Blog

Category: Outdoor Living

2023 Outdoor Living Trends For Simpler Lifestyles

Landscape design is constantly evolving, with new trends emerging every year. What’s interesting about the 2023 outdoor living trends is the resurgence of methods and practices that temporarily faded. The leading landscape outdoor trends for 2023 reflect a desire to enjoy outdoor spaces that are functional, sustainable, and connected to nature. Homeowners are seeking a gentler lifestyle, one that allows us to get back to enjoying Nature’s simplicity. There’s nothing about it that needs to be added or subtracted to improve it. All we have to create opportunities for its richness to enter our lifestyle. By incorporating these trends into

Read More

Pre-Winter Landscape Maintenance Tasks Homeowners Want To Do

There are plenty of outdoor maintenance tasks that should be done before the winter hits. Autumn is the best time to get these tasks done, but even early winter can work if the sun is shining and temperatures are in the 30s or warmer. Not only will this tidy up your yard, but you will protect your home and outdoor living spaces from the effects of cold winter temperatures, winds, snow, and ice. Clean Garden Beds of Weeds and Redefine Edges Garden beds need a thorough cleaning ahead of the winter. The garden beds will be more attractive when they

Read More

Minnesota Trees and Shrubs For Elegant Winter Interest

Minnesota landscaping for elegant winter interest consists of more than evergreen trees and shrubs. There are many beautiful conifers and broadleaf evergreens, but when you open your mind to the textures and colors of sturdy flowers, branches, and seedheads, you’ll discover more elegant and uncommon design opportunities. Deciduous trees and shrubs offer winter interest with persistent fruits, interesting bark and branching structure, colorful stems, and flowers capable of withstanding the full force of winter. Family Favorite Crabapple Trees The crabapple or Malus genus of ornamental trees are typically compact and suitable for providing winter interest. Apart from having breathtaking buds

Read More

Winterization Tips for Outdoor Spaces, Features and Landscape Systems

After a long Minnesota winter, homeowners willingly take on the task of getting their outdoor living spaces ready to use. Clean up and light maintenance prepare hardscape features and their surrounding landscaping to enjoy. As the cool autumn weather sets in, people get busy with work and back to school routines and dismiss landscape maintenance and winterization. You might lack the time needed to perform all these tasks, or you may not want to take on extra work on top of your day job. This is understandable, but you may regret your decision when you discover it could cost thousands

Read More

What To Consider Before Investing In Outdoor Landscape Lighting

Have you ever seen a professionally lit home that appears ordinary during the day but looks stunning at night?  This is what outdoor landscape lighting can do for your home. It literally can transform the average into extraordinary for a modest investment. Landscape lighting will showcase the exterior of your home, but also make it safer for you and your family to navigate the outdoor spaces. When used creatively, outdoor lighting can create a signature ambiance and showcase the unique characteristics of your home. This explains why many homeowners consider outdoor lighting to be an investment that pays for itself,

Read More

How To Restore and Maintain Stone, Brick and Block Hardscapes

Hardscape surfaces have been part of landscape projects for centuries. Traditional masons worked with clay brick and natural stone to construct durable columns, walls, and patio surfaces. The distinction is that only the most affluent homeowners had direct experience with these architectural landscape features. It wasn’t until the late 90s that these architectural hardscape features became accessible to a wider range of homeowners. In fact, it was this trend that was responsible for the use of the term hardscaping. Before then landscaping was plantings and hardscaping was more accurately referred to as masonry. The methods for maintaining and restoring natural

Read More