One of the most attractive forms of home improvement is aquatic landscaping, which can be done with plants and also with fish, stone, bridges, and all sorts of interesting features.

The first consideration when planning an aquatic landscaping project will be weather and location. For instance, if you live in an arid region, you need to think about how to keep your aquatic plants and the feature itself irrigated with clean, abundant water. However if you live in a cold northern zone, where freezing temperatures may last half the year or more, you might want to reconsider the idea of trying to incorporate aquatic landscaping out of doors, where it will result in a block of landscape ice. A better idea might be to move the aquatic feature indoors, where you can have a fountain, a waterfall, plants, and whatever else your space and budget allows.

Usually aquatic landscaping requires at least some time each year for cleaning and maintenance, and this should be scheduled so that it is done in a way that is prudent without interfering with your enjoyment of the area. You may need to spend one day a year cleaning and replanting, or servicing the water pump and filter, and this should be done between seasons. For example, you may want to wait until all the leaves have fallen before attempting to clean out your pond so that it can rest for the winter, otherwise you might have to repeat the chore each time the wind blows a few more leaves your way.

If you have fish as part of your aquatic landscaping, you will have to ensure that they stay healthy and happy, and this means that you have to monitor the quality of the water very carefully. Chlorinated water, water with too much or too little oxygen, or water that has the wrong acidic PH balance can harm your fish. And you must also ensure that the temperature is appropriate for the type of fish you introduce to your pond, while looking out for other random factors such as the neighbor’s cat or your fish-eating dogs.

One of the most common and sometimes costly mistakes that is made when creating a new landscape is not paying attention to or having a drainage plan.

Through the desire to create an aesthetically beautiful property the homeowner may inadvertently forget that water comes from numerous sources.  Rainwater not only wets the property directly, but indirectly as well. 

Rain falling on the roof of a home, generally collects in rain gutters and then is directed to down pipes.  The down pipes then send the water through a spout to the lawn or driveway.  If the landscaping has not been designed to direct the water away from home foundations, sever basement flooding and wall damage may occur.

Many properties have lot line grading, which allows for the flow of excess rainwater to be channeled between homes to roadways that have storm sewers others may have their backyards graded to allow for water to flow to the far end of the backyard and then be directed to a storm sewer. Inadvertently changing the grading, even by a few inches can channel the water in a different direction, such as your basement or worse, your neighbors.

If you are re-grading your property as part of your landscape project I would highly recommend the use of a laser level. Place the laser level at the corners of the buildings on your property and point them towards the direction of the drainage. If you discover objects, such as mounds of earth, planters, steps or walkways that are higher than the position of the laser level on the property you can do one of two things. Lower the level of the obstruction or make sure that there is an adequate drainage path around the obstruction.

The same problem exists for raised flower and vegetable beds. Water must drain naturally from these beds in order to avoid water collecting just below the surface of the ground and rotting the roots of the plants. Gravel bases should always be placed at the bottom of any earth mound to give the water a place to drain. Water relief channels should always be provided in retaining walls to avoid water collection that can cause walls to lean and if they are made of lumber the water will cause the lumber to rot. Excess ground water can also cause walkways to lift.

As with any landscaping project, proper planning is the key to success.

Have you ever wondered how much it would cost to install a beautiful in-ground pool in your backyard? Then once you have the pool, what would be your on-going costs to keep it maintained?

This article will discuss, and show, the true costs associated with building and maintaining an in-ground pool. Due to the many details being discussed, the article is divided up into 4 parts. Part 1 is below.

The other 3 parts can be found at the web address given below. If you would like to know what would be your cost, per month, to own and maintain a pool, please read this very informative article to its end. GENERAL POOL COSTS The cost of installing a new in-ground swimming pool is going to vary widely. You could have a decent size pool installed for as little as $10-12,000, or one that could reach towards 6 figures and upwards, depending on whether you want a gold-plated pool or not. Actually, I don’t think gold-plated pools exist but you get the idea about the expense. We obviously we will focus on the lower end.

TYPES OF POOLS Now on to the details, the first factor that will determine pool cost is the type of pool. Your choice will probably fall into one of the three following types: 1.) steel-walled, vinyl lined pool 2.) fiberglass pool 3.) cement (or unite) pool.

OTHER POOL FACTORS TO CONSIDER The second factor is the size and shape. It should be obvious that the larger pools are going to cost more, but fancy shapes will also be expensive. You could potentially get an 18 ft x 36 ft rectangle for a cost similar to that of a 16 ft x 32 ft kidney shaped pool.

You get the idea. From here on, we’ll deal exclusively with the cost of a vinyl lined pool, but please keep in mind, that fiberglass and gunite pools should be competitively priced depending on where you live. In fact, in some markets, there are so many pool builders that the gunite pools are cheaper than the vinyl ones.

Furthermore, some environments require a gunite pool. If all this is true, then why are we talking about a vinyl pool? Well, simply because the company I worked for only installed vinyl pools, and the pool that was installed at my home is a vinyl pool. I think we’ll all be better off if I go with what I know best.

THE MAJOR COST OF POOL INSTALLATION The first thing to remember is that one of the major costs of building a pool is labor. In fact, I heard once that materials for gunite pools are actually cheaper than vinyl-lined pools because the only material is basically cement mixture, rebar and piping. But this type of pool is quite labor intensive. On the other hand, the kit for a vinyl pool includes things that cost a bit more, like the steel walls, framing, steps and the vinyl liner, but many pool builders prefer to install these vinyl pools because they are much quicker and easier to install.

Continue – http://www.keepyourpoolclean.com/Cost_Pool_2.html

A well-designed landscape will: Slash your summer and winter energy expenses radically Protect your home from winter wind and summer sun Lessen consumption of water, pesticides, and fuel for landscaping and lawn maintenance Help control noise and air pollution Tree Power Landscaping should do more than just look good. When buying a tree, make sure you know how big it will be when fully grown. Since evergreens tend to get very tall, don’t put them under power lines.

Your local nursery should be able to help you with more energy-saving landscape tips. Landscaping may be the best long-term investment for reducing home heating and cooling costs, believe it or not. The US Department of Energy estimates that the proper placement of as few as three trees can save the average household between $100 and $250 annually in energy costs.

There are three major factors in landscaping for energy efficiency: your house’s orientation to the sun, the amount of shade you’ll need, and the strength and direction of wind around your home. Planting trees can save not just you, but the entire United States of America money. According to a report prepared by the National Academy of Sciences, urban America has 100 million potential tree spaces, the use of which could result in savings of $3.5 billion per year.

Studies by the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory found summer daytime temperatures to be 3° to 6°F cooler in tree-shaded neighborhoods than in treeless ones. Landscaping for Less Landscaping doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars. Here are some ways to rein in your budget: Do it yourself. Be patient. Buy gravel, topsoil and potting soil etc. in bulk. Buy at off-peak prices – late summer and fall are the best times to catch clearance sales. Look for bargains. Grow your own plants.

Be environmentally correct. A Little Care Goes A Long Way Motorized lawn mowers, trimmers, chippers/shredders and such should be protected from rain and snow – and hot sun. To help hoses last longer, store them on the shady side of the house and coil them without knots or tangles. Wheelbarrows, buckets and other containers should be stored upside down to keep them dry and clean. Rub a little petroleum jelly, used motor oil or vegetable oil on rakes, shovels and hoes after each use to eliminate rust and keep the edges sharp longer.

Landscaping with Low Maintenance Plants For a lot of people, the prospect of landscaping fills them with anxiety as they consider the hassle connected with taking care of plants and gardens and trees without spending plenty of money to have someone else do it. The first thing these folks should do is to choose plants that need very little maintenance. Search out quality plants adapted to the growing conditions in your area. A visit to the local master gardener will allow you to find out which plants grow best in your area.