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Planning your garden? Don't forget to plan for your hardscape as well. Hardscape is the inorganic part of the garden or yard, such as walkways and pergolas. Put a strong emphasis on "part of the garden"; any hardscaping should be carefully planned to integrate with your plantings and your house. Create a flow by combining two or more hardscape features to turn your yard into a truly magical place. Imagine strolling a rustic cobblestone path that leads to the surprise of a charming pergola ... or emerging from your backyard swimming pool just in time to grill supper on the adjacent patio.

Design

Traditionally, hardscape has meant non-living outdoor decor made of masonry and wood. However, these days that definition is expanding. Your home's hardscaping elements might also be concrete, tile, brick, or cobblestone. You can let your imagination go when it comes to the materials you select. Just make sure that your choices blend harmoniously with the landscape, your house, and each other. Keep them in scale -- don't overwhelm a tiny yard with an enormous piece of statuary, for example. Use soft curves as well as straight lines and angles, and vary heights. Two or three coordinating colors and textures in your hardscape will be more appealing than a single one. Include plenty of vegetation for both a natural look and a cooling effect.

Purpose

Deciding on your goals is an integral step in any well-crafted plan. What purpose(s) do you have in mind for your hardscaping? Perhaps you want to protect your lush green grass from wear and tear or provide easy access to a vegetable garden. An attractive footpath, based on typical foot traffic patterns, is the obvious solution. If you'd like to cut down on lawn care and watering, a patio will be just what you need. Don't forget to plan for a safe play area if you have kids or grandkids. In a mild climate where you are able to enjoy your yard for a large part of the year, an outdoor living room may be a dream come true.

Precautions

Before getting started on a hardscaping project, make sure you get the necessary approval. Many jobs will require a permit, as well as permission from your HOA (if applicable). You may need to consult with an architect or an engineer -- for instance, if you'd like to put up a retaining wall or change the grade of your land. Plan for adequate drainage of sizable areas like pool surrounds, and make sure that you'll be building properly prepared bases. In addition, consider your property's patterns of sun and shade so that you can take the best advantage. Finally, decide whether you are ready to tackle the project yourself, possibly with the help of one of the DIY kits on the market, or whether you'd prefer to opt for a professional hardscape install.

Choices

Keeping all of this information in mind, now you're ready for some fun ... choosing the features to include in your hardscape project. A decorative path is quite likely the first idea that springs to mind. How about using the same material to upgrade your driveway -- especially if it is highly visible by visitors to your home? Next, you'll probably need a place to sit. Build some benches, or incorporate them into a handsome stone wall, whether structural or ornamental. While you're at it, you will want a table or two, plus a fire pit or fireplace for barbecues or warming up on chilly evenings. In fact, if you have the space, why not go for an entire outdoor kitchen? Add to the beauty of your yard with planters to be filled with flowers, or install an attractive trellis or rock garden. Fun and functional hardscape elements comprise water features, arbors, swings, birdbaths, and sundials.

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Garden hardscape that makes magic in your yard

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - They are a part of every major city's landscape, those who say they are down on their luck, so they panhandle to get by.

"You can survive on this, you can make good money on this, it's all in how you do it," said Ronnie.

Ronnie is a panhandler and likes his spot near Phoenix's Cityscape in downtown Phoenix.

"I always stay near food because you know you're going to get something to eat," he said

As Super Bowl 2015 approaches, Cityscape is the crown jewel of downtown Phoenix and is expected to be a happening place.

The NFL experience will be two blocks away at the Phoenix Convention Center where it's expected to draw thousands.

Past Super Bowl host cities including Dallas and Indianapolis have strengthened panhandling laws to discourage the practice.

Phoenix Police and city officials say as long as they obey the law and stay off the streets they will not contact panhandlers.

Downtown residents disagree on whether panhandlers should be discouraged during big events.

"They are a part of the community, they are people just like we are, doing their own thing. I have a home and they don't," said Bill Hemphill.

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Phoenix changes panhandling laws ahead of Super Bowl

Log yard expansion to begin in January

Eastland Group chief executive Matt Todd announced today that construction work to expand Eastland Ports upper log yard by 1.3 hectares will begin in January 2015.

Mr Todd says the $12 million contract has been awarded to Downer and activity is already underway to prepare the port for the expected six months of construction ahead.

The multimillion dollar project will take the upper log yards footprint from 2.2 to 3.5 hectares, improving operations significantly for forestry customers, and taking the total log storage area on port to 12.2 hectares.

The changes will also improve aesthetics for nearby residents, and reduce potential issues such as noise and dust.

A four metre by six metre earth wall will be built around the perimeter of the site and planted with natives. Weve had extensive consultation with landscape architects to ensure anything planted is what Captain James Cook and Joseph Banks would have seen on Titirangi Hill when they sailed into the bay. An internal fence will be entirely screened by the thousands of trees we plant, says Mr Todd.

The upper log yard expansion project is part of Eastland Groups ten-year development plan and is one of the companys biggest investments since it bought the port. Log export volumes have grown from 350,000 tonnes in 2005 to 2.3 million tonnes in 2014.

Log export volumes have been maximised under the ports current footprint and configuration, and forestry is an industry that continues to grow, providing opportunity and employment for our whole region. Right now, we have 95,000 tonne storage capacity on site. The expansion of the upper log yard will allow for an extra 15,000 tonnes.

The flow-on effects are substantial. Forestry companies will require more workers, the port will need to increase its staff, and trucking companies will need more drivers generally speaking, for every new job in the forestry industry three other jobs are created in the local economy.

Eastland Port Manager, Andrew Gaddum, says Downer will start work as soon as possible to make the most of the summer months.

More here:
Log yard expansion to begin in January

Do you have spots in your backyard where the surface goes from one level to another, such as the edge of a verandah? Use plants as visual indicators so that people dont trip.

Sunset Magazine explains:

Tuck a small row of echeveria between an upper and lower patio to remind visitors to step up. Use larger succulents, such as the three kinds of aeonium pictured, to signal where the upper patio drops off.

While they mention specifically using succulents, you could use other types of plants that may suit your climate or backyard better. Just make sure they will be visible during the seasons when youll use your yard. For more ideas on how to landscape your yard or garden, check out the full post linked below.

24 great ideas from the Western Garden Book of Landscaping [Sunset]

Continue reading here:
Use Plants To Warn Visitors Of Tripping Points In Your Yard

VOL. 7 | NO. 50 | Saturday, December 06, 2014

Its hard to decide whats less fun, mowing the lawn or raking leaves. If you loathe both in equal measure, however, help may be just a few clicks away.

Mowz, an app-based service offering a mobile way to book multiple landscaping services, has made its way to Nashville. Its the latest offshoot from Plowz, which began as a snowplowing-assistance app in upstate New York last winter and has since migrated to more than 20 cities.

With Mowz, the service now offers non-winter landscaping services such as mowing, leaf raking and removal, says William Mahoney, who co-founded Plowz with Andrew Englander.

Plowing [snow] made sense, given the area where we started, but soon we had a lot of other cities on our radar, and they didnt have the winter snows and needs that the Northeast does, Mahoney says. So we began to think about other services we could offer during the rest of the year, and began reaching out to other providers.

Local landscaping companies in a targeted market either contact Mowz or are contacted by the Mowz team via social media, and once a vetting process has occurred, are signed up as vendors. Then, when a user requests services via the app, he or she is matched with the closest and best-qualified provider to do the work.

Its not like were connecting you with some guy off the street with a lawnmower, Mahoney explains. All the providers are landscaping companies, and have at least $500,000 in general liability insurance.

Our providers have an average of seven years in business; this is their living, and this is what they do.

Plowz grew by strong word of mouth and positive social-media reviews, Mahoney says, and he expects Mowz to the same thing. Nashville got onto his radar thanks to his sisters relocation here, and her difficulty in finding a good landscaping provider.

We had it on our list of cities, but that helped identify it as a good market to enter with the new service, he says. Its an up and coming city in a lot of ways, and the kind of connection our app makes do well in that environment.

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Yard Work Waiting? Hit Mowz App and Take a Nap

Denver, CO (PRWEB) December 04, 2014

To kick-off the season, Colorados premier holiday lighting vendor, Swingle Lawn, Tree & Landscape Care, decorated the homes of two deserving families along the Front Range. Swingles Making Spirits Bright campaign allowed people to nominate a family facing hard times, and based on those nominations the company selected two families to receive holiday lighting for their homes.

Making Spirits Bright was built around the idea of giving back to the community, which is a fundamental principle for everyone at Swingle. Our goal was to make a difference this holiday season, and we feel that our campaign achieved that. We only wish we could do more, says Swingles CEO Tom Tolkacz.

Swingle truly considers the company fortunate to have the opportunity to brighten the spirits of two very deserving families: young Payton, a 6-year-old girl in Centennial whos battling leukemia, and 18-month old Charlie in Fort Collins who suffers from Aniridia - a rare genetic condition. Each nomination shared the realities of the day-to-day struggles these families continually face, and because of their endurance Swingle chose them as this years Making Spirits Bright recipients. Swingles professional team members went out to meet with both families in order to design a holiday lighting display fitting the style and character of each home. Swingle crews worked diligently to make sure that everything came together perfectly and seamlessly, and because of that dedication it was a magical night for two local families.

Payton was completely surprised when Princess Elsa showed up at her doorstep to light up her very own ice castle, which was adorned with frosted white and pink lighting. Charlie looked on in amazement at the 65-foot Christmas tree in his front yard gleaming with thousands of multi-colored lights strung from top to bottom.

In addition to the special holiday lighting, each family was also provided a handful of Christmas presents for each and every child in the home.

We were overwhelmed and inspired by the heartfelt stories we received this year. Swingle is in the business of making peoples lives more enjoyable through the services we provide. Making Spirits Bright takes it a step further and is a great example of our longstanding commitment to giving back to our community, says Swingles President John Gibson.

Swingle recognizes the incredible difficulties many families face during the holiday season. Making Spirits Bright first began as a simple idea and has become much more. This is the season of giving, and even a simple gesture can have a wonderful impact on those facing hard times during the holidays.

An anonymous nominator said, "I just want to commend Swingle for thinking about others who are less fortunate around Christmas in the money department, but may be very fortunate in their spirituality. What joy you will be giving those people."

About Swingle Lawn, Tree & Landscape Care Founded in Denver in 1947, Swingle Lawn, Tree & Landscape Care has grown to be the one of the largest residential and commercial lawn service and tree care companies in Colorado, employing more certified arborists than any other Colorado company. For information please contact Kellie Houghtaling (303) 337-6200 or visit http://www.MySwingle.com/contact.

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Denver-based Swingle Lawn, Tree & Landscape Care Decorates the Homes of Families Facing Hard Times

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