Stay Home and Find Landscaping Inspiration

While we all have added time at home, it’s a great opportunity to think about a landscaping makeover. Take the time to walk your front and back yards and notice what’s working right now and what areas could use a bit of help.

After identifying your needs, you can start to dream of new ideas. We’ve pulled together some resources to where you can find landscaping inspiration.

The first is this article on landscape design from Houzz that suggests taking a long look at both your home’s style and your particular site. Both of these factors will play a large role in the type of landscape design that will work well for your home.

Another great resource for homeowners looking for a landscape upgrade is the site LoveYourLandscape.org. One recent article suggests using your personality type as a guide for landscape design. Are you warm and nurturing? The life of the party? Modern and edgy? Something else? Find out how to match your lifestyle to your lawn.

Don’t forget the younger members of the family as you consider a landscape facelift. Tree forts and play spaces are amenities that will bring hours of fun for your kids or grandchildren. Here are ideas to consider.

And, finally, if you’ve never considered a lawn terrace, pergola or play space for the kids in your yard, take a look at this article for more information.

Landscaping Inspiration for You

Would you like to see more inspiring photos? Click on our portfolio. Here’s to time spent outdoors!

5 Tips for Front Yard Landscaping

It’s been a long, gray winter and a strange spring so far… Your front yard landscaping is probably looking a bit sad right now. Maybe it’s time to give it a facelift, or even a complete overhaul. 

When we begin a front yard landscaping project, here are some things we consider:

1. Creating Focal Points

Focal points in a front yard grab attention and show passersby where to look first. A focal point could stand out because of its color: Maybe it’s a cherry tree with pink blossoms surrounded by greenery. Or, you could choose a brightly colored bench or garden art piece. It could even be your front door. 

Height also makes a focal point stand out. Imagine a garden bed surrounding a tall pedestal or oversized garden urn. Once you notice the taller object, your eye will then go to the plants that surround it. 

As we design a front yard, we include one major focal point, then one or two minor points for additional interest. 

2. Replacing Overgrown Shrubs

When it comes to front yard landscaping, age can stand in the way of beauty. You can expect landscape plantings to last for about 12 to 15 years, so if you haven’t made changes since the early 2000s, your front yard is past due. Two tell-tale signs of a “past its prime” landscape are giant overgrown bushes and borders that have lost their boundaries. 

When our clients have us remove old shrubbery and overgrown plants, they’re amazed at how good their homes look. A fresh, neat appearance goes a long way in terms of curb appeal. 

3. Adding Walkways

Straight lines can sometimes be too predictable. Take a look at your front yard. Is there a straight path to your front door?  There’s really no need to have a straight shot to your front door, especially if only visitors use it. Something with a gentle curve could add some excitement.

We love the look of curved walkways made with pavers or flagstone. Setting the pathway a few feet away from the house leaves space for garden beds on either side.  

4. Enclose It 

Adding some kind of structure to your front yard is a great idea. A fence, a low stone wall or a mounded berm can all give your front yard definition. You don’t need to completely enclose your yard to get the benefits here, just hint at the boundaries, and the rest of your yard will start to take shape.  

5. Build a Portal 

A doorway to another area of your yard can be enticing. Maybe it’s an arbor along the path to your backyard. It could be a gate on either side of a walkway. Plants installed to grow like arches can lead the eye, too. These kinds of elements typically add height as well, so they can also serve as focal points. 

Photo courtesy of Plow & Hearth

Your Front Yard Landscaping

A thoughtful landscape design can put every inch of your yard to good use. With high-quality hardscaping elements and the right trees and plants, your front yard could spark joy every time you come back home. 

What Does Mulch Do?

All over our area, the smell of mulch is the smell of spring. But what does mulch do? A lot of good things: Mulch nurtures plants and protects them from their surrounding environment. Mulch used in the right way can make your landscape thrive.  

Of course, a freshly mulched landscape looks great, too. There’s just something about the contrast in color between mulch and green plants that is visually pleasing. 

What’s the best mulch? 

If you buy your own mulch, you could be overwhelmed by the choices out there. For us, the choice is simple: Triple shred offers the best UV protection and is most effective at keeping weeds from germinating. 

Triple shred mulch also breaks down slightly faster. That’s a good thing because it puts nutrients from the mulch back into the soil. Your plants’ roots are happier in nutrient-dense soil. 

How much mulch is right? 

When our crews provide spring cleanup services for clients, we spread 3 inches of mulch in all beds. This amount of mulch is enough to provide UV protection. Using less could allow too many weeds to grow. Using too much mulch can starve roots of oxygen. A very thick layer of mulch can also hold excess rainwater around plants, waterlogging them and possibly leading to rot. 

Another mulch mistake is piling mulch in “volcanoes” around the trunks of trees. This practice can lead to rot and tree damage from pests or diseases. Let the trunks of your trees breathe!  

What’s the best time to mulch? 

Adding a layer of mulch in the spring provides a nice crisp look. It gets the growing season off on the right foot. When Cincinnati’s summer days heat up, mulch will keep your plants cooler. You can also add a light layer of mulch in the fall to protect plants from winter cold. 

How long does mulch last? 

If applied correctly, mulch should last from spring through the growing season. When mulch breaks down, it actually helps feed the soil, so you don’t want thick layers of mulch to stay in your garden beds for season after season. 

More About Mulch  

Your landscaping is a big investment, so you’re smart to ask, “What does mulch do?” We’re always happy to answer any questions, so reach out. We can’t wait to hear from you.  

Spring Vacation? Look for Gardening Ideas

One of our clients recently came home from vacation with an idea to recreate an English garden at their Cincinnati home. If you’re headed to warmer climates this winter or spring, you’ll find plenty of world-class gardens to visit. Wherever you go, be sure to take pictures. Who knows where you’ll find unique gardening ideas to bring back for your home. 

With so many Cincinnati residents vacationing in the Southeast U.S., this list of gardens published by Mother Earth Living is a great place to start your search for gardening ideas. The list offers suggested stops from North Carolina to Florida, and several places in between. 

Looking to find yourself in a bamboo maze? If you’re near Savannah, take a short trip to the Coastal Georgia Botanical Garden. Spring is the right time to view the garden’s Rivers of Iris as well. (Sounds like a great idea to re-create here in Ohio!)

Photo courtesy of Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens

Marvel at larger than life topiaries and be dazzled by plants from around the world and flowers in every color at Epcot Center. This Disney World resort in Orlando, Florida, hosts an annual Flower and Garden Festival. In 2020, the dates are March 4 through June 1. 

The Biltmore in Asheville has world-famous gardens, but if you’d like to see something older, drive east to Manteo, North Carolina, to the Elizabethan Gardens. A live oak on the garden’s grounds is estimated to have lived since 1585. While you’re there, take in the site’s 85 varieties of Camellias and roses straight from Windsor Castle. Bookmark the month of April for the butterfly festival.  

Photo courtesy of the Elizabethan Gardens

Share Your Gardening Ideas

We hope you find lots of inspiration on your travels. If you find an idea to bring home to your yard, take plenty of photos. We’d love to see them and make your vision a reality.    

Be a Hero with Sustainable Landscaping

Maybe you’re trying to earn LEED points for your home or you just want to follow a “greener” lifestyle. Whatever your motivation, sustainable landscaping practices can help. Choosing to make your surroundings more eco-friendly is easy and you can still enjoy a beautiful yard. 

Seiler’s certified LEED landscape designers suggest taking these steps to sustainable landscaping: 

Watch the Water

Watering plants and trees is important in our area, since we often have periods of drought. A rain gauge in your yard will let  you know if Mother Nature is taking care of watering for you. If you do use a sprinkler system, make sure it doesn’t run when rain has been adequate. Take note of the spray patterns--adjust the sprinkler heads if they are watering walkways or driveways instead of plantings. Watering in the early morning is best: Later in the day, heat can cause water to evaporate more quickly. 

Another way to save water is to choose drought-tolerant plants. We follow sustainable landscaping practices by selecting plants we know will thrive in the Cincinnati area without a lot of extra watering or fertilizing. 

Limit the Lawn

Grass requires continuous maintenance, which in turn requires energy and resources. As you plan for a more environmentally friendly yard, consider cutting back on large expanses of lawn. We’re happy to show you other ideas for beautiful, low-maintenance plantings. You’ll never miss the extra grass.  

Bee a Friend

Attracting pollinators like bees, birds, beetles and butterflies is a great way to help the environment. The National Audubon Society offers a database of native plants that’s easy to search by zip code. These native plants help birds and other pollinators thrive. 

Some of Seiler’s favorite plants and trees to attract pollinators are: 

• Flowering Dogwood trees

• Black-Eyed Susan 

• Redbud trees

• Butterfly bush

Your Family’s Sustainable Landscaping

Studies show that time spent outdoors can improve mood. Your landscape can encourage your family to get out of the house. As you consider a backyard refresh, think about ways to spend time outside. An outdoor dining area, firepit for watching the stars, hammock for al fresco napping,  zone for yard games or a soothing water fountain can all lure family and friends outside. These amenities can be incorporated with sustainability. One example is a deck built with a composite material made from wood byproducts and recycled plastics. 

Providing space in your yard for compost bins is another way to cut down on waste and use landscape trimmings to create nourishment for your plants.Composting can even help kids understand nature’s life cycles. 

Professional Help

It’s important for all of us to do our part for the planet. Take simple steps on your own to “green” your yard, and if you’re ready to make a bigger impact, contact us. We’d be happy to point you in a new, eco-conscious direction.  

Outdoor Living and Landscaping News from Builders Show

Every year, the colossal International Builders Show features the latest in all things home-related. Here are some outdoor living and landscaping highlights from IBS 2020.

Hidden Treasure

Phantom Screens paired up with two other companies, Struxure and Somfy, to create outdoor rooms at the show. The rooms showed off the hidden screen products from Phantom that can enclose or shade an outdoor space. Struxure offers pergolas with slats that can slide out of the way for direct sunlight, or be maneuvered for shade or to create a watertight roof. Somfy adds remote control ability to the louvers, as well.

Photo courtesy of Phantom Screens

Photo courtesy of Struxure

It’s Not Wood

The look of wood with zero maintenance? For some who want easy-care outdoor living and landscaping, it’s a dream. Knotwood showed off its aluminum fencing and decking at this year’s show. The product is powder-coated and textured to look like and have the feel of wood. It comes in a wide variety of wood shades.

Photo courtesy of Knotwood

Smokin’ Hot

Napoleon rolled out a new grill with all the bells and whistles. The Premium PRO grill has powerful burners, a smoker tube and a range of other options. It also offers an LED spectrum night light function that allows users to set control knobs to a custom color to match their outdoor décor. The grill has proximity lighting with motion-detection that projects a Napoleon logo on the ground when you are ready to grill.

Photo courtesy of Napoleon

Fire, Water, Food

Going beyond their composite wood decking products, Trex brought to the show a line of fire vessels that includes a few that are paired with water features.

Photo courtesy of Trex

Trex also promoted a full line of outdoor kitchen cabinetry. Available in a wide range of styles, finishes and colors, these durable outdoor cabinets make meal prep, serving and clean-up much easier.

Photo courtesy of Trex

Ready for More?

New products and ideas for outdoor living and landscaping keep popping up. It’s exciting to imagine what you could do with your backyard. Call us today to talk about your options. We’d love to help you make your dream outdoor space a reality.

5 Things Every Backyard Refresh Should Include

You’ve seen all the gorgeous photos of drool-worthy backyards, maybe even watched your neighbors or friends create beautiful outdoor living spaces. Are you ready to make your own backyard retreat? 

Here are five things you’ll want to include: 

1. Space to entertain. You can magically add square footage to your home by planning for the right outdoor space. We can help you create a design that provides shade where you want it and plenty of sun where it would feel pleasant. Your backyard can offer amenities that everyone (including your pets) can enjoy. Hosting friends and family outside can be fun and relaxing if you have the right spaces and furnishings. 

2. A drainage plan. As certified drainage contractors, we understand that a wet backyard can cause a variety of problems. Ponding water makes it difficult to maintain your lawn and plants and can even be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. If you’re having issues with drainage, contact us so we can talk about a good solution.  

3. The right plants and trees. As you refresh your backyard, you want to include plants and trees that will grow and thrive in our Cincinnati climate. Proper placement of plant life is critical, too: Trees and shrubs that overtake your home mean trouble down the line. A good landscape plan takes growth patterns into account and calls for the right plants in the right locations. 

4. A paver patio. Is a deck in your plans for a backyard refresh? Try considering a paver patio instead. Unlike wood decks, a paver patio is maintenance-free and will last for years without re-staining or wood treatments. Many of our clients love the way pavers can be tied into the look of their home’s exterior as well. Patios surrounded by low walls can also provide casual seating, too. 

5. A firepit or fireplace. Spring and fall in Cincinnati are wonderful times to sit outside at night enjoying a fire. By creating a built-in fireplace or firepit, you don’t need to worry about buying or replacing temporary firepits or rings. Want to combine a fireplace with a wood-burning oven? It’s easy. And, your fire area can offer built-in seating for a crowd. 

What does your dream backyard look like? We’d love to hear about your vision, so contact us today for a free consultation.  

Why January Is a Great Time to Start a Landscape Design Project

When it’s cold and gray, who wants to think about their landscape? Actually, winter is the perfect time to gear up for a yard makeover. Here’s why: 

You Need a Plan 

The best landscape renovations rely on a carefully considered plan. Spending time this winter defining your vision of the perfect backyard, front yard or outdoor living space will put you ahead of the game. 

Start by thinking about who will use the outdoor spaces, along with when and how. Would you like to eat outside, entertain, prepare meals or have a fireplace or firepit? Do you enjoy gardening? How do you want your home to look from the street? How much yard work do you like to do? Think about exterior lighting, too, and if it could extend the time you can spend in your outdoor spaces. 

Now’s the time to draft a budget, too. If you’ll need to finance the project, talk to a lender about your options now. Remember, unlike interior renovation projects, it’s easy to tackle a landscape makeover in phases. Start with the backyard this spring and put the front yard off until next year, or vice versa. 

 It’s the Off Season

Like most landscape design companies, we tend to have more open schedules in the winter. We’d be happy to talk about your vision now and start sketching out a plan. We’ll go over your ideas, look at photos that you like and discuss your budget. Then, we’ll visit your home to look at the site and take measurements.

Next, we’ll provide you with an initial plan and cost estimate. During this winter season, we’ll have plenty of time to revise as necessary until the plan fits your needs exactly. If your plans include building a deck, pool or other structure, we can arrange meetings with contractors so they are on board and prepared.   

Be Ready to Roll 

Another good reason to get started on your landscape design now is that you’ll be ready to go when good weather comes around. In the spring, we can start removing any unwanted plant life or existing structures.Then, we’ll do preliminary site grading to get ready for hardscaping like patios, walkways or walls. Once those are in place, we’ll be ready to bring in your plants and you can start enjoying your beautiful new landscape. 

Are you thinking of a landscape facelift or complete makeover? We’d love to hear about your ideas. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

A Formal Garden Vision Takes Shape

Most people bring knick knacks or t-shirts home from vacation. Debe and Lou Terhar brought home a garden. 

Of course they didn’t stuff plants, pathways and a fountain into their suitcases, but they were so enchanted with a formal English garden they saw while vacationing in Australia, they vowed to recreate it in their Cincinnati backyard. 

From Down Under to the West Side

Inspiration hit while the Terhars were staying at Lillianfels Resort and Spa in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. “It was listed as one of the thousand places to see before you die,” Debe says. “When we were walking from the resort down to the restaurant, there was this English garden on the grounds of the restaurant. I was so taken by it.” 

Debe lived in England for several years, and a formal garden like those she’d seen there and throughout Europe had always been a dream. 

Lou began pacing off the size of the Lillianfels garden, back to front and side to side. From his rough measurement, it seemed like they could make it work behind their house on Cincinnati’s West Side.  

Dream to Reality

When they returned home, Debe pulled out the email address she had used to make reservations for the restaurant, crossed her fingers and sent a request for more information on the garden. “I got an email from the chief engineer of Lillianfels, with answers to all my questions, plus the design for the original garden,” Debe recalls. 

The Terhars took the information to local landscape designer Martha Wasserman to adapt the plans for their space. Then they contacted Seiler’s Landscaping to begin construction. 

“When I met Will Seiler, I thought it was a perfect fit,” Debe says. She knew he understood the vision she had for the garden. “Everyone with Seiler’s has just been phenomenal,” she says. 

As the garden is taking shape, Debe is getting more and more excited. She can’t wait to see the Korean lilacs, white hydrangea and coral bells blooming. “We originally wanted to have white climbing roses over the trellises, but it seemed more practical to have clematis.”  

Until that first blooming season, Debe is enjoying walking the garden paths and relishing their elegant and unique souvenir from a trip across the world.

Tell Us Your Vision

Do you have a dream garden in mind or want to give your landscaping a facelift? Contact us: We’d love to talk about your options in a free consultation.