Ensuring You Have the Perfect Irrigation System for Your Yard
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Ensuring You Have the Perfect Irrigation System for Your Yard

Irrigation systems, or reticulation, are a significant consideration for sustainable landscaping. When done right by a landscaper, a well-made irrigation system will help you look after your gardens for years to come, reducing the time you spend watering by hours per week.

On the other hand, a poorly installed system can cause problems, including regular leaks and dead areas where the water doesn’t get to. Because of this, it’s extremely important to make sure you plan your irrigation system properly before you install it, otherwise you might end up digging it up and starting again.

What Sort of Irrigation Should I Use?

Generally, we recommend using an automatic irrigation system with a timer that encourages regular watering. This is useful because it ensures your plants and lawns are looked after, even when you completely forget about them.

Usually, it’s a good idea to listen to professional landscaping advice because they can help you plan the perfect irrigation system. Since pipes will have to be run under paths, garden beds and lawns, it’s essential to ensure you do this before the landscaping process has started.

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5 Ways To Make Your Landscaping Wildlife Friendly
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5 Ways To Make Your Landscaping Wildlife Friendly

Many landscape designers love the animal kingdom every bit as much as they love the plant kingdom. For this reason, instead of simply creating their landscape designs and implementing it with no thought for any wildlife, they take care to ensure that their garden becomes a wildlife-friendly environment.

If you are also someone who wants to ensure that any landscaping you carry out makes your garden a welcome haven for all sorts of species, then read on and we will explain to you 5 ways in which you can make this become a reality.

Limit The Use Of Pesticides And Other Chemicals

Whilst we would give this advice to any landscaper in any circumstances, it is even more applicable when you want your garden to become somewhere where wildlife can visit and do so safely. The last thing that will encourage them to do so is harmful and even poisonous chemicals. There are plenty of non-chemical alternative pesticides that you can purchase or make at home yourself, that will do the job just as well.

It might seem somewhat contradictory talking about killing bugs and insects, when they too are part of the animal kingdom, and it is a point worth dwelling on. The answer is that not every creature has your garden’s best interests in mind and instead of it being ravaged so that no other wildlife could benefit from it, better to at least get rid of the unwelcome guests using natural means as opposed to chemical ones.

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What Is Safety Glass And Is It Essential For Glass Fences?
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What Is Safety Glass And Is It Essential For Glass Fences?

With the rise in popularity of things like glass pool fencing and glass barriers, it’s becoming increasingly important to think carefully about the types of glass we’re using to build things. Safety standards surround the use of glass as a building material in Australia, but these aren’t always followed.

However, in the interest of safety, you should always do your best to ensure you’re following the relevant rules regarding pool fencing, especially when dealing with glass pool fencing.

One of the essential Australian standard rules states that only safety glass can be used for building purposes – including for a glass pool fence and balustrade. With this in mind, let’s have a quick look at what safety glass is and why it’s so important to use it:

What is safety glass?

Safety glass is any form made more robust to endure tougher environmental conditions. The laws about what sort of safety glass you can use to build a pool fence vary between states, so it’s essential to read the relevant laws and regulations.

The most common type of safety glass for use in pool fences is toughened (tempered) glass. This glass is solid and can withstand any forces and impacts it could receive during everyday residential life.

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Choosing The Right Sized Limestone Blocks For Your Needs
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Choosing The Right Sized Limestone Blocks For Your Needs

Limestone is fast becoming one of the most popular building materials in Australia, especially in places where limestone is abundant. It is strong, versatile and can be used for a wide range of different things. Limestone blocks are one of the more popular variations of limestone, and they come in various different sizes.

According to Limestone Blocks Perth choosing the right sized limestone blocks for your next project can be hard. Smaller blocks are usually easier to manipulate and install, but they aren’t as strong and they usually cost more. Larger blocks may need machinery to move around and build things with, but once they’re in place they result in extremely strong walls and retainers.

There are a few different things that you should think about when you’re choosing limestone blocks for your next project to make sure that you get the right size. These include:

What Their Purpose Is

If you’re limestone blocks are going to be used to build something like a retaining wall, larger sizes will probably be better. Retaining walls are designed to hold back large amounts of sand or dirt, allowing you to create flat areas for gardens or construction. They need to be strong.

Larger limestone blocks will let you build thicker retaining walls, which will naturally be stronger. They will also have less joins, which are usually the weak points in limestone walls and fences. Note that very large blocks can’t be installed by hand, which means that you may need to consider either hiring a machine or employing a contractor to complete your project for you.

Similarly, you will probably want smaller, thinner blocks for things like fences and paths. If you’re not sure about the best size for your project, simply speak to your local limestone block supplier.

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Top Tips for Choosing Sustainable Materials for Your New Garden
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Top Tips for Choosing Sustainable Materials for Your New Garden

Professional landscape design services as offered by companies such as Landscaping Sydney, is becoming more and more popular than ever in the modern world. People everywhere are employing the services of experienced landscape designers to make their yards and gardens look neat and tidy.

With this rise in professional landscaping comes a rise in concerns about the environment. It is therefore very important to consider environmental sustainability when planning your new yard or garden. One of the best ways to make sure that you have a sustainable garden and yard is to choose sustainable materials. Some landscaping materials are environmentally friendly, but a lot are not. Our top tips for choosing the best sustainable materials for your new garden include:

Avoid plastics:

One of the major environmental problems of the modern world is plastic pollution. Unfortunately, people and countries throughout the world are suffering from the effects of plastic pollution, and the problem is made worse by the ease of use and affordability of plastics.

A lot of landscaping and gardening materials are made from synthetic or plastic materials. If possible, you should avoid these and go for something more environmentally friendly. Plastic can leach chemicals into the environment, and, if you are growing fruit and vegetables, they can eventually make their way into your body. Instead of plastic, try and use things like wood or metal.

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How to Create a Private Outdoor Sanctuary
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How to Create a Private Outdoor Sanctuary

Living in a densely-populated state can have its benefits, but when it comes to landscaping, you can come up against a few barriers. There is no denying that being in the heart of the city means you’re within proximity to all life’s necessities, but being able to see your neighbours and have them see you can be draining. You’re surrounded by people all day at work, so the last thing you want is to see more of them when you get home!

Creating a private outdoor sanctuary can seem like an impossibility, but with expert help from the likes of Landscaping Sydney, or a bit of research, it’s entirely achievable. Here is how to create a private outdoor sanctuary to block out the rest of the world.

Tall Plants                                                                                                                     

Adding plants to your backyard can have all manner of benefits, but the primary one of tall plants is that they are a natural privacy screen. If you enjoy entertaining in your yard, then position tall potted plants strategically around that area. They can provide shelter, shade, and protection from the prying eyes of neighbours. What’s more, when done right, they can look stunning!

Privacy Panels

Privacy panels can take on many forms. You can invest in frosted plexiglass to block off parts of your entertainment area, construct wood lattice to offer at least a bit of protection from your neighbours, or set up a One Shade custom shade sail to protect yourself from the sun while you enjoy your new sanctuary . The sky’s the limit for where you can put them too. Some people prefer to section off a small portion of their yard, while others attach it to low fencing to offer height. There are plenty of options at your disposal so consult the experts to find out which one will work best for you. (more…)

5 Things to Avoid when Designing a Sustainable Yard
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5 Things to Avoid when Designing a Sustainable Yard

Sustainable design and self-sufficient gardening are becoming more and more popular all the time. A lot of modern landscape architects specialise in sustainable garden design, and this is reflected in the ever shifting attitudes about modern landscaping and gardening.

When designing a sustainable outdoor space and garden, there are a few things that you should avoid like the plague. Some of them are very obvious, while others are less so. However, it is important to realise that all of the following things should be avoided if you want to develop a sustainable garden which is both enjoyable and environmentally friendly.

  1. Plants which aren’t suited to your environment:

On of the biggest issues that people face when trying to design sustainable outdoor spaces is the use of plants which aren’t suited to their environment. Unfortunately, many modern garden plants are from places like Europe and the Americas, where it is usually cooler and moister than in Australia. This means that these plants will need a lot of water and fertiliser to survive in Australia’s tough environment, and they will therefore have a large environmental impact.

  1. Plastic and synthetic materials:

Unfortunately, plastic is everywhere in the modern world. Its ease of use, versatility, and affordability make it attractive for a wide range of uses. However, it is also very damaging to the environment. Plastics and other synthetic materials leach chemicals and other toxins into the environment, directly impacting plants and animals. If possible, avoid using plastics in your yard.

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Preparing your Block Before you Lay New Turf
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Preparing your Block Before you Lay New Turf

One of the most popular ways of installing new lawns is to use roll on turf. While you can get your landscaper to do the job or buy the turf from a garden supplies store and do it yourself, a popular choice is to buy it directly from a turf farm and either do it yourself or have a contractor look after it for you..

Before you buy your new turf, you need to prepare your block so that you can lay it immediately. There are a lot of things to do if you are preparing a raw block, so make sure that you allow plenty of time. The three main steps when it comes to preparing an area for new roll on lawn are:

  • Get rid of everything else from the area:
    When it comes to preparing an area to lay lawn, the first thing to do is to remove everything else from the area. If there are existing weeds or lawn in the area, try weed spraying them with a knockdown killer weed spray for at least two weeks before you plan to lay your new lawn.
    Give them a few days, and then get to work with a shovel. Remove all existing plants, including their roots, so that they can’t grow back. Get rid of any big rocks or roots that are in the area, and then use a rake to remove as many small rocks as you can. The cleaner you can get the space, the better your new lawn will look.

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