| A Lesson on Landscaping |
| Limbing up a large tree sheds light on the subject: A newly beautiful front yard. |
From "Desperate Landscapes"
episode DDSL-213 |
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Landscape pro Jason Cameron goes to Burdsall Avenue where neighbors say one of the smartest families on the block needs a serious lesson on landscaping. David and Laura Morris are busy with kids and work, plus Laura is working on her PhD. That's why neighbors want Jason to help clean up the overgrown trees and shrubs, patch the porch steps and bring some much-needed color to the yard.
The basic steps in this landscape transformation, as well as a list of the new plants, are summarized below. But first, here are views of the yard before and immediately after this Desperate Landscapes makeover.
Project No. 1: Clean the brick wallThe brick walls of the porch are smudged with colored chalk. One option for cleaning these difficult-to-remove stains is to use graffiti remover to scrub it off, following the manufacturer's instructions. Another option is to use a pressure washer. Web extra
How to pressure-wash brick: Set the pressure washer between 500 and 1000 psi (pounds per square inch). Higher settings could damage the brick.
Wear eye protection and gloves.
Start the sprayer away from the brick surface to make sure the water spray is not too hard.
Then stand about three or four feet away and spray, working from top to bottom.
If you find that spraying from a distance of three to four feet isn't getting the brick clean, move in a little closer.
Project No. 2: Limb up treesSome trees in the yard block the view of the house and make it very dark. Rather than cutting down the trees, Jason's plan calls for limbing them up. How to limb up trees: For small branches, a pruning saw is the right tool for limbing. For larger branches within reach, use a chain saw (figure A). For higher branches, call an arborist.
Limbing up low-hanging branches brings more light into the yard and creates room for colorful, low-growing plants (figure B).
Cut branches close to the collar to avoid inviting disease.
| ALSO IN THIS EPISODE: | | A Lesson on Landscaping |
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