Lots of easy landscaping ideas for the yard and garden can be done in just one weekend. You may have recently moved into a new home or have lived at the same location for many years and decide the yard needs a little pizazz.

There are many places to search for outdoor landscaping ideas if you are new to this type of development. Local home and garden centers are a great place to start if you prefer to implement it yourself rather than hire a professional landscaping service. The Internet has a huge online resource of information for anyone that is a beginner or for someone who is knowledgeable in landscaping but just needs a few new and creative ideas for their home.

It is important to do a simple sketch with measurements of your outdoor space. Note where the doors and windows of your home are. Decide what locations you want to change. Do you want an area for the kids? Would you like a vegetable garden or an outdoor kitchen? How about a small koi pond?

After you have decided what you want in your yard and where to put them do some online research to find the best place to purchase the plants or kits for your project. Some things may require a little more muscle but you can always invite your brother-in-law over to help.

Do a little research on the types of plants that will do well in your area. If you live in the Southwest you will probably not plant the same flowers and trees that do well in the Pacific Northwest or on the East coast. The local nursery would be a great source of advice and will have in stock most of the plants you may want.

Easy care, low maintenance plants and construction materials is what you should look for if you do not want to be chained to your backyard. Most of us want a place to barbecue and entertain but don’t like the raking, weeding, trimming etc.

The key to landscaping is to not be afraid to try something new. Not all yards need to have a grassy area. Grass is so high maintenance. Try using different types of rock and paver for pathways and sitting areas. The visual interest will be heightened with plants of different sizes, shapes and colors.

Landscaping ideas for the yard and garden you can do yourself are very rewarding. Anybody can write a check to a landscape architect but only a few can accomplish a back or front yard landscaping project themselves. It will be your own creation designed by your imagination.

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A pretty front and backyard can only go so far. Many experts have proven that energy efficient landscaping that takes into consideration energy needs, may well save a family more then 30% of their usual heat or cooling costs - either in the winter or summer. These savings could tangibly translate to almost $250 worth of savings in a year.

So what are some of these “easy” ideas? We have listed a few below that won’t require the use of an expensive landscape architect.

Keep the Sun Out

Where and how you can include energy efficient garden landscaping design would greatly depend on the part of the country in which you live. Your home may be hit on three sides by the sun each day making the cooling system work extra hard during the hotest part of the season. Others may have a home that is situated on their property so that it faces morth-east with lots of shady trees on the south-west side making it very cold in the cooler months.

Plant large, deciduous trees and evergreens on the south-west side of your home this will create a natural backyard landscaping design and a wall of protection from the sun’s pounding rays. The deciduous trees will lose their leaves in the winter allowing the sun’s warming rays to heat your home.

By planting deciduous trees that will lose their leaves during the fall this will also allow the sun to heat the exterior walls of your home as well as the cement patio, pathways and foundation.

Adding Protection from the Wind

One of the primary contributors to lowering home temperatures is the wind that blows through the house. Especially in the winter, this wind is particularly sinister as the wind chill is much colder than the normal atmospheric temperature in the area.

Ask your local nursery expert about using trees as wind breaks and which trees would be the best as well as fast growing. Some of the more sturdy walls or fences can also be excellent wind breaks.

Keeping Your Home Cool or Warm

One of the primary culprits in the wasting of energy is the heat or cool that escapes through the home’s roof, windows and doors. It is imperative to find a way to keep heat or cool air inside the home.

Another way is with the energy efficient landscaping that includes thick shrubbery planted close to the home, but leaving a pocket of dead air creating a natural thermal space. Again, make use of your local nursery expert as to which type of shrubs would be the best and the proper amount of dead air space between the home and shrubs.

In landscaping your yard or garden, it is important to maximize the benefits by using an aesthetically pleasing landscape. After all, energy efficient landscaping in the area will effectively save energy and money in the long run.

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A pretty front and backyard can only go so far. Many experts have proven that energy efficient landscaping that takes into consideration energy needs, may well save a family more then 30% of their usual heat or cooling costs - either in the winter or summer. These savings could tangibly translate to almost $250 worth of savings in a year.

Of course we would all like to save on our energy costs but how can we do this? There are several innovative ideas to look into when relandscaping your yard.

Keep the Sun Out

Where and how you can include energy efficient garden landscaping design would greatly depend on the part of the country in which you live. Your home may be hit on three sides by the sun each day making the cooling system work extra hard during the hotest part of the season. Others may have a home that is situated on their property so that it faces morth-east with lots of shady trees on the south-west side making it very cold in the cooler months.

Plant large, deciduous trees and evergreens on the south-west side of your home this will create a natural backyard landscape and a wall of protection from the sun’s pounding rays. The deciduous trees will lose their leaves in the winter allowing the sun’s warming rays to heat your home.

These deciduous trees lose their foliage over the winter and will give you access more of the sun’s heat in the winter when your home’s walls and foundations need the heat.

Break the Wind

Wind chill can also cause your home to be cooler. A cold winter wind blowing through your home can quickly drop the inside temperature by as much as 10%.

Plants that serve as effective windbreaks include evergreens or trees in general. In fact, even fences placed in strategic locations can serve as windbreaks.

Keeping Your Home Cool or Warm

One of the primary culprits in the wasting of energy is the heat or cool that escapes through the home’s roof, windows and doors. It is imperative to find a way to keep heat or cool air inside the home.

Another way to help is through your energy effecient landscaping with thick shrubbery close to the home creating a natural barrier. This barrier should be close but leave a small space between the walls and the plants creating a dead air barrier. By communicating with your landscape architect your intentions he will know the best distance between home and shrubbery for this dead air barrier to be the most effective.

A properly maintained and landscaped home cannot only be attractive but practical. You will saving hundreds of dollars each year by making energy efficient landscaping a priority.

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