Monthly Archives: May 2012

Perfect Pergolas

Pergolas are a great garden structure that does not necessarily have to always be in the garden. In fact, pergolas are excellent for shading walkways, passageways, entrances or sitting areas in your landscape. Think about it, is there any area of your landscape that could benefit from building a pergola? Perhaps your favorite reading spot by the garden, or maybe a you would like to cover the kids play area or a picnic table with a pergola. A pergola is basically a type of gazebo that may or may not be an extension of your home.

Take a look at a few pergolas from Lifescape past projects:

Where could you use a pergola in your Denver area landscape?

Is your Outdoor Living Space ready for Entertaining?

Memorial Day is almost here which kick starts the season of barbecuing on the back porch, taking a few cool dips in the pool and inviting over family and friends to enjoy a day outdoors with food, fun, and laughter. So is your outdoor living space ready for all of these activities?

The best time to have an outdoor space renovated is during the colder months so that they can be ready by the time summer comes around, however, it is really never too late. Depending on what you would like in your outdoor space and the size of the project, it may not take long, and you could enjoy it by the end of the summer. But for those larger projects like pools, courtyards, outdoor kitchens and such, you want to allow as much time as possible.

One great thing about having a project done during the summer, you can be off traveling with the family and not have to worry about seeing and hearing all the work being done, just make sure that you are available to your landscape contractor when decisions need to be made.

If you live in the Denver or Boulder area and need to get your outdoor living space ready for entertaining, contact a landscape designer at Lifescape for more information. 303-831-8310

A Healthy Garden for a Healthy Lifestyle

Many people are choosing to grow their own vegetables and fruits today. There are plenty who enjoy gardening as a hobby, but now more people are making the choice in order to help supplement a healthy or organic lifestyle. Depending on what foods you like to eat, that is one of the first steps to figuring out what you want to plant in your edible garden. Here are a few examples.

Love making Italian dishes? Basil and tomato plants are well suited to be companion plants, whether in the garden or in your pasta sauce.
Need a fresh batch of salsa for your Mexican dishes? You can plant a salsa garden which consists of cilantro, tomatoes, chives, green onions and tomatillos, great for a South-of the border themed container garden.
Are you a tea drinker? Tea planters are wonderful. You can fill yours up with tasty mint–like chocolate, orange and peppermint–and sweeten the mix with a Stevia plant.

What type of garden do you want to grow in your Denver area landscape?

Source: alcc.com, Photo Credit: coloradovegetablegarden.com

Planting Edibles and Growables Together

Now is the time to start planting those annual flowers, tender veggies, perennial herbs and berries. Plus, those beautiful flowering perennial plants that bring the landscape alive with color and texture. Early May is the perfect time to fill your garden with color and flavor!

A new trend in the garden is to mix the edibles with the growables. Here’s a great example from the ALCC.com, by interspersing parsley and broccoli, for example, among perennial plants and the annual flowers you’ll be planting soon adds new interest in the garden.

It is also a great idea to compare edibles with companion plants because the right combo can help deter unwanted pests.

Here are a few suggestions of what perennial edibles and hardy vegetables to plant in early May:

Starter plants of lettuce (if you haven’t planted seed), broccoli, cabbage, kale and onions.
Perennial herbs like oregano, thyme, lavender and sage.
Fruits: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and fruit trees.

Are you ready to start planting this week?

Source and Image: ALCC.com

The Top Outdoor Living Trends for 2012

Americans are still very in love with their back yards, shows a recent survey conducted by the American Society of Landscape Architects. According to the 2012 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends survey, Americans are showing a preference for an undemanding outdoor space that is great for lots of entertaining.

The survey was rated by landscape architects across the country who specialize in residential design. The residential outdoor design elements that rated the highest percentages were gardens and landscape spaces with 94.9 percent rating , low-maintenance landscapes (96.6 percent), fireplaces/fire pits (95.8 percent), and outdoor livings spaces at 91.5 percent.

“The economic recovery continues to struggle, but residential design has remained stronger than other categories throughout the recession,” said ASLA Executive Vice President and CEO Nancy Somerville, Hon. ASLA

Americans are also still loving pools(79.2 percent), spas (80.4 percent) and ther decorative water elements (89.9 percent), like waterfalls or bubblers.

For more information on this recent survey, visit www.asla.org. Are you ready to improve and enhance your Denver home’s outdoor environment? Contact a landscape designer at Lifescape for more information. 303-831-8310