Tag Archives: garden design Denver

6 Spectacular Raised Bed Design Ideas for Spring

Maybe you live in the city of Denver and don’t have the right land or square footage. Maybe you’ve tried, but something – be it the sun, soil, drainage, etc. – just wasn’t right. No matter what your gardening challenges may be, you don’t have to throw in the towel (or should we say shovel) just yet.

Raised beds are a wonderful ways to achieve thriving plants when the space or soil are not ideal. As Sunset magazine writes, “A raised bed makes gardening easy. Filled with soil mix, they provide the excellent drainage needed to grow picture-perfect vegetables and flowers.”

Raise it with metal. Sheets of corrugated metal can make great siding for raised beds while adding a unique contrast to plants and soil.

Photo via Pinterest

Build one with storage. A wooden raised bed can be custom designed to include storage spaces for gardening tools and soil nutrients. And better yet – the storage space can double as nice garden bench.

Photo via Pinterest

Really raise it. Freestanding raised beds in various heights like these wooden designs are customizable and versatile to add beautiful interest and functionality to gardens and landscapes.

photo via Pinterest

Go geometric. This raised bed design adds symmetry to gardens and landscapes while also offering multiple areas to plant veggies and flowers.

Photo via Pinterest

Make it a multi-masterpiece. A multi-tiered raised bed design provides plenty of space for ambitious gardeners while also having a stunning visual effect.

Photo via Pinterest

Let your imagination play in the dirt, too. This spiral design proves that raised beds can be creatively designed to bring unique shapes and interesting visual effects to gardens and landscapes.

Photo via Pinterest

Have you always dreamed of having a raised bed in your Denver backyard or Colorado landscape? Let the gardening professionals at Lifescape Associates help you raise your garden! Contact us today at (303) 831-8310.

Featured Plant: Russian Hawthorne Tree

For your Colorado landscape to be successful, it’s important to select plants that are as rugged and hearty as our geography. If you’re looking for a tree that does well in our varied climate and high altitude, turn your attention towards the beautiful Russian Hawthorne Tree (Crataegus ambigua).

You don’t have to take our word for it; the Russian Hawthorne was a 2011 Plant Select Winner, chosen for their ability to thrive in the Rocky Mountain region. So what makes them so special?

Image via Plantselect.org

Healthy and Hearty. These trees are resistant to disease, drought tolerant, and weather freezing cold temperatures with nary a quiver. They can live 400+ years!

Four season interest. The Russian Hawthorne is beautiful year round. Their foliage is a vibrant green almost all year and in winter the bark has a gold hue. By spring, they’re covered with sweet white blossom clusters and their red berries in late summer will delight neighborhood birds.

Spring is the best time to plant Russian Hawthornes. Here is a step-by-step planting guide, courtesy of GardenGuides.com. Please contact Lifescape Associates for more ideas on how to boost the population of regional appropriate plants and trees in your Colorado landscaping design.

Light up the Night

Now that spring is officially here, we are going to be spending more time outside. Thanks to daylight savings we have an extra hour of sunlight, but since there will be nice cool nights we’ll want to stay out on our patios, porches and decks a little longer than usual. It is important to properly brighten up your landscape with the right lighting to make it safe and add ambiance to your outdoor living spaces. In the evening hours, take a look around your Denver area home to see what areas need some brightening up.

Here are a few things to look for:

Are there any areas where lighting can enhance the dramatic shapes within the landscape? Like trees, gardens, structures and etc.
Can you see your address clearly?
Can evening guests see the sidewalk and walkways clearly?
Does your outdoor lighting enhance your home’s curb appeal?
Does the amount of outdoor lighting you have make you feel secure in your home?

These are just a few questions you can ask yourself concerning properly lighting your landscape at night. It’s a shame having a beautiful landscape, but only being able to enjoy it during the day. Light up the night at your home and enjoy your landscape no matter what time it is.

If you live in the Denver or Boulder area and need professional help designing and installing the right lighting plan for your landscape, contact Lifescape Associates by calling 303-831-8310.

Get ready for Spring Color in the Landscape

Have you started thinking about what colors you want to see in your landscape this spring season? Now is a great time to start thinking about what seeds to get in preparation for the planting season. Why spring color? There is nothing that perks up your yard more that a healthy dose of vibrant color. From the back garden to flower pots on the front porch, colorful annuals and perennials make all the difference in enhancing our outdoor environments.

Here are a few spring blooms that will inspire you to think about what colors you want to see in your landscape this spring.

Photo Credit: gardenfaerie.blogspot.com

Photo via viwepictures1.info

Photo via plants.schaefergreenhouses.com

Lifescape Associates can design and plant your beautiful spring garden, just give us a call at 303-831-8310.

5 Gardening Tips to get ready for Spring

Is the gardener in you just dying to get outside and go to work? Lifescape Associates understands. Take a look at five things the ALCC says you can start to do now in order to get your garden ready for the spring season.

1. Compost. Even if the ground is snow covered, throw some fresh compost over the garden to let it settle into the soil so come planting time, you can work the soil right.

2. Planting Seeds. Start planting your cool season crops once the ground can be tilled in March and April.

3. Choose your crops. “Carrots, spinach, lettuce, beets, green onions, radishes, pak choi and peas are veggies to plant soon.”

4. Plan what will grow where. A good practice to do every year is rotate your vegetable placement. This is to avoid insects and diseases that can overwinter in the soil and attack specific vegetables.

5. Before you start to plant, rototill or hand till the ground to work in the compost.

What are you looking forward to planting in your garden this year?

Photo via mercurios-jewels.blogspot.com