There are many ways small yard landscaping can improve your home’s appearance. Working with a small space might limit the room you have to work with. There are, however, plenty of options for you to make your small yard landscape beautiful and unique. You will need to take some time to prepare, but once you’ve finished, you’ll have a beautiful landscape project that will make all your neighbors jealous! Follow these small yard landscaping ideas to get your creativity flowing and create a design of your own this year:
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Not everything that grows green is good for your outdoor space. Most people try to surround their family homes with plants, trees and bushes. Those who have bigger areas around their houses tend to use it to their advantage. People build gardens and courtyards to spend time with family and friends. Children can play with each other and guests can pay a visit on a festive occasion. Grass that grows around the house sometimes needs more care than plants. Lawn mowing is normally enough to maintain grass in your garden. You should, however, practice caution. Moss can grow in grassy areas and threaten yours and your family’s health. To avoid moss growth, follow these tips on killing garden moss this year.

Killing Garden Moss

Garden Moss

Noticing moss growing in your garden is such sad news for any family or gardener. Because you realize that soon it will kill all grass and make your lawn look like a swamp. If this happens at the end of the summer, you might reckon that winter will cure it, but if it is spring when moss starts settling down in your garden then the whole blossoming season is going to be ruined and your lawn will only be available for pets. But do not rush to shut your garden down until the next season. Just like moss makes your lawn an unsuitable place for grass to grow you can create the conditions in which moss itself will not be able to exist in your garden. Before you start getting rid of moss from your garden try to understand the reasons it appeared there.

Where it Grows

Most of the times moss starts to grow in the places where nothing is growing and then simply spreads around. It also gives you a hint that something is wrong with your lawn. The problem is not that moss kills your grass like a weed. Simply grass does not want to grow on your lawn and you need to find out why. Dying grass creates an ideal environment for moss. To prevent the appearance of the latter you need to eliminate the reasons for the absence of the first.

If you have compacted soil in your garden, you would probably have problems with dying grass and excess of moss. Grass roots are turned into soil compaction and a smooth area is created for moss to hold onto.

If the soil in your garden is constantly damp, the roots of the grass will likely suffocate in it and provide an ideal environment for moss bloom.

Low pH and acid kill the grass as well, and moss easily thrives in high acid soil.

Lack of sun does not help your grass to grow while shade is the perfect amount of light for moss to kill it.

Once you have established the problem with your lawn you can start preparing for the extermination of moss. First, get a moss killer that contains ferrous sulphate. The dead moss needs to be raked off from the area which is reserved for the green lawn. Then spread the grass seeds all over and keep them moist until the grass shows symptoms of growing. And remember that if you do not exercise sufficient lawn care, moss is likely to appear again. So follow these tips on killing garden moss and you will have a beautiful landscape that lasts all season long!

A flower garden can enhance your landscape. They should be prepared during spring, after the snow has melted. You can decide on what kind of flowers to plant in your garden. Choose from a wide variety of perennials, annuals, or both for your garden. Try to select an array of colorful flowers that will attract local wildlife. Once you have your selection, follow these tips on how to plant a flower garden.
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You still have time to make your landscape the talk of the town this summer. These four simple summer landscape additions can transform your average yard into a stellar one. As a result, you and your family and friends can enjoy the remaining warm weather in the comfort of your own backyard. Use these summer landscape additions to reinvent your design in time for August and Labor Day festivities.
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Keeping a chemical free yard can be really frustrating when you feel like your plants are being destroyed by nature. There are, however, several things you can try in order to detour insects and animals from eating up your prized garden. Check out these chemical free pest control methods for your garden this summer.
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Improving your home’s curb appeal is a great way to add value to your home. You can enhance your front yard landscape by creating an appealing design that sets the tone for the rest of your home. Here are three ways you can enhance your front yard landscape this summer that will really turn the neighbors’ heads.

Enhance Your Front Yard Landscape

Use Dark Colors

Dark colors can create a lush look for your front landscape. Using dark-colored mulch, rock and other materials can help you create contrast between the green lawn, trees and shrubs. This also makes your design appear neat and put together for passersby. Dark colors give a look of luxury for most homes and often work well with many exterior paint colors.

Use Bright Colors

Bright colors in your flower garden, trees, and shrubs add to the aesthetic quality of your landscape. You want to choose bright flower colors that off set the rest of your home and that easily pop. This might be bright blues and purples or it could be deep reds and oranges. Whatever colors you choose to use, deep and bright colors are going to do the best for your yard and provide excellent contrast for your entire home.

Keep it Clean.

Keeping it clean in the front of the home with fewer overgrown bushes, trees and shrubs is the best way to draw attention to your property. You want your home to be inviting and keeping down the walls that can be created by out of control shrubs and trees is an important part of the process. You also want minimize the number of trees and shrubs that stand between your home and the road.

There are dozens of ways to enhance your front yard landscape. The professionals at Dean Bjorkstrand are ready to help you get the landscape design you have always wanted. If you need assistance designing a beautiful landscape, do not hesitate to contact the landscape design professionals at Dean Bjorkstrand.

Minnesotans make a point of being outdoors as much as possible in the summer. Having a great outdoor space to enjoy the weather helps you really enjoy the season. Your front or backyard is the perfect such place. Adding a fire pit can bring a whole new level of enjoyment to your outdoor space. Below are some essentials that go into creating not only a fire pit, but a whole space devoted to beautiful summer evenings. Consider any of these features for your outdoor fire pit design this summer.

Outdoor Fire Pit Design

Flooring

As far as outdoor ‘flooring’ goes, grass is always an option. Thinking about the design of an entire space devoted to enjoying being around the fire can mean selecting a different form of ground cover to separate this space from the rest of the back yard. Particularly, if there is a patch of grass that doesn’t seem to grow very well, take over that spot with a fire pit. Some great options to use for ground covering are small rocks or pea gravel. Not only will this set that section of your yard apart, especially for summer time fires, but it will also help reduce the risk of fire outside of the area from loose embers.

The Fire Pit Itself

There are several types of pits to choose from. There are pre-made pits that you can buy at any place that sells outdoor furniture. There are in or above ground paving stone pits, and there are simple metal ring fire pits as well. All of these are viable options, depending on your own personal style and what you would like your space to look like. By using pavers, you can really customize the look and shape of your pit. There are many different shapes, sizes, and colors of pavers that can make your pit unique to your yard.

Seating

Now what is the point of having an outdoor space area with no seating? Seating might be the most important element needed to enjoy your outdoor space around your fire. Whether you choose cushioned chairs or rustic wooden benches, it is up to you to decide what will be most comfortable and fitting for your fire area.

Accessories

As any well-put together yard, there are always some accents and accessories that can make your space more inviting. Maybe it’s adding some potted plants around your seating area, or including some end tables to set food and drink on. Accessories can be both decorative and functional for your space.

Dedicating a place in your backyard for summer bonfires during the warm Minnesota weather will really help you make the most of your yard this season. It all starts with a vision. Once you can visualize it, you can begin adding elements of design to create the perfect outdoor space. Remember to include these essentials to enhance your outdoor fire pit design and begin entertaining family and friends all summer long!

Choosing flowers for Minnesota gardening can be challenging. The extreme differences in temperature and weather that occur throughout the gardening season make it planning a difficult task. If you’re planning a garden with long-term use in mind, you’ll definitely want to include perennials. Perennials guarantee beauty year after year and can be planted to bloom throughout the gardening season in Minnesota. Annual flowers only grow for one season. They can be added each year to your garden to brighten it up or for use in visually appealing flower baskets or window boxes.

What Are The Best Perennials for Minnesota Gardening?

Planting perennials in Minnesota means you need to purchase flowers that will grow in Zone 4. Zone 4 plants and vegetation can make it through minimum temperatures of -20 to -30 degrees. This is ideal for the Minnesota climate. Even though perennials return year after year, you still want to make sure you provide proper protection from the winter and summer elements. Remember to mulch your garden and take into consideration whether your plants need a certain amount of shade or sun to thrive.

Here Are The Best Perennials for Minnesota:

Asters: Asters are long-blooming flowers. They are vibrant in shade and very hardy. Asters make wonderful flowers for placing in a vase and provide strong growth. They bloom from mid-summer through the fall.

Chrysanthemums: Chrysanthemums flowers offer a beautiful variety of colors for your garden. In addition, they stand up well against extreme temperatures that tend to blossom all summer.

Coneflowers: Coneflowers provide your garden with gorgeous purple and lavender hues, as well as white. They are popular flowers for attracting butterflies and continue working long into the winter.

Day Lily: Ask nearly any gardener and they will likely list the day lily as one of their favorite perennial plants. Lilies are well-known for requiring minimal maintenance and for their ability to blossom in the sunniest or shadiest spots. Furthermore, these popular flowers also come in a vast array of colors. They make gorgeous additions to any sort of garden.

Hosta: Hosta’s are known for being a reliable flower that grows in shady areas. They also grow in direct sunlight. They are extremely hardy and require little maintenance.

Peonies: Peonies are possibly the most reliable flower for your garden. They provide incredibly fragrant blooms, as well as a visual appeal to your garden. They blossom in a host of colors in the spring for about a month.

Some popular annual flowers for Minnesota gardening:

Begonia: Begonia flowers thrive in the shade and provide a colorful boost to any garden. They blossom in white, red, pink, and varying shades or oranges and yellows. Consequently, Begonia are very popular among Minnesota gardens.

Dahlia: Dahlia flowers thrive in full sunlight and do require regular watering. In addition, they offer wonderful colorful options that are sure to make any flower pot or window box pop.

Geranium: These flowers blossom throughout the gardening season and are available in a wide range of colors. Furthermore, they thrive in the sun and do require that regular upkeep like deadheading and watering.

Marigold: These yellow or orange flowers tend to do well in both dry or moist soil and provide blooms throughout the gardening season, no matter what type of sunlight they are exposed to.

Petunia: The petunia is another annual flower that blooms from spring to fall. This colorful and fragrant flower attracts hummingbirds as well as butterflies and grows best in full sun.

Dean Bjorkstrand offers garden design services. Click to learn more.

Gardening can be hard work. Arranging flowers for your garden is no easy task. If you want to make your garden look great, however, you should certainly consider the importance of flower beds. Flower beds can make all of the difference to your garden. In addition, they bring life and vibrancy to your garden. So what are some good flower arrangement ideas for your garden?
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