Landscaping isn't as simple as putting a few plants outside and hoping that they look good.  In all actuality, designing a landscape takes planning and thought before you can execute it.  Landscape design is almost more of an art form rather than just a way to cut grass so when you go to design an area, you need to apporach it as an artist would. Here are some landscape design tips to keep in mind.

• When planning the layout of your yard, keep in mind that at some point you may have to move large equipment in your yard and you dont' want to ruin anything. 
• Start with and maintain whatever focal point it is you choose.  Whether it's a tree, an interesting part of your house, or a certain color plant, make sure the focal point won't change any time soon.
• Don't try to do anything too complicated that you won't be able to maintain.  Symmetry is beautiful, but it's hard to upkeep.
• Curves add a visual interest to your garden, but too many can be overkill.
• Having movement in your garden makes it seem fun and alive. Incorperate tall grass that will blow in the wind or flowers that will attract hummingbirds.

As a student in online landscape design school, do you have any other suggestions?

Summertime means many people are spending a lot of time outdoors.  Even once the sun goes down, the outdoors are still the place to be which is why so many people are looking into constructing their own firepits.  Whether you're working in landscaping careers or updating your own backyard, here is a step by step guide from HGTV to make you lawn dreams a reality.

1. Lay out your pavers in a circle in the approximate size and shape of your fire pit. Fire pits should be about 36 to 44 inches in diameter. Our surrounding patio is made from recycled rubber pavers. We laid the fire pit stones out to the correct dimension then pulled the pavers out of and away from the pit.
2. When you have your circle roughed out, dig a 12-inch-deep hole in that location.
3. Pour sand into the bottom of the hole and tamp the sand level.
4. Begin to lay your wall stones around the perimeter of the hole. Continue stacking the stones so that they are 12 inches above the surrounding ground.
5. Pour a layer of sand into the ring of stones so that it covers the first layer, approximately 4 inches deep.

Would you do this?

Wanting to design the landscape around your home takes time, energy, and money.  Although the results are worth it and the outcome is beautiful, it is a big commitment when you decide to begin landscaping the area around your home. There are landscaping ideas for those who don't have all of the money in the world.  Here are some ways you can make your yard lovely while saving some green.

• Have a vision of what you want your yard to look like at the end of the process.  Be realistic and remember that saving cash is key.  Once you have this in mind, start planning everything (from tools to flowerbeds) you'll need to make this garden goal a reality.  Figure out not only what tools you'll need, but also how much it will all cost so you can budget accordingly.  Skip the impulse purchases during this project.

• If you can't afford someone in landscape careers to do the project for you, see if you can afford a consultation.  They will help you to know what types of plants and flowers best work for your lawn and for your lifestyle. The landscape designer can also tell you if your vision for your yard is feasible.

• Some plants require very little care outside of what mother nature provides.  If you have a busy lifestyle, those plants may be best for you.  Perennials come back year after year so you will get the most for your money with these.  In short, choose the plants you want that will best work for you.

• If you're confident you can do the job well, then by all means attempt it yourself.  If you're less confident in your abilities, you may want to consider hiring a professional.  This will save money and time in the long run.  Although it costs more to hire someone to create a pathway for you now, it will end up saving you if you pay for the materials yourself and end up paying a professional later on if yours isn't right.

What other money saving tips do you have?

When you live somewhere, you want the opportunity to decorate your space and make it your own.  It's natural to want to make the most out of the interior and exterior of your home, but it caused one condo dweller a whole host of problems when she decided to landscape her home.  It wasn't much - just a few flowers - but her garden cost her a lot more when the owners sued her for $5,800 in regards to the plants and another $8,000 in attorney fees.

Kimberly isn't backing down though.  She claims she got permission and the flowers were uprooted from her mothers garden after her mother passed away.  According to ABC news, the fines started at "$25 a day for 30 days. Then on Nov. 23, the fine increased to $50 a day through Feb. 3, according to a memorandum signed by the association president."

What do you think?

When you're starting your own landscaping business, it can seem a little daunting.  How do you find customers?  Where do you start?  Thankfully there are ways to market your landscaping business in a easy and beneficial way.  eHow shares some ways you can make your business work for you. 

Postcards

• Design a postcard with quality images of well-maintained landscapes. Add testimonials and a special or discount for new customers.
• Purchase a mailing list of single-family homeowners in your market area. Direct mail lets you place information about your landscape business in the hands of every prospect in your market area.
• Mail the first round of postcards early in the season. For best returns, mail the postcards on Fridays. They arrive by Monday or Tuesday. Repeated mailings bring success over time.

Existing Customers

• Offer new or one-time services to existing customers. Use face-to-face or telephone marketing to help find new projects.
• Submit a proposal for an additional service such as landscape lighting, small excavation projects such as driveway maintenance, snow blowing, tree removal or pond and waterfall construction projects or whatever other service you perform well.
• Say thank you to loyal customers during the holidays by giving a small potted plant or other green gift.

Internet

• Create a website that features your services, testimonials, how-to information and photographic or video examples of your work.
• Optimize your website with a special focus on reaching homeowners within 25 miles of your business headquarters. This way, you are close enough to be competitive when you get opportunities for bids.
• Include contact information for prospects to reach you by phone and email, for instance. Make sure someone is following up in a timely manner with all prospects generated online

Signage

• Design and have printed big, bold signs to post in yards of recent landscape projects, at every intersection nearby and at the subdivision entrance. Field the prospects' calls and win new business.
• Include your phone number and website on the sign. But keep the sign simple. Offer a single, popular service that helps you get a foot in the door.
• Offer additional services once you have established a relationship with the new customer.

Door to Door

• Meet your clients face to face to get to know them.
  
• Talk to them about what could be done in their lawn specifically.
  
• Talk to their neighbors and see if you ban offer the neighboorhood a deal if they all sign up together.
  

Would you do these?

Often times when you're landscaping, you want to decorate the whole yard, and not just with plants and shrubs. There are other aspects that go into landscaping a yard besids just the living plants.  For example, laying pathways are a great way to invite guests to explore the whole area.  They can walk on this pathway or just follow it to make sure they see every part of your design.  To make a path, you don't simply lay down some concrete and leave it at that.  Here are some tips to truly create an inviting garden path.

• Flagstone with mortared joints is more formal than the same stone laid on sand. The latter invites a gardener to tuck tiny plants, such as creeping thyme, into cracks. Moss will appear on its own if the pavement is shaded.
• A brick entrance walk done in an old-fashioned basket-weave pattern sets a more relaxed tone than a straightforward running-bond pattern. The former may be more appropriate for a farmhouse or Victorian-style home, while the latter is better suited to contemporary architecture. Find examples of paving partners in landscape design texts that emphasize construction techniques or hardscape. Notice how significantly patterns differ and what effect each one has on the outcome.
• Concrete stamped by using a special decorative pattern (there are several styles to choose from) is more elegant than plain concrete. Tinting the concrete also allows a gardener to match, or contrast, that surface with features around it.
• Brick or flagstone edging makes a plain exposed aggregate walkway more beautiful and formal. Edging also can help indicate elevation changes, such as where steps begin, thus making a walkway safer.
• Old, recycled brick often blends better with natural, more relaxed settings than new paving bricks. Pavers usually are bright in color and stand out from their surroundings.
• Old bricks can be slightly irregular in size, and some may have chipped edges. Fill cracks with tiny plants or moss for an even older look. When selecting old brick, search for the hardest ones you can find. Soft brick, sometimes called house brick, is fired at a lower temperature; it won't wear as well as paving brick when used as a path.
• Informal paths can be paved with stepping stones, gravel, crushed slag, grass, bark chips, pine needles or hard-packed earth.
• The width of a walkway is an important feature. People move more quickly and with greater ease on wide paths than they do on narrow ones. A 5-foot wide walkway allows visitors to comfortably proceed in double file.
• Narrow paths require travelers to slow down, a pace appropriate for strolling. People glance down more frequently along narrow garden paths, especially if the footing is uneven. As a gardener, seize the opportunity to grow small plants and combine them in interesting ways.
• A path that disappears around a corner encourages visitors to explore. The bed that screens the porch from view is the perfect spot for a small tree or specimen plant.
• The shape of a path — curving or straight — is determined by the degree of formality you want. Resist the urge to curve a walk if it feels forced to do it. Curve the beds around it instead for that more relaxed feeling.
• A straight walk through a main garden room offers the chance to highlight a special view. At the end, switch to a narrow curving walk to quickly change the mood and indicate the beginning of a new and separate garden space.

Would you make a path?

Landscaping doesn't have to mean a permanent change.  Sometimes you'll want to dress things up or change things around in the spirit of a holiday.  But you don't only get the opportunity to decorate your lawn for Christmas, Halloween is a great time to let your creativity shine and blend decorations and the landscaping you have already done.  Here are some easy ideas to bring a spooky vibe to your lawn.

• Make a pumpkin totem pole by stacking three (or more) pumpkins on to each other.  Give them faces and personality and your yard quickly has a fun fall feel.
• Make some tombstones and make your own "graveyard" in your yard.  The older and more cracked the headstones look the creepier they'll be.  Make them personal by creating epitaphs for you and your friends.
• String cobwebs from your trees and bushes.  Just don't put them too high because the longer they're up after October 31, the sillier they'll look.
• Scarecrows are more fall than Halloween, but put a spooky twist on this classic and be able to decorate and protect your lawn at the same time.
• Add fog or eerie lighting for a spooky feel.  Stick the fog machine in some bushes or under your porch for added ambiance when the trick-or-treaters come.  As for the lighting, swap your regular light bulbs in your porch lights for yellow ones to cast an eery glow.

What other tips do you have for making your yard Halloween friendly?

Whether doing landscaping as a business or for your own home, often times you will need to prune a tree in order to shape it and get rid of all of the dead parts.  Trees typically need pruning about once a year depending on the type of tree you're working with.  Remember, when pruning a tree safety is key.  You'll be working with sharp tools and falling, heavy limbs so be alert and attentive. 

In order to prune a tree you will need:

• rope saws
• pole pruner and lopper
• folding pruner
• portable buck saws

1. Identify the type of tree you're working with. Some are fast-growing and cut hard, so it will be a while before you need to prune again. Others, like a lot of pines, will only regenerate from live leaves, so you'll have to prune more selectively.

2. If you're going to prune yourself, invest in a pole pruner. It will help you reach high without a ladder and prune branches up to an inch thick. Buy a better grade pole pruner if you plan to do a lot of pruning. Made of forged steel, it will last longer and do heavier work. Tip: When using heavy equipment, particularly chain saws, wear protective goggles and heavy gloves.

3. When pruning, use the "undercut" technique with the chainsaw. Make a small cut on the underside of the branch you're cutting to prevent breaking.

4. Finish by slicing from the corresponding spot on the topside of the branch, making an even cut. You'll have a clean edge all around, which will heal evenly and allow the branch to grow healthily from that spot.

Have you ever pruned a tree?