Tag Archives: Landscaping

How to Modify Your Landscaping to Protect Your House from Burglars

How to Modify Your Landscaping to Protect Your House from Burglars

Believe it or not, landscaping can be an important part of a good home security plan. A burglar who is “casing the joint” from the street will choose the house with tall shrubs and trees that provide hiding places. Homes with little or no outdoor lighting are preferred targets as well.
So, how can you landscape to protect against burglars while still creating an aesthetically pleasing yard? Here are a few tips:
You don’t need to eliminate trees, but keep them trimmed back from your house; tree branches can be used as a ladder if they are next to a window or skylight.
Mow your lawn regularly; an unkempt lawn can suggest to a thief that the owners are away on a trip.
Store ladders, lawn chairs, and picnic tables out of sight lest they be used as a means to reach high windows.
Trim back shrubs growing near doors and walkways, keeping them 3 feet or shorter in height. Also, don’t allow shrubs to block any of your windows.
Adding gravel under windows makes for noisy footing for would-be thieves.
Consider planting thorny bushes (of the low growing variety) around windows. Some examples are: Hawthorne, Rose Shrub, and Barberry.
Forgo privacy and keep your trees and shrubs trimmed back in order to allow a clear view of the outside of your house. Having neighbors that can see your doors and windows can help deter thieves even if you happen to be out of town.
Keep your yard well lit. Motion-detecting lights make decent choices; body heat-triggered sensors are even better (less likely to be triggered by a waving branch or a passing animal).
Dogs are not a complete home security plan, but can make good home protectors because they have keener hearing than humans, along with a propensity for barking at strangers. Dogs training can help your dog learn exactly what you want him to do.

Some Considerations in Laying Out a Landscaping Design

Some Considerations in Laying Out a Landscaping Design

Landscaping design may be compared with landscape architecture because the process is similar as well as the rules. While the latter focuses on the structure and the engineering of the project, the former considers those as well plus the artistic look and feel of the project.

But in determining the factors one might consider in pursuing with a plan, both the design and architecture process should take into account the type of soil in the property, the climate or weather that the place is seeming to have, the drainage system and other factors that constitutes for the plants to grow in the area.

Plotting the Project
Everybody, when starting out a landscape project, has an idea in mind. This idea has to be put on paper or on the computer using a designing software. This can only be done after thorough inspection of the place where it is to be implemented. Consider everything first before coming up with the simplest ideas so that minor changes would only be needed as the project push through.

But even if you’re not a professional, designing could be done considering some of the following.

Year-Round Consideration
The four seasons is important to be considered when choosing the materials to be placed in a landscape design. During the spring through the summer, it is good to have flowering trees. Shrubs would also be fine during the said seasons. Fall foliage, on the other hand, is what one should think about first during autumn. And you need an excellent structure in the winter.

To achieve the abovementioned, thorough research is needed about the ornaments that you plan to include when implementing the design.

Incorporating Some Hardscapes
The design is not limited to plants and ornaments, structures like fences, walls, even decks, arbors and patios provide not only beauty but also serve as framing structures for the project.

Water Features
Installing one may look complicated, but with some research or just by asking around, you’ll be surprised to know that this is easy to do. Aside from being pleasing to the eyes, the sounds that will come from such is soothing and will add to a calming effect of your landscape. You may start first with a simple pond and after successfully accomplishing such, you may opt for waterfalls and the likes.

This could even be the highlight of your project. Know the trends regarding water features and choose what best suits your landscape design.

Flower Types
Consider the space for the project before choosing the type of flowers that you’d want to see in it. Match such ornaments according to colors and sizes. But first, you have to know well about the lighting conditions of the place and the type of soil in it so that you’ll never go wrong with the purchase that you’ll eventually make regarding the plants, especially the flowers that you’d want to see as part of the landscape.

Low Maintenance
One should also look into placing elements in the design that would be easy to maintain. What is a very pretty landscape when the owner would always be tired cleaning it up. It is for your own advantage that you should look into this and decide on the materials according to this idea.

Landscaping design is easy once you are prepared with researched information about the place and equipped with the right materials to initiate the project.

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