Archive for October, 2008

Brief History of Landscape and Landscaping

Posted on October 31st, 2008 in landscaping | Comments Off

landscaping
Paul Zayer asked:


Shaping the landscape or landscaping if you prefer signify any activity or process that changes the features of a portion of land in a observable way, such as living elements of flora and fauna, landforms, such as terrain shape and elevation or bodies of water, human elements, such as structures and fences, and abstract factors such as elements to somewhat control the lighting and /or weather conditions.

Landscaping is a highly aesthetic landscape art form that needs a quantity of useful knowledge having to do with plant knowledge, practical applications and operating with various equipments. It could be stated that the earliest landscaper was the Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus, who spent a lot of time pondering the nature and various scopes of landscaping.

Where a lot of early landscapers said that true landscaping alters plants or fields directly, such as in the activities of farming of food crops, Thales rejected this definition of landscaping or shaping the landscape, arguing that any aspect of the physical world affecting someone’s visual perception of an area of land was a correct application of landscaping. Landscape and landscaping are all around us each and everyone of us.

Both Aristotle and Plato had nothing but praise for Thales philosophical modeling related to landscape and landscaping, as well as how his theories can be applied somewhere else in philosophical exploration. G.E. Moore also mentioned Thales in several of his own philosophical works explaining how philosophical inquiry and discourse has led to the truest forms of human progress and understanding.

Then in the 1800s many philosophers debated if visual beauty should even be accepted as a required goal of landscaping or controlling landscape, though by the years 2000 a lot of western philosophical thinkers had grown to reject the idea of an objective aesthetic standard for any type of art, whether architecture or landscaping

Since the later half of the 20th century, landscaping professionals and practitioners have experimented with stunning visual landscape panoramas that since became widely accepted as being a category of landscaping, at least in the occident.

More often than not we do not appreciate the quiet beauty of great landscaping plans. In our busy life the time to look around and enjoy the beauty around us has become a luxury. Next time you go out of your work place on a nice sunny day, why don’t you sit silently on a park bench and enjoy the landscape around you.



What are the best plants for gardening in Arizona?

Posted on October 30th, 2008 in gardening | 4 Comments »

gardening
? Erin ? asked:


I want to start gardening but I am not so sure what is best for the climate here in Arizona.

What should I get for my gardening grandfather for Christmas?

Posted on October 29th, 2008 in gardening | 3 Comments »

gardening
J-Dawn asked:


I’ve bought for everyone but my grandfather. He’s 82 and loves gardening and water gardening. Usually, I get him a bird feeder (he loves bird watching) or something that has to do with hummingbirds. This year I’m at a loss. I’m a first year teacher on my own and on a very limited budget. Any ideas?

How do I create a flower garden around a tree? I am a beginner in gardening and planting?

Posted on October 25th, 2008 in gardening | 3 Comments »

gardening
Inge asked:


I have an old tree in front of my home. I like to add a flower bed around the tree, but I am new to planting and gardening. Also, my lawn needs a lot of care. Last year my husband tilled part of our lawn and we replanted new grass, but our lawn looks very unhealty with a lot of try, burned like spots. What can I do to have a healthy lawn, and how do I go about creating my flower bed around the tree. I like to put a border around the tree like a small wall maybe. I want the flower bed be higher than the actual lawn. We have mostly clay dirt. Can you give me some advice and/or help. Thanks.

Some Practical Ideas For Designing You Own Landscape

Posted on October 23rd, 2008 in landscape | Comments Off

landscape
Ken Asselin asked:


Landscape Design

Designing your own landscape, can be both exciting and challenging. If you are considering such a project, here are some practical ideas and suggestions.

Planning the Project

Planning your landscape design is the first and most important step. Take the time to gather the information you will need to make your decisions on the elements you wish to include in your landscape design. Will you want a deck, patio, foot paths, walkways, a pond? What type of plants, trees, flowers, and ground cover will you want to use? You should research books, articles, and landscape design magazines to help you make these decisions. This will pay off in the end by saving you money, time, and frustration, enabeling you end up with a beautifully finished project to be proud of.

The Design

The landscape design is your next step. You will need to make a layout of the area to be landscaped, as close to scale as possible, and with accurate measurements. Many landscape design planning guides that will give you step-by-step instructions are available on the internet for free, and books or eBooks are abundant. Once your landscape design layout is done you can began to place your elements on the layout pad. This should be your first or preliminary plan and as you progess, changes can be transfered to your secondary or updated plans. Changing your mind often is just fine. After all this is just on paper at this point and you have not spent any money or performed any labor yet. Experimenting with a few plans is necessary before you come up the final landscape design. A well planned landscape will never look the same in different seasons. Plan your landscape design to change with the seasons. You should attempt to design your landscape as maintenance free as possible.

Landscape Design Software

If it is hard for you to visualize your finished landscape design by just looking at your layout, there is some very good landscape design software available. Much of the landscape design software was originally developed for professional landscapers, but since has been modified for the beginner who wants to do-it-themselves. There are many do-it-yourslef landscape design software programs available today. Landscape design software lets you see a virtual picture of the landscape design and enables you to move items around and see the changes you make come to life. Some software allows you to import a photo of your home or building and designs the landscape around the photo. Most landscape design software programs offer advise on using and placing the many different elements available today in your landscape design. A well designed landscape will always change with time, abd some of the landscape design software available will allow you to view your landscape as it matures. You can see what it will look like 5 or 10 years from now when the trees have grown and the plants matured.

Gardens

Many people like to incorparate a garden in their landscape design. Gardens can be tucked away in the corner of an area, or be the focal point of the entire landscape design. Gardens can even be stragecly placed among the plants, flowers and trees so they blend in with the entire landscape design. If you like to garden, dont overlook all the garden design possiblities when planning your landscape design.