backyard
Over time, lawns often become compacted and grass plants start to show signs of stress. Bare spots, yellowing patches and areas with more weeds or moss than grass plants are all common issues with established lawns. Start by addressing soil health and compaction. If you can’t stick a stake in your lawn, it’s compacted. Soil compaction. Wheatley-Miller recommends using a core aerator to help with drainage and compaction issues. She says her team applies compost to help feed a lawn naturally. Raking can also help break up moss in lawns and lightly aerate the soil.
Garden lighting needs to be balanced and comfortable, rather than confusing or overbearing. Ask yourself simple but important questions to ensure you get your landscape lighting right. “Do you need to guide visitors along a path at night? Does a gate need to be well-lit? These insights will help determine whether vertical or horizontal lighting is required. Horizontal placement helps people see obstacles or trip hazards on the ground, “Meanwhile, vertical lighting can help you recognize the facial features of approaching people. It also highlights the depth of obstacles, such as steps.” It’s important to light any hazardous areas in your garden, such as pathways, stairs, retaining walls or step slopes,” “When illuminating a path, you only need enough light to guide the way — you don’t want it to be glaring or blinding. A light with 300 to 400 lumens will provide enough illumination for safety. Then create a hierarchy of lighting to establish depth and harmony.” It’s important to include dark areas in your garden to create contrast and balance. One of the major causes of light pollution is fixtures that beam light upwards. Increasingly, landscape architects are integrating shie...
Height: Most arbors are 7 to 8 feet tall. Width: The width can vary, from 3 to 4 feet for over a gate, a bit less to show off a garden fountain, and up to 10 feet or more to stretch along a wall or create a focal point in a space. If you’re opting for a longer arbor, consider a row of connected arbors to keep the structure stable, or add supports every few feet. Depth: Most arbors are fairly shallow, perhaps the depth of a lattice panel, but you can adapt to fit your needs. A deeper arbor will allow you to add a seat or seats, provide the feel of a true passageway or cover a garden path or specimen plant.
under deck Choosing hardscape materials that allow for water to run through them is another way to keep rainwater on site. In this Melbourne garden, the designers at Bayon Gardens used permeable paving for pathways and patios. Here, gravel covers a walkway leading to a fire feature, acting as a filter for rainwater to percolate back into the soil. Wood pieces guide the path and provide a place to put your feet.
Lights in the landscape create light pollution that adversely affects nocturnal animals and migratory birds. Many animals rely on darkness as part of their habitat and behavior, and lights at night can disrupt their natural cycles. A concept called dark sky lighting is a movement to reduce light pollution produced by cities in order to protect wildlife and to create more visible stars in the night sky. You can play a part in reducing light pollution by using recommended fixtures for wildlife friendliness and designing your lighting with care. A major culprit of light pollution is lights that are unnecessarily pointed upward — called uplighting — to illuminate trees and buildings. This sends light pollution directly into trees and sky. A more efficient and environmentally sensitive way to light the landscape is with downlighting. Downlights cast light from above to below. Fixtures with hoods and shields help to direct light onto the surfaces where it’s needed and to eliminate light from being cast where it’s not necessary. Glare is simply light that is too bright or strong to be visually pleasing. Glare is caused by high-voltage lights, improperly angled lights and lights withou...
Together, shredded leaves and grass clippings add carbon (leaves) and nitrogen (grass) to the soil, reducing your need to add store-bought fertilizers later. Use a mulching mower. If there’s a bag, take it off and mow with the discharge chute facing toward the lawn, so the clippings blow on the grass instead of on the street or driveway. Set the mower height at about 3 inches. Make another pass if the leaves are still in big pieces. The shredded leaves should sit no more than ¾ inch deep on the grass. Over the winter they will break down into the soil and be gone by spring.
ou can leave bamboo in its natural state, although it will fade with time. It also can be stained, although you’ll usually need to renew that annually. Bamboo can dent, chip, crack or split, so occasional repairs may be needed. Bamboo is more expensive than most other gate materials. Expect a bamboo gate in a frame to last at least 20 years.
Harvested bamboo is gaining popularity as a landscape material. It is a fast-growing plant, which makes it an eco-friendly material, but you need to be sure the bamboo you’re choosing is sustainably grown. Bamboo’s density and thickness allow it to stand up to moisture much more readily than wood. It gives a landscape a rustic, natural or Asian feel. Adding a wood frame around the bamboo will give it a finished look. Bamboo stands up well to heat and snow and can be cleaned with water.
A wood gate will require regular maintenance, which can include sanding and sealing, re-staining or repainting. It will also expand and shrink over the years, and you may have to replace individual pieces that warp, bend or break or reset how the gate hangs. It will also need to be replaced eventually. You should expect a wood gate to last 10 years at least. With regular upkeep, it will likely last longer, up to 20 years or even more.
If the top of the gate is slightly lower than the surrounding fence, a simple frame above it can help tie it into the adjoining fence boards. If security isn’t a concern, consider going with a shorter gate, perhaps topped by a trellis, for a welcoming look. Other possibilities include replacing solid boards with latticework or adding decorative elements such as filigrees and arches to the body or top of a metal gate.
A look that complements your landscape or your home’s architectural elements (or both) is a good starting point for your gate’s style. A gate that blends seamlessly with an adjoining fence creates a cohesive look throughout the landscape. If you want to add a subtle difference or some contrast, consider an arched or scalloped top, latticework or a grid pattern, or a decorative design along the top. This might be an opportunity to add in a second material, such as pairing wood with metal or bamboo.
A standard width for a single gate is 3 feet, which provides plenty of room for people and most basic landscaping equipment, such as a lawn mower or a wheelbarrow, to go through.
stone path
Over time, lawns often become compacted and grass plants start to show signs of stress. Bare spots, yellowing patches and areas with more weeds or moss than grass plants are all common issues with established lawns. Start by addressing soil health and compaction. If you can’t stick a stake in your lawn, it’s compacted. Soil compaction. Wheatley-Miller recommends using a core aerator to help with drainage and compaction issues. She says her team applies compost to help feed a lawn naturally. Raking can also help break up moss in lawns and lightly aerate the soil.
steps
steps
If you have a wood fence that isn’t high enough for the lights, attach 10-foot-long wooden posts with cup hooks on the top to bump up the height of the lights. Space the wooden posts along the fence posts, or roughly 8 feet apart. Secure the wooden posts to the fence posts by side-nailing (nailing at an angle), or use a drill to secure them with screws into the fence.
Skip the cheap string lights and invest in commercial-grade patio lights marked for outdoor use, which are more durable and waterproof, and can be used permanently outdoors or year after year.
Lights made from high-quality brass, which is naturally resistant to corrosion and can withstand our ever-changing weather conditions. Brass also provides the perfect base for a number of finishes — it can be powder-coated or electroplated in matte black, nickel, copper and bronze. Generally, outdoor light fittings should be hidden, with an emphasis on the illumination, not the fixture. • Bollard lights: Great for lighting paths or driveways. • Projection lights: Useful for creating interest and playful patterns on walls and ground surfaces. • Strip lights: Can be used to wash light across steps, backlight garden beds and illuminate areas under built-in seats or barbecue grills or along a deck. Generally, if we want to conceal a [light], it’s black or dark gray in a matte finish that won’t reflect the light. The IP (ingress protection) rating tells you how well a light can cope with elements such as water and the penetration of solids such as dust. This rating is particularly important to be aware of with outdoor lights. The IP rating of a fitting has two numbers. The first indicates the degree of protection from solid objects, which, in garden settings, can be dust or fine soi...
flagstone path
defined step boundaries
If you’re constructing an arbor to cover a gate, keep the size close to or larger than the average door size to make it comfortable to pass underneath. (An average exterior door is 3 feet wide and 6 to 8 feet tall.)
Turn an often neglected area of the garden into a delightful destination with the addition of an arbor-topped gate covered in blooms, marking the entrance to your side yard. For arbors that are close to the house, coordinating with the architectural style of the building is key.
Moore says that when it comes to gate design, the quality of materials and workmanship can make a big difference in how long the gate or fencing lasts.
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