Landscaping Problems

Landscape Can Drive Home Values

The look of your lawn and garden may be the first and perhaps the most lasting impression people have of your home and property. Landscaping plays an essential role in enhancing its beauty and increasing the value.

Fortunately, homeowners can turn their own landscapes into works of art at an affordable price.

In recent years, many companies have begun to introduce more varieties of bagged rock and mulch. A new line of decorative rock and stone from Vigoro offers landscaping enthusiasts 26 varieties of bagged products in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors.

Decorative landscaping stones and mulches are not only an excellent way to beautify and accent garden beds, ponds, driveways and walkways, they also provide natural benefits to the soil and plants. These benefits include controlling and reducing erosion, retaining moisture, controlling weeds and insulating the soil.

Here are a few tips on choosing and applying mulch:

Choose mulch that is long lasting and not easily washed away.

Pick mulch that has a loose structure to let water pass through quickly.

Apply mulch in late spring. This helps reduce soil temperature and save water.

Apply fine mulches one to two inches deep. Coarse or fluffy mulches should be put on three to four inches deep.

Apply mulch evenly and level it with a rake or your hands.

Wet thoroughly after applying mulch.

Pull mulch a few inches away from plant stems and tree trunks.

To further control weeds and keep plants healthy, there's a new mulch called Vigoro Mulch with Weed Stop. It's the first to contain pre-emergent herbicide, controlling unwanted weeds for up to four months yet allowing bulbs, established flowers, shrubs and trees to thrive. This mulch is certified by the Mulch and Soil Council as only containing natural forest products.

Use wood chips around shrubs, bushes and trees. Wood chips can help the ground around shrubs, bushes, and trees look more attractive. Not only do the chips cover the ground (often looking better than dirt), but they also help keep in moisture, repel weeds, and provide natural food as they break down. Likewise, attractive groundcover like chicks and hens placed around trees and shrubs can make the area more interesting and pleasing to the eye.

Plan your landscape around

different blooming times. Different plants bloom at

various times throughout the year. If all of the plants

in your landscape are at their most attractive all at

the same time, then your yard will look beautiful for a

few weeks each year, but quite possible ugly the rest

of the year. One way to help avoid this is to choose

attractive bushes and shrubs that look good green, but

also have some sort flower. However, it is a good idea

to stagger plants among each other. Plant tulips and

crocus among later-blooming plants so that in early

spring the bulbs bloom, and then when those flowers'

time is up, the next plants will be in bloom. In this

way the cycle of your landscape is in keeping with the

seasons, and looks attractive all year round.