Front Yard Landscaping

Contech Electronics Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler CRO101

Finally a way to keep unwanted animals out of the garden and protect your yard, fruit trees, vegetables and flowers from hungry or destructive creatures. Cats, dogs, deer, rabbits, large birds, and many others. The patented Scarecrow motion-activated sprinkler is the smartest scarecrow ever invented. When it sees an intruder it instantly releases full garden hose water pressure towards the trespasser. The effect is both startling and immediate. Animals quickly get out of the area and avoid it in the future.The ScareCrow motion-activated sprinkler is constructed of durable, high-quality materials, and has been designed to provide many years of reliable service.

Side view of spray radius. Click to enlarge.

Top view of spray radius. Click to enlarge.

Using the ScareCrow is easy. Simply attach a standard garden hose to its base, set the ScareCrow in the ground in the area you want to protect, and then turn on the water. Once you switch the unit on, it is ready to go.

How does it work?
The ScareCrow uses a combination of sudden noise, unexpected movement, and a startling blast of water to create a memorable and unpleasant experience for the trespasser.
The animal immediately associates this unpleasant experience with the location, and to avoid similar surprises, learns to avoid the area. If an animal chooses to return, the ScareCrow will be waiting.
While a human may flee several steps after activating a ScareCrow, animals are typically affected to a much greater degree. In most cases they run much farther, and stay away longer. Because the unit only triggers when the animal moves, its behavior is difficult for animals to anticipate, making it a very effective deterrent.

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Mache Gala Seeds

Also known as Lambs’ Lettuce, Mache is a delightful mild nutty flavored salad green that grows in pretty fist-sized green rosettes. It is the only unusual salad ingredient popular with my finicky teenager. Vigorous and cold-tolerant, Mache will self sow if some plants are left to go to seed.

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As housing costs continue to rise, patio landscaping creating outdoor living areas is becoming a cost effective way to add living space to a home.

Rooms can be made to look larger by extending them into the landscaping.  This approach can be accomplished by making use of the same materials inside and out where appropriate and/or using glass walls to help join the interior together with the patio landscaping.

The roof line could easily be extended from the house or an add on roof could be built against the exterior of the house.

Patio landscaping elements such as vines, lattices, shrubs, fences, walls, shade trees, wild grasses and flowers can all be used to make a terrace a nice little hide out for relaxing or a wonderful place to entertain that is sheltered from the noises of the street or neighbors.  

Another useful patio landscaping accessory is a barbecue.  With an outdoor barbecue your patio landscaping quickly becomes an extra kitchen and a convenient location for outdoor dining.  Especially if counter space, table space and storage space for utensils and accessories are planned into the design.   The more convenient an outdoor kitchen is the more pleasure it will bring.

Your patio landscaping design should also include electric outlets.  This way, if you want some outdoor lighting, or nice background music you can easily power them without dragging extension cords from the house.

Your patio landscaping plan should also provide for children’s play areas and some kind of flooring material such as outdoor pavers, flagstone or cement to keep the grass from getting worn out. 

You should have easy access to your patio landscaping from the house via doors or pathways.   The easier it is to get to the more use it will get.

You can blend your patio landscaping with the rest of your yard with potted flowers and vines, baskets, retaining walls, dwarf trees and flowering shrubs.  You can also create more visual interest using changes of level; raising flower beds around trees, steps and walls.

Visit our other posts to learn more about patio landscaping.

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Although the front yard landscaping is certainly important homeowners would do well to spend just as much time on backyard landscaping ideas and planning.  The front yard is the show piece that frames the home and creates a good impression for visitors.  The backyard is typically used for service areas and for private family entertainment but often it gets neglected.  Spending a little time focusing on backyard landscaping ideas can solve this problem and enable you to get as much or more benefit from your back yard as you do from the front.

The backyard can be a great place for barbecues, neighborhood socials and family gatherings.  It can also be a place for play for the children and a place of peace and meditation for you.  Frankly if you will spend some time generating backyard landscaping ideas it can be anything you want.

Generating Backyard Landscaping Ideas

First, consider your own wants and needs. How much time to you have to spend in the backyard enjoying and how much time do you have to spend in the backyard caring for the landscaping?  If you enjoy gardening then you may want to plant varieties based on creating the most beautiful effect.  If you are crunched for time you will want to plant native varieties that require less maintenance. 

There is no limit to the backyard landscaping ideas people come up with but you have to do what is right for you.  Perhaps you just want a large area to play catch with the kids, or a couple of tree to hang a hammock on.  Maybe you want a secluded meditation garden or a gazebo with a hot tub or an outdoor kitchen and entertainment area for parties.

Recording Backyard Landscaping Ideas

As you come up with a list of backyard landscaping ideas allow your imagination to wander and don’t be afraid to dream a little.  Be sure to write them all down and be open to ideas that come to you at other times when you are not thinking about it or trying to generate backyard landscaping ideas.

Get input from your family and find out what their backyard landscaping ideas are.  If everybody has a chance to give their input and feels like they had a part in the idea and planning process they will be more excited about helping when it comes time to start working on the project.

Read some of our other posts for more backyard landscaping ideas.

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Service Areas in Your Backyard Landscape

If planned properly, having a service area in your backyard landscape for sheds, storage, propagation and other conveniences can add a lot of functional utility to your backyard landscape.  It is usually best to design your backyard landscape so that your drying yard and service area are out of sight yet close enough to the house to be convenient. 

You can screen these backyard landscape areas with shrubbery or fences to help keep them out of sight.

Suggested Backyard Landscape Service Areas

For serious gardeners the service area should include propagating beds, cold-frames, a tool shed or storage locker and your compost pit if you have one.  Hotbeds and cold-frames should be located in a spot where they will be protected from north and northwest winds.

Be careful not to place your cold-frame in a damp part of the backyard unless you have first drained it thoroughly with drain tile.

A vegetable garden can be a source of great enjoyment and a great backyard feature.

If you want, it can be located out of sight in a corner, or screened with shrubbery, because of the seasons when there is nothing growing in it.  On the other hand, it can be add a real decorative touch to the overall backyard landscape design, particularly if there are grass walks and attractive flowers around it.

Check out our other posts to learn more about planning and creating your backyard landscape.

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