Lawn care chemicals have been around for decades. But only in recent years have we started to become aware of some of the damage that can be caused by these compounds. There is a lot of hype and misinformation out there about certain products and whether they are safe to be used on your yard. Understanding the toxicity of popular lawn care chemicals is an important first step in choosing the right products for your yard.
In our previous blog post, we provided an overview of the difference between conventional and organic landscaping. We explained the ultimate goal of organic landscaping: to use gardening and lawn care methods that create an outdoor environment in harmony with the natural world. Organic landscapers focus first on building the soil to nurture plants to ensure that they thrive.
Now that we’ve explained what organic landscaping is, in this post we will elaborate on a few benefits of choosing organic techniques instead of traditional methods.
Living in a busy urban area often disrupts enjoyment of your backyard. The sounds of cars driving by and loud neighbors can interrupt socializing with friends or quiet, post-work meditative time. Fortunately, with some well thought out landscaping, you can help muffle these sounds and create a more tranquil space in your yard.
These three tips will help you soundproof your backyard so that it is more enjoyable, even if you live in a dense, populous neighborhood:
After a busy day of work, you want to come home to a beautiful landscaped yard – without worrying about hours of weeding, pruning, fertilizing, and watering. How can you design a stress-free garden? These three rules can help guide you through creating and maintaining a yard with minimal effort.
Playing outdoors and learning to love nature are integral parts of growing up. Perhaps you have fond memories of playing whiffle ball with your siblings, going on neighborhood adventures with your dog, or rolling in the grass and staring up at the sky looking for shapes in the clouds.
You probably want the same experiences for your children, but how can you create a space for them that is enjoyable yet safe?
These five tips will help you assess options available in your area and give you some great inspiration for helping your children make memories like the ones you enjoyed.
You’ve spent time, money, and energy making your house a home. You’ve got the right furniture, the perfect paint colors, and the best setup for the kitchen, and now you're ready to tackle your outdoor living space.
Perhaps you’ve tried to grow plants before with mixed results, or you wanted to start a flower bed and got overwhelmed by all the descriptions of what each flower needs. Here are some ideas for how to create an outdoor space that you’ll never want to leave:
Your garden is a reflection of your personality as well as the personality of your home, and it can be quite challenging to find a professional landscaper who can take your personality and translate it into an outdoor area that you will love. A good professional landscaper will take your needs into account, but will also ensure that the landscape works in terms of choosing the right plants for your area, having buildings placed sensibly and ensuring that the garden is as easy to maintain as possible. Finding the right designer for you can be quite tricky, so here are a few tips that will help you make your decision.
In Eastern MA, there are many different types of gardens that will grow and thrive, even in the finicky coastal MA weather. A few garden types you might want to consider planting are:
Your yard is an extension of your home. It is a place for rest, relaxation, play and rejuvenation. For children in particular, a backyard is a magical space where many memories are made. Long days playing outside, getting dirty, laughing and running are a universal childhood experience. The backyard is seen differently through the eyes of a child - tall grass or flowers becomes a jungle and a play structure becomes a fort, a castle, or a pirate ship.
To help transform your backyard into a kid-friendly location, incorporate the following elements:
If you love the outdoors, you’ll want your children to develop the same love, instead of sitting in the house all day long. Having a backyard that suits both your needs as well as that of your kids can encourage them to spend time outside, learning new skills and exploring in a safe place.
Whether you’ve got a yard already, or if you’re only in the planning phase, here are some elements that will ensure that your backyard is family friendly and a safe and relaxing place for everybody.
Last summer homeowners in Newton, Massachusetts were connected to the city sewer system which left their backyard looking like the picture to the left, a complete mess. They wanted a redesign of their entire backyard with new plantings, some type of hardscape for entertainment space, as well as a swing for leisure and relaxation. The property is surrounded by many trees making the backyard a natural woodland setting with privacy.
A new trend is starting with homeowners in Eastern Massachusetts- circular patios. Homeowners are looking for custom patio designs that give them space for a table and chairs and lawn play space. The solution professional landscape designers across Massachusetts are designing for their clients are circular patios, which can be built with almost any patio material. The below patio was designed for a client in Lexington Massachusetts who wanted a shaded patio tucked away in the corner of her property.
WHAT IS A SOIL TEST?
When designing your backyard, make sure to include space for both adults and children to play. Creating a backyard oasis for entire family is easier than it may seem. An adult space can consist of a patio made of any material just large enough for a grill, table and chairs. Surrounding the patio should be organic lawn for a swing set or a simple space to run and play. Moodscapes loves to create kid friendly backyard designs centered around the adults requests. Download our design process guide to learn about hiring a landscape design professional.
Creating a backyard oasis for the entire family is easier than it may sound. A family from Medford, Massachusetts hired Moodscapes to create a safe play area for their daughter, while keeping some space for the adults to sit and relax. We designed a kid friendly backyard, by adding a fence around the backyard, a paver patio just the right size for a few chairs, a couple fruit trees, and installed an organic lawn. This combination of elements will create a backyard space enjoyable for all ages!
Now is the time to buy a home. Unfortunately, there are plenty of homes on the market for house hunters to choose from. If you are looking to sell your home, it is important to actively attract buyers rather than sit and wait for them to come to you. This can be done in many ways, some of which include clean landscaping, an attractive exterior, and an appealing interior.
A quick suggestion for someone looking to create a backyard oasis for the entire family is to use the existing features in their yard. This backyard in Belmont, Massachusetts was designed and planned around the large maple tree that shaded parts of the patio and lawn. With the use of this tree, a new paver patio is able to create both a sunny and shady spots for the entire family to enjoy. The children can play both in the sun and shade, while the adults can sit and relax in their choice of sun or shade as well. Perennials and shrubs were selected according to sunlight available for the particular garden bed location.
