by leesonlandsca1 | Jun 4, 2022
When you have a beautiful backyard, spending time outdoors is often preferable to being inside. This can be the case whether you are having a large party or simply want to enjoy an evening with family. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to transform your yard into the perfect entertaining space from making a few smaller additions or planning a complete backyard transformation.
If you simply want to make some quick changes to a different area, the only limitations to your options for entertainment-ready landscaping are time, budget, and imagination. But there are a range of options regardless of how much time and effort you want to commit.
Based on your budget and goals, these solutions can provide your inspiration to upgrade your backyard for this summer’s entertainment :
Backyard Entertainment Upgrades for Every Yard
- Refresh Your Landscape – Reseeding your lawn, sharpening lines between flower beds and turf, and changing out a few plants are easy ways to freshen up your backyard and give it a cleaner and neater appearance.
- Adding New Planters – Adding container plants to the front or backyard or creating a new bed is a simple and low cost way to introduce new plants and shrubs without interrupting existing landscaping.
- Installing a Garden Path – A pathway paver pathway is an easy option to open up your yard and take advantage of all the available space.
- Add Decorative Elements – Water features, statuary, and rocks make an attractive addition to your landscape without any additional maintenance.
- Add Landscaping Lighting – For nighttime entertaining, patio lights, pathway lights, and stair lights will make for a comfortable yard in the evening and are a must for safety.
- Plant New Trees – As trees grow, they will provide wonderful shade and privacy for your backyard for work.
- Set Up Game Areas – Designate a space for games like bocce ball or cornhole with an area of turfgrass or pea gravel.
- Build Entertaining Areas – A new patio, firepit, or pergola is the perfect place for guests to sit. If you want to truly embrace outdoor entertaining, an outdoor kitchen area is a valuable investment.
- Redo the Entire Backyard – If you have the budget and are dedicated to an outdoor entertaining space, hire a landscaper to complete a total transformation with new entertaining areas, turf, trees, garden beds, water features, and more.
Even if you are opting for smaller upgrades and not redoing your entire yard, working with a landscaper will provide excellent results. A Baton Rouge landscape contractor can help use your budget more effectively by implementing the changes that will have the most benefits. They can also help you space out your upgrades over time for a cost effective landscaping transformation.
Leeson Landscape offers landscape installation and ongoing maintenance in Baton Rouge that can help you customize your outdoor entertainment area and keep your yard attractive year round so that you are always ready for entertaining. If you are ready to make a change at your home or just want to keep your backyard beautiful this summer, contact Leeson to learn how we can help you.
by leesonlandsca1 | May 31, 2022
Your exterior landscaping is an extension of your home. From the outside, your home and landscaping will always be viewed together, but you will also view your landscaping from indoors and move between the two spaces. For this reason, it is important to also have a landscape that flows seamlessly indoors and out and aligns with your home’s aesthetic.
This aspect of landscaping can be one of the more challenging parts, and one of the main benefits of working with an experienced landscape contractor is that they will naturally take this compatibility between your home’s architecture and interior and exterior spaces into account.
How a Baton Rouge Landscape Contractor Matches a Lanscape to Your Home
In the same way that your home is a combination of form and function – space that matches your style preferences while also providing a comfortable living area – your landscape will need to honor similar form and function to create that seamless transition between indoors and out.
Some of the factors that a landscape contractor will take into account to make this possible are:
- Your Home’s Architecture – A modern home will almost always fit best with a modern landscape remodel. A more historic home may look better with a rustic style garden. But landscaping will also go beyond this and either bring out or contrast with the different elements in your architecture. Matching materials in your landscape that are also present in architecture, such as brick or the colors in stone, will create a cohesive look. You can also contrast the landscape with the architecture. For example, rounded beds, shrubs, and free flowing flowers will soften the sharp lines on your home.
- Extending the Function – The right landscaping can turn your outdoor space into a secondary living area. If your home is set up to entertain, a contractor can open up your backyard for entertainment as well with walkways, patios, seating areas, and eye catching features. If your home is your personal retreat, make your yard idyllic with beautiful greenery and places to relax.
- Frame Your Landscape – While your landscaping will be a key feature of your curb appeal and home’s value, you will also look at it nearly every day even if you are not going outside. A professional landscape contractor can consider the view lines from your home to create a landscape that functions like art and gives you a fantastic view each day.
Leeson Landscape will take all of these factors into account as we plan, while also understanding your own personal preferences and goals. This way, we can create the perfect customized landscape for your home and your family. Learn more about the Baton Rouge landscaping services we offer at Leeson and how we are able to create the perfect outdoor setting.
by leesonlandsca1 | May 27, 2022
There are many reasons to want low maintenance landscaping. Maybe you want to spend less time mowing, hedging, and trimming. You might want a yard that requires less water and is more resistant to changes in weather. Or you need a landscape that looks good year round.
Low maintenance landscaping is often the solution. Depending on what you want to accomplish with a low maintenance landscape, there are a number of upgrades you can make to your landscaping to achieve your goal.
How to Make Your Landscaping More Low Maintenance
Whether you are looking to cut out a few of the more demanding elements in your yard or are planning an entirely new landscape that focuses on easy care, the leading solutions for maintenance free landscaping include:
- Choose Native – Plants that are native to Baton Rouge will naturally grow well in the area, often without the need for much additional water or fertilizer, and positively contribute to your local environment. Yet these plants and trees still offer some beautiful landscaping options. If you are choosing non-native plants, select options that do well in hardiness zone 9 so that they will still thrive in Baton Rouge.
- Select Evergreen – Trees that are evergreen, such as such as southern magnolia, Southern pine, and live oaks, and evergreen shrubs like azaleas, Japanese yew, and Chinese Holly will stay green all year long, reducing the need to plant multiple different flowers and shrubs to avoid a period of your yard looking dead in the winter.
- Choose an Easy Turfgrass – Centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass are two of the easiest turf grasses to grow in Louisiana , requiring low watering and fertilization. You can also go for the no-maintenance option and install artificial grass.
- Plant Larger Plants – Trees or larger shrubs will have as much visual impact as several smaller flowers, but require far less maintenance.
- Incorporate Hardscaping and Non-Organic Features – Rocks, patios, water features, and other decorative elements in your yard require no maintenance but still look great. You can also consider replacing areas of grass with gravel or stone.
- Use Technology – If you have an irrigation system, use a timer and set it for optimal watering so that you did not have to remember that step.
A key feature in a low maintenance landscaping is the effort up front during installation. By laying down barriers, taking time to choose healthy plants in the right varieties, and making sure they are well established, you will experience fewer maintenance problems later on.
Working with Leeson Landscape for landscaping and maintenance in Baton Rouge is also the easiest maintenance- free way to keep your yard beautiful. By relying on our team for landscape planning, you can ensure the installation is well done and will continue to look great for years to come. We can also prioritize xeriscape design and other low maintenance options.
With our ongoing lawn and garden maintenance, you leave all maintenance to our experienced team and simply enjoy a beautiful yard. Get more information about our full range of landscaping and maintenance services by contacting Leeson Landscape.
by leesonlandsca1 | May 23, 2022
Flowers, shrubs, ornamental trees, and herbs growing in containers around your yard are a great way to add visual interest to your landscaping. They add height and also incorporate the decorative containers of your choice.
Regardless of what you are growing, planting in containers is somewhat different than planting in the ground, but with the right preparation steps, you can soon have a beautiful display of vibrant container flowers or manicured shrubs and ornamental plants around your home or business.
How to Grow Plants in Containers
Many of your favorite flowers, shrubs, and vegetables can be grown in a container as well as in the ground. Here in Baton Rouge, containers offer additional benefits for some plants since they give you the ability to more closely control the temperature and environment by keeping plants off the ground or moving smaller containers around, or even indoors during inclement weather.
For any plants that you are planning on growing in a container, use the following steps to ensure healthy growth:
- Select the Right Container – Almost any container can be suitable for plants, although some will be easier. In addition to choosing one that matches the rest of your landscaping and your personal aesthetic, keep in mind that larger containers work better since they hold more soil, water, and nutrients and give your plants more room to spread. Glazed ceramic is a durable outdoor option. Metal is as well, although it does best in shape since otherwise it may get too warm and scorch your plants’ roots. Your container will also need at least one drainage hole on the bottom.
- Fill Your Container – Add a layer of stone or small pebbles to the bottom of your container. This will promote good drainage. Cover this rock layer with a mesh gardening fabric to prevent soil from falling through and then fill the rest of the container with your soil, using the right blend for the specific plants that you are growing.
- Hydrate the So- Because you will be using potting soil rather than ground soil, the dirt will most likely be dry and potentially hydrophobic, meaning it will not absorb water. To rehydrate the soil before you put your plants in, add water to the container and then give it time to soak into the soil. When the soil is noticeably moist when you handle it, you are ready for planting.
- Consider Your Placement – Containers are more susceptible to temperature changes and ambient conditions because they are off the ground. A rise in temperature or direct sunlight will quickly heat up your container, making it more likely to dry out and overheat. The benefit of a container is that you can place it in the optimal position for the plants who will be growing, whether they need full sun, partial sun, or mostly shade.
- Grow Your Plants – Add your plants to your container and let them start to grow, using the right fertilization and watering for the type of plants you have. Especially in the beginning, monitor carefully until you get a feeling for it how quickly your soil dries out. You can test by sticking your finger 2 inches into the soil to determine if it is still moist or needs more water.
If you have container plants or want to add some to your landscape, Leeson Landscape is a Baton Rouge landscaping and maintenance company that can keep your existing container plants thriving and help make beautiful container gardens part of your next landscaping project. Call us to get started.
by leesonlandsca1 | May 19, 2022
Pavers are the ultimate solution for pathways and patios at many properties. With so many different paver options to choose from, cement pavers, flagstones, and brick pavers, and all the different shapes and textures these offer, will fit the style of every landscaping.
You can further customize your paver path by choosing what goes in between them. Cement is an option for a permanent look. Decomposed granite or another small stone has also long been a popular choice for keeping pavers in place and preventing weeds and other unwanted debris from collecting between them. But if your pavers have a few inches of space in between them, this is also a great opportunity to add more greenery to your landscape.
Plants that Will Grow Well in Paver Walkways
The right plants growing among your paving stones or your paver patio will make the pavers blend more seamlessly into the landscape. The flagstones will start to look like a part of the natural setting rather than something that cuts through it. Like cement or gravel, healthy plants will also prevent weeds from sprouting instead.
But it is important to choose the right types of plants. You still need your walkway to be accessible and should avoid any plants that grow tall and would require people to step over them. Plants also should not grow to cover a paver since this can become a tripping risk. Plants that develop strong root systems could also affect the walkability of your pathway by pushing pavers out of place.
The other consideration is maintenance. Since paver patios and pathways can be expansive, you will likely want plants that require limited upkeep. This leaves many ground cover plans as the perfect options for planting between pavers including:
- Turf Grass – If your pathway runs through your lawn or your patio sits adjacent to grass, an easy and attractive solution is to let the grass grow in the space around the pavers. This will let your pavers seamlessly mesh with your lawn and allows for simple maintenance since you can rely on your existing irrigation system and mowing to keep grass maintained.
- Moss – Moss will give your landscaping a more lush feel and it is generally slow growing so maintenance needs are limited. Year round moisture is a must and moss will struggle in areas of full sun.
- Creeping Thyme – This herb will provide wiry and thick ground cover between pavers. Be sure to choose creeping thyme since it grows outward not up, and watch to be sure that it is not starting to grow over the pavers themselves
- Clover – One of the easier growing plants, clover will give you a soft and grassy texture between pavers with a little more definition than standard turf.
- Blue Star Creeper – For flowers between pavers, blue star creeper is the ideal option, offering delicate, pale blue blossoms with bright green leaves. It is highly resilient and does well in a shady environment.
Paver plants will need at least a few inches between stones in order to establish their roots and have enough room to grow. Some plants may need a little more space than others.
When choosing which to plant, you also need to be sure you have the right conditions in terms of shade, water, and soil type to help your plants become established. As landscaping and garden care experts in Baton Rouge, Leeson Landscape can create the perfect backyard for local homeowners, combining natural elements with your hardscaping. Get more information on our landscaping services when you contact our team.
