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Taking a drive around town will reveal yards that look the same. Sure some may have beautifully manicured lawns and others may not but the overall look is the same, green grass, trees and flowers. If you’re longing to make your yard stand out from the acres of sameness adding some decorative rocks and stones will do the trick.

The addition of landscaping rocks will give your yard a style and character that most homeowners would love to have but don’t know where to start. The first step to adding some personality to your landscaping is to remove some of the grass. If you aren’t using your front lawn there’s no point in maintaining it and this will make your landscape unique.

Use a shovel or if you have access to one, use a tiller to break up the ground. Pull the rocks out of your way –these are not the kind of rocks we’ll be using for this landscaping project ?

While you’re digging, decide whether or not you have the proper drainage for your plants and flowers, if not, now would be a good time to add the appropriate irrigation system.

One addition that you can add to your front yard landscaping is to add a walkway. Having your guests use the driveway or worse, the grass, to get to your door is not the effect you’re after so think about adding a walkway. This addition will keep guests from tracking in dirt and other debris in to your home too.

One popular effect for a stone walkway is to stagger rocks all along the walk to your door. Make certain that when you do the final install your rocks are secure and they don’t move when they are walked on. To keep the rocks in place remove four to five inches of soil beneath each rock that you lay. Add a thin layer of gravel beneath the stone. This will keep your rocks and stones in place to ensure safety and stability.

When planning the walkway try to add interest by adding curves to your design. This will give your work a more distinctive yet informal look. Add smaller trees and shrubs top provide structure for your new walkway. And add some color with some easy to care for perennials. Perennials work well with a rock landscape because they are easy to care for yet they add beauty and color to the project.

Once the main plantings are in, you can start to add some smaller greens and flowers. You can add some greens in between the rocks in your walkway to fill in the gaps. Some people suggest that instead of using mulch to maintain the manicured look use river rock between the flowers. Both would work well it’s just a matter of taste and budget.

Now for the finishing touch –add some climbing vines that will wrap up and around your railing and front porch. Hanging plants can be hung from the roof of you porch or you can create a trellis for the vines and the planters. This will give it the finished look of a Tuscan garden. Decorative rocks are the final touch for this easy to do project and you’ll have a front yard that neighbors will envy for years.

There are many reasons why you should incorporate landscaping stones into your landscaping design. The main one however is for beauty, pure esthetic beauty. For a landscaping design to look perfect it needs to have layer and this can be a hard thing to achieve without the use of landscaping stones.

landscaping stones are not the only way to give your yard depth but they are the easiest way. You could try to change the slop of your yard. You could dig lower sports and build up higher ones but this could take forever and you would have to know a lot about landscaping to try to tackle a job like that. Just think of the trouble you could get into with the drainage issues if you were to make a mistake! No, it is far easier to simply use landscaping stones to bring some depth to your yard.

You can use landscaping stones to accent certain portions of your yard, you can even plant some plants in these landscaping stones. They look great round the patio and the fence and you can even get colored landscaping stones to bring more color into your yard. This kind of color is especially nice to have in winter when everything is so bare and cold looking. The fact of the matter is that you can transform the whole look of your yard with the simple use of landscaping stones. They are like jewelry only for the yard.

There are many different kinds of landscaping stones and they come in all shapes and sized. The landscaping stones that are right for you will depend on the effect that you are trying to create with your yard. And different parts of the yard might require different sized landscaping stones. You can get a wide variety of colors for your landscaping stones and in some cases you may want to mix a couple of colors together to create a whole new and interesting look.

If you are planning to overhaul your yard this year then you need to start looking into using landscaping stones in your design. These will bring the whole yard together and if they are used right will add balance and harmony to your entire garden.

You can get landscaping stones at your local gardening center and even some home building stores will carry them. Shop around and find the landscaping stones that suit your home and your needs best before you make a purchase.

When it comes to designing outdoor spaces, take it one stepping stone at a time.

Start-Up Front
If you’re wondering where to start a landscape transformation, look no farther than your front yard. It’s the first thing that you see driving up to your house, and you can wow guests before they even enter your home. Just remember that curb appeal is important, but no matter how pretty your landscape is, it needs to be functional.

Hardscape First
Do all of your hardscaping projects before you set out any plants. Hardscaping can include a porch, sidewalk, driveway, parking areas, decks, fencing, patios and arbor. These projects usually involve construction, which can compact your soil or damage turf and plantings, so it’s important to complete any heavy work before plantings begin.

Toil In the Soil
When it is time to garden, amend your soil by adding organic matter such as finely shredded pine bark, peat moss, mushroom compost or leaf mold before setting out plants. Loose, fertile soil will encourage root growth on new plantings and allow them to become established quickly. Clearly define your turf and bed lines. First use a garden hose to lay out your bed lines then use orange spray paint to mark the lines.

Plant Next to Your House
Your foundation planting should embrace your house and not cover it. Low-growing shrubs or groundcovers should be planted in front of low windows and porches. Larger rounded shrubs or small trees work well planted on the corners of your home. These larger plants will frame up your house and help soften the box-like structure. Remember to create a small bed in your front yard for annual color. Flowers will add instant charm.

Move to the Back
Your backyard should be an outdoor living area to enjoy. If you need privacy, install wooden fencing or large shrubs around the perimeter to create walls. Decks and patios make great sitting or dining areas when the weather’s appropriate and they create a nice overflow for guests during parties.

Gather Around the Fire
Grilling stations or outdoor kitchens can be used to cook your meals and not heat up the kitchen. Fire pits and outdoor fireplaces are very popular and allow you to enjoy your yard even when there’s a little chill in the air. Both of these options make for easy entertaining or fun family activity.

Wants and Needs
Consider your options and the space you will need. If you have a sunny backyard you might consider putting in a kitchen garden where you can grow a few herbs or vegetables. Just be sure the area you choose receives several hours of sun. Do you need a children’s play area? If so, position it where you can see it from your deck or patio to keep a watchful eye on the young ones.

A Little on the Side
Side yards are often narrow strips that are rarely seen. They can be a good place to house your utilitarian needs. Garbage cans, firewood, storage and garden sheds often work well tucked into your side yard. If you have dogs it might be a good place to install a dog run. You’ll probably need a walkway on at least one side of your house so you can easily navigate from the front of the house to the backyard.

Choosing the Right Plants
Before planting anything, study your landscape. See where the sun rises and sets. Some plants love the morning sun but will not tolerate the western sun. Consult with a local garden center about the plants that you intend to use and know their needs. Plants that need full suns such as herbs, vegetables, roses, and many bedding plants require five or more hours of sunlight, so make sure to design your areas appropriately.

How Big?
Know a tree or shrub’s ultimate size before you put it in the ground. A small yard is not a good place for trees such as river birch, red maples, sugar maple, oaks or magnolia. Trees such as Japanese maples, crepe myrtles and redbud would be better suited for little landscapes. Avoid planting brittle trees such as river birch or silver maples next to your house or close to parking areas to avoid damage from falling limbs.

Plant Shapes and Textures
Add some design elements to your landscape by playing off the shape and texture of plants. Use fine-textured plants that have small leaves or needles next to bold-textured plants that have large leaves. Upright linear growing plants can be positioned next to round or low-growing plants to create interest.

Finishing Touches
Adding containers, hanging baskets and window boxes is a great way to incorporate a little more color into a landscape. A large planter or grouping of containers placed by your front door will create an inviting entrance. If you have several planters use a common plant or color in each of them for repetition and continuity. Too many colors combined together can become chaotic looking.

Incorporating Your Personality
Add your personal touches to your garden. You can do this with garden art, statues, water features, a birdhouse or architectural fragments. Use low-voltage night lighting to highlight these items, but also position lights along walkways to make maneuvering after dark easy and saf

Maintenance
To keep a beautiful landscape it must be maintained. Keep new plantings watered and mulched. Mulch makes a landscape look finished but it also helps soil retain moisture and keeps weeds in check. Work on your landscape but also enjoy it. Your outdoor areas should be an extension of your home. A beautiful and functional landscape makes your house more appealing and will increase its value.

Article from: (diynetwork.com)

Driveways often get taken for granted. They deserve better. When it comes to creating curb appeal, the entry road that links a house to the public thoroughfare is often a home’s most prominent hardscape feature.

Are you designing a new driveway? Step one: Style and function should marry. To lay out a driveway, start by studying the shape and contour of the land. How big is your property? Are there dips and slopes to navigate between the public road and the house? Take into consideration the number of parked vehicles you will want a driveway to accommodate and whether you will need to allocate square footage for a garage.

Your driveway’s style will depend on its size, shape, and the material you use to pave it. If you live on a busy street, consider a horseshoe driveway to make it easier to pull out into traffic. If your house is set back from the road, consider a curving driveway to create a country-lane effect. On a smaller lot, a simple, straight driveway sited on the edge of the property may be the best choice.

The material you select to surface a driveway should complement the architectural style of the house. Pavers, gravel, grass block pavers, asphalt, and poured-in-place concrete are all common choices. Which is the best choice for your climate and terrain?

Article from(gardenista.com)

Get a Tarp

Use a tarp to move lightweight bulky debris like leaves, weeds, and even brush. Use it to hold soil when digging a hole, to keep the grass clean. Use it to cover plants in the back of the truck when driving home from the nursery.

Create an Edge

Make a natural edge around beds instead of buying plastic or metal edging. Edging is useful to give a particular look to the landscape. However,a natural edge allows for easier maintenance over the long term and provides more flexibility for changes to the landscape.

Use Starter Fertilizer

Use a starter fertilizer whenever you plant anything. Starter fertilizers can provide a tremendous boost to new plantings. The best products have low nitrogen, a bit more phosphorous, and most importantly mycorrhizae-beneficial fungi that help to greatly increase the soil area from which plant roots draw their sustenance. A good starter fertilizer combined with good planting technique is an awesome insurance policy.

Choose Wisely Between Bulk and Bagged

Choose wisely between bulk and bagged mulch, soil, and stone. Buy bulk material when it can be dumped on the spot where it will be spread. Buy bagged material if it must be moved again after delivery. Both of these strategies will save time, work and money.

Garden Tools

Only buy good quality tools. The best quality may be a bit too costly, and an unnecessary expense for weekend DIYers. Cheap tools are likely to break in the middle of the first job. Save money and time by buying good quality at value prices.

Consolidate Annuals

Consolidate annuals in pots or beds at high-visibility locations in the landscape for maximum impact. It would be very costly to plant new annual color throughout the entire landscape every season. Use these high-impact, long-bloomers in key locations like the mailbox, entryway, and patio containers.

Make Mowing Fast and Easy

Group plantings into beds and islands and mulch them well to avoid mowing and trimming around each individual plant.

Keep the Leaves

Don’t send leaves to the landfill. Mow small quantities into the lawn to provide a light dose of fertilizer for the grass and food for earthworms. Use a bagging mower or leaf shredding blower/vac to grind up fall leaves for use as mulch or add them to the compost pile. Till them into the vegetable garden before planting winter cover crops.

Recycle the Grass Clippings

Use a mulching mower instead of bagging and dumping grass clippings. This will cut fertilizer requirements by 30%.

Test Your Soil

Get your lawn and garden soil tested by your state’s University Extension Service. Guessing on fertility requirements can lead to costly mistakes. Soil test results will show the current conditions and what needs to be applied for your type of lawn, flower garden, vegetable crops, etc.

Work From a Plan

Create a master plan for your landscape, but work in phases. Keep the budget in check and get the maximum effect by focusing on small projects that are part of the big picture. When one project is complete, move to the next.

Buy Enough the First Time

To know how much soil or mulch to buy, you need to know how to calculate square footage of the area (length x width for square or rectangular areas), and how to convert cubic feet of the material for coverage of an area at specified depth( #cubic feet x 4 gives the number of square feet with three inches of coverage). Make fewer trips to the garden center by purchasing the right amounts of mulch and soil the first time.

Buy Enough Plants

Don’t run out of your varietal choices. Buy more flowers than you think you’ll need…you can always return extras, or find a place to use them. If you run short and have to go back to the nursery, your color might be sold out.

Article from (hgtv.com)

1. Low Cost, Easy Maintenance

A patio can be created with many materials, but it’s hard to beat one made from pavers for ease of installation and low maintenance. The initial cost may be higher than other options, but you’ll save in the long run by not having to stain or seal it continuously. Plus, repairs are easier, one paver at a time.

2. Dig Deep For Best Results

Before you prep your patio area, call your local utilities or 811 to have any plumbing, cable or electrical lines marked. Then dig down below the root level of vegetation in the area, a good six inches or so. For dry soil, try watering the area the night before you plan to dig to dampen and soften the area for easier digging.

3. Keep It Weed Free

Use landscaping cloth to create a barrier between the old soil and the new base of sand you’ll be using. This will minimize the efforts of weeds and other unwanted vegetation to encroach upon your patio from underneath. Calculate the square footage of your patio space by multiplying the length by the width and add 10 percent.

4. Create the Base

Pack in the paver base and/or sand using a wacker plate compactor or tamper. You need a solid, level and smooth base upon which to lay pavers. Remember to repack each subsequent layer of material.

5. Plan For Drainage

While it’s important to have a level patio, you need to make sure it does slope away from your home’s foundation and toward an area that can either handle additional moisture or is an existing drainage area. Plan for a quarter inch drop in elevation for every two feet of distance

6. Keep A Tight Edge

To help minimize the effect of movement of your pavers, be sure to plan for a good solid edge by using additional pavers, a solid cement lip, or metal or vinyl edging. In addition to stability, this will also help minimize creeping weeds.

7. Make Color Variations Work For You

You’ll run into slight color variations in your pavers, just like you would with different lots of wood flooring or tile. Blend varying piles of stones or bricks together to create a natural look, so you’ll avoid a patchwork appearance.

8. Make Cuts For A Perfect Fit

If you create any sort of pattern with your pavers, you’ll need to cut some of the stones or bricks at some point. You can use a cold chisel to do this, or you can save your hands and rent a wet saw from your local home center.

9. Pack In The Cracks

Set your pavers in place by applying a layer of sand over and between them until the cracks are completely full. This will help keep them set in place, minimize weeds and allow for drainage.

10. Keep Pavers On Hand

Keep a few extra stones or bricks on hand to make repairs easier (you never know when your particular paver may be discontinued). Broken pavers can be removed by prying them out with a couple of screwdrivers or a thin pry bar. If the paver needs to be cut to fit, be sure to cut it slightly smaller than the length of the opening to allow for sand to be repacked around it.