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Landscaping Your Business with Artificial Grass

Artificial grass is being used as a practical landscaping solution for businesses throughout the country. Property owners consider it a cost-effective alternative to natural grass landscaping because it’s maintenance-free. It doesn’t require water or any maintenance. Business owners also love the fact that a fake lawn is durable. In fact, it lasts much longer than a natural grass lawn.

But many property owners are still skeptical about installing fake grass. If you’re new to commercial-grade synthetic grass, you might have a few questions about the product. Is it a good investment? Does it pass as natural grass? Can you use it on uneven areas and slopes? Does a synthetic lawn withstand the outdoor elements? Here’s a look at the features and benefits of using commercial-grade synthetic grass to landscape your business.

Synthetic Grass is a Smart Investment

Every business owner wants to save money, and with artificial grass, you can do just that. Artificial grass is a smart investment. Compared to natural grass landscaping, artificial grass is a better investment that helps companies save money both today and tomorrow.

It Offers Benefits from Day One

As a short-term investment, it’s easy to see results from day one. This is because fake grass doesn’t need to be watered or maintained. As a business owner, you will immediately notice a reduction in your energy bill. You will also notice a reduction in costs associated with maintaining your property. In fact, you can completely eliminate nearly all costs associated with lawn maintenance, such as mowing, pest control, and reseeding.

Synthetic Grass offers Long-Term Benefits

Artificial grass is also a smart long-term investment. Designed to withstand heavy foot traffic, rain, heat, and UV rays, synthetic turf is a durable product that won’t break down on you any time soon. However, many fake turf products come with an eight to ten year warranty, which means you won’t have to change your lawn for nearly ten years!

Artificial Grass Upgrades Your Property

Synthetic grass enhances the look of your business. For aesthetic purposes, every business or property should be nicely landscaped. It adds value to the property and improves the overall appearance of the area. However, natural grass landscaping isn’t always appealing. Depending on the season or day of the month, natural grass might look dry, uneven, or even dead in some areas. This is why many property owners invest in fake turf landscaping solutions that appear lush and well maintained 365 days a year.

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This article has been provided by Artificial Turf Supply, a wholesale retailer of artificial grass solutions. The company manufactures and distributes advanced synthetic grass for business landscaping and commercial-size projects.

Keeping Pests Away

Having a garden can be one of life’s simple pleasures. Tending to it can be its own reward, though it can certainly be nice to reap a bounty of fruits and vegetables or prize-worthy flowers. Unfortunately, all of these benefits can be made impossible by just a few simple vermin making meals out of your hard work. If your garden suffers from four legged intruders, keep reading for some easy tips on keeping them away.

All vermin are prey for a predator. Sometimes they’re prey for more than one. Buy urine or imitation-urine of these predators and spread it liberally around your garden. Vermin know what this smells like, because they’ve learned it means danger is near. By spilling the substance all over your garden, they’ll think the same of the area and avoid it at all costs.

Another good way to use vermin’s natural predators to your advantage is by purchasing a fake owl and placing it near. These are very common in garden stores and not at all hard to find. Owls eat such a wide variety of rodents, reptiles and amphibians that most will see your fake version and never come near.

Most fences just aren’t up to the demands of trying to keep your garden safe from interlopers. One fence that will, however, is an electric one. These days you can buy one that’s just the size you need and it will take very little electricity to make it effective. More than one shock won’t be necessary for most creatures to learn their lesson.

What You Need to Know About Xeriscaping

By definition, Xeriscaping means water wise or water efficient landscaping and came into existence in Denver, Colorado in the 1970s.

It should be pointed out that Xeriscaping isn’t any type of garden style but is really common sense that can be applied to any type of gardening style.

As mentioned earlier, this is about grouping plants together that will conserve water but also result in healthier landscapes and gardens too.

That said, here are 4 principles of Xeriscaping that will help you create a better garden:

#1: Planning & Design

Planning your garden instead of fighting your site is a good idea by reviewing your garden’s exposure, soil and topography. With that done, then pick planting zones and group your plants according to your planting needs.

#2: Improve the soil

Without a doubt, if you take care of the soil, it will take care of your plants. There’s much truth in that statement. In order to do this, you have to generate a good amount of organic matter which will improve water retention and penetration in any kind of soil. Organic mulch is also another way of improving the soil.

#3: Mulch

Most gardeners want things tidy and which is why some of them go to great extents to remove all the debris and leaves that cause decay. Alternatively, shredded bark and compost being aesthetically pleasing

#4: Efficient Watering

As mentioned earlier, grouping plants according to their water needs can save you a lot of water. In fact, drip irrigation is recommended as they help you control when and how much water the plants can get. You can base your watering schedule based on the needs of the plants which become less frequent as the plants grow.

3 Myths About Going Green

Most people in the United States are interested in this movement of ‘going green’. While most of the things to do involve waste management and using less electricity and so on and so forth, taking care of green spaces with shrubs, trees and flowers work just as well.

So, here are 3 myths about going green that obviously aren’t true:

#1: One Person Cannot Do Much to Help the Environment

If one person just took care of their lawn better, they could easily help build one of nature’s most efficient cooling systems, thanks to the process of evapotranspiration which not only cools the plants but its surrounding areas as well. In fact, if front lawns in a row of eight houses were taken care of well, it could save almost 70 tons of air conditioning power.

#2: Trees can be Beneficial Only if They’re Outside

According to the Society of Arboriculture, one healthy tree placed strategically within the home can save almost 20 percent of costs related to air conditioning. The U.S Department of Agriculture goes on to say that placing trees indoors can reduce the temperature by 10 degrees, thanks to a process known as transpiration. This means that there is less consumption of electricity as well.

#3: Trees should be removed from high crime areas

It’s quite the contrary, thanks to a study conducted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In fact, neighbors got to know each other better and there was a feeling of community in areas where there were more trees. The residents of the areas actually felt safer when there were trees as opposed to those that did not have any trees at all.

3 Ways to Keep Your Garden Healthy and Active

Almost gardener knows what spring means. It’s the time to cultivate a new garden which most, if not all, are happy to take the time to do.

However, once it’s summer, things change. Your enthusiasm fades and your garden I neglected, leaving all the hard work put into the garden only a few months ago gone to waste.

So, with that said, here are 3 ways by which you keep your garden healthy and active:

#1: Spend time in your garden everyday

It’s not a good practice to spend time in your garden only over the weekend but for as little as 5 minutes every day. The weeds won’t be as difficult to pull out nor will other tasks require you to stoop for too long either. It will make the task of gardening all that easier in the process too.

#2: Choose native plants for your garden

It’s often tempting to buy new varieties of plants that appear in garden catalogs every now and then. While these are attractive, they can be expensive as well. So, choose native plants for your garden and don’t mistake them as boring. In fact, some of these native plants can turn out to be beneficial in a number of ways.

#3: Let Mother Nature Win Sometimes

Every flower gardener has a problem spot in their garden that, try as they might, is impossible to fix. For example, that shady spot that you’re trying to grow grass over or even a spot that gets marshy in spring and infects plants in the process. Instead of trying to cultivate in this ‘problem spot’, try and use it for other purposes such a flowering bog garden or even use it as a compost pile.

What You Need to Know About Seed Saving

The practice of seed saving is as old as gardening itself, thanks to gardeners treasuring these seeds from their favorite plants.

One might ask: Why is it important to be a seed saver?

It’s simple: Wouldn’t you want to grow your favorite plant again?

And with the possibility of seed companies discontinuing your favorite seed for newer varieties, seed saving seems to be the obvious choice.

And which brings us to the type of seeds that need to be saved. Pick open-pollinated or self-pollinated seeds only. Alternatively, avoid hybridized seeds as they will grow into plants that are have the characteristics of both parent plants.

Also, plants that have been pollinated by the wind or insects might not be the exact breed you are looking for but if you wish to do so, then one can save seeds with a little extra care.

For this, you will have to plant either varieties of the same species together or different at a distance from each other. In some cases, planting species that flower at different times might work while another method might include using a physical barrier such as cover rows and bags.

As for the act of saving seeds, it’s important to pick the best quality flowers, fruits, vegetables and plants by taking into consideration factors such as disease resistance, flavors, vigor and productivity. Remember to this when the seed pods are either fully dried or when the vegetable is fully ripe.

Also, make sure you save the seeds in a cool, dark place and that are dry as possible while only using them in the following year.

Why Switching to Artificial Grass Can Save Money

Guest post is provided by Artificial Turf Supply, manufacturing artificial lawn at affordable prices to residences, sports facilities and more. Visit their website for additional information.

When you buy artificial turf, it can be among the very best things you can do to save money. When you need to lay down grass at your home residence, your sports field or a play area, you can rest assured that synthetic grass is an protective and aesthetic choice. Children who play on artificial grass tend to be safer because of the technology inherent to the grass infill. If you were to lift up any artificial turf, you would find a soft, cushioned layer of recycled rubber material that is incredibly absorbent for falls. While some playgrounds only use wood chips and sand, its really not much better than using cement for absorbing falls. Sand doesn’t give as much as you would think and wood chips can give splinters and scratches. Children can feel the soft grass between their toes and caregivers don’t have to worry about slipping. The grass fibers in synthetic turf are incredibly durable. And because they don’t die in brown patches, there are no wet and slippery muddy areas to increase the risk of falls.

Synthetic lawns aren’t like real grass, because it doesn’t die. Some may worry that artificial lawns look cheap and ugly. When they think of artificial grass, they think of a dirty and worn down mini golf course putting green. However there are many types of synthetic turf, and not all synthetic grass is short and plastic looking with an unnaturally neon green color. Residential grasses can be specially designed to match the grass in that region, making it look and feel as authentic as possible. In fact, unless you are willing to squat down with a magnifying glass to analyze the fibers, you would hardly notice that the grass was fake. It has a look that is wild enough to give it the appearance of natural grass.

People who use fake grass have reported thousands of savings over the years. While installation of artificial turf prices is higher than natural grass, you must take into account maintenance costs. Believe it, you will be dropping thousands of dollars over the next decade on re-sodding, watering and maintaining an authentic grass lawn. Depending on the quality of the lawn you buy, preventative aspects protect the turf from fading in the sun and tearing from continuous use. This kind of quality means less maintenance over time. Muddy brown spots caused by pets often referred to as “doggie spots” can not only be unsightly, but unsafe when muddy as a slipping hazard for children. If you want to keep children safe, switching to artificial grass is a safer and more economical choice.

7 Tips For Cutting and Displaying Roses

It can be safely said that there are several reasons why roses are a common favorite in a cutting garden.

This is for the simple reason that the rose has no equal when it comes to cutting as they have durable stems, buds that open slowly and a compelling fragrance as well.

However, the art of enjoying your blooms for as long as possible depends on the way you cut these roses.

So, here are 7 tips for cutting and displaying roses:

#1: The best time to cut roses are in the afternoon after 3 pm as it is also the time when they are highest in food reserves.

#2: Always cut roses that have begun to open. However, keep in mind to not cut roses that are no more than 1/3 or 1/2 open.

#3: It’s imperative to use sharp and clean pruners so as to avoid damaging the rose canes which in turn, could lead to spreading disease.

#4: Keep at least 3 leaves on the stem so as to feed the plant. Also, remember to remove leaves that are below the waterline.

#5: It’s important to put your roses in water once you have cut them. For this, keep a bucket of water handy when you do proceed to cut the roses. If you don’t have water around, put them in water as soon as you go indoor or recut the stems underwater.

#6: Keep your roses out of the sunlight in a cool spot for a few hours before you put them on display. The reason for doing this is that it will extend their vase life.

#7: Change the water in the vase when it gets dirty while also adding a floral preservative, lime/ lemon soda or even a combination of lemon juice and a tablespoon of sugar to the water in the vase.

How to Choose a Landscaping Specialist

Choosing someone in landscaping will add beauty to your home. The outside of your home should look as nice as the inside of your home. A landscaper is someone who will perform a variety of services dealing with your landscape architecture.

First determine what you need a gardener for and how much you can afford to spend on one. Maybe you just need someone to mow your lawn and do your wedding a couple times per month. Or maybe you need someone to level your lawn and put up a whole new architectural creation. Determine what your budget is. There is no need to create a masterpiece when all you can afford is a flower garden.

The best way to locate a gardener is through word of mouth. The internet is another way to locate one. You want to stay away from direct mail advertisers or the Yellow Pages. These are not reliable methods. If you know someone that has used a landscaper in the past, ask who they used and if they were satisfied with their services.

Once you have a list of about three or four landscapers, it is time to call and ask questions. You want to know how long they have been in business, what services they provide, if they belong to any professional landscaping associations, if they are state licensed and what are the qualifications of their workers.

You should be sure to ask for a couple of references of work they have done. Drive by the locations if you can to get a feel for the work they do. If that is not possible, you at least want to see photos of the work

Masonry Landscaping Ideas for Your Backyard

Backyard walkways as well as patios make a beautiful and tranquil space for the family to spend cool evenings relaxing or a place for summer barbecues. If you have young children or pets and you have created a stunning space in your backyard for flowers and shrubs, having a stone or brick walkway will define what is off limits. Building a walkway or patio is an easy project that you can do yourself as part of a weekend project.

If your goal is to have a walkway that is permanent, it is suggested that you pour concrete or mortar down first and then use brick on top. You can then seal the walkway in place by using mortar to fill in the joints. If you want to change your walkway design every once in a while, you can pour a layer of sand down to create the walkway design you want and then lay whatever type of material you are going to use over the sand. To secure the materials in place, you can use sand in between the joints.

Creating an addition to your floral garden can by done by using concrete block that have no mortar. These are preferred because they are weather resistant and cost less than regular designer materials. Mortarless bricks are also often used for wall elements to protect walkways or driveways from eroding. Some people also use these as a wall that follows a staircase leading up to a home or down to a pond. It creates elegance and beauty again the wooden staircase.