Landscaping for privacy and screening

 

Whether you want to block out your nosy neighbors, or just have a private setting to enjoy a good book outdoors in your yard, we all relish our own private space. Creating more privacy with peaceful landscaping ideas makes your experience more tranquil.

Live Privacy Screens

• Trees offer a wonderful and natural privacy screen in yards, especially if you have a large area to work with. Trees provide a bit of privacy, and also the comfort of shade to cool your yard. Its recommended to plant flowering shrubs, plants, bushes and other perennials arranged around the trees to give a beautiful privacy landscape year round. Evergreens planted in an uneven formation, along with ornamental trees and other flowering plants, are another idea for privacy. Groups of varying-sized leaf and trunk trees give a thicker blockage of views, especially if planted with tall shrubs and perennials arranged in staggered rows. A row of hedges also provides a nice green privacy.
• Numerous ready-made fences are available to purchase and put up for privacy, or create your own using some of the ideas on the. One fence idea is to stagger different-colored, treated boards along the perimeter of your yard. Place shrubs and decorative trees along the inside of the fence and add other landscape ideas, like a partial wall separating the plants.
• A natural stone wall presents a bold landscape with adequate privacy; however, it may confine air flow to your yard. Building a partial stone or brick wall about 2 to 3 feet, and mounting a 3- to 4-foot lattice or other fencing material on top of the stone wall. A custom-created masonry stucco or stone wall, shaped with openings and decorative new or recycled cast iron railings incorporated in the spaces, gives a more nostalgic wall that allows privacy as well as an adequate breezeway.
• Decorative garden containers with potted plants like clumping bamboo, dwarf evergreen, ornamental grasses, arborvitae, or a mixture of colorful flowers can be used on patios, decks or anywhere in your yard to give a live landscape screening. Use lightweight pots or attach wheels on the bottom of your containers for easy mobility to move them where they are needed as you sit in your yard.

Pergolas and gazebos are another way to work garden and patio structures into a nice private outdoor sitting place. Add clinging vines, hanging plants or lattice panels along the sides to create more privacy. Outdoor ponds and fountains integrated into your landscape provide a peaceful environment and can block out noise from neighbors or traffic.

Garage/Pole Barn

• If you have adequate yard space and can afford it, add a detached garage or pole barn to block neighbor’s views to your yard while giving extra storage space. Many of the newer do-it-yourself plans have optional side overhangs from the structure that could be made into a pleasant sitting area with a roof for shade. Plan the layout of the sitting area to look into your backyard or pond or other private landscape haven.

 

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Making the most of mulch

For many gardeners, applying mulch is standard procedure, like brushing your teeth. But before you toss bark nuggets to and fro, survey your landscape to determine what kind of mulch and how much of it you need. Whether you want to mulch a flower border, a strawberry patch, or a vegetable garden, mulch provides moisture retention, weed suppression, cooling or warming of the soil, and, of course, a pleasing appearance. Knowing when and how to use mulch, as well as picking the best product for each situation is your challenge as a gardener. All in all, using mulch is one of the best things you can do to help your garden thrive. Here are some commonly asked questions that can help you make the most of mulch.

Q. Is there any mulch to avoid?
A. Don’t use grass clippings from a lawn that has been treated with a broadleaf herbicide in the past three to four weeks. Also, cocoa hulls, like chocolate, contain a compound that can be toxic to dogs if ingested.

Q. Should I choose an aged mulch?
A. Aged mulch won’t rob the soil of nitrogen as much as new mulch because it’s already starting to decompose. Aged mulch is better for new plants that are just establishing their root systems, as these plants tend to require more nutrients than established ones. Aged mulch, however, will only last half as long as newly chipped mulch.  You can usually tell the difference between aged and new mulch by smelling and feeling the mulch. Aged mulch smells and feels like young compost, emitting a pleasant, earthy aroma. Aged mulch usually contains softened, crumbling pieces of wood.

Q. Does it matter if I use softwood or hardwood?
A. Hardwood mulch from trees such as oak, black locust, hickory, and hackberry tends to last a little longer than softwood chips from silver maple, willow, and honey locust. But mostly this choice is about color, texture, and aesthetic appeal. Evergreen chips smell great, especially in the first few weeks after application.

Q. What about using pine needles or leaves from deciduous trees?
A. These materials make good mulch, particularly if leaves are shredded first. In fact, leaf mold (shredded tree leaves) is an excellent addition to the soil. Both pine needles and deciduous leaves can be used for a season, then raked aside and placed on a compost pile. You can also leave them in place to slowly decompose, while adding another layer on top of the old batch.

Q. How deeply should I apply the mulch?
A. For vegetable gardens, an inch of dried grass clippings, straw, chopped corncobs, or shredded newspaper works great. Annuals and perennials grow best with a couple of inches of wood chips on the ground, and trees and shrubs would be well suited with a 2- to 3-inch-deep layer of mulch. With any planting, make sure the mulch is placed between the plants and not on top of the crown or pushed against the tree trunk. Also, keep mulch 12 inches from the foundation of the house to keep insects from migrating from mulch to house.

Q. When should I apply mulch?
A. Because its main purposes are to cool the soil, suppress weeds, and retain soil moisture, mulch is best applied in early summer. Applications made too early in spring delay root expansion of newly installed perennials and annuals.

Q. Should I be cautious of using mulch from a tree or lawn that was diseased?
A. No. Most plant pathogenic diseases are specific to the plant they infest. Mulch from a poplar tree infected with cytospora canker is unlikely to cause a similar disease on dogwoods or coral bells. Grass clippings from a lawn infected with rhizoctonia brown patch will not cause problems if scattered among bell peppers.

Q. Is dyed mulch all right to use?
A. Some of the colors are hideous—electric blue, pink, gold—but the dye used is relatively safe. There are no significant risks to pets or the environment.

Types of mulch

 

From grass clippings to reclaimed rubber, mulch comes in a number of choices. Many are sold in bulk at large garden centers. In general, most experienced horticulturists and arborists balk at the notion of using nonplant by-product mulch—except as a last resort. Yet each mulch type has its place.

Wood chips
Wood chips are a great all-purpose material. They include both hard- and softwood, and come in sizes ranging from nuggets to large pieces. Most are sold as generic mixes, but specialty chips are available.

Stone and rock
Stone is typically smooth and oval, while rock is usually angular. Both look great, and won’t degrade or blow away. Using either, however, can stress plants because of the tendency of rock or stone to absorb and hold heat.

Pine needles
Pine needles are a pleasant-smelling, good-looking mulch that breaks down slowly. Look for nearby trees that shed needles with seasonal changes. Add a new layer each year or two to keep mulch layers deep.

Grass clippings
Grass clippings are great for vegetable and herb gardens. Clippings will decompose over the summer and can be tilled into the soil, increasing organic matter for future plantings.

Dyed mulch
Dyed mulch is currently a popular choice, especially in the colors of red and black. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder with the many color choices of mulch, but none appear harmful to pets.

 

www.finegardening.com

10 STEPS TO HIRING A QUALIFIED LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL

10 STEPS TO HIRING A QUALIFIED LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL

Landscaping and proper lawn care add value to your home and your neighborhood. The right landscaping and lawn care can increase the value of your home by 15 percent, allowing owners to recoup 100 to 200 percent of their investment. Your landscape is one of the first things prospective buyers notice when they visit your house. Realtors estimate that 95 percent of home shoppers will not even get out of their car if the house lacks “curb appeal.” Finding the right landscape professional for your needs is essential says the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET). Reliable references for quality landscape professionals often come from family and friends. You can also contact your local, state or national trade associations for referrals. PLANET has member landscape companies listed on their website atwww.landcarenetwork.org/directory/memberSearch.cfm.