We’ve tried thorny plants, potted plants, ground cover. Ideas for curbing the behavior are welcomed also.

They’re bored – run them when you get home from work and give them toys to play with, bones to chew on, etc. when you’re not home. Crate training might not be a bad idea if they are that destructive.

In keeping with small yards, the first bungalow landscaping often included plants that were useful as well as attractive such as dwarf fruit trees. They used currants and blueberries as hedges or border plants and arbors and trellises to support grapes and scarlet runner beans as well as roses. You might try ornamental vegetables like ‘Rainbow’ chard or a handsome herb like curled parsley. If you are the kind of person that likes things to be kept simple, you will enjoy bungalow landscaping. Bungalow landscaping can be kept as simple as you would like. After all, what you want is for your bungalow to look tidy!

You just purchased a bungalow, and as such you would like to have it landscaped. You have decided that you would like to landscape it yourself. However, your yard is small, so you are not sure how to go about doing bungalow landscaping. Thus, what you need is bungalow landscaping ideas.

About Bungalow Landscaping

The first thing you need to consider is the dimension of your yard. Wherever you have the most room is where you should start with your bungalow landscaping. If you have more room at the front of your house, consider using flowers.

You might prefer flowery bushes to actual flowers, but the reality is that since your bungalow is small you do not want the bushes to get too big, and thus become a problem to maintain. Thus, it is best to keep it simple with flowers.

You can either use potted plants in your bungalow landscaping, or you can plant the flowers in the ground. Whichever you choose, be sure that you do not overdo it. For example, if you have a front walkway, plant flowers on either side of the walkway as borders. If you choose to have flowers in pots, place a pot on either side of your front doorway.

When it comes to backyard bungalow landscaping, consider having a small garden. The garden could be any kind of garden that you would like. If you have a particularly small backyard, do not be dismayed, because a garden can be any size!

Use annuals: alyssum, browalia, calendulas, cornflower (Centaurea), larkspur, nasturtiums, nicotiana, petunias, sweet peas. For containers and hanging baskets: miniature morning glory, nasturtiums, Petunia integrifolia.

Other perennials: asters, balloon flower (Platycodon), bellflowers (Campanula), bleeding heart, bee balm, chrysanthemums, coreopsis, daffodils, daylilies, delphiniums, iris, lady’s mantle, lamb’s ears, lavender, lupine, phlox, primroses, salvia.

When the time comes to mow the grass, be sure that you use a small lawnmower. This is because larger lawnmowers are harder to maneuver around smaller yards. If you have an especially small yard, consider getting a hand mower, which is a lawnmower that does not require gas, and instead requires you to push it along to cut the grass. They are not expensive and provide good exercise.

For more information on bungalow landscaping, go to your local garden center and ask for advice. Or, you can search the internet, since there are a variety of websites that have to do with that topic. With the proper research, you re sure to find the right bungalow landscaping ideas!

In all, remember that the house and garden should be “of a piece,” with colors and construction materials a harmonious whole.

Copyright © John Hanna All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Doug Woodall
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/landscaping-ideas-for-your-bungalow-124152.html

I live in Porterville, Ca. (central California) and have half an acre of backyard to fix up. My wife and I want to have a combination of a place to entertain and somewhere to get away and relax. She wants a variety of fruit trees, I want many trees that will provide a forest-like atmosphere, trees where I can throw a hammock onto, look up into the branches and daydream. Our back porch is small and I want to expand it soon into some sort of deck in which we can have barbeque’s. Im not interested in a pool or anything…ok maybe a spot for a hot-tub or something. I also had an idea in my head of maybe a gazebo as a focal point but that’s not set in stone or anything. Any ideas on what kind of trees, shrubs, plants, etc. that I should be looking into? Oh, probably an important piece of info to know…I have two dogs that love to play back there as well. My wife and I plan on doing all the work by ourselves and can spend a decent amount of money…but not a fortune. The area is a large rectangle where my backdoor is set in the mid-line. I want my guests to see a beautiful backyard as they step out of the backdoor. Any ideas and help would be greatly appreciated!

You have plenty of room to work with. Be careful to think ‘big’. Many people come from small blocks and get a large block and put in small garden beds that look silly. Think in proportion.

If you don’t think you have enough knowledge to do your own design, take pictures etc of what you want to a garden designer and just have the design done, then build it yourself at your leisure and with available money as time goes on. this will allow you to have a ‘flash’ finished product and save alot on dead plants due to poor selection. Ask to see some of the designers works to check if you like before you commit.

if you go ahead yourself, make sure you can’t see the whole garden from the back door. if you want to make the gazebo the feature place it towards the back fence and in line with the backdoor. Then make a path to lead you to it. make the centre one garden ‘room’ and then to each side make two more (preferably hedged) so you can’t see into them unless you go up and look in. In one put your orchard (fruit trees are not usually good enough to make a design feature off), and in the other make your forest ‘room’. In the area directly behind the house make your entertaining area including decks, hot tubs etc. Being able to see the whole backyard isn’t as interesting as ‘mystery’ areas.

I’m not sure off your climate as I am in Australia. some areas of California are similar in climate. Ours ranges from 40 deg C to -5 Deg C. Dry with winter rainfall. Some trees that may suit Pistachio (Chinese), Chinese Elm (Ulmus), Chinese Tallow, Claret Ash, Golden Ash, Silk tree, Robinia, Liquidamber, Pin oak, Pyrus, all flowering fruit trees – peach, apricot, almond, pear, crabapple, cherries (kanzan). Just need regular garden water.

Most fruit grows here – pears, peaches, apricots, nectarine, figs pomegranate, apples, almonds, pecans, cherries grapes, and all the citrus (with initial covering for winter frosts). If your climate is similar to mine you will have a host of interesting plants to grow.

Remember to put in lots of shrubs to give your garden ‘depth’. they look good in layers – usually three high at the back then medium and then low. Buxus, Euonymus, some viburnum, smoke bush (cotinus), oleander will all be happy.

Put a lot of time into the initial plan and soil preparation and you should be successful with water. It’s easy to create a ‘park’ like vista if you have the land and water. good luck!

As with any project, to do a landscaping job properly you need to have a detailed knowledge of the ground the way it is, and the way you want it to be. Only then can you bring your landscaping ideas to fruition.

Think of your house as a jewel. If the setting in which it stands isn’t right, it spoils the effect of the house itself. The setting, in this case, is your front and back yards. Most people, of course, will only see your front yard – casual passers-by or the casual visitor. Your backyard, however, can be your own inner sanctum, the place where you go to retreat and reflect on life, the universe, and everything. So your landscaping can consist of an integrated design for both front and back yards, or two distinctively different designs, depending on what you want to accomplish.

It’s important to remember that your yards – the trees, the grass, the plants and flowers – are living things – and that you can bend them to your will in many ways, but if they do not have the right kind of soil and are not properly cared for, they will die.

So before you actually dig your hands into the rich earth and start planting anything, make sure that you have a detailed plan of what you want to do – and that you follow that plan.

Before you decide which flowers, grasses and plants your going to use in your landscaping, you must pay attention to the ground in which you’re going to put them. Spend a week or so tracking the sunlight and shade and how it plays across every square inch of your yard. The amount of sunlight an area receives will determine what types of flowers or plants you want to place there.

But don’t forget to track the ground’s reaction to rain, either. Are there any areas that remain soft for a long time after a rain? Are there any areas where the water has pooled? Again this will effect what you do with those areas of ground.

What about trees? Are there currently any trees in your yard and if so, do you plan to keep them all? After a couple of years spent raking leaves during the fall you might consider getting rid of those trees and replacing them with evergreens. Evergreens present their own challenges, of course, as its sometimes difficult for grass to grow right up amongst the roots of the tree.

Do some soil tests, as well. These are done easily with a kit you can buy from any local garden store, or even the bigger supermarkets. You need to check for the pH balance of your soil. If it is too alkaline or too acidic, plants won’t grow properly, and you’ll have to add fertilizer to help put the pH balance back to even.

Make a physical plan
Get yourself some graph paper, and some tracing paper to put over it. Draw a scale-model drawing of each yard on a piece of graph paper, blocking out all important areas such trees and other features that are to remain, and features that will be removed. Then use the tracing paper to sketch in various ideas for flower beds and ornamental design. If you want to get fancy, you can also buy software which will enable you to make these plans in three dimensions.

Where to get ideas
While you’re tracking the private life of the ground, you can also be on the lookout for ideas you’d like to implement. There are dozens of magazines on landscaping and gardening, and innumerable books available from your local library or bookstore. The Home and Gardening Channel will be a fount of ideas as well.

The right equipment
Depending on the size of your yards, you might not want to buy all the equipment you’ll need to do your landscaping, as you’ll probably only need garden rollers and aerators once a year. This equipment can usually be rented from your local garden store.

The right crew
Depending on what you’re going to be putting into your landscape – fountains, ponds, heavy statuary, make sure you have the right crew for the job. Don’t try to move a heavy statue yourself, for example, and if you have absolutely no technical experience, it’s always best to hire a professional to install a pond or fountain.

With all the right stuff, your home will shine like a jewel in its proper setting.

Mr.Andrew Caxton
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/planning-your-landscape-is-essential-126987.html

No matter where you live, there’s nothing better than relaxing outdoors on a warm summer night watching your backyard landscaping ideas come to life.

Unfortunately, re-landscaping your entire backyard during the course of one growing season can be back breaking, expensive and requires major planning.

Here’s a simple solution: Break up your backyard into “rooms” and remodel one room each year. This is especially helpful if you’re on a budget. You’re results will be much better if you spend as much time and money as you can on one project, rather than trying to revamp the entire backyard all at once for the same amount of money.

Although you’re landscaping only one section of the yard at a time, you still need an overall plan. Using graph paper, sketch out the permanent structures on your property including the house, out buildings, deck and trees.

This is also a good time to consider which existing plants and shrubs won’t be a part of the new landscape.

Make copies of your sketch and experiment with different designs. Incorporate ideas you like from magazines or gardens you’ve visited.

If you host frequent cook outs you’ll probably want to keep the yard open and plant along the borders. If you don’t need the space, you could create real drama with an island bed, walkways, solar lighting and cutouts for comfortable furniture to relax on.

Here are some ideas you’ll dig:

Screening with Plants

If your yard doesn’t have a fence, you might want to consider planting a row of hawthorn, juniper, arborvitae, or a combination of these bushes to create privacy and provide a backdrop for future flower beds. A strategically place evergreen screen will also provide a windbreak from winter winds and drifting snow.

Planning a Border Flower Bed

The hardest part of designing a border is choosing flowers that complement each other both in color and height. The list of perennials I suggest here is for a six foot wide bed in a mainly sunny situation. Wide, in this case, means outward from the plant screen or fence, not the length of the bed.

Use 3 or 5 plants for each kind of flower and allow 16″-18″ between each plant. Allow 20″-22″ between the different plant groups. Planting an odd number of plants is more visually appealing than an even number.

Allow sufficient space at the rear of the bed for access. This will also prevent choking off necessary air and light from the plants in back.

These are my suggestions for a perennial border. They were chosen to give a long display, with the first flowers appearing in April and the last in October.

Tall plants for the back row: SEDUM ‘Autumn Joy’; RUDBECKIA Goldsturm; PHLOX White; IRIS light blue or yellow; VERONICA Blue; SOLIDAGO ‘Golden Shower’; and HOSTA fortunei ‘Picta’.

Shorter plants for the front row: GERANIUM grandiflorum; POTENTILLA ‘Firedance’; HUECHERA Pink; ASTER Dwarf Blue; SEDUM Dragons Blood; ACHILLEA ‘Moonshine’; and ERIGERON ‘Prosperity’.

Obviously, these plants won’t be the best choice for every climate. A worthwhile book to help you choose plants native to your climate zone is The Comfortable Lazy Garden. It’s also an excellent reference for beginning gardeners.

Island Bed

An island bed, as the name implies, is planted in the middle of the yard surrounded by a sea of grass. It can vary in shape and size according to your imagination and available space. Scale the plants from tallest in the center to shortest at the edges.

Preplanned Gardens

I understand all of this Latin mumbo jumbo can be daunting for first time gardeners, it was for me. If you would like a ready made solution, Direct Gardening offers a wide selection of preplanned gardens designed to take all the guess work out of plant selection and placement.

Water Feature

Imagine the reflective beauty of a pond or the gentle splashing of a man made waterfall. How about a 100 foot high waterslide? Maybe next year.

Do Your Yard a Favor

Before you buy any vegetation, visit a real garden center for advice on drainage and soil preparation. Also, bring a copy of your plan; a soil sample and an extra credit card just in case you can’t wait years to make your backyard landscaping ideas come true.

Sam Streubel
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/free-backyard-landscaping-idea-62381.html