternative as they can provide visually stimulating, low-maintenance landscapes. However, in order for these plantings to succeed in the long run, the majority of wildflower seed producers must completely revamp their mixes. Annuals and short-lived perennials selected for immediate floral effect must give way to long-term native perennials and grasses selected for function and site-adaptability, as well as aesthetics. By patterning these landscapes after our native prairies and grasslands, their exciting potential can be fully realized.
The most neglected lawn alternative is woodland. While open space is highly valued, it can be even more appreciated when contrasted with a shady tree grove. While this type of landscape would obviously take far longer to mature, a transitional period can be filled with a meadow or grassland landscape supplemented with trees.
Woodland understory and ground layer plants can Landscape Garden Design Cost Uk Visa be added after a sufficient canopy is developed. A number of exotic species have naturalized so aggressively into our woods, meadows and Landscape Services In My Area Design wetlands that the natural plant diversity of these areas is destroyed. These include many commonly used ornamental plants such as Norway maple Acer platanoides , burning bush euonymus Euonymus atlatus , privet Ligustrum , Japanese barberry Berberis thunbergii.
Russian olive Elaeagnus angustifolia and tatarian honeysuckle Lonicera tatarica. Purple loosestrife Lythrum salicaria , a European perennial that has attained enormous popularity, has completely destroyed the biodiversity of thousands of acres of wetlands. Claims that its cultivars are sterile and therefore harmless have been proved false, as these cultivars eventually hybridize into fertile forms. We should completely abandon using any plants that have proved to be invasive in the native landscape.
In addition, we should be looking into ways to identify and discontinue using any new plants that show likely potential for invading our natural areas. Although natural design is not new, current public interest in natural aesthetics, reduced landscape management and environmental issues is making its widespread acceptance a real possibility. In order to capitalize on this opportunity, we need to develop concrete and reliable strategies for the design, implementation and management of these landscapes based on real ecological principles.
Landscape designers and architects influence the treatment of vast areas of land. We have a responsibility to treat the land as more than our personal paint canvas. The landscape designer should be part artist and part repairman, restoring some of the aesthetic qualities and environmental functions of the native landscape that have been destroyed.
Natural design can incorporate native woodlands and meadows, as well as transition zones between the two. In a limited space, you can adapt these elements to a smaller scale. Woodlands are the dominant plant community type in many areas throughout the United States.
If left undisturbed, these open sites would revert to some type of forest community after passing through various stages of herbaceous and woody shrub composition. Therefore, where woodlands predominate, landscapes patterned after our indigenous forest should be a strong�if not dominant�component of our work. If you're having a party on your patio, you can move them to that area. Just like you should plant grass that is specific to your region, pick native plants for less upkeep.
The easiest way to winter-proof your yard: Get rid of the fallen leaves. Once again, the magic is in the mulch. Have kids? Or pets? Don't be afraid to give artificial grass a shot. Collecting water with rain barrels is an extremely easy and environmentally-friendly way to water your plants. For a low-maintenance outdoor cooking space, invest in appliances that last. A sturdy granite countertop is also a long-lasting feature, and it's ideal for withstanding varying weather conditions.
Country Life. Design Ideas. Home Maintenance. United States. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Create outdoor living spaces. Courtesy of Chris and Peyton Lambton. Pick the right stone for outdoor landscaping. Getty Images. Studying these natural landscapes to duplicate them in a home environment can provide beautiful results when managed by a landscape design company.
Low Maintenance � By using local plant species and creating a landscape design according to the way nature itself would provide for a specific area, a homeowner can reduce the amount of maintenance needed and any disruption of the local environment. Using space as nature does, planting certain cohabiting species together, and providing natural water conservation can create a more self-sustaining landscape design , one that needs much less human management to look its best.
Creating a beautiful, visually-appealing and environmentally-friendly natural landscape design requires careful planning and understanding of how plants work together. Working with a residential landscape maintenance company is your best choice to know the options available for your property.
It may take some extra work; however, the end result of a beautiful, serene natural landscape is well worth that extra effort!
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