Building a treehouse seems like a piece of cake to a child, but a few planks of wood, some bent nails and a trip to A&E later brings the whole idea crashing back to earth. Realistically the job falls down to any willing adult who is responsible enough to construct something to safely hold a group of children ten feet up in the air.

To begin with you will need a tree, obviously, preferably your own tree and away from the liability lawsuit hunters. Find a big one, bigger is better, make sure it’s healthy and try and chose one with several large branches within reach. If you can find two or more trees close together you can build between them, reducing the amount of struts you will need to use.

You will obviously need the materials but make sure you have some decent tools, either invest in some or borrow some from a willing friend/relative. Judge the lengths of material you need based on the tree and how big you really want to build it. Consider the maximum dimensions and have at least four pieces of wood at this length (depending on your design). This will form a base and other materials can be mounted on top.

Decorating your garden space is a massive project. The time and effort that it includes is great however the payoff is even greater. There are so many different great garden landscaping thoughts that will transform your garden from just normal to an astounding space to hang out outside.

One magnificent idea is to add some beautiful curves to the lines of the garden. You may do this by digging a very small trench in the shape of a snake along the outer edges of the garden area. Purchase some plastic edging or some flexible yet pretty fencing to put into the small trench. This will add some flare to the design of the garden.

The next step would be to settle on what sorts of plants you would desire to have in your garden. You could plant your own fruits and veggies in the garden space and still make it highly stunning to look at. If you need a highly useful garden space and would like to grown your own food then this might be the right decision for you.

Artificial trees are becoming more and more popular in today’s fast-paced world, and they are being used in homes, offices and even in the lobby designs at world famous decorating companies. Today these trees have a striking realism that is combined by often using real bark, branches, and twigs as the base and integrating these with the finest foliage, leaves, and berries that can be produced.

They arent quite the real thing, but they are very very close. Even butterflies and birds are often fooled by these imitations and will even nest in an artificial tree! One of the reason that artificial trees have become so popular has to do with their low maintenance nature. They require basically no care ” if your artificial tree is placed in an indoor location, it will just need an occasional dusting to keep it looking realistic.

These artificial trees will not create problems for those with allergies because there is no pollen to be transmitted and the leaves will never shed. Owners can be assured that the overall beauty will remain intact regardless of the seasons of the year or where they are placed in the home.

It is almost time for spring chores and at the top of your list should be planting a tree or two.

Planting trees at your house helps the environment, of course, but it also enhances the beauty of your home investment.

Following are 3 of my favorite trees for planting in the home landscape.

River Birch

Clump river birch trees are the ideal popular anchor tree for any landscape. They have stately lines and a fairly fast growth rate that makes them fill in quickly. If you have areas of your landscape that are constantly retaining water, planting a river birch or two will help to sop up the soggy area and make that birch flourish.

The river birch can get some damage from Japanese beetles during the summer, so be prepared to spray them should populations get out of hand. In addition, you want to give them an iron injection is the leaves become pale yellow.

Crab Apple Tree

Old timers and young folks alike love the standby spring flowering crab apple tree. With its bright pink or stunning white flowers that bloom in the early spring, the crab is a beautiful addition to any landscape scent. They are also great within planting beds because dwarf varieties are available for any situation. They even come in weeping forms.

If you know anything about landscaping and landscape design, then you are aware that evergreens (bushes or trees that don’t drop their leaves or needles) are the foundation of proper form and function. But what evergreens are the best for the typical home landscape and are they high or low maintenance?

Here are just a few of my favorite evergreens for home landscapes and what I like and dislike about each one.

Yews

Taxus Yews are the most common evergreen bush found around foundations from the near south to the Midwest and all the way out east. They have dark green foliage and the new growth each spring is lighter neon or pale. They make a great backdrop to your landscape plants and flowers and they are not susceptible to insects or disease. Yews can also take a tight sheering, so if you are looking to carve cartoon characters into your bushes, Yews will be just fine. The only drawback I can see with Taxus Yews is that they are just way too common and boring.

Cedars Or Arbovitae

If you know anything about landscaping and landscape design, then you are aware that evergreens (bushes or trees that don’t drop their leaves or needles) are the foundation of proper form and function. But what evergreens are the best for the typical home landscape and are they high or low maintenance?

With that in mind, I am going to list four of my favorite evergreen shrubs that you should consider for your landscape.

Taxus Yews

Yews can be found in over 80% of the landscapes in the Midwest and easy. They are also grown as far south as Georgia with good success. Taxus yews have a darker green foliage and stand up well to extreme weather conditions. Their new growth each year has a bright green appearance, giving them some nice variation. They can be trimmed tightly each year and really dont have any problems with insects or fungus. The only thing I dont like about yews is that they are very common and boring.

Arbs

The blanket of snow that we are used to in winter is being quickly pulled back by the springtime sun. Now that warmer weather is starting to set in across the country it is time to think about planting trees in your yard and landscape.

Adding trees to your landscape and yard is a great way to help our environment, but it also makes you happy, believe it or not. Anything green adds joy to your investment in a home.

Here are three of the best trees for planting this season.

River Birch

The river birch is very popular as a specimen plant in landscapes from Georgia to Wisconsin. It can live in the hottest temperatures and the coldest, as long as it gets plenty of water. The river birch will suck up gallons of water and grow taller and taller, making is a great choice for placement in areas that do not tend to drain well. If you have an area of your lawn that collects rain water and does not drain, then plant a river birch in the middle of it!