SUMMER LANDSCAPE TIPS

With the 100 degree weather approaching this weekend, we want to make sure you understand that landscape projects can still continue but proceeding with caution.  Most people think that the planting season will end once the weather is consistently this hot.  That is not true.  That being said, there are a few things that you can plan for to make year round gardening successful.

Irrigation is going to be the number one factor.  Weather you have an existing landscape or a brand new landscape, watering properly will be the key to having a thriving garden in the hot months.  Please visit the Texas A&M Extension link for proper watering tips http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/lawn_garden/landscape.html. 

As a subtitle in the irrigation heading are a few suggestions to help conserve some water during the heat of the season.  Installing some rain barrels will help.  They can hold a great amount of water and be stored to use to water the garden.  You can buy these in many styles and sizes.  Also, you can ask your irrigation professional on converting your existing irrigation system over to an automatic drip system that will be all subterranean.  This will eliminate spray evaporation and get the water directly to the root system of the plant.

Irrigation is the most obvious choice but we can also choose some drought tolerant plants that won't require much more watering than usual.  Some choices here in the North Texas landscape are yucca, sage, wax myrtle, vitex, sumac, natal plum and a variety of ornamental grasses.  You will need to water plants initially to get them rooted and once rooted, they will require minimal watering.

Lastly, we do not recommend using rock in the landscape beds in Texas.  Yes, I'm mainly speaking to our friends from the North.  This is a common look in the Northern and Eastern part of the country, but in Texas it is not widely used for a good reason.  Rock in the beds on an extremely hot day have the possibility of burning surface roots of some of the plants.  This will cause immediate stress to the plant and cause it to die.  Also, that rock will radiate the heat and make your house around that area even hotter and your air conditioner system will work overtime to cool off the inside.  The last reason is that you definitely want the mulch to hold precious water around the plants so you don't have to water as much.

We can all enjoy gardening, even in the hot months, we just need to be smart about it.  Please visit us at www.absoluteoutdoorspaces.com or contact us at 817-600-0201 for any questions or to have us come out for a consultation.

PARTY TIME IN THE BACKYARD!!!!!!

Here at Absolute Outdoor Spaces, we specialize in assisting you design your ultimate party backyard.  Entertaining is huge in North Texas, as everywhere else.  Everyone loves to have friends and family over for a great time.  Why not have your space set up for the ultimate in outdoor entertaining.

One of the biggest trends in the last decade for entertaining is the outdoor kitchen.  This will bring everyone together in the back yard and allow the chef to enjoy the action along with his/her guests.  We can design a kitchen to fit your needs and budget.  We can also go all out with building in almost anything imaginable from a gas or charcoal grill, sideburners, wok burners, refrigerators, kegarators, and sink to even an outdoor stereo system in the actual kitchen structure.  Possibilities are endless.  Structures can be all kinds of stone, brick or even stucco.  Countertop materials range from stone slabs, flagstone, granite and tile.

Outdoor kitchens aren't the only aspect of a great outdoor living space.  How about a flagstone, stamped concrete or brick paver patio?  We can even design a great fireplace or fire pit, water feature and stone seatwalls.  Top off your look with some well thought out landscaping and beautiful, decorative pot arrangements and your patio space will be complete.

Take a look at our website and let us know what we can do for you and your yard http://www.absoluteoutdoorspaces.com/

Top Landscape Plant Choice in North Texas:

As I work on my landscape designs and drive around Keller, Southlake, Grapevine, Ft. Worth and all great North Texas cities, I am pleasantly noticing the use of one of the greatest plants that can be installed in the landscape garden:  the knockout rose.  This is such a fantastic choice for the professional and amateur landscape gardens.  They are also an incredible accent to any outdoor living space.

Knockout roses are very easy to grow and are extremely low in maintenance.  It's almost one of those plants that you install and leave alone.  It is very cold temperature hardy and extremely disease resistant which is nice because some of the other rose species will require constant chemical spraying.  They can be used as a stand alone specimen, in a cluster planting situation or a shrub row.  The blooms will be constantly blooming through a majority of the growing season which definately provides the wow factor in the garden.  Most people are unaware of the fact that they also come in many other colors such as red, apricot, pink and yellow. 

I try to use knockout roses as much as possible when doing my landscape designs.  Please visit us at http://www.absoluteoutdoorspaces.com/ and inquire about a consultation to go over your landscape plans so we can install some beautiful knockout roses in your garden.  If you need further information about knockout roses, please visit the website for the American Rose Society at http://www.ars.org/. 

Happy Gardening!

Jim Shimala
http://www.absoluteoutdoorspaces.com/

Landscape Step #2 "Choosing a Contractor"

Now that you have your design tweeked to your liking and you have decided that the design in your hand is what you want your yard to look like, it is time to choose a contractor to transform your vision into reality.  Unless you have gone with an independant architectural firm, most landscape companies will offer design and build services.  Here are a few things to look for in a contractor.

1.  The basics:  references, insurance, experience.  ( I can write several paragraphs on each of these but I think you know what to do here.)

2.  In my opinion, the most important thing in choosing someone to do your work is how comforatable are you with this person.  Keep in mind, you are trusting this individual to construct a very big and important investment on your home.  If you think that you will not work well with that person, you may want to move on to the next choice, no matter how nice the design is.  The reason that I say "person" is that sure, you will choose a landscape company to do this work, but the project manager is the person who is responsible for the finished outcome.  If you are going to get a salesman, who passes it off to the project manager, who passes it off to the foreman, you are really having to deal with too many people.

3.  You need someone with the skills to adapt.  A design on paper can be different once it is transferred over to the jobsite.  Sometimes things just look better when you have the ability to tweek the plan and add/subtract from the plan to make the finished outcome even better.  I have been constructing landscapes for 20 years and can count on one hand where a landscape project came out EXACTLY per plan. The ability to adapt and suggest is very important in a successful outcome.

4.  Experience is Gold!  If you choose someone who has the experience in all apects of this industry and you are comforatable with them, you can't go wrong.  Now of days, we do not just install beds.  We are getting pools, patios, kitchens, fireplaces and so on and so forth.  Hiring someone who is knowledgeable and experienced, not only in landscape, but in construction as well is a must for a project with a significant amount of hardscape.  This is very important as most landscape companies subcontract out a very high percentage of their work.  Knowing how to work with subs and organize these projects will be the difference in obtaining your vision.

I hope that these small tips will help as we have gotten into the beginning of a great growing season.  Feel free to contact me at absoluteoutdoorspaces@gmail.com if you have any further questions. 

Until Next Time,

Jim Shimala
Absolute Outdoor Spaces
http://www.absoluteoutdoorspaces.com/

Landscape Step #1: Landscape Design

Now that the weather is beginning to cooperate and you have that "itch" to start on your landscape project for this year, consider your plan of attack on how you want your project to turn out.  The best way to do this is to gather your thoughts, magazine cut outs, plant tags and pick up the phone and make a few phone calls to hire someone to help design your project. 

Hiring someone to design your project can be a little confusing.  There are quite a few qualified designers and architects to choose from.  The bottom line is:  Hire someone who is knowledgeable in landscape and hardscape, who is in your comfort zone because you want to work with this person throughout the entire construction process, and someone who will actually listen to your needs and wants.  That is the most important.  You are hiring a professional in this industry but sometimes designers want to push their ideas on you without listening to your needs.  The designers job is to listen to your needs and wants and incorporate that, along with their expertise into the first draft of your design. 

Here in Keller, Texas nature has seemed to come alive almost over night.  As I drive around North Tarrant County I can see people shopping for plants, mulch, and garden art.  Everyone is so excited to cast aside the gloom and doom of Winter and get outside and enjoy the weather.  Visit us as http://www.absoluteoutdoorspaces.com/ and inquire about your Landscape Step #1.  We are excited to help you in all of your landscape needs.