Here you go! Full of color. Add a specimen plant like the weeping atlas, a few perennials like the hosta and the sedum. Throw in a rock with some spectacular flowering...well, the hydrangea is a good bet. Last, add some annuals for some stand out color. This was newly planted when the picture was taken. If you can picture it then the privacy will come into play once the plants mature.

I am willing to bet that you as well as most people, think that weeds come through the interlock pavers. Not true. Weeds came in various ways but not through the interlock. Weeds come from, well, birds that fly over your driveway or patio and seem to think it is a nice target for...well. You know, their business..That is one. Weeds are also blown along by the wind. Little seeds that land on the cracks of the interlock and start to sprout up. Last, you may have a nasty neighbor that comes out after you have gone to sleep and seeds your driveway to make his place look better. Well, some people have given up on stone work because of that. I say, wait a minute! Why does the stone get the bad rap here. The problem usually comes from, lack of cleaning or washing down the patio or drive. Or you could use polymeric sand which hardens to a concrete like substance.

How to prepare a base for interlock. We have had the most success with preparing a base in this way. Excavate the area you want to have interlocked or as some people say, paved. Make sure the area is about 10 percent wider then the stone surface to allow for a good base under the edge of the surface as well. For example a car may also drive on the edge of the driveway at some point and the base needs to be properly done there as well. Otherwise the edge will sink. And you will think about this posting and say a few choice words and spend half a day fixing it. After excavation, compact the virgin soil, you know? Undisturbed soil, and get ready to start placing base material in. Now as far as depth of your base...depends on soil conditions, your area, frost, or not...better to go to your supplier and ask for your local area specs. We use granular a for our base and compact in layers of 2 inches until we are close to the top of our laying layer. Once we have things level with a slight slope for draining away water then we use a thin layer of sand that we screen to finish our base and we can begin laying out stone. Once you are finished laying the pavers, you need to cut to finish and add a edge restraint to keep the edges firmly in place. My recommendation is to fill the joints with polymeric sand to help prevent weeds from growing. BTW, weeds do not come from the ground up...they land as seeds as birds fly over and do their...you know... and well, begin to sprout. So using a polymeric sand (which turns as hard as concrete) will help to eliminate that. Note I said...help to eliminate that. Not prevent it all together. Remember to call before you dig...for locates. Remember to install conduits for future use. Such as sprinkler systems, lighting systems etc. Oh and check for bylaws on drive extentions or widening. Don't assume. Good luck.

Here is a sample of how to do a porch overlay with flagstone.
The old or existing concrete should be scarified so that the mortar will bond better. Once scarified then lay the pieces of stone as if it were a finished product. Once you have all the pieces fit  then mix your mortar with a bonding agent so it connects proper with the existing concrete. Take the pieces off that are loose laid on the concrete...not all at once. Only remove enough to use up the mortar that you have made and spread the mortar as shown in the picture. Make sure that there is mortar covering the complete surface of the stone before tapping the stones in place on the mortar. As you go along, fill in the joints without making too much of a mess on the flag stone or else you will have a hard time cleaning the finish surface. Keep a pail with water and a brush handy to clean the mortar joints after they are filled. Good luck.

Landscaping, gardening, call it what you want it all boils down to what some of my clients refer to as "OUT THERE" meaning of course the great out doors. I for one have seen it all when it comes to clients homes and gardens. Most people looking for guidance, reluctantly pick up the phone and ask me to come for a consultation to assess their property to see what can be done to fix their problems. Some are outright embarrassed and quickly invite me in as if that will make their yard disappear.

We begin with the basics. I try to calm their fears and comfort them with the knowledge that anything is possible and whatever their gardens look like now, is nothing like it could look like when finished. Gardens like this always make a great "before" picture to hang in their hallway. Most people have no idea where to start and what I mention above is not uncommon. The problem is that, with all good intentions, people race down to the nearest garden centre to see whats on sale and in bloom at the time and made the mistake of adding to their misery when the plant just does not want to do what the tag said it would. This is called impulse buying and not very good for the long term effects of the landscape.

So, where should you start? My advice is to hire a consultant. Not just a gardener or landscaper. No... a certified consultant. Somebody who charges a lot, ok maybe not a lot but someone who charges for their time to give you honest to goodness advice. If he/she is good then you will save the other money you would throw out the window on plants that will not work anyway. So, hire a good consultant and designer to get you started with some good advice and or a proper landscape plan that can be followed. If your budget does not allow for everything to be done in one year, then you can follow the plan untill it is finished over years if need be. Consultants are not for the rich and famous. Lets get that thought out of our minds right away. We are not scary and we are only out to help you.

Tip! Don't be afraid to get the right advice before taking on a landscape task. Don't forget that most consultants have been doing this for years and their expertise is valuable and worth the time and money invested. Look for someone who has credentials and not just someone who is doing this for s summer job.

What will this cost you ask? Well lets put it this way...If you bought a tree for $129 and had it placed somewhere in your yard and 5 years later the tree needs to be moved and that will cost...oh I don't know. Lets say on the low side $300, without a guarantee. Hmm, that's already $429.00. Now you have a tree that has cost you almost $500 bucks and still no further ahead. How does a 1 hour consultation for about $100-$150 sound. With a consultation the property can be assessed properly. The soil conditions can be checked, sun and shade can be determined and advice can be given on what should stay and what should go.

Tip! if you are doing a makeover, most shrubs should go otherwise it will look like you are trying to put a bandaid on an ailing landscape and it is difficult to make the new shrubs blend with the old. I am not saying that for all plant material but in most cases the old shrubs look unkempt and unruly. So aside from some beautiful specimens and mature trees, look to re-do the shrubbery. Perennials can always be reused as long as they can be incorporated into the new landscape. So now hopefully I convinced you decided to hire a consultant. Be ready! Do some home work, come up with ideas, pictures, plants you like, plants you don't like, what do you like to see etc. In short, the more information you have the better it is for the designer. It is his/her job to put it together and make it work for you. For more information on how to prepare for a consultation have a look at our video that goes into further detail at http://www.landscapeplans.ca/seminar-in-a-click-where-to-start-landscaping.html. This is where you should start. Look for my next article on the steps to creating a successful landscape part 2. The design process. Thanks and good luck.

You may have noticed the change in our site. We have begun to expand our site to more then just offering designs on line. We currently added a great special on our designs that are available for download. Check it out under landscape solution designs. This is aside from designs the we will periodically offer for free. Yes that's right, anytime through our site we will offer a free landscape design. So come back often and see if the one that suits you will be offered.
We will continually be adding specials from our advertisers on our site to help you with your landscape projects. Some of the products we will be paying special attention to are, seeds, bulbs, perennials, outdoor furniture, patio accessories, pergolas, trellises, tools, pets and pests. We will try to make it easy for you to be able to find what you are looking for on our site. We hope you enjoy your visit and if there is anything we can help you find? Feel free to send us an email and or use our suggestion box. Thanks for reading and keep thinking green!

Many people wonder how to get their fingers dirty during the month of August. Some itching to do something to keep things working.
 

Well, if you have been doing a good job to this point in organizing your creative juices then you should be at a point where you can enjoy the fruits of your labor at this stage. Sure there is always things to be done but as mentioned...if you have done a good job then you should be able to go out in the garden and enjoy it instead of laboring in it. The perennials will have blooms that may need some dead heading as well as annuals you may have planted. Check the mulch level and maybe add some to keep it fresh. Weeding should be at a stage where the garden should be relatively weed free. You may experience a drought in which case you will need to do some extra watering to keep things fresh and healthy.


Now is also a good time to do some reconstructing or hard landscaping. Not all work is done in the spring. Even planting can be done at this time of year. In fact it is probably a better time of year to plant then in the spring if you want to save money. Garden centers are looking to get rid of left over stock so deals abound in plants. Funny notion my clients have, its summer but should not be planting right? Wrong...the way you treat plants when planting in the summer is definitely different then in the spring. In the summer you need to water more often as its always warm and dryer. I would not recommend planting if you have no way of watering faithfully during the first few weeks you plant new material otherwise...go ahead. On a typical front landscape you could easily save $500 on plant material. This will pay for the design you should have purchased before you started. :) Enjoy the summer. Fred

I was and am still always intrigued by my home country and the horticulture flare that I came across during my time over there. Holland of course is a bedrock of horticulture spilling over throughout the world with its influences.

Biased I am…. Dutch as well….

 

Everyone knows of the tulip and the successes it found in the far-reaching places of the horticulture world. Just mention Keukenhof and pretty much everyone has the vision of 7,000,000 blooming bulbs in an array of colours unmatched anywhere. What else could a small country like the Netherlands offer to inspire designers around the world?

 

Lets have a closer look.

 

Intratuin, the biggest garden centre business in the Netherlands gives insight to some wonderful ideas and concepts. I visited one near my old hometown to find a complete complex of landscapes installed around a wonderful array of garden sheds that looked more like a cottage industry then a small building for a garden. The “sheds” are unique in style. Why do most sheds around here need to look so boring? Each garden house was wonderfully landscaped and neat as a pin. Small front porches adorned many “garden houses” with seating areas in front of large rectangular windows with French doors.

 

Miniature shrubs and plants surrounded the landscapes in every way. Speaking of miniature, row houses or condominiums need to keep dwarf or very slow growing plants in the landscape to keep within the small size of the gardens themselves.

 

Another great idea (which I have not seen here yet) is that some trees are grown and trained like a vine in shape. This makes use of narrow areas and these trees are easy to maintain. Since most of the country has small gardens they need to keep this in mind. Are we going the same way? Sure we have a large country but when I look at some new subdivisions, we are often confronted with the same problems. Were the norm used to be 50 ‘ lots we now see 33’ lots and sometimes smaller. Clients often ask for solutions. Maybe a peek into the yards and urban areas in this country called “The Netherlands” could offer some very creative solutions. As for style… One only needs to visit a Dutch website to find that the lines are straight, the urns and planters are modern and the landscape itself is becoming very formal. Water is everywhere and how it is integrated into the landscape is simply stunning.

We have all seen them, Programs for 50 bucks or so. Now you can create your own landscape. Don't bother. If you have no idea as to the type of plants you want to put it then how can you design it? Nobody...unless you take a course in landscaping or have taken a plant course can design a landscape properly when you have no clue as to how wide a shrub will get. Need more convincing? What if you have a grade change? Do you know how to design a retaining wall? What abut the elements of a waterfeature? Sure looks good in a pretty picture but really? Is it in a perfect location. What about the shade/sun location? Or how about the details of the pond? Need sound? then where should you put it. What about the rocks? See what I mean? if you do not understand the dynamics of a great landscape design then how can you design it with a program. The best thing you might get is a pretty picture. Till next time. Fred Please visit our landscape plan section for professionally designed landscape plans.