House Landscaping

June 19, 2018
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Landscaping Borders Around

In this video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shares three methods for laying out perfectly level lines.

Steps:
1. Push wire ground flags into the lawn to mark the four corners of the building project.
2. Pound wooden grade stakes into the ground about 2 feet away from each ground flag.
3. Tie a nylon line to one corner stake, then stretch the line to the next stake.
4. Have a helper hang a line level onto the middle of the string.
5. Raise or lower the string until it's perfectly level. Tie off the string to the second stake.
6. To determine the slope of the grade, measure the distance from the level string down to the ground in three places: at each stake and in the middle of the string.
7. Add red food dye to a jug of water, then siphon the colored water into a length of clear plastic tubing.
8. Once the water flows from the opposite end of the tubing, let it drain for about 30 seconds to clear out any air bubbles.
9. Have a helper hold one end of the tubing against one stake. Take the opposite end of the tubing and hold it against the second stake.
10. Raise or lower your end of the tubing until the water level at the first stake is even with the desired height, then mark the water level at your end onto the second stake.
11. Without moving the water level from the first stake, carry your end to each of the remaining stakes. Repeat Step 10 to mark level lines onto the stakes.
12. Mount a laser level to a tripod and set it up in the middle of the four corner stakes.
13. Attach a receiver to a transit rod.
14. Stand the transit rod at a corner stake, then raise or lower the receiver until it emits a steady, audible beeping sound, indicating that it's level with the laser level.
15. Mark the bottom end of the transit rod on the stake, and repeat to mark the remaining ground stakes.

Source: www.thisoldhouse.com



Landscaping Tips

Though your home is your castle, there is no necessity to surround it with a moat. Here are 5 tips that will help you to make your landscaping feel more warm, welcoming and cozy.

1. Put some flowers nearby your entrance. Flowers make any area look more welcoming and attractive, so greeting your guests with Petunia, Snapdragon, Lily-of-the-Nile or some other garden flowers is always a great thing to do. What is more, to add some space between your house and the entrance, you can consider adding a little white fence. It will create an illusion that your front yard is bigger than it actually is. What is more, adding fence will create a great space for planting flowers to add some color and coziness.

2. Add rambling vines to make your yard look absolutely lovely. You can not deny that rambling vines always create romantic and even magical atmosphere. So why not to use this tip while decorating your yard?

3. To hide the unattractive driveway, consider adding some color, texture, and height. You can easily do it by adding various sorts of flowers. To start, create an island of green lawn right in the hub of a drive. Then add a couple of low boxwood hedges with flowers toward the back of your island.

4. If you want your yard to blossom and flourish bust still do not have enough time to maintain it, consider planting low-fuss lilies. Such flowers look absolutely gorgeous and come in the variety of rainbow hues, so you can pick the one you love most. What is more, low-fuss lilies do not care about the sort of soil, they love the sun and welcome hot, they do not afraid of drought. In other words, Crinums is an ideal flower for all those who are looking for low-maintenance solutions.

5. The last tip also touches the low-maintenance aspect. To make your life easier, group plantings into beds and islands. This will help you to avoid mowing and trimming around each individual plant, save a lot of time and even money.

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