Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with landscaping

Help me start a landscaping business!

Sentus — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:59:42 -0800

I am thinking about starting a landscaping business. I don't really have direct experience in the field. Looking for resources. Hello there,
I am in my mid twenties, moved to a midsized city in Texas about two months ago. As you probably know, our economic condition is not the best these days, which made looking for a good steady job pretty frustrating. To sustain myself I did a bunch of small gigs including small landscaping projects (Through craigslist mostly).

I am thinking about starting my own little landscaping business.

I volunteered in various organic farms for about two years; Have a modest knowledge about edible crops, organic growing methods, love and know my plants. I enjoy working outside, using my body, planting stuff,.

My selling point will be organic/sustainable landscaping.
* Trying to use native plants that require less water. Demand less upkeep and just thrive once established.
* Using organic methods, good soils, heavy mulching, sound irrigation techniques, maybe vermiculture in the future (earthworms castings).
* Showing people the beauty and functionality of edible perennials.
* Down the line get into Permaculture design, and just using Permaculture principles in people's yards.

I don't have a truck or heavy duty tools YET. So I'll have to start out doing smaller projects/rent truck on special occasions (to haul bulk soil/mulch).

Is any one here works/owns a landscaping operation? Any insights? Words of wisdom? Pros and Cons? Warnings?

Any good books on Landscape design? I know there are dozens if not hundreds, do you have any specific recommendations?

Any good software available? With design, plants for climate zones?

What would be cheap and effective marketing channels?

Thank you and have a great day,

Paving and astroturfing is too expensive

codswallop — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:48:16 -0800

The greens at Casa de Codswallop are crap. Can someone give me some yard advice? I'm a noob with lawns and it shows. One problem is that I don't really care; I just want them to be utterly unremarkable. I want a cheap, low maintenance solution that'll keep our house from dragging down nearby property values.

Our yard is mostly thin-bladed grass with sporadic clumps of darker (and faster growing) thick-bladed grass. We have a lot of dandelions in summer but those, at least, I kept in check by decapitating them with a golf putter-style whacker once a week or so.

It's now mid-October. Daily highs are mid-50s, nighttime lows around 40 and it rains at least a little almost everyday.

Is it too late or wet to spread some sort of weed and feed so the lawn looks better this spring? Any other ideas? I'm not really interested in covering everything with gravel or bark chips. Too pricy.

I also want to edge the lawn by the driveway and sidewalks so it looks a lot tidier. Any tips on that?

Not the good kind of weed.

Octoparrot — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:07:17 -0800

I have a quarter acre of weeds I don't want to tend. I just purchased a home last Friday that has a much bigger lot than anything I've dealt with before. Unfortunately what was once a lawn is now completely overgrown and in sorry condition. It's been mowed recently (as in a week) so it's not out of control.

Two questions:

1. We have big plans but it's going to take time to develop them. In the meantime I don't want to spend hours every weekend just mowing these weeds. What I'd like to do is basically turn the back yard into a great big dirt pile. What's the most cost effective way to do this in the next week or two? I've had suggestions to rent a front end loader and just scrape the ground or rent a tractor/tiller.

2. Eventually, we'll be planting grass/laying sod along with a gravel/rock play area for the kids. We're also considering a good amount of mulch and my wife wants to consider rubber mulch. Any thoughts on the rubber mulch or other low maintenance options for a good chunk of the land?

3. I know I promised just two but this one is easy. Does anybody have recommendations on a Metafilterish website where I could ask questions like this specific to home improvements/landscaping?

How to coordinate a big backyard project?

tomwheeler — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:59:39 -0800

I'm planning a whole lot of work for the back patio and yard, and I could use some advice about planning how it should go down. Now that we've got the front yard and inside of the house in shape, it's getting harder to ignore the unsightly despair that is the back patio and yard. It's time to do something about it, but it's going to involve several different types of workers and I'm not sure of the optimal sequence nor how to coordinate this.

For example, I want to replace the decaying wood steps and retaining wall with stone, but the patio borders this and needs to be replaced or resurfaced first. That can't happen until our dilapidated shed (which sits on the patio) is replaced, which of course precludes any work on the patio itself. I expect that what I have planned will require a fencing company, a shed company, a mason and a general purpose landscaper.

I'd appreciate any advice about how to coordinate this sort of project and especially so if it's specific to where I live (St. Louis). My goals, in order, are: having it done right, avoiding hassle and getting the best value I can.

GroundCoverFilter: What's the best ground cover for around my newly landscaped front yard?

pghjezebel — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:43:29 -0800

GroundCoverFilter: What's the best ground cover for around my newly landscaped front yard? I just recently re-landscaped the slope in front of my house and was leaning towards mulch to fill in around the plants, but now (after scaling the slope several times already to weed and deadhead) I don't think mulch would be the best idea.

I was thinking maybe a ground cover would make more sense. Something spreads fairly fast and that would survive under the plants once they have established themselves. Also something that could take an occasional trampling since I will need to walk on it occasionally. No vine-like ground covers please...the hill was previously covered in Ivy and it took forever to remove it.

What would you recommend?

(Additional Info: The area is about 20 x 20 and contains a variety of perennial flowers and shrubs. The house faces West, so the front gets strong afternoon/evening sun.)

Can I put a pond in this space?

JFitzpatrick — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:05:58 -0800

What kind of backyard pond can I successfully put into this space? I'm giving serious consideration to putting in a small backyard pond. I grew up around them and now that I have a home of my own I can tinker with, I think it would be pretty great to have one.

Unlike my relatives who had them (and 10 acre country lots to put them on) I'm on a small city lot and the best/most logical place for my pond would be in a large (in city terms) area behind my garage that measures 12x22 feet.

The area is enclosed on three sides. The north side is the back wall of the garage which is white wooden siding. The west side is the back of my neighbors fence (he has a similar sized space behind his garage and recently put a cool little sitting area there, thus the new fence), with the posts exposed to my side. The south side is fairly generic stockade fencing (two inch slats, pointy top), and finally the east side is open to the remainder of the yard.

I would, of course, for safety reasons put a small 3-4 foot fence across east side with an ornamental gate.

So this leaves me with a 12x22 foot space, in a zone 5 gardening climate, that receives a solid 8+ hours of summer sun (enough sun for the previous owners to have used to space for gardening.)

My principle concern is: Will this space be adequate for a small ornamental pond? I don't want a huge pond nor do I want a basic pre-molded pond too small to winter fish in. I think, and those of you who have ponds can tell me if I'm wrong, that a roughly 8x10 foot pond with a depth of 36 inches should be sufficient to support some basic plants, a few ornamental fish, frogs, and so forth.

My secondary concern is: If I can successfully put a pond there, will it look like I stuck a hole in the ground behind my garage? I'm willing to go the extra mile to dress up the space and create a bigger sense of space in the process, but I'm not sure where to start. Tall ornamental grass to mask the fence? Ivy on the fence? Bamboo?

Even if you're not sure you have a specific answer for my problem, if you're into pond keping I'd love some links to share that would be awesome. It's tough finding pond keeping forums that have active communities!

Landscaper Needed

daneflute — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:56:47 -0800

Landscaping Service in Cincinnati. Our yard is the ugliest on the street. Need recommendations of a reliable, fair-priced landscaping person or service in Cincinnati. We live in Northside. Our yard is very shady. Grass doesn't grow, but weeds do! It's not a large front yard, but has a slope to it. We would like to have a small brick wall built to terrace the yard. Then we want a non-grass yard - either ground cover or plants and perennials with low maintenance.

Any recommendations before I try the Yellow Pages?

Why grow a real garden when a Sims yard is less backbreaking?

pomegranate — Tue, 12 May 2009 10:56:15 -0800

I'm fantasizing about landscape modeling software for laypeople. This software would allow you to create a moderately realistic view of your yard. Then you could create a 3-D model which would take plant growth patterns, your planting zone, etc into effect and show you what the yard would most likely look like over time.

Oh and it would be free! And have a wide variety of plants to choose from! And be easy to learn! And allow versioning!

No problem, right? Anybody know of anything that sounds at all like this?

Parallel Plastic Tubes

Tube — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 21:19:16 -0800

What is this series of tubes? While walking in Jack Block park here in Seattle, I came upon this plastic structure set solidly into the earth at the base of this tree. I have never seen such a thing before. My best guesses as to its function are:

1. Erosion control. The tree is planted on a rather steep slope, as can be seen by the angle of the adjacent stairs. Perhaps this structure acts as a dam, especially when the tree is a sapling.

2. Fertilizer addition. The structure is set close to the tree, and implanted solidly into the ground. What better way to get fertilizer to the roots?

3. Irrigation. Perhaps this species of tree is uniquely thirsty, and needs lots of water.

Whatever the case, the structure seems to be well maintained, as I'm sure it would quickly fill with organic debris and be totally clogged. The tubes were relatively clean when I examined them.

What, exactly is its function? What is the generic name for this object? Are they commonly used in landscaping?

Best landscaping mulch?

qsysopr — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 18:24:36 -0800

What kind of landscaping mulch do you buy and what's your routine for installing it? I go to a big box store several times each spring and buy Scott's Naturescapes for $5 a bag and spread it around our trees and shrubs. I'm in Chicagoland (zone 5) by the way. Is this a wise approach? Should I have a few yards delivered by truck (never done that)? Should I buy hardwood or pine or even go to stone, etc.? Anyone know what the typical landscaper uses?

What do I do with filled-in ground stumps?

clearlynuts — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:25:34 -0800

Earlier this year, I had some trees cut down. The stumps were ground and the holes were filled back in with wood chips from the tree. This has left some ugly mounds in my yard. See here and here. What can I do with this stuff? Dig it out and replace with soil for grass seed? Plant new trees? Wait?

Invasive Root System

maremare — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:43:51 -0800

I have an aspen tree in my back yard. It's beautiful, but is it too close? Several years ago I saw a nice tree in the forest and dug it up, brought it home and planted it in my back yard. Now my neighbour is worrying that it will destroy our foundations. I've been googling Aspens/ Populus tremuloides all morning. I've turned up some references to aspens being wonderful foundation plantings because they grow so quickly, while others caution that because of their invasive root systems they should not be "too close" to foundations and plumbing. I have not been able to firm up "too close."

What is "too close?" I'm not talking a large suburban lot, here. I live in the city, in row housing, and the aspen is maybe 10 m? 25 ft? from the house.

Provide your own wage: how much do I ask for experienced heavy labour?

Acer_saccharum — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:44:48 -0800

Asking for a friend: If starting wage for unskilled heavy labour was $13/hr. What would one ask for (in wages) if they were asked to provide a wage for themselves for skilled and experienced heavy labour? Ritzy landscaping company. Cocoapples can follow up with more details if needed in the questions, but he just registered and is unable to ask his time sensitive Q for a week.

Moving a tree…. Or not.

silverstatue — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:49:51 -0800

I need to move a little tree, but I’m afraid I’ll end up killing it. Is it worth the risk? Here’s the story. About eleven years ago, my grandfather and I planted a little sapling next to his house. It was one of the last things we did before he passed away. That goofy little tree means a lot to me. I always think of my grandfather when I see it. Now, eleven years later, its grown too big for its place against the house. Its started to twist against the house and I’m worried. I think it needs to be moved ASAP.

Ok I’ve googled “moving a tree” and gotten directions (which pretty much amount to “Dig a hole. Dig up tree. Put in hole. Pray.”) I want to try it next weekend when I go back upstate to visit my family. However, my dad thinks that we’ll kill it if we try to move it. He thinks we should just leave it alone . FYI, its your basic little fir tree, about four feet tall.

So my question is, to move or not to move? I really don’t want to risk killing the tree, but I think it’ll die anyway if we leave it where it is. Help! I’m looking for anecdotes, suggestions, warnings, etc.

How do I lift big rocks into the bed of a truck?

BleachBypass — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:06:51 -0800

What's the best (manual) way to lift some beeeg boulders? I want some landscaping boulders for my yard. Buying them is expensive, for sure (7 cents a lb?) But the BLM has several collection areas, where with a rock gathering permit ($15.00 a *ton*) you can go hog wild.

My thing? I hate yards filled with cheesy, football sized rocks. I want the majestic stuff. I don't have access to a skid steer (ie bobcat), it would just be me, my buddy, and our muscles to get the biggest possible boulders we can into his truck.

I was wondering about something like this to use, or perhaps rigging up something with 2 or more farm jacks. (You can see by my reliance on Harbor Freight links I'd prefer to accomplish this on the cheap.) Also, a series of steps to work it up to the truck bed level?

Any recommendations on electric mowers?

Jane Austen — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:40:36 -0800

Does anyone have experience with electric lawn mowers? I am looking for brand recommendations, pros and cons, etc. ... Do they last a long time? Do the blades need sharpening? One other question I have is about storage -- I don't have a garage, so I am wondering if I can store it outside under a tarp or if that is a dealbreaker.

I need to mow about 3/4 of an acre (I have a small house on a large-ish lot). I have a bad back, so I am trying to make it a little easier on myself. Also, the yard has many pine trees -- this is why a reel mower won't work (pinecones keep getting stuck in the blades).

How does a garden grow?

suki — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:57 -0800

I'd like to work on my garden and lawn. I know nothing about gardening and lawn care. What are some good online resources? In the 10 years that I've lived in my house I have ignored the lawn and garden,except for an occasional mow. This year, I'd like to start making things look a little better.

I am in the Northeast (Maine) and know nothing - NOTHING about gardening and lawn care. There are a few perennials left over from the previous owner - peonies, some p*ssed-off looking roses, shrubbery, and a grape arbor (which has overgrown to the point that it's taken up half the yard).

I'd also like to do window boxes, but wonder if that might be a bit overambitious for my first time out of the gate.

I'd like to keep things as organic as possible. And I understand that a beautiful garden doesn't happen immediately, so could really use some direction with long term planning.

Sharpening my pruning katana as we speak

TungstenChef — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:14:31 -0800

Help this young grasshopper become a tree pruning ninja. The good news is that the previous owner of our house had the foresight to plant a lot of cool trees and shrubs 20 years ago (primarily ficus, oleander, and acacia). The bad news is that he was terrible at pruning and we seem to have inherited every conceivable problem...tree branches growing against the house, ugly dead wood in the center, wild overgrown tangles, and lack of leaves in many shaded areas to name a few.

'Tis the season for pruning in Arizona and I want to learn how to be really good at it. As in, Japanese garden good. Does anyone have any recommendations for really good books on the subject? Or other ways to learn how to do it right? I can find some basic info on the web but I want to go far more in depth.

Why are there holes all over the lawn?

desjardins — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 16:24:32 -0800

What did the landscapers do to the lawn? We rent a condo and the association hires landscapers. They were here yesterday, and today I noticed these little holes all over the lawn. The dirt from the holes was deposited on the lawn in neat little cylinders. They're about 1" in diameter and 4" long. At first glance I thought it was poop, given the appearance. At second glance I thought it was some burrowing animal. But there are way too many holes, and I don't see how an animal could consistently push up neat cylinders like that.

These are extremely meticulous landscapers, so I'm sure this has some purpose, but I'm intensely curious as to what it is. (They won't be back until Thursday.)

Square stones, curved path?

pallen123 — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 14:29:29 -0800

How best to layout a curved sandstone path using square and rectangular stones? Hello -

I'm trying to layout a curved front path -- aproximately 3.5 feet wide and 30 feet long that curves like a J to the front door, over our existing lawn.

We have plenty of sandstone from a side patio. The sandstone is square and rectangular -- averaging about 2-3 square foot each.

My question is how best to use this existing sandstone to achieve an attractive curved dry set path. I have seen some paths in our neighborhood that use square stone but they seem to curve over a longer distance than hours -- and I assume the gaps between stones over a longer distance can allow for a sweeping bend w/out being too large. I'm not sure I can achieve this on a shorter path.

Are there any Web references, photos, guides you can suggest? Rules of thumb for laying out an attractive flagstone path? Should I consider breaking up the stones into irregular shapes to better accomodate a curved path? Can I combine the square stones and some broken stones and still achieve a polished/professional look? Can I have larger and irregular gaps in a dry set path, using square stones, so I can achieve the bend in a shorter distance -- and just fill those gaps with sand/crushed-stone? Will it look okay?

Thank you for any suggestions.

I Can See My Neighbors

notyou — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 09:31:17 -0800

My neighbors place (it's a duplex or triplex) is just a little too close. I'd like to create some privacy, but I want to keep my windows open (for the air and the light!), and I don't want to build a nine foot fence. There's a narrow walk between us now and a chainlink fence. My idea is rectangular pots and bamboo outside each of the four bedroom windows and maybe another outside one of the living room windows. They would be living bamboo privacy screens, just wide enough to hide the windows, but not stretch the entire length of the house. I'd love to hear your ideas, too.

Can I plant a birch tree that won't die?

mmf — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:42:32 -0800

Landscaping question: We recently moved to a house in central NJ whic has many trees. The tree doctor we hired to trim back some trees that were too close to the house says that the clump of beautiful birch trees we love is terminal due to a borer and the disease is such that the tree can have its life extended, but not saved. Local nurseries have red birches, but we love the kind with the papery white bark. Our question: Should we remove the trees as we have been advised, and if we do, Is there a disease resisitant white birch that can grow in our area?

Repairing Outdoor Stairs (Brick, framed by RR Ties)

Alabaster — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 12:06:50 -0800

[Landscaping-for-Beginners-Filter] Where can I buy railroad ties (or a green-friendly alternative) for a backyard brick staircase? What's the best way to repair the staircase I bought my first house recently and there is a gentle slope in the backyard, with a brick staircase framed by railroad ties.

Many of the railroad ties are broken or rotted and I would like to replace some or all of them. I would consider another material as I've read that RR Ties are not environmentally friendly (if this is untrue, let me know).

Where can I buy RR Ties (or equivalent), cut-to-order? I checked the Home Depot website and couldn't find anything?

And can you give me any advice on how to 1.)remove the old ones, 2.) install the new ones. Any obstacles or difficulties I should anticipate? Any tools I might need?

I'm a relatively handy person but with no experience doing this kind of project -- any advice would be appreciated.

How do I hire a landscaper in suburban Chicago?

agent99 — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 08:30:12 -0800

LawnCare Filter: Help me hire a landscaping service. So my folks are temporarily sick and unable to mow their lawn in suburban Chicago, and I'd like to hire someone to do this for them. Not being a homeowner myself, I have no idea how this is done. I'm looking for a weekly lawn mowing service. My questions: should I hire an individual or a company, where can I find one, how much should this cost (ballpark, of course) given that it is a tiny house on a small lot (typical fifties suburban tract house), and does anyone have a recommendation for the Evanston/Niles/Skokie, IL area? Thanks!

What tree is for me?

roaring beast — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:09:19 -0800

What kind of tree should I plant? Recently moved into my first house and would like to plant a small/med sized tree in the back yard (about 15' wide) for a little shade and to just look nice. It is in full sunlight about 25' from the house. I would prefer something with minimal maintenance and on the inexpensive side. I plan to live here for about 10 years, so it might be nice to get a smaller tree and see it grow up a bit during that time. I'm in southeastern VA.

I have looked at these links, but there are still a lot of choices. I don't know much about taking care of trees, so any other advice would be helpful.