Home and Garden, Landscape Design, Landscape Design

Themed Landscape Design Part 3: The Gardens of Spain and Italy

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Larry

Part three of a series on themed landscape design explores Spanish gardens and design elements of Italian gardens. First off, let’s cover Spanish gardens.

Spanish Gardens and their Design

Plan a Spanish Garden | (928) 356-8167 image courtesy of Loizeitung — Plan a Spanish Garden | (928) 356-8167
image courtesy of Loizeitung

What is a Spanish garden from a landscape design perspective? According to Wikipedia: “A traditional Spanish Garden is a style of garden or designed landscape developed in historic Spain, incorporating principles and elements of garden design from precedents in ancient Persian gardens, Roman gardens and Islamic gardens, and the great Moorish gardens of the Al-Andalus era on the Iberian Peninsula. In the 20th and 21st centuries a ‘Spanish Garden,’ or new gardens in Spain, have continued, interpreted, abstracted, or departed from these traditional planning and aesthetic motifs.Traditionally, the paradise garden is interpreted with a central cross axis, in the four cardinal directions, with long ponds or water channels (a rill or stylized qanat) where water reflects and flows, set in a walled courtyard. [READ MORE]

When you call in a landscape design professional to plan a Spanish garden, ultimately, you want to remember that with such a garden, less is more. Like a Zen garden, Spanish gardens are based on simplicity. But what about one of the roots of such gardens?

Italian Gardens and Designing Tips

An Italian garden, also known as a Roman garden is based upon a walled off central courtyard. They are designed to be refuges from the outside world, and are meant to be peaceful and serene spots as a result. You don’t want an Italian garden in a planned community as your HOA would almost certainly object.

When you are planning to make some changes to your landscape, think about what fits your home as well as your lifestyle. An English country garden is beautiful, but it needs a LOT of water, the same with a rose garden. Xeriscaping is beautiful in it’s own way, but it isn’t for everyone, particularly if they’re nostalgic for back home. Ultimately, whatever you decide, the right landscape design company can help.

This concludes our three part series on themed landscape design. Be sure to read part one and part two as well.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
http://www.greenservpro.com

Home and Garden, Landscape Design

Themed Landscape Design Part 1: The Gardens of Asia and the Far East

Posted on September 14, 2013 by Larry

Part one of a series on themed landscape design will explore the gardens of Asia and the Near East. First off though, let’s explore China and Japan. Be sure to read part two of this series as well as part three.

Setting Up a Chinese Garden As Part of Landscape Design

Themed Landscape Design | (928) 356-8167

First off, though, what’s the difference between a Chinese garden and a Japanese garden? Chinese gardens are themed landscape designs that are over three thousand years old. Chinese gardens can be vast, like for those of the Imperial Family, or they can be small and intimate places that are designed for both peace and as a temporary respite from the outside world. Whether large or small, however, a Chinese garden is supposed to convey a message that harmony should always exist between nature and mankind.

In a way, a Chinese garden is like a living story, separate from the outside world. Walls always enclose Chinese gardens and there are a combination of paths, rocks, flowers and pavilions. Sometimes, there are water features as well. By moving through the garden, visitors get to see a series of scenes. All Chinese gardens, like their Japanese counterparts are very serene places. A Japanese garden does differ from a Chinese garden in a lot of ways, as far as themed landscape design goes.

Themed Landscape Design: Japanese Gardens

Japanese gardens originally were Chinese gardens, but over time, they started to develop their own unique style, and have been unique for over two centuries. A lot of Japanese gardens for example originated with the Shinto religion, and as such have several common threads. First off, there are unusual rocks in a Japanese garden, as well as white pebble paths. The white of the pebbles symbolizes purity, as well as simulates a dry riverbed. One thing that is interesting about these gardens is how diverse they are.

The Moss Garden in Kyoto is a classic Japanese garden, as is Kinkaku-ji, and so is the Zen rock garden of Ryōan-ji, and each of them is vastly different from each other. Some of them are just for asethetics, and others for meditation and contemplation. And you can also have one on your property too, as part of landscape design with a theme.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85224
(928) 356-8167
http://www.greenservpro.com

Home and Garden, Landscape Design

Landscape Deisgn and the Smart Consumer Part I

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Larry

Landscape design is a service that you want to research before you contact a service. This article will help to explore why you should work with a professional instead of trying to do it yourself. Part one of

Plant Growth Rates and Landscape Design

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Okay, so let’s say you’ve gone to your garden shop or home improvement center and picked out a few plants. You plant them, and you think you’re more than generous with the amount of space each of them is going to need to grow. Then a few months later, you notice that you’re trimming your plants a lot. Why? Well, you didn’t really realize how much certain plants can grow. Look at a bougainvillea or a lantana for example. If they have ample water and sunlight, both of these plants can grow everywhere, and grow at a quick rate. Your landscape design company will know what to plant and what not to plant.

Living in Arizona, we don’t really have to worry about kudzu as it doesn’t grow here, but both lantana and bougainvillea do grow here and grow quite well. You ruefully start investing in garden tools and garden tool sharpeners, both of which could have been avoided if you had just contacted a landscape design company in Prescott, AZ. However, it isn’t just the amount your plants can choke each other out. It’s also about what your plants need where water is concerned.

Landscape Design: Planting Water Compatible Plants

We’ve said it before in some of our other blog posts, but you can’t plant something like a golden barrel cactus that needs very little water near a rose which needs a lot of water. Besides the fact that it will look more than a little odd, one plant will thrive and the other one will die. Landscape design is also about placement. You place plants that work well with each other both by looks and by water consumption. Part two of this series will explore some effective strategies of how to place your plants, and where you can plant them.

Green Servpro is a landscape design company serving the Greater Phoenix Area.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
Landscaping Ideas

Desert Landscape, Design, Home and Garden, Landscape Design, Landscape Design, Landscape Design, Prescott Landscape Maintenance

Landscape Design in Arizona: Work With Nature Not Against It

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Larry

Good Landscape Design is About What Works

If you live in Arizona, landscape design can be a challenge. Try to use native plants whenever possible. If it grows here, it will likely do well in your yard.

Don’t Use Invasive Plants in Your Landscape Design

Your neighbors will thank you. Your city will thank you, and your landscape design company will also thank you. If you don’t believe that planting the wrong plant can be disastrous, look at the kudzu. It grows a foot a day and has pretty much eaten the South.

Think About Water Use in Your Landscape Design

Don’t plant a rosebush, which needs a lot of water in an area designed for desert plants, and don’t put a cactus in a rose garden, plant complementary plants together, when planning your landscape design.

When in doubt, call in a professional landscape design service

Green ServPro offers landscape design, lawn care, and sprinkler repair among many other services. Call us today and let us show you what we can do for you, or arrange a consultation.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
http://www.greenservpro.com

Desert Landscape, Design, Home and Garden, Landscape Design, Landscape Design, Landscape Design, Uncategorized

Landscape Design Part 3: Rock Gardens

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Larry

In Part 3 of our series, we will explore another type of landscape design: a rock garden. Rock gardens come in many forms. One of the most popular is a classic Japanese rock garden. According to this Wikipedia article:

The Rock Garden and Landscape Design

The Japanese rock garden (枯山水 karesansui?) or “dry landscape” garden, often called a zen garden, creates a miniature stylized landscape through carefully composed arrangements of rocks, water features, moss, pruned trees and bushes, and uses gravel or sand that is raked to represent ripples in water.[1] A zen garden is usually relatively small, surrounded by a wall, and is usually meant to be seen while seated from a single viewpoint outside the garden, such as the porch of the hojo, the residence of the chief monk of the temple or monastery. Classical zen gardens were created at temples of Zen Buddhism in Kyoto, Japan during the Muromachi Period. They were intended to imitate the intimate essence of nature, not its actual appearance, and to serve an aid to meditation about the true meaning of life.[2]

Ancient Landscape Designs

Rock gardens existed in Japan at least since the Heian Period (784-1185). These early gardens were described in the first manual of Japanese gardens, Sakuteiki, or Records of Garden Keeping, written at the end of the 11th century by Tachibana no Toshitsuna (1028–1094). They were largely copied from the Chinese gardens of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), where groups of rocks symbolized Mount Penglai, the legendary mountain-island home of the Eight Immortals in Chinese mythology, known in Japanese as Horai.

To read more of this article, click here.

Rock gardens are only one method of landscape design. Part 1 of our series explored desert landscaping and Part 2 explored tropical plants.

Whether you want to go for the desert, or turn your home into a paradise, the right landscape design company can help you.

Green ServPro is a landscape design company based in Prescott, AZ.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
http://www.greenservpro.com

Read:

Landscape Design Part 1: Desert Landscaping
Landscape Design Part 2: Tropical and Sub-Tropical Landscaping
Landscape Design Part 3: Rock Gardens

Home and Garden, Irrigation and Sprinkler Service, Lawn, Lawn Care, Lawn Maintenance, Sprinkler Repair, Sprinklers

Lawn Maintenance Tips Part 3

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Larry

Time for lawn maintenance — Time for Lawn Maintenance | (928) 356-8167

Lawn maintenance is more than just seeding and fertilizing, there is also watering. Part three of a three part article series explores how much water you’re going to need and how often you’re going to need. Part one of this series explored seeding your lawn, and part two explored fertilizing.

Lawn Maintenance and Watering

First off, how much water will your lawn need? Well, according to the University of Illinois:

How much water does a lawn need? In general, cool-season grasses need about one to 1.5 inches of water per week to maintain green color and active growth, and naturally slow down in growth and may go dormant in hot weather. Factors such as the soil, weather, and management practices all have a role in water needs of lawns. Here are a few general rules to follow:

Decide before summer to either water lawns consistently as needed throughout the season, or let lawns go dormant as conditions turn warm and dry. Do not rotate back and forth. In other words, don’t let the grass turn totally brown, apply enough water to green it up, and then let the grass go dormant again, as breaking dormancy actually drains large amounts of food reserves from the plant.

To read the source article, please click here.

Know How Much Water is Needed for Proper Lawn Care

With good lawn maintenance, you want a balance between over watering and not watering enough. The amount of water that each type of grass needs varies significantly between species. Warm weather and drought tolerant grass doesn’t need as much water as water from a cooler and moister climate. Make sure that your watering method is in good working order. Check your hose for kinks or breaks, and if you have a built in sprinkler system, make sure that you don’t need a sprinkler repair job done.

Lawns are fairly easy to take care of. It is about putting down the right type of seed, and fertilizing the grass properly, and making sure that you put down the right amount of water. With all of these skills down, you will find that lawn maintenance isn’t as hard as you may think.

Read Part 1 of this series
Read Part 2 of this series
Read Part 3 of this series

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
greenservpro.com

Design, Home and Garden, Landscape Design, Landscape Design, Landscape Design, Landscaping

Landscape Design Part 2: Tropical and Sub-Tropical Landscaping

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Larry

In part 1 of this 3 part series, we covered one type of landscape design: desert landscaping. Part two of this series will cover tropical and sub-tropical landscaping.

Landscape Design and Tropical Plants

It’s possible to do tropical landscaping in a small yard as this article from e-how shows:

Small side yards are sometimes hard to landscape because of the small space and odd shape. Air circulation is problematic as well. A solution for a small side yard is to decorate the area with a tropical theme. Tropical plants will withstand the heat and add dimension and color to an otherwise drab area.

Tropical Landscape Design

The basic design for tropical landscapes is pathways and seating. Make pathways in the middle of the area with white gravel or large concrete stepping stones in a bed of white gravel. Set the stepping-stones in a random pattern to mimic the look of meandering through a villa. Square off planting areas with landscape timbers and hidden seating.

To read more, please click here.

Tropical Landscape Design: Do Your Research

As for landscape design with a tropical motif in mind, do a bit of research. Find out what can grow in your area with little to no effort. Take into account your water bill as well. The wrong sort of plants could cause your water bill to skyrocket.

Some tips regarding landscaping with tropical plants. You want to create an illusion of a jungle paradise, which means densely planting the area you want to use tropical landscape design in. You also want the dense green to be interspersed with plants of wild color. Look at the vibrant red of a hibiscus plant for example. Make sure there are plenty of touches like a bit of tropical or Asian statuary, or maybe a nice water feature as well.

Make sure you consult with a professional for other landscape ideas as well. Above all else, make sure you get an expert at landscape design.

Green Servpro is a landscape design company based in the Southwest US.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
greenservpro.com

Read

Landscape Design Part 1: Desert Landscaping
Landscape Design Part 2: Tropical and Sub-Tropical Landscaping
Landscape Design Part 3: Rock Gardens

Desert Landscape, Design, Home and Garden, Landscape Design, Landscape Design, Landscape Design, Uncategorized

Landscape Design Part 1: Desert Landscaping

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Larry

Landscape design is something that can be tailored to particular areas and climates, like the desert Southwest. This article from About.COM lists some plants that do very well in Arizona.

Desert Plants and Landscape Design

These desert plants are great choices for people who don’t want to spend lots of time working in the yard, but want a nice, colorful look in their desert garden.Keep in mind that all of these plants will thrive in the Phoenix area, but not in other parts of Arizona, where we have everything from low desert to high desert and even sub-alpine conditions.

Bougainvillea (at left)
Oleander
Texas Sage / Purple Sage
Lantana
Pampas Grass
Fairy Duster

To read more about using desert plants in your landscape design, please visit http://phoenix.about.com/od/desertplantsandflowers/a/desertplants.htm

Landscape Design in Arizona

Arizona is a diverse environment for landscape design. The plants that grow here reflect this bio-diversity. A bougainvillea would do well down here, but not as well in the White Mountains or the northern end of the state. Another thing to consider is placement with a bougainvillea. They do well where they can get a lot of sunshine. They are also very drought tolerant, but will grow quickly when watered. While there are several varieties of bougainvillea , the variety with the magenta colored leaves does the best as it is incredibly hardy. In addition to their hardiness, they are also surprisingly versatile. You can let them grow into a bush, let them be vines, or even be ground cover to keep weeds out. Be warned however, that if you let them grow wild, you will need to trim them.

Principles of Landscape Design

Landscaping design operates under various principles, and one of them is how adaptable a plant is to a desert environment. A professional company would be capable of guiding you on plant selection, placement and many other tips to improve your home’s yard.

Green ServPro is a landscape design company based in Arizona.

Landscape Design Part 1: Desert Landscaping
Landscape Design Part 2: Tropical and Sub-Tropical Landscaping
Landscape Design Part 3: Rock Gardens

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
http://www.greenservpro.com

Home and Garden, Landscape Design, Landscaping, Uncategorized

Landscape Design on a Professional Level

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Larry

Landscape design mixes several elements. One of the most admired forms of landscape design is the classic Japanese garden.

Types of Landscape Design

This article excerpt from the Balboa Park Japanese Friendship Garden shows the many elements of sound landscape design:

The Japanese Friendship Garden is designed to present an atmosphere of elegant simplicity (shibui) and quiet beauty. Representing a new concept in the development of a Japanese garden outside of Japan, the design is guided by the original principles of the Japanese garden while incorporating elements of the regional landscape and climate. A garden is always in a state of change but the basic elements of trees, shrubs, rocks and water designed in natural balance create a peaceful, harmonious, and transcendental environment conducive to contemplation and meditation.

These are some of its elements

Entrance Plaza:

The Plaza welcomes visitors with its inviting space. It is open to the westerly winds and, symbolically, to Yokohama, San Diego’s sister city.

The Entrance Stone:

To the right of the Entry Gate, the Entrance Stone is inscribed with the kanji symbols of the Garden’s name, San-Kei-En. The Stone was a gift to the Garden from the San Diego-Yokohama Sister City Society.

To read more about the landscape design elements used in the Japanese Friendship Garden, and to see images of the garden, visit their site.

Landscape Design Services Create Your Perfect Garden

Some elements of landscape design are timeless and appropriate for a lot of environments. The simplicity of a Zen garden can work in the serene beauty of Kyoto and the sere desert of Arizona. Some elements however, won’t work in Arizona, particularly plants that require a more temperate or colder climate. When in doubt, contact a professional landscape design company.

Green ServPro is a Prescott, Arizona based landscape design company that has been in business since 2010

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
greenservpro.com

Home and Garden, Lawn, Lawn Care

Time for Lawn Maintenance?

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Larry

So, be honest here. It is time for lawn maintenance?

Looks like its time for lawn maintenance to us…

Green ServPro is a lawn maintenance company serving East Valley Cities like Gilbert, Tempe, Mesa, and Prescott.

Green ServPro LLC
600 W. Ray Rd. Suite B2
Prescott AZ 85225
(928) 356-8167
Lawn Care