Landscaping

Landscaping links

• SafeLawns.org. Lots of videos on lawn care.
• GardenDesign.com. Magazine.
• Belgard Hardscapes.
• OutdoorRooms.com.
• ShadeFX.com. Retractable pergola canopies.
• TrellisStructures.com.
• MossAcres.com. Ships four varieties of live moss. Moss is utilized in rock garden design, in conjunction with water gardens, ponds, or ferns, or in shady spots where grass won't grow.
• SoilRetention.com. Plantable concrete systems.
• RainwaterTechnology.com.
• LongwoodGardens.org. To get landscaping ideas.
• StructureLandscaping.com. Landscaping on hillsides, retaining walls, terracing, waterfalls, etc.
• LandscapingVideos.com
• Brickform.com. Stamped concrete.
• HGTV.com/outdoors

Weed control

• Does Planting RyeGrass Choke Out Dandelions & Weeds?. Ryegrass helps hold down the weed population in two ways. Cereal ryegrass releases a type of allelochemical that tends to inhibit the growth of new weed seeds. The thick growth of ryegrass acts as a biomass that chokes out small dandelion and weed plants. Tall ryegrass also competes for soil moisture, often depleting the soil of water needed by area weeds.

Pond notes/ideas

• Pond-Creation.com. Ponds big or small, water features, waterfalls, cascades, fountains, birds, amphibians, insects, fish, plants, bogs, marsh and even statues can all help create a perfect tranquil and relaxing area.
• Water plants. There are four main groups of water plants: submergent (such as milfoil), free-floating (such as duckweed), floating-leaf (such as water lilies), and emergent (such as cattails). Choose a mixture from the four main groups of water plants: oxygenators to keep the water clear; aquatic plants that grow in the water; and marginals and bog plants to soften the edge. Making planting ledges and boggy ground part of the initial design of a pond allows you to grow plants with different depth requirements. Emergents and floating-leaved plants are confined to shoreline margins, while submersed and free-floating plants can extend to deeper, open water areas. In general aquatic plants tend to inhabit shallow, near-shore areas of the water body.
• Bog plants. Bog plants thrive in moist or wet soil. There is a wide range available, including some of the most colorful waterside plants: several irises, primulas, loosestrifes and the evergreen creeping Jenny.
• Marginal plants. Growing in a few inches of water at the edge, marginals soften the line between water and land. As well as colorful or interesting flowers (lizard's tail, lesser snapdragon), many have dramatic foliage (arrowheads, pickerelweed).
• Aquatic plants. These deep-water plants root on the bottom of the pond, 20 inches or more beneath the surface. There are relatively few plants in this group, but it does include water lilies, which grow in water up to 48 inches deep.
• Oxygenators. An essential element in a pond, oxygenators provide oxygen and absorb the nutrients otherwise used by algae. Some, like common water-crowfoots, flower above the water surface.
• Stone waterfall feature. Create a waterfall at the head of the pond.
• Pond liners. Aqua series liner material lasts 20 years when buried. However, Pond Liners - 7 Reasons Why I Don't Use Them recommends constructing a professional pond with rebar and concrete that will last a lifetime.
• Pond Construction Manual. To order the eBook manual on constructing waterfalls and ponds. It includes the manual, report, and pond articles.
• Make a Splash: Natural Swimming Pools. Posted July/August 2002.