Monday, September 28, 2015

Steep Slope Front Yard Landscaping | Hillside Landscaping



Landscaping ideas for a steep slope or hillside. Front yard landscaping is created for a circular driveway on a slope or hill. Landscape planting ideas for xeriscaping front yards.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

How To Get A Marbled Finish Using A Dry Brush Application



This video shows you how to get a marbled look using a Dry Brush application technique. Products used are NewLook's Translucent Enhancers with 4 Color Additive bottles to boost the color. The colors used here are Terra Cotta & Light Oak over a base of Solid Beach House Original Solid Color™ Stain.

Friday, September 18, 2015

How to Grade Your Yard | Lawn & Garden Care



Learn how to grade your yard from landscape architect Patrick Weisel in this Howcast video.


So some of you have searched for how to grade your yard. A think to remember is grading is better left to professionals.

Grading is actually changing the slope of your yard and changing the drainage. That's not something a homeowner wants to do.

What you really mean is probably how do I level out my soil? And that's pretty simple. If you've loosened up your soil already what you want to do is take hard rake.

Whether it's a hard tined rake like this or a larger landscape rake like this one which is a bit wider which will give you a bit more leveling.

The first thing you want to do is just pull the organic matter off the top of the soil and get that loosed up and sort of rough level on that. The soil like that. Pull the organic matter off.

And then you can come in with the backside of it and just go over the top taking the high areas to the low areas. The key here is to loosen up the soil first so that you can really move it around.

And then you might come in with your landscape rake which is a little bit wider and allows you to get a better level.

So, something to remember here a little tip for you is that after you've leveled it out when it's dry like this you might want to wait until after a rain to see how it ends up.

Because there are a lot of air pockets in the soil right now. And after a heavy rain the soil's going to settle and it'll be a little uneven again.

So, once you've gotten through one rain then go back out there with your rake. Again, loosen up the surface of the soil and then rake it again.

Then you should have a pretty level surface that you're ready to seed your grass on.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Lodi Decorative Rock at Dixon Landscape Materials



Raj Hansra of Dixon Landscape Materials shows us the popular Lodi decorative rock. This comes in several sizes and this one shown is 1-1/2". It is available in 3/4", "Pea" size 3/8", and also available in two cobble sizes 2"- 4" and 4"- 8".

This decorative rock is very popular because of the vibrant gold, brown, gray and off-white colors, especially when wet as shown. They are very popular around plants and many other locations in landscaping including being used in dry creek style displays.

Call Dixon Landscape Materials at 707-678-8200, and visit the website at www.dixonlandscape.com.

Saturday, September 12, 2015

How To Lay Rocks For A Garden Border



Give a natural look to your home landscape with a rock garden border that's as budget-friendly as it is simple to lay.


Step 1: Buy or find rocks
Buy rocks that complement your yard's color scheme at a garden store, or gather rocks from the outdoors to lay a garden border.

Tip
Install landscape rocks with an audio feature to add music to your garden.

Step 2: Rake
Rake debris, including weeds, rocks, and sticks, from the area intended for the rock border.

Step 3: Dig a trench
Dig a 4-inch-deep trench along the garden edge where you plan to lay the rock border, wide enough to accommodate the size of your rocks.

Step 4: Add sand or mulch
Smooth 2 inches of sand or mulch over the trench to help prevent weed growth.

Step 5: Set the rocks
Set the rocks edge-to-edge in the trench for the length of the border and tap the rocks down using the rubber mallet.

Tip
Add a second rock layer to build a short garden wall.

Step 6: Clean the rocks
Spray the rocks clean with your garden hose. Now, wait for Mother Nature to fill in the gaps as the garden grows, or hurry the process along by planting your favorite dwarf plant varieties in the spaces between the rocks.

Did You Know?
The three basic types of rocks are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

NewDeck With CoolStain Technology



NewDeck’s patent pending, water-based formula includes water-repelling sealer technology for a long-lasting finish. Its ready-to-use solid color formula may be diluted with water to achieve more transparency. Use NewDeck to restore the finish and reduce the surface temperature of wood and composite surfaces, such as Wood Decks, Railings, Roof Shakes, Wood Shingles, Siding, Roofs, Fences, and Wood Patio Furniture.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Playground Wood Chips At Dixon Landscape Materials



Raj with Dixon Landscape Materials shows us their very popular playground wood chips, which is made from Cedar and certified for playgrounds. It is also used all around the garden, parks and so on.

Call Dixon Landscape at 707-678-8200 and visit their website at www.dixonlandscape.com