Hardscape Show
Segment 1: Definition of Hardscape
Today's show is all about hardscape/landscape. This is in response to those who want to bulldoze their back yard and start from scratch. We'll have all sorts of good advice for your outdoor areas including real estate and gardening experts.
Definition: Hardscape, or "hardscaping" consists of the inanimate
elements of landscaping, especially any masonry work or woodwork such
as stone walls, concrete or brick patios, tile paths, wooden decks and
wooden arbors, all of which would be considered part of the hardscape.
But by extension, anything used in landscaping that is not part of the
softscape can be considered a hardscape element, including home accents
such as water fountains and, yes, even pink flamingoes!
Segment 2: Hiring a Landscape Designer
Guest
Dave Bender
Greenscenelandscape.com
Fetch-a-Sketch.com
Landscape.com
Dave Bender, Landscape Designer, agrees more people are living in their outdoor spaces. If done well these areas can raise the value of your home as much as if you added a room. In starting the process Dave first has a consultation, looks over the yard and shows their portfolio. Clients fill out a questionnaire showing how they will use the yard so it can be designed around them. The cost in creating these spaces is 8-10% of the value of the home, plus a pool or spa.
The difference between hardscape and landscaping is that hardscaping includes any permanent structure or improvement to the outdoor environment. Landscape is more inclusive of the softscape (lighting, planting, etc.). Dave has a degree in landscape design so he does his own planting plans. To hire a landscape designer the first step would be to look at designer websites to find one who specializes in the style you are looking for. Make sure your personality bonds well with the designer so you are not at odds through the whole process. Set aside magazine photos of your top 25 styles, as well as some specific plants you may wish to include.
Caller for Christopher and Dave:
I have a huge backyard that is void of any life. A meadow, only
fenced in. Where do I start? I love to entertain and I love to garden.
Rosanna
Lincoln, DE
Try a divided space with a guest house if possible, along with areas for entertaining such as a deck. Rosanna would also like a cutting garden. Check out Dave's website Fetch-A-Sketch.com where you can get some good ideas and print out projects that have already been done.
Segment 3: Creating and Maintaining Koi Ponds
Water can be incorporated in many ways and Dave's company creates pre-fabricated and custom fountains, ponds, pondless waterfalls, medallion spillways, pools and spas. Drip tubes are a good idea to keep the water level up on the basins so that every time the sprinklers come on, the basin can remain full.
Guest
Barbara Johnson
Thefishlady.com
Barbara Johnson was once a casting director but gave it up for her love
of koi fish and koi ponds and now creates them for celebrities and others.
Ponds are like living paintings which create a refreshing, regenerating
and soothing environment. Koi enjoy grapefruit, oranges, broccoli and
spinach as they love to nibble. This will keep them away from your foliage.
Segment 4: Adding Hardscape Value to Your Home
Gerri Leonard, Christopher's business manager and resident real estate expert, believes that outdoor space can make or break a home. Having a place to entertain or a safe place for your kids is very valuable. Mature trees can also add thousands of dollars toward the value of your home. Existing mature landscaping is a definite plus because it is already incorporated into your mortgage payment, whereas if you had to do it yourself after the purchase of home, it would be an out of pocket expense. The costs of planting more mature landscaping (such as fully grown trees) increase the expense if you were to do it yourself.
You are adding value to your home when you spend the money to do it right regarding your outdoor spaces. More people are spending time outside. We are reading the paper outdoors, grilling in outdoor kitchens, swimming and enjoying these outdoor spaces.
Segment 5: Rebecca Kolls on Gardening
Guest
Rebecca Kolls
Rebeccakolls.com
Seasons by Rebecca Magazine
Rebecca Kolls, our gardening expert, has a new line called Garden Elements which are hand picked plants put together in good looking pots so people can still have the fun of putting it in the ground, but don't have to think about coordinating the right plants together. This makes gardening easy and fun. The line is currently available in the Northeast but will be across the country soon.
When making serious investments outdoors, Rebecca suggests you find a focal point. Every home is different and you must have a plan for the style of your home and landscape. If you can't afford a designer, go through magazines and start ripping out photos of landscapes you love. Bring them into a garden center and they will help you replicate them in your own home.
Segment 6: Caller Question for Outdoor Spaces
There is a huge trend toward sanctuary and sequestered gardens as many want a place they can go to simply sit and think, but they can take a lot of upkeep. Bamboo is great but you must keep it contained or it will roam under a freeway and come up on the other side! Use a non-spreading variety of bamboo or plant bamboo in containers. A wall of bamboo can create flowing, soft privacy. Bamboo in a trough can be a wonderful plant for balcony areas which can provide added privacy. You can also add flowers which will wind around the bamboo using it like a trellis. It's an instant garden with privacy!
Caller for Christopher and Rebecca
I have a tri-level home with nothing but about 10 ft. of monkey grass
lining the walkway to the front door. I want some curb appeal, some
color. So what do I need to plant? Please help.
Beverly from Martinez, GA
Beverly would like color and evergreen in that area. Rebecca suggests Italian Cypress would definitely give you height and color which would extend the square and structured lines of your home. Dwarf Conifers are another great idea. If you are looking to do something softer, you could line the whole walkway with Ornamental Weeping Cherry trees which would give you beautiful color in the spring and provide the foliage you are looking for year round. Hibiscus shrubs are another good candidate. Flower beds would be very high maintenance so the former would be a great idea for Beverly.
Segment 7: Tree and Lawn Care
Guest
John Marshall
Scotts Miracle Gro
Scotts.com
John Marshall, tree care and lawn care expert, offers his expertise
about lawns and grass. There are benefits to having a nice, green lawn
for kids to play, for catching pollutants out of the air, producing
oxygen, and it really helps to set off other landscaping around your
home. Sod tends to be more expensive, but it is immediate. The least
expensive option is grass seed but you are looking at 2-6 weeks to get
the type of lawn you would expect. Gophers should be taken care of with
professional exterminators. If anything is in a container you should
select a potting mix that you can refill every year.
The Landscape Lowell Down
- When furnishing theses spaces, learn to be as discriminating about your choices outdoors as you are indoors.
- Recognize that outdoor spaces require maintenance just like your interior rooms. So don't shy away from making them special simply because it might only be for a season. Anything special requires your special attention. So hang those great outdoor curtains and find that special area rug that will pull the whole space together.
- Just like inside your home, less is best. A few oversized pieces versus a lot of little accessories are optimum. Think large scale for maximum drama.
- While nature itself will add the spontaneity to your ever-evolving outdoor spaces, balance it out by being very deliberate with furniture placement, color and accessorizing.
- Just because your dad had a giant lawn that no one could walk on doesn't mean you have to have one, too. If there's a better use of that space, go for it -- you're the boss now.
- Remember that the plants are the stars -- outside. Choose them carefully for height, scale, color and texture. Move them around if they didn't do what you wanted them to. Over time you'll learn.
- Don't forget about the all-important elements of lighting. Come dusk, it's what will keep the magic and romance in the air long after dark.