Hardscaping Your Yard

Posted on May 12, 2020May 12, 2020 by levylawns

WHAT IS HARDSCAPE?

Many people focus mostly on the interiors of their homes; they forget the first impression of a home starts from the outdoors. Hardscape is every other part of your home’s design that is not a plant. It includes the walkways, the walls, ornaments, patios, outdoor fireplaces, water elements, and fences. Thus, hardscaping involves designing these features to make your yard look gorgeous. Ideally, you should finish first with your hardscaping plans before you introduce flowers and gardens.

Here Are A Few Hardscaping Ideas You Can Use To Decorate Your Yard:

Stone Decorated Walkway

You can spruce up the boring path to your house and around your garden with a stone decorated walkway. You can use natural stones, bricks, or a mix of both in different beautiful colors or the more traditional monotone colors.

Outdoor Backyard Dining

If you have a large family that is always playing hosts to family or thanksgiving dinners, then an outdoor backyard dining is an excellent choice for hardscaping. Given that there is more space outdoors, you can have a dining area that serves a larger number of people while enjoying a refreshing scenery.

Create a Natural Waterfall

The reason a lot of people like the beach and the pool is because the sound of water has a calming effect on their minds. You can create a natural waterfall in your outdoor space to recreate that natural calm you feel at the beach.

Decorative Outdoor Staircases and Walls

If you have a deck above your home, you can make the walk up a memorable one every time someone uses it by creatively decorating your stairs. You can also turn boring walls into beautiful backgrounds for pictures for the gram. For the walls, you can use decorative stones, tiles, or even colorful, artsy graffiti.

Unique Outdoor Fireplace

You can have a unique fireplace outdoors to cater to your needs of a family or friendly gathering on cold evenings. This place will replicate the warmth and coziness of indoor space. You can learn how to build a firepit here.

These Hardscaping designs, just like gardening, can transform the outdoor look of your home and increase your curb appeal. You can find even more tips for Hardscaping in the Pacific Northwest here, or contact us at Levy’s Lawn & Landscape to help you to create stunning Hardscaping designs that will increase your home value.

The Top Five Landscaping Trends In 2020

Posted on May 12, 2020May 12, 2020 by levylawns

The Top Five Landscaping Trends In 2020

If you haven’t had the time or the creativity to spruce up your yard since the beginning of the year, but you very much would like to, now is the time. With the COVID-19 pandemic, you’re most likely home, social distancing, and self-isolating.

So, take advantage of the free time, and create the perfect landscape for your yard. If the challenge is where to start, don’t you worry. We’ve compiled the top five landscaping trends in 2020 that will help ease the burden of decisions on style, colors, and functionality.

2020 Top Trends For Landscaping

1. Ornate, Geometric Designs Are Still Very Much In Vogue

Some ornate designs can make your home look like a palace from one of those Disney fairytale animations. You can play with designs such as waves, lattices, and basket weaves. For walkways and walls, tiles and natural colored stones are an excellent choice. Ornate decors are easy to maintain and beautiful to behold, and this makes it a great choice.

2. Contemporary and Transitional Designs Are In High Demand

More people are demanding contemporary designs that are sleek, simple, and season-defying. These designs are mostly made up of modern sculptures, native plants, heat lamps, and waterworks that would remain beautiful and functional across all weather seasons.

3. Automated Irrigation System Make Things Easier

Let’s face it; traditional irrigation is stressful, messy, time-consuming, and wasteful. In 2020, automated irrigation systems can supply sufficient water to your yard more efficiently, and what’s more, there are several DIY irrigation systems you can try.

4. Gardens Are Back In Style

In 2020, more homeowners are adding gardens to their landscape. If you do like naturally grown fruit and veggies, you can make your garden one that caters to your food and fruit needs.

5. 2020 Is Blue

Across the board, paint companies declared various shades of blue as top colors for the year. The blue color provides tranquility that is needed for relaxation, so do not be afraid to throw in a little more blue in your yard.

It’s not too late to join the 2020 landscaping trends train. Go ahead and include any of these trends in your landscaping design or check out these budget landscaping ideas. You can also contact us at Levy’s Lawn & Landscape for more trendy designs for 2020.

Manuel Singleton

Engineer

Frances Goodwin

Product Management

Repurposing Household Items in Your Yard

Posted on May 12, 2020May 12, 2020 by levylawns

THE DREAM…

The dream of every gardener is to have a beautiful yard–one that they enjoy relaxing in, as well as draws the admiration of passersby and visitors. But, achieving this takes more than hard work, dedication, and time. To get a beautiful garden, some people spend a fortune on supplies; however, you do not need so much money to make your garden equally impressive.

Transforming Your Yard with Household Items

You can have a beautiful yard without spending a fortune by repurposing household items. With a little creativity and reusable items, your yard can look exquisite, costing you minimal spending in cash. Below are some creative ways you can repurpose household items in your yard:

1. Transform Unwanted Containers into Beautiful Planters

You can have a variety of beautiful planters all made from tins, pots, and baskets you no longer use. You can paint the containers in different creative patterns to make them unique and unlikely to be found in any other garden. Here are some tips on how to create a container garden.

2. Turn Your Waste into Fertilizer

Fertilizers provide the necessary nutrients for plants to thrive but can be expensive. You can turn your kitchen waste into organic compost for your garden, thereby saving money on the cost of purchasing commercially made fertilizers.

3. Create Walkways and Borders with Old Bricks

Old bricks are sold cheaply; sometimes, you get them for free after a renovation or from friends. You can use these old blocks in creating a walkway to and around your garden. The bricks can also serve as borders between plants and sections of your garden.

4. Create Plant Nurseries Using Recycled Items

You’ll need containers to serve as nurseries for delicate plant seedlings. You can use recycled bottles, juice, or milk cartons to plant delicate seedlings until they are strong enough to be planted in the garden.

5. Turn Old Bathtubs into Garden Pool

If you have an old bathtub, don’t dispose of it just yet. You can convert it into a beautiful pool in your garden, which can be an impressive addition. You should try it.

We all have items in our home we no longer use. You can create a new purpose for these items in your yard. If you need more unconventional ideas to make your yard look outstanding, you can reach out to us at Levy’s Lawn & Landscape today!

Low Maintenance Landscaping

Posted on November 20, 2019May 12, 2020 by levylawns

Garden maintenance in spring doing the mulching of the flowerbeds to keep down weeds and retain moisture in the soil

It is every homeowner’s wish to have a beautiful and well-designed yard in their homes. While it takes a lot of time and effort to achieve such a yard, it is also considerably expensive. For people who do not have the fortune to spend on landscaping to beautify their homes, this can pose a problem.

Top 5 Low Maintenance Landscaping Ideas

Although landscaping can be expensive, the good news is that if you have the time and energy to pour into maintenance, you just may be able to pull off the perfect garden without spending so much. There are many low maintenance landscaping ideas out there that you can try, that will not only give your home the perfect appeal but also require little from you. The following are five low maintenance landscaping ideas you can try.

1. Plant Perennials

Although annuals make for great landscaping, their cost of maintenance is a little on the high side. A great alternative is to use perennials instead. By making use of perennials, you are invariably cutting out the costs of annual cultivation, pesticides & herbicides and a host of others supplements they do not require. Some low maintenance perennials you can use for your landscaping include Coneflower, Perennial Geranium, and Catmint.

2. Make Use of Mulch

Filling your flower bed with mulch is another way to reduce the cost of your landscaping. This is because mulch does not come with the regular maintenance associated with soil, like weeding, for instance. You can even decide to use rubber mulch to further reduce the cost of maintenance, as the former does not require yearly replacement. Using rubber mulch is also a great way to use recyclable products.

3. Grow Evergreens

Evergreens, unlike most landscaping staples, look great all year round, meaning that they will not require as much maintenance as the seasons change. They are known to maintain their leaves regardless of the time of the year while other plants lose their foliage. However, evergreens cost more than regular plants, but because they do not require as much attention, they make for great low maintenance landscaping.

4. Consider an Artificial Lawn

Lawn mowing, fertilizing and regular watering are a must if you have a lawn. These are factors which can significantly raise the cost of maintaining natural lawns. Artificial lawns, on the other hand, do not require any of these costly measures, and they are known for providing almost the same aesthetics. In fact, a lot of people are unable to tell the difference between a natural and an artificial lawn.

5. Place Plants in Pots

Using potted plants in your landscape is also a great way to keep the cost of maintenance at bay. Potted plants are versatile, do not require so much care and can be moved from one place to another easily. Also, potted plants make it easy for you to add a variety of colors to your garden, by simply changing/designing the flower pots to suit the season.

These are some of the low maintenance landscaping ideas you can use for your home. With a little creativity on your part, you can create an awe-inducing landscape, your neighbors will be envious of! If you need help with any of these ideas and more you can Contact Levys Lawn & Landscape today!

Fall Planter Ideas

Posted on November 20, 2019May 12, 2020 by levylawns

Wooden cart on green grass with blooming flowers in different colors

As the season changes from the hot and long days of summer to the cooler and shorter days of fall, you may find yourself wondering what to do with your planter garden. Planters are one of the best ways to garden small spaces like a deck or patio. However, they can also be used in large gardens, where they make for great features.

Top 3 Fall Planter Ideas for Your Garden

Planter gardens are usually put together during spring because that is the season where they bloom beautifully, grow lush, and even overflow their planters. Also, during this time is when planters can be styled using various plants and flowers. The following are some planter ideas that make for a beautiful garden that will bloom all through fall, and possibly, into winter.

1. Green Hues

This fall planter idea incorporates soft textures and bright tones, which light up whatever colored planter you have. It consists of four different flowers which bring unique qualities to any garden. The first flower is the Restio multiflorus, which is a wispy grass-like plant that grows about 3-4ft tall and produces brown seed heads during winter.

Then, the second flower is the Liberta peregrinans, known for having warm tones of narrow leaves, reaching about 2ft tall. The Coleonema pulchellum and Euphorbia amydaloides robbiae are the other flowers that complete this fall planter idea. The former is a foot tall plant that has rounded green leaves, while the latter consists of green and gold foliage that glows in the autumn light.

2. Lime with a Twist of Chocolate

In this planter, you combine the willowy burgundy Agonis, with the lime-colored Grevillea and Heuchera. For that perfect fall garden look, they should be planted in egg-shaped pots and placed behind a wooden background to create a rustic vignette. The Agonis flower produces burgundy foliage, while the Heuchera introduces ruffled plum-toned leaves which grow in a mound of about a feet and a half tall. Lastly, the Grevillea which is a slow spreader matures into a shade of lime over time, although it initially starts out as coppery saw-toothed leaves.

3. Tinge of Bronze

Foliages of bronze and chartreuse mingle in this single fall garden planter idea. You can use the Pieris Forest Flame, which is a red flower that fades to pink and later dark green upon maturity. The other flower can be the Dryopteris erythrosora, which blends a variety of colors such as copper, gold, and pink. At their peak, these flowers can tower to a height of about 16 inches, depending on the size of the planter used. Another flower to include in this beautiful fall planter is the Little John Azalea, which is largely made up of bronze leaves that can reach a height of 6ft and above.

Towards the end of summer and the beginning of fall, flowers start to wither and look a bit tired, leaving homeowners at a loss for what to do with them. However, with these great fall planter ideas, which you can incorporate into your garden, deck, or patio, your landscape is guaranteed to look beautiful all through the fall season. For more fall planter ideas or to help you set it up, you can Contact Us at Levy’s Lawn & Landscape today!

Landscaping with Grasses

Posted on November 20, 2019May 12, 2020 by levylawns

Neighborhood beautification, hiding underground powerline and telecommunication boxes with giant ornamental grasses in the neighborhood

Many of the landscaping ideas you see around town typically involve trees, flowers, and shrubs of all shapes, colors, and sizes. However, while these are a great addition to gardens, there are other plants that you can use for landscaping. For instance, grasses can add a unique element to gardens, which trees and shrubs cannot provide. If this is something you will like to try, here are some great ways you can landscape with grasses.

1. Soft Landscape

Planting grasses along the edges of hard waterways, pathways, and decks can make them appear softer. However, to achieve this look, you have to choose a grass that can adequately hold its form. This landscaping idea is great for larger areas, and they provide a mounding effect that arc over the edge of hard landscaping.

2. Colorful Chaos

Another way to landscape with grasses is by planting different groups of colorful grasses together. Not many plants can top the beautiful display that comes with colorful grasses like the Japanese blood grass, purple fountain grass, and Indigenous Melinis nerviglumis. For best results, grasses should be positioned in a way that allows the sunshine through the leaves.

3. Emboldened Sculptures

Grasses can also be used in other ways apart from the regular landscaping ideas you are used to. They can be used to accentuate garden sculptures in very interesting ways. One of such ways is to pair long grasses with bold garden sculptures like the stalking eagle. Fine-leafed grasses like the Aristida junciformis can be used to soften and frame garden sculptures.

There are many ways to landscape with grasses, and these are only a few of them. Try them out today or experiment using resources at your disposal, and you will be pleasantly surprised at the results! You can Contact Levys Lawn & Landscape today to get any of these ideas and more professionally done for you.

Building a Fire Pit in Your Backyard

Posted on November 20, 2019May 12, 2020 by levylawns

In the past, most backyards were decorated using different deck designs. These days, however, we have moved on from wooden decks to interesting ideas such as flower beds, outdoor kitchens, ponds, and fire pits. Fire pits are becoming a popular landscaping choice due to the soothing ambiance they offer, as well as the warmth a fire pit provides during the cold months. If you would like to build a fire pit in your backyard in the Pacific Northwest, here is a step-by-step guide that can help.

Step #1

The first step to building a fire pit in your backyards is to pick a spot in it and dig a hole. Depending on how wide you want the pit to be, the hole can be anywhere between 1.5 – 3” deep and 5 – 10” wide. When digging, ensure that the bottom is as flat as possible.

Step #2

Next, line the freshly dug hole using firebricks. The firebricks should be enough to make a complete circle of your desired fire pit. The circle formed should be lined by standing the firebricks on end and placing them next to each other.

Step #3

Using concrete, clay, cob or fire-resistant materials, solidify the ring. You can do this by using any of these materials to join the bricks together, into a solid ring. Whatever material you use for this should be allowed to dry before proceeding.

Step #4

Fill up space outside the circle with debris, so that the ground is leveled with the edge of the brick. Next, fill the center of the pit with river rocks, and your fire pit is ready for use. If you like, you can add a decorative edge to it for more beautification.

If you’ve thought about having a fire pit in your backyard but never seen it through, now you can! With these few easy tips, you can beautify your backyard with a fire pit, and enjoy some warmth sitting out. If you need help building your fire pit or landscaping your backyard, you can Contact Us at Levy’s Lawns & Landscape today!

Succession Planting in The Pacific Northwest

Posted on July 18, 2019May 12, 2020 by levylawns

If you have only a small plot available for gardening in your pacific northwest home, you can still garden all year round. Succession planting is a style of planting that enables you to make use of the small plot judiciously. It entails growing various plants in the same space sequentially, in the same planting season. It could also involve the planting of the same type of crops in different portions of your garden at different intervals.

Unlike crop rotation, succession planting allows for continuous harvest. It also allows the planting of the same crops in the same land portions for at least three years. However, when practicing succession planting, you should avoid planting crops of the same botanical family in same land portions, successively.

A good approach to succession planting in the Pacific Northwest is to know which crop to plant, when to plant, and how to space them. Basically, when it comes to succession planting, it’s better to think of crops and their windows, and not just an individual crop. An example of how you can practice succession cropping in the Pacific Northwest is explained below.

Cool weather crops such as early beets, beet greens, early cabbage, etc. can be planted early on in the planting season. Then, warm-weather crops such as beans, eggplant, pepper, or tomatoes can be planted after the cool weather crops.

Afterward, cool-weather crops that mature during autumn, such as chard, Chinese cabbage, kale, lettuce, and mustards can be planted after the warm weather crops have been harvested. In order to gain more time, later crops can be planted among the first crops to be harvested at a later time. This process is known as interplanting or intercropping.

Step-By-Step Process For Succession Planting In The Pacific Northwest

Compile a list of all the crops you want to grow.
Have the basic knowledge of days in the growing season. This will help you make better planting decisions.
Know the number of days it will take you to harvest the crops you plan to grow.
Decide on whether you will extend the growing season during spring and autumn.
Sketch the growing space for the beginning, middle, and end of the growing season.
Be flexible, and make provision for unforeseen events during the growing season.

With succession planting, growing different plants in the same space simultaneously, no matter how little, can be very successful. If you have a small plot for gardening in the Pacific Northwest, you can contact us at Levy’s Lawns and Landscaping to help you get the best of your small garden, with succession planting.

Choosing Fish for Your Outdoor Pond

Posted on July 18, 2019July 18, 2019 by levylawns

Decorative koi pond in a garden pacific northwest

Outdoor ponds are an amazing feature in any landscape. However, not all fishes thrive in outdoor ponds, and the Pacific Northwest regional climate could be hard on your choice of fish. Thus, there are several things you should consider before choosing a fish species for your outdoor pond. Some of these factors include:

Pond Fish Capacity – It’s pertinent to check the number of fishes your pond can accommodate. This is a significant factor for choosing fish species that will live in your pond.
Oxygen Requirement – All fishes are not the same. While some require more oxygen and space, others can survive in environments with restricted amounts of oxygen. For instance, Goldfishes can survive in ponds with a lower oxygen level than Koi.
Cold Water Fish – When you think about outdoor ponds, you should consider cold water fishes mainly. Since outdoor ponds are located outside, where the element is mostly uncontrolled, cold water fishes can survive easily.

Here’s a list of fishes that have proven to survive in outdoor ponds:

Goldfish
Koi Carp
Crucian Carp
Chinese Barb
Peppered Corydoras
Flagfish
Red Shiner

Selecting the best fish species for your pond is the most important factor of owning an outdoor pond. You can choose any of the fishes listed above for your pond, as they are some of the hardiest fishes that are ideal for outdoor ponds. If you need help installing your outdoor pond, you can reach out to us at Levy’s Lawns and Landscaping today!

Four Budget Landscaping Ideas

Posted on May 6, 2019May 12, 2020 by levylawns

planting edible gardens in the pacific northwest

According to some of the top landscaping companies in the country today, you should spend a maximum of 10% of your home’s value on landscaping. This means that whether you decide to install a fountain or put up a pergola, your landscaping option should remain within the 10% limit. However, not many people can simply set aside 10% of their home’s value for landscaping. Well, the good news is that almost anyone at all can have a beautiful and visually appealing garden without exactly spending a fortune.

Top 4 Budget Landscaping Ideas for Your Home

If you are looking to improve the landscape of your home, outlined below are four great landscaping ideas that are not only inexpensive but aesthetically pleasing as well.

1. Edible Garden

One of the easiest and inexpensive ways to add life to your home’s outdoor is by turning it into an edible landscape. Beside being inexpensive, an edible garden can prove to be beneficial for your entire household. All that is required is that you plant seeds, which do not cost much at all. However, you can also choose to plant seedlings if you do not want the stress of tending to planted seeds. An edible garden will help beautify your home while saving you a lot of money at the market from harvested produce.

2. Trees

Trees are another option you can use for your home when on a budget. In fact, it is one of the least expensive landscaping projects anyone can use. When you have a tree planted in your home, you save money from the cost of electricity in the long run, as you can easily sit under it on an 80˚ day, rather than turn on the air conditioner. To get started, you will need a couple of digging tools, some mulch or its alternatives and the tree itself. The Sun Valley and Pink Oak Tree are examples of trees you can use to landscape.

3. Vertical Gardening

If you do not have a lot of money to landscape your home, another idea you can use is vertical gardening. Vertical gardening is any landscaping practice which utilizes vertical spaces to grow plants, and it can help you save a lot of money, as well as space. Although vertical gardening is mostly used indoors in lobbies and offices, more people are beginning to use it for their home’s exterior due to the amazing transformation it provides.

4. Grass

Lastly, you can decide to landscape your home with grass. Using grass to landscape is a great idea because it is natural, very easy to grow, has a welcoming color and most likely already existing in your landscape. However, to get the most out of grass, it will have to be incorporated heavily into your garden or front yard and also be groomed regularly to prevent overgrowing. You can even choose to take it a notch by adding stepping stones to create an interesting pattern on the grass.

Without spending a lot of money, you too can have the landscape of your choice. All you have to do is pick any one of these great budget ideas and watch your home come to life. They are guaranteed to add some jazzy style to your home within your budget. If you need help landscaping your lawn or yard on a budget, you can contact us at Levy’s Lawns & Landscaping today!