Landscaping Design on the Main Line

Formal Garden Design, Main Line, Philadelphia

August 20, 2015
by aardweglandscaping
Comments Off on Landscape Design Tips for Foundation Garden Plantings

Landscape Design Tips for Foundation Garden Plantings

First impressions are very powerful things. They even unconsciously predispose us to be either open or close minded to what is to yet to follow. That puts a lot of pressure on a front yard garden landscape, since it needs to present an accurate impression of the home environment to all who visit the residence. And that goes for foundation garden plantings.

What are Foundation Garden Plantings?

Foundation plantings serve as a base planting against the building for multi-dimensional layered landscape design. Lower layers of a variety of trees and plants are arranged in front of the foundation planting. Here are a few suggestions to consider when planning foundation garden planting:

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Classic Foundation Garden Planting for Philadelphia Gardens

Match the planting to the architecture – Your house projects a certain style, and creating a foundation planting garden with a complementing theme can achieve an overall sense of harmony and seamless design. Consult a professional landscape designer if you need assistance determining the best garden style for your home.
Plan for four-season interest – While stately evergreens present a picture of greenery at the foundation from season to season, you can add in some other shrubs and plants which offer waves of colorful flowers, berries, and foliage. This creates a constantly changing portrait of shades and textures adding year round visual interest.
Plant to scale – Because the foundation garden plantings frame your house, it is important to choose a frame that fits correctly, so that your house looks neither smothered nor ridiculous by ill-proportioned plant selections. Also, widening the garden gives a more open, relaxed feel to the entire landscape.

Foundation Garden Plantings Reinforce the Architecture

Finegardening.com says, “When choosing foundation plants, I consider how their forms can reinforce architectural lines. Narrow trees or tall grasses accentuate the height of the house and echo vertical elements such as chimneys and turrets. Horizontal lines of contemporary homes are reinforced by spreading and weeping trees or low-growing shrubs.”

When placing foundation plantings beneath windows in informal design styles, look for plants with horizontal growth tendencies. This natural growth pattern will remove the temptation to shear shrubs into round and square topped objects. One popular shrub that offers an attractive horizontal effect is the weeping English yew. When placed with a low ground cover, it will keep its natural, horizontal form over the years.

Some careful planning could lead to a brilliant display of seasonal color and lushness to make your foundation garden planting the talk of the neighborhood.

Spaces by Newtown Square Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Aardweg Landscaping

Aardweg Landscaping of Newtown Square, PA is a Main Line Philadelphia landscape design, installation and maintenance company that was awarded a “Best Of Houzz” 2015 award for Customer Satisfaction by Houzz. To learn more about foundation garden planting ideas for your home, schedule a complimentary on-site consultation with Aardweg Landscaping. You may call Aardweg Landscaping at 610.355.0703, or send an email using the website contact form.

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August 19, 2015
by aardweglandscaping
Comments Off on Cost-effective Front Yard Landscape Design Plans

Cost-effective Front Yard Landscape Design Plans

Your front yard is the “face” of your home. It makes sense then to “look your best” with a tasteful landscape plan. Not all front yard landscape designs have to be super expensive. What are some cost effective yet impressive landscape design plans which could be implemented in your front yard?

Keep the hardscapes simple – The architectural features in your design are likely going to be the most expensive, so limiting your selections to simple yet powerful structures will keep the renovation budget within sight.
Front Yard Landscape Design Plans by Aardweg Landscaping
Use readily accessible plants – Exotic plants would undoubtedly add a colorful punch to your landscape, but they also typically come with a high price tag. A simpler landscape design plan for your front yard would incorporate the use of hardy cultivars and perennials that will bring the desired vibrant hues for significantly less.
Focus on the entryway – If you can’t afford to overhaul your entire front yard, you can easily and inexpensively spruce things up drastically by simply focusing on the area around your front door. Adding some fresh splashes of color in this area – with containers, vertical features, fresh paint, etc. – will create a focal point that naturally draws visitors’ eyes to the vivid doorway.
Use containers – You can often place container gardens where a full garden area might be impractical. Tasteful positioning of decorative planters, filled with cheerful colors and textures, can add a delightfully fresh and updated look to your front space.

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Cost-effective Landscape Design Plans by Aardweg Landscaping

Don’t let financial concerns hinder you from retaining a professional landscape designer to create plans for your front yard. Gardenguides.com advises, “Select native species of trees, shrubs and flowers to place in your landscape. Avoid costly soil amendments by choosing plants that thrive in your existing soil. These cost-effective plants also require less supplemental water and fertilization than introduced species, saving time and money.”

Your local professional landscape designer can help you find the design that is just right for your tastes and budget. There are an endless array of inspiring and cost-effective front yard landscape design plans available for Philadelphia area homeowners. Allow Main Line Philadelphia’s Aardweg Landscaping to complete an assessment of your residential property to see the new landscape unfold.

Front Yard Plan by Landscape Designers Aardweg Landscaping

Main Line landscape design, installation and maintenance company Aardweg Landscaping of Newtown Square, PA was awarded a “Best Of Houzz” 2015 award for Customer Satisfaction by Houzz.

To schedule a complimentary on-site consultation with Aardweg Landscaping, call Aardweg Landscaping at 610.355.0703, or send an email using the website contact form.

August 7, 2015
by aardweglandscaping
Comments Off on Popular Fall 2015 Philadelphia Botanical Garden Events

Popular Fall 2015 Philadelphia Botanical Garden Events

That first breath of autumn tends to lift the spirits and invigorate the avid gardener after the lethargic haze of midsummer. Nourish that resurgence of gardening enthusiasm with a sneak peek at some promising autumnal 2015 Philadelphia botanical garden events…

Longwood Gardens – Lost in the Meadow

This September, there will be something a little different at Longwood Gardens. An original theatrical performance entitled Lost in the Meadow will be vividly portrayed in Longwood’s Meadow Garden, depicting the challenges of people struggling to find their place in the world. The scenario, showcasing Longwood’s spectacular grounds, is sure to delight and impress.

Longwood Gardens – Nightscape: A Light and Sound Experience

In addition to this charming evening performance is the mysterious Nightscape: A Light and Sound Experience, where, after sundown, the entirety of Longwood’s magnificent gardens are turned into a breathtaking work of art, illuminated by lights and serenaded by music. The spectator is transported into a world of wonder and imagination.

Longwood Gardens Perennial Plant Conference

Another Philadelphia botanical garden event for 2015 will occur in October, when Longwood Gardens, along with a number of other prestigious co-sponsors, including Chanticleer, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College, will host the Perennial Plant Conference. This amazing forum will highlight celebrated speakers and cover a wide variety of landscaping topics, such as noteworthy long-lived perennials, the designing of breathtaking gardens, utilizing site-specific plants, creating dramatic container gardening, not to mention the advantages of plenty of lovely garden walks to make the time a complete sensory experience.

When the weather turns brisk and energizing this fall, be sure to check out the exciting Philadelphia botanical garden events for autumn of 2015. Give your mind some fresh inspiration to mull on throughout the winter season – perhaps dreams which come to be realized in your landscape next spring!

Main Line landscape design and installation company Aardweg Landscaping of Newtown Square, PA was recognized in early 2015 as a “Best Of Houzz” 2015 award for Customer Satisfaction by Houzz. As a full-service landscape company serving the Main Line Philadelphia for over 35 years, Aardweg Landscaping maintains a reputation for superior customer service.

To schedule a complimentary on-site consultation, call Aardweg Landscaping at 610-355-0703, or send an email using the website contact form.

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July 31, 2015
by aardweglandscaping
Comments Off on Low Maintenance Landscape Design Trends

Low Maintenance Landscape Design Trends

Naturalist Gifford Pinchot once remarked, “Conservation means the wise and good use of the earth and its resources for the lasting good of men.” With increasing consumer interest in the careful use of the earth’s assets, it is more advantageous than ever to look into low maintenance and sustainable landscaping design trends for landscape design plans.

Natural landscape design by Newtown Square Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Aardweg Landscaping

Low Maintenance and Sustainable Landscaping Design Trends

Use of native plants – Exotic, imported plants may add a great deal of personality and a pop of the unexpected to a garden plan, but plants removed from their natural habitat often require extra attention. The ideal Philadelphia low maintenance landscape plan area focuses on plants that are native to the region, bringing an ability to withstand cold, heat, drought and rain with remarkable resilience. They also require less maintenance and effort than imported species would require.
Permeable paving – Permeable paving is a type of paving that is porous, allowing water to drain through to the ground below.
Drip/water-efficient irrigation – A drip water system delivers water through holes ion piping that lies on the ground. Drip irrigation is 90-percent efficient in delivering water where it is needed, while sprinkler irrigation is generally only 63-percent efficient.
Avoidance of toxic chemicals – Research consistently supports the fact that synthetic chemicals are harmful to wildlife and the atmosphere, so Aardweg strongly recommends avoiding them for routine use.
Utilization of storm water – Strategic use of space can help make a garden more eco-friendly through simply channeling rain water to where it can actually serve a purpose onsite rather than increase the volume of storm water run-off. The use of site-specific plant arrangements and tiered planting layouts drastically helps in minimizing water flow and retaining soil. Water is directly infiltrated on-site, rather than diverted to a drain for off-site management.

2015 ASLA Member Survey Results

Other popular sustainable design elements reported by the ASLA include rainwater/graywater harvesting, reduced lawn area, recycled materials, solar-powered lights and compost bins. “Consumers care about designed landscapes that are attractive, easy to take care of and eco-friendly,” says Nancy Somerville, Hon. ASLA, executive vice president and CEO of ASLA. “The [2015 Survey of ASLA members] survey shows that homeowners increasingly see opportunities to improve the environment right in their own backyard.”

If you are concerned about the environment, consider these low maintenance and sustainable landscaping design trends for consideration in your yard. Then you can smile with satisfaction, knowing that you have achieved a beautiful landscape without environmental compromise! Aardweg Landscaping has extensive experience in integrating the lush and beautiful with the ecologically conservative to deliver a truly magnificent Philadelphia low maintenance landscape master plan.

Main Line landscape design company Aardweg Landscaping of Newtown Square, PA has received a “Best Of Houzz” 2015 award for Customer Satisfaction by Houzz. As a full-service landscape company serving the Main Line for more than 35 years, Aardweg Landscaping enjoys designing low maintenance and sustainable garden for their clients. To schedule a complimentary on-site consultation, call Aardweg Landscaping at 610-355-0703, or send an email using the website contact form.

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July 29, 2015
by aardweglandscaping
Comments Off on Fall Container Garden Plants for Philadelphia Homes

Fall Container Garden Plants for Philadelphia Homes

When do you begin contemplating fall container garden ideas for your Philadelphia garden? Is it when that first crisp breeze comes, with the hint of autumn in the air?

It is amazing what invigorating power that first whisper of fall can hold! It at once sparks the gardening creativity that has perhaps lain stagnant in the relentless summer heat. But when you look around your lawn and garden with eyes toward the cooler season, you realize you need something immediately. And one quick way to perk things up is by incorporating some brilliant fall inspiration via container gardens.

What are some fresh container garden ideas for Philadelphia gardens? How about a combination of any of these beauties:

Asters – These wonderfully cheerful, daisy-like flowers are a delight for autumn plantings. Coming in a wide range of hues and sizes, there is undoubtedly a long-lasting cultivar to suit your container’s size and location.
Chrysanthemum – The quintessential queen of autumn plants has earned is reputation as a lovely and exceptionally hardworking pedal-pusher. These statuesque plants bring happy flowers and pretty foliage to any garden setting.
Pansies and violas – These classic “smiling” flowers bring such joy to gardens, and they are petite enough to find any container the perfect home!
Heuchera – Delightful and small, coral bells do double duty – offering slender spikes of dainty flowers in the spring and all-season vivid foliage for exciting visual appeal.
Ornamental kale and cabbage – These pink, white and lavender rosettes provide colorful structural backdrops for other flowering plants.

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Evergreen container plants in landscape design by Philadelphia Aardweg Landscaping

Evergreens make attractive container plants, as well. Planting evergreens in containers requires 4 easy steps, according to hgtv.com. All you have to do is: “Select a pot that is proportionate in size with the plant, and fill it partway with a top-quality potting mix — one that has a fairly coarse texture and drains well. Place the plant in the pot and add more soil around the base of the plant, tamping the soil down as you go. Give the plant a thorough soaking.” We may still be in the throes of summer, but it’s not too early to start reflecting on some fall container garden ideas for your Philadelphia garden.

Main Line landscape design company Aardweg Landscaping of Newtown Square, PA has received a “Best Of Houzz” 2015 award for Customer Satisfaction by Houzz. As a full-service landscape company, Aardweg Landscaping has the design expertise, plant knowledge and quality workmanship necessary to provide the professional services you deserve.

To schedule a complimentary on-site consultation, call Aardweg Landscaping at 610-355-0703, or send an email using the website contact form.

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July 27, 2015
by aardweglandscaping
Comments Off on What Can You Expect from a Professional Landscape Designer?

What Can You Expect from a Professional Landscape Designer?

Craftsman Landscape by Newtown Square Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Aardweg Landscaping

Do-it-yourself projects have become very popular these days, as homeowners seek to move away from cookie-cutter models and express themselves with creativity in their homes and landscapes. However, have you considered the distinct advantages of working with a professional landscape designer for your Philadelphia home?

What to Expect from a Professional Landscape Designer

Here are some of the things you can expect when working with a local landscaping professional:

Wealth of ideas – The landscaping career is not for just anyone, it requires a passion for the beautiful and a vision for what can be. This innate gift, combined with formal training, makes the professional landscape designer an invaluable resource from whom you can collect ideas for your dream landscape.
Perennial garden designed by Aadweg Landscaping

Site-specific knowledge – Your local professional landscape designer has the expertise to see your lawn and garden as its own ecosystem and will make recommendations on things such as soil, plant selections, conservation tactics, etc., in order to promote a flourishing, native growing environment. What is one way to find the right native plants? Gardeningknowhow.com says, “…become familiar with the types of native garden plants that may already be growing on your property. This not only gives you an idea of the types of plants that thrive in your particular location but also makes it easier as you begin gardening with native plants…”
Portfolio — The experienced and professional landscape designer will have an extensive landscape portfolio of prior completed work and glowing testimonials for you to review when considering engaging their services.

Budget savvy – Dreaming costs nothing, but translating that dream into reality requires money. Your local landscape design professional is acquainted with real costs, and his expertise will be an invaluable asset in determining and sticking to a realistic landscape renovation budget.

Oversight During Installation – Bringing a design into existence requires imagination and hard work. Engaging a trusted landscaper means that there is someone on board to see both design and installation to the finish.

Maintenance — The professional landscape designer will offer a full range of landscape maintenance services to ensure the lasting beauty and permanence of your landscaped property over time.

Professional Landscape Design by southeastern Pennsylvania landscape architects, Aardweg Landscaping.

Knowledge of Indigenous Plants

Landscape design that incorporates indigenous southeastern Pennsylvania plants, trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses and locally sourced stones will thrive and look natural. With in depth native and indigenous plant knowledge of southeastern Pennsylvania plants, Steve Aardweg of Aardweg Landscaping creates quality landscape design specifying materials native to the area.

Aardweg Landscaping Serves the Philadelphia Area

Any project site could reasonably put forward multiple possibilities. A professional landscape designer will be able to conceptualize your Philadelphia garden while integrating the key factors of basic needs, your unique preferences and the requirements of the existing landscape. If you live in or around the Philadelphia area and are searching for a trustworthy professional landscape designer, look no further than Aardweg Landscaping to realize your garden and landscape makeover dreams. With their years of experience to unleash in your yard, you’ll be very glad you did!

Main Line landscape design company Aardweg Landscaping of Newtown Square, PA has received a “Best Of Houzz” 2015 award for Customer Satisfaction by Houzz. As a full-service landscape company, Aardweg Landscaping has the design expertise, plant knowledge and quality workmanship necessary to provide the professional services you deserve.

To schedule a complimentary on-site consultation, call Aardweg Landscaping at 610-355-0703, or send an email using the website contact form.