As every landscaper knows, weeds are inevitable, but there are products and tools on the market that can give you some real ammunition in the battle against weeds in
Designing for Your Region
Designing for your region, what does that mean? Well, when it comes to landscape designing, knowing the characteristics of your region is the key to the ultimate success of your landscape design plan. The whole idea behind landscaping is to select plants that will be able to survive year after year as part of your landscape. Imagine the expense of replacing the plants in your landscape every year because of seasonal die off. The cost would be astronomical as well as ridiculous. Knowing the characteristics of your region will help you design a landscape you'll enjoy for many years to come.
The climate you live in determines what landscape plants are best suited to survive in your landscape. Climate involves the complete picture of how much sun and rain your landscape region receives on an annual basis as well as average high and low temperatures throughout the year.
This means you will have to consider how your landscape plants will fare through each season as weather conditions may change drastically in some landscaping regions. For example, a hibiscus better suited for the year round landscape climatology of the Southeast portion of the United States, may thrive in the northern Midwest landscape region during the spring and summer months, but die off completely during harsh winter conditions.
The United States is divided into five major geographic regions: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Northwest, and Southwest. Each region shares some main landscape climatology characteristics, although there are variations in temperatures that lead each landscape region to be further refined by zones. These zones are best understood by examining the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Each region of the USA is large enough to encompass several of the zones, because there is about a 5-10 degree difference in the average yearly high and low temperatures for every 120 miles traveled in either direction, north or south. The difference of zones within each landscaping region can determine whether your landscape plants will merely survive, or really thrive.
And there is not only your climate to be considered in your landscape design plan, but the micro climate of your property as well. The term micro climate is used to describe the landscape area immediately surrounding your home is. If your home is located in an area that receives full sun, it may actually be a few degrees warmer than the climate of the surrounding landscape.
And it follows that if your property's landscape receives a lot of deep shade, it may well remain cooler in a climate that is traditionally known for being hot. Considering the landscape characteristics of your property's micro climate may actually allow you more versatility in your landscape design plan.
As you can see, landscape designing for your region's climate is pivotal to success. Now, the next step is to determine the region and zone in which you are located in order to determine which plants will fit into your landscape design plan.
Bonsai landscaping is the fascinating art of cultivating miniature trees to mimic the age and characteristics of full size trees found in the natural landscape. Fine green moss