Garden Re-Use Tips

Usefulness is in the eye of the beholder. There are some items that might seem completely useless to someone who doesn't recycle items for use in a different way. If you view items with that mindset, however, you start to see a lot of dual uses for every day items that can really help keep your landscape design intact.

For instance, your old, leaky garden hose. Why throw it away? You can cut slits in it, screw a cap to the open end, and operate it as a low-cost sprinkler system for your yard. If you have older wooden shipping pallets, you can reuse those as compost bins. A curtain rod can be used as a support for tall-growing plants, and can always be adjusted should the plants continue to grow taller. Old soda bottles can be cut in half and used to plant hanging flowers on a deck or other space. By thinking a little bit outside the box with things, you can add to your landscape while re-using what you already have sitting around.

And, of course, Oak Ridge is always willing to help should you need it. Our retail store has the plants you'll need for your landscape design, and our professional landscapers can help you plan out and build your new landscape. Give us a call today at (336) 662-0081.

What's Big in the Backyard Right Now?

Much like fashion, landscaping can go through phases and have trends, where something is popular for a period before it's replaced by the "new" popular thing. Landscape design is, after all, the equivalent of fashion for your landscape, and the work you put into your property is the clothing your yard wears. Here are some of the trends we're seeing as we move toward the warm weather seasons.


Food up front. More landscape designers and homeowners are starting to add what are called "blended gardens" to their property; gardens that contain edible items, but are blended with non-edible plants. These are placed in sight instead of in a separate, hidden area.

 
 Quality over looks. The quality of the material now seems to take priority over how showy something looks, according to landscape designers. In post recession times, people want things that are going to last.



Solar-powered yards. Why spend money on electricity for the outdoors when you can harvest it from the sun during the day? More homeowners are starting to add solar panels and solar power systems to the landscape, taking advantage of solar power to run things like outdoor lights and small irrigation systems.

Looking for help with your landscape design? You can count on the professionals at Oak Ridge Shrubbery to lead you in the right direction. Give us a call today at (336) 662-0081.