Yard Landscape Design Ideas

Plan, plan, plan—the beginning of any good yard landscape design. The end result will be a beautiful a vista that gives you daily pleasure. And it comes with a big pay-off in that attractive landscaping provides a return on investment when it comes time to sell your home. At Exterior Worlds, we think of this time, effort and money as the big three of a yard landscape design project.

One early decision on your part needs to be whether to hire a designer such as the ones you’ll find at Exterior Worlds. While you will find a range of fees for landscape designers, bear in mind that the artistic talent that they bring to the table can turn your place into a showcase. Trained in principles of design and best horticulture practices, these professional planners of yard landscape designs pay big dividends.

Early discussions will also center around which elements to add to your landscape and how to enhance what you’ve got. To begin with, you need to understand your environment. In general, your Houston landscape benefits from a relatively mild climate, nutrient-rich native soil (even though it does need amendments) and a variety of indigenous plants that are naturally lush and verdant. Also, landscape design tree elements cannot be over-valued. Trees give your yard height, shade, color, movement and interest. With consistent and reasonable maintenance, we have seen trees increase in value by as much as 400 percent over a 5-7 year period.

Water elements are another prized element in Houston landscaping. We have found that luxury pools are an expected amenity for upscale homes. Pools provide hours of fun (at any time of the year, but particularly in our hot summers), are a perfect setting for entertainment and delight the senses even when you’re not in them. If you own an older home, perhaps a pool renovation is in order, a project that requires considerable effort, but creates real value for your property.

A water fountain, such as a garden wall fountain or contemporary garden fountain is another visual and auditory treat. It gives a focal point to the eye and soothing sounds to the ear. Fountains are extremely versatile in landscape design. You can place them in front yards, back yards, in small, odd-shaped plots and at entry ways.

Masonry hardscapes unite your architecture with the landscape by projecting out into the yards, thus linking these two disparate zones together. Masonry that rises from the ground also adds a vertical element to your design. Examples of Houston masonry run the gamut from a minimalist brick planter or stone wall to an elaborate pool and patio area with an outdoor kitchen.

However, your ideas and schemes don’t have to be elaborate. At Exterior Worlds, we believe that some of the best yard landscape design ideas are simple and elegant. When we plan and execute a landscape design, we focus on the concept that the landscape is the framework for your house and, just like with artwork hanging on your wall, the frame serves the main attraction.

Planting Soil

When planning your Houston landscape, your not-so-secret ingredient is the planting soil. It is the proverbial foundation from which all the glorious plant material—blooming vines, verdant bushes, flowering trees and seasonal color—will spring.

In the excitement of dreaming about planting gardens, many people make the mistake of skimping on the unseen items, like planting soil. However, at Exterior Worlds, we have seen that proper site preparation is a sure formula for lasting success. If you are planting azaleas, the condition of your soil is particularly important. These magnificent plants that herald spring in Houston thrive best when the soil is healthy. Good soil prep is also necessary if you are planting roses.

Soil is a mixture of rock particles, minerals, organic matter, micro-organisms, oxygen and water. The dirt component is usually one predominant element of sand, silt and clay, with a mixture of the other two. We have a high concentration of clay in Houston, which presents special challenges. Clay soil is rich in the mineral-based elements and nutrients that plants need, but it can easily become compacted, especially with regular use, such as foot or vehicular traffic. Additionally, it can also quickly become waterlogged, which causes air pockets to fill with water and kill off soil organisms. The end result—injury to plant roots.

Exterior Worlds advises adding fibrous material and sand to heavy clay soil. Organic matter, such as leaf composts and pine bark, breaks up the small tight-sticking mineral particles to create larger pore spaces that drain more easily and hold oxygen better. For the best planting soil, we recommend a ratio of 1/3 loam (or soil), 1/3 sand, and 1/3 organic matter.

It is also a good idea to avoid working the soil or walking on your garden beds when they are wet, which is another issue with high-content clay planting soil, especially in combination with our Texas coastal weather that is subject to torrential rains. Observing this good practice will decrease the possibility of more soil compaction.

You want soil that retains moisture, but doesn’t remain wet. So we encourage our clients with low-lying areas or zones with drainage problems to use raised beds to keep the root systems of their plants from sitting in water for long periods. Also, after the soil is properly prepared, we recommend that new beds lie fallow for a few weeks to allow them time to settle.

In addition to good soil prep, the next best bet in dealing with clay soil is mulch installation since mulching keeps the clay soil from forming a crust. Because you really can have too much of a good thing, we are always careful not to apply mulch up the trunks or stalks of plants as it will hinder their health.

As one of this region’s premier professional lawn and garden services providers, Exterior Worlds can do the labor-intensive and proper soil preparation as well as the regular application of mulch. You’ll be amazed at the long-term benefits.

The journey of 1,000 steps begins with the first one and, with garden beds, that first step is the soil preparation. Your dream landscape garden design is just waiting.

Landscaping Services Houston

Professional landscaping services in Houston, Texas are a coordinated blend of traditional landscaping design methods and special methods of landscaping that specifically address the many nuances and eccentricities of the deceptively simple Houston landscape. Our ultimate intention is to put cash value back into the yard, improving the resale opportunity of future possibilities and creating a sustainable, superior living environment in the present moment. The genius of our value is to bring top-quality functionality to the table, then make it disappear quietly behind the backdrop of the landscape with unique and proprietary services developed after years of experience working in the Houston, Texas area.

One of the many ways our landscaping services differentiate our firm’s uniqueness is an intentional avoidance of bold paving. The land throughout Houston, Texas appears completely flat to the naked eye, and many people who move here from higher elevations consider it outright boring. Hardscape design characterized by bold color or eccentric patterns can quickly backfire aesthetically. By drawing they eyes down to the ground, they force you to look at land that is as flat as a tabletop in most places. To counter this negative, we lean toward more neutral colors and basic geometry when paving areas like driveways and motor courts. We want you to see them as functional elements, and no more. In order to add a vertical dimension to the property, we take emphasize bold organic elements. A wide range of flowers, tropical plants, hedges, and tree species all contribute to a robust sense of upward mobility, diversity, and growth.

Another important methodology we use that is highly unique in the landscaping services industry is planning and layout of custom, concealed drain systems. We seldom install a simple, single drainage network on the properties we develop. The deceptive simplicity of the Houston landscape and the surrounding part of Texas in general, requires a much more complex engineering of drains than face value analysis would lead you to believe. While the terrain looks flat, it really is not actually flat. It is replete with twists, bends, depressions, and rises in elevation that hide from even the steady gaze of the eye, but become all too obvious—and all too problematic—when the rain water begins to follow their contours. This can cause a yard that appears to be higher than the street and surrounding properties to suddenly form streams and pools of water in the worst possible places. Patios can flood and gardens can be destroyed if these sudden mini-catastrophes of Houston seasonal rains are not anticipated and headed off by proactive landscaping services professionals

To do this, we almost always engineer and install two drainage systems. One is for the house itself, and is designed exclusively pull water as quickly as possible off the roof of the home and away from doors, windows, porches, and patios. This system will either then drain directly into the Houston storm sewer system, or it will be siphoned temporarily into the drain system of the landscaping itself. There are a number of water delivery mechanisms we can use in the creation of both types of drainage. However, the distinguishing mark of our landscaping services in this crucial are of property development is concealing these mechanisms behind the carefully cultivated forms of gardens, the meticulously constructed structures of outdoor buildings, custom patios, stone work, and custom swimming pool design.

At the end of the day, we spend a great deal of time, energy, and money developing a system of detailed plans, documents, and drawings that will allow our team and our subcontracted partner teams to take the conceptual essence of landscaping services we have intuitively envisioned and make them concrete, applicable, and impeccably workable in any property we service in Houston and surrounding Texas counties.

Flower Garden Design

One of the hardest aspects of flower garden design is the limited lifespan of flowers themselves. While many flowering plants in and of themselves can live for many years, the flowers that they produce nevertheless do not. In order to design a flower garden that will truly honor the landscape year round, landscape architects have to plant different flowers at the beginning of each new quarter. The colors they recommend are normally chosen as representative of associations we make with the seasons themselves. Bright red, pink, and blue flowers are favorite colors for the new life of spring. In the summer, when the sun is at its hottest and brightest, yellow flowers are consistently popular choices. In late fall and winter, when bad weather often obscures visibility, white flowers stand out very well on even the muggiest of Texas winter days.

Professional landscapers help you select the very best color choices that will specifically match your home and yard. They will then further extend the benefits of these choices by selecting the hardiest plant species that have the best chance of making it through some of the rather extreme weather conditions we sometimes experience in Houston. At any given time, we may be facing anything from a dry-cracking drought to a constant torrent of semi-tropical rain. We cannot always predict what the weather is going to do next, so it is essential that we choose species known to have the best chance of survival in a worst case scenario.

While climate can pose a challenge to flower selection, it is not an insurmountable barrier. An otherwise delicate species of flower can be strengthened against certain environmental extremes by the right garden design specialist. Plants that need more water than a particular season typically provides can be enhanced by aesthetically sensible irrigation systems. For plants that can be damaged by too water can conversely be protected with any number of drain systems.The biggest challenge, believe it or not, is the availability of light. Some types of annual flowers simply cannot live without a certain level of light and therefore can only be planted in certain areas. In such instances where a highly popular flowering species is discovered to be incompatible with its environment, Exterior Worlds will help to develop a workaround even to this. Such workarounds may require creating new pathways for light by altering nearby structures, or they may require using advanced botanical knowledge to locate very similar species that thrive under very different lighting conditions. Regardless, the only way to maximize your chances for lasting satisfaction and return on your capital is to have your flower garden designed by a professional. While yard service companies and gardening magazines are all full of good suggestions that have merit and application to a point, it is essential that you also work with professional landscapers who can apply those ideas in the context of practicality and workability.

Garden Plans

We begin the development of a garden plan with a series of consultations with the homeowner. Most homeowners have an intuitive sense of what they would like to see developed in their landscape. It is our job to ask them the right questions that will help give form and substance to these innate feelings that people often have difficulty putting into words. When homeowners think of garden plans, they may be visualizing something that exclusively involves the planting of various vegetation elements. Such things as flowers, shrubs, hedges, and even small trees typically come to mind when we consider the form and beauty of a garden. While these elements do indeed constitute the organic aspects of gardens, there are many more things to consider when developing plans for the overall landscape.

During our consultation, we seek to not only pinpoint the aesthetic sensibilities of our clients, but also the things that matter to them in terms of lifestyle, activities, entertainment, and peace of mind. People seldom have only one expectation in mind, but a rather a whole litany of needs and desires they are looking to fulfill. When they step beyond the threshold of the doorway into outdoor space, they look to enter a whole new world of experience that brings both new sensory perceptions and new states of consciousness to bear upon their perceptions. Most of these expectations reside at the unconscious level, which is why our consultation process is both in-depth and ongoing. Open dialogue and clear communication help us to bring these expectations to the surface so we may better develop garden plans that speak to every element of our clients’ minds and emotions, not just the surface value of visual aesthetics.

In this respect, garden plans are both global and multidimensional. By itemizing the emotional and intellectual qualities of the resident that the landscape will ultimately reflect, the scope of the project is much easier to establish, and the details of the landscape more readily fall into place. Gaining a clear picture of how homeowners intend to enjoy their garden enables us to plan many details that otherwise would be overlooked or arbitrarily added after the fact. For example, if we learn during our meetings with a couple that they want a special part of the yard set aside just for them, it then becomes clearly evident that something like a private fountain and private patio will be in order to accommodate their sensibilities. People looking to entertain large groups will probably find great benefit in larger patios around swimming pools and enjoy the convenience of outdoor rooms where cooking and serving drinks can be done without having to run back inside.

Other purely aesthetic elements of garden plans can then be developed around these functional keynotes so as to better integrate any structures we commission into the organic elements of outdoor space. Trails for people to walk through, natural swimming pools, special fountains built to mimic waterfalls, trellises, and arbors are just a few of the many things we will add to the landscape that add depth and dimension to the organic components of the landscape. When it becomes necessary to subcontract certain experts such as swimming pool contractors to add these specific elements, a detailed garden plan drawn to scale helps to better coordinate the implementation of the project both globally and specifically. Subcontracted specialists are better able to see their individual creations as parts that relate to a greater whole, and they are better able to focus their energies and talents toward the creation of highly specialized forms that simultaneously contribute to the overall aesthetic that our design team ultimately has in mind.

French Drainage Systems

While we already have a drainage system in our landscape, we need to expand it. We’ve been reading about French drains and were wondering what Exterior Worlds thought about them?
French drains are trenches or ditches filled with gravel or other small rocks that move water parallel to the ground. Water flows much easier through loose gravel or rocks, especially as compared to Houston’s infamous thick and gumbo-like clay soil which is always a challenge for any local landscaper. A well-designed drainage system using this type of drain will often have pipes buried in the gravel to further ease the flow of water from the wet area to the dry one.

For those homeowners who are interested in a “green” green garden—that is, one that is ecologically-correct and sustainable—French drains add a “green” element to your landscape drainage system. By the way, French drains were not invented in France. Rather, Henry French of Concord, Massachusetts came up with the idea in the mid-1800s and popularized it with his book.
Why do people install such drains? What are their advantages?
This type of drain fits into almost any landscape design. Their rewards are many, including:
• These drains make residential landscape maintenance easier since they prevent standing water that can cause soggy roots or drowned-out plants. They also help prevent slippery surfaces and breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
• Your overall lawn service is improved because these drains pull standing water out of the landscape while at the same time storing rain water in the subsoil. Your grass ends up looking healthier and more vibrant.
• These drains can work in conjunction with your irrigation system. Both systems can be designed by landscape designers or landscape architects so that water collects in and nurtures garden beds, thus conserving water. Your designer can also work to hide the hardware to lessen any negative visual impact.
What do we need to know, in general, about drainage systems?
It goes without saying that storm drainage issues are very serious in the Gulf Coast region due to our flat topography, dense clay soils, and increased impervious surfaces on heavy forested lots due to years of construction. These three major factors have caused flooding problems for streets and homes during our seasonally heavy rainfalls. Therefore, many local ordinances have begun to follow the standard set by the Memorial Villages that require minimum pipe sizes, temporary drainage systems, topographic maps, engineered drainage plans, calculations, flow rates, and as/built plans.

Homeowners may find themselves swimming in the middle of a big mess that can cost thousands to rectify if their drainage contractors takes on a drainage project without a thorough understanding of these demands.

Also, we always recommend to our clients that, when installing any drainage system, you hand-dig trenches around trees to minimize damage to them. Alternately, pressurized water can be used to dig deep trenches or you can tunnel under tree roots by using compressed air. Any of these tree preservation methods expose tree roots so they are not abruptly torn, thus endangering the life of the tree.

Front Yard Landscaping

Lawn areas in both larger and smaller lots require subdividing the front yard with a number of related, yet independent landscaping design themes. Entrances, transit areas, gardens, and seating areas all represent very unique elements that must still be integrated together through linear progression and repeated aesthetic themes. Front yard landscaping must also pay great respect to home architecture and style, because newcomers to the residence will see these the house and the property as an aesthetic unity more than distinctive elements.

One of the more significant aspects of front yard landscaping is the entry experience. How you get to the front door is important. As a transition from public space to private space, the entrance sets the tone for the entire landscape. Entry space can be neat and tidy, abstract, or contemporary. It tells neighbors and visitors something about you, revealing personality and lifestyle through such exterior forms as theme gardens and professionally installed landscape lighting fixtures.

Transit areas are another important aspect of front yard landscaping. Motorcourts create unique parking areas that are positioned to give new arrivals a prime vantage point of the landscape before they exit their vehicles. Walkways lead visitors into lawn areas where a number of organic forms and inorganic structures can await them. Theme gardens such as parterre, knot, and Italian gardens further establish the tone of the landscaping design and provide organic reflections of home architecture. Decorative features such as sculptures and fountains can then be used to add vertical dimension to lawn space and further work to unify the front yard landscape, garden forms, and architectural themes of the home.

In larger front yards, landscaping does not stop with simply ornamenting the property to establish mindset. Larger custom homes normally have a great deal of underutilized space when we first arrive on property. Many people do not realize how detrimental this is to optics. Too much empty space creates the illusion that the front yard is much smaller than it actually is. By adding outdoor structures that integrate function and form into the landscape, one does greater justice to the property and contributes to the aesthetic of both the outdoors and the home itself.

Any number of structures can be constructed to accomplish this. Patios can be built that can host everything from public gatherings to private conversations between couples. Porches can be added to the fronts of home that feature special seating arrangements, screened-in outdoor rooms, and even fully functioning kitchen or entertainment areas.

Once a front yard has been landscaped to this degree, what you end up with is a space divided into special areas, each with its own function and aesthetic. That is, if you hire a professional landscaper to design, create, and maintain these elements at a level of sophistication required for a truly superior outcome.

Houston Gardens

Houston’s landscape and climate makes it a great place to plant a garden. Because it has such a warm climate, humid atmosphere, and soil that is rich in nutrients, almost anything you plant here is not only going to survive, but also thrive. Tropicals, low-level shrubs, all colors of perennials of all colors, and seasonal in a rainbow of colors all do very well here.

This diversity of plant material options allows the landscape contractor tremendous freedom in creating Houston gardens that are based on both traditional and non-traditional forms. We believe that all elements of landscaping design should first and foremost respect the architecture of the home with a form that mirrors its structural highlights and adds organic sense to the home’s presence. Accordingly, we approach a garden as a key supportive element of the larger surrounding residence and particular neighborhood. We have all seen scores of amateur gardens throughout the city that are basically flower beds circling the bases of trees. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this, such elementary design lacks the ability to significantly differentiate a residence from the others on the block.

We believe instead that Houston gardens should be developed under the umbrella of a landscaping master plan. Our goal is never to simply fill empty spaces with flowers and shrubs. In fact, some of the more exotic forms we design for clients, such as Zen and modern gardens, rely on a skillful blend of empty space, vegetation, and ornamentation to create a very subtle but powerful synergy. Yardmen and do-it-yourself gardening manuals miss this nine times out of ten. They only focus on how to find pretty plants that fill space with color and greenery. Professional gardeners, however, rely upon either an established, traditional design or a derivative of that form that is then individualized to a particular residence and client personal tastes.

You can find examples of this in our many case histories, located in our landscaping portfolio. If you read through a few of these, you will soon notice that different garden styles are very prevalent in specific parts of Houston. In River Oaks, for example, you see Italian and French gardens almost everywhere you go. The lots are so large, and the architecture so elegantly formal, that Old World gardening designs work very well with the landscape and houses here. However, we see almost the complete opposite in areas such as West University, Southside Place, Bellaire, and Rice Village. Here, the lots are much smaller, and houses are also either smaller or built upward rather than outward. If you live in one of these Houston neighborhoods, you will want something like a knot garden or modern garden that catches the eye, but nonetheless lies very low to the ground. This will make your home and yard look larger, and it will add dimension and structure without competing with other landscaping elements.

Exterior Worlds is located in the memorial area. They have been serving the Houston area including River Oaks, West University, Bellaire, Memorial, Tanglewood since 1987. Call Exterior Worlds at 713-827-2255 to discuss a complete landscape renovation

Commercial Landscaping

As a property manager, I need to know about commercial landscaping. What can Exterior Worlds tell me about commercial landscape design?
We have helped our commercial clients with their landscaping needs for more than 20 years. A commercial landscaping project begins with design. During this phase, landscape designers or landscape architects bring together your program elements, permit issues and desired aesthetics, likes, dislikes, opportunities and limitations. In providing design services, a well-versed landscaping professional creatively and diligently works to help you define the scope of your project and stay within budget. They also assist in the selection of materials, scheduling of vendors and coordination of work flow.

Two necessary features of any commercial project are drainage systems and irrigation systems. Landscape drainage is essential for commercial properties in Houston due to our dense soils, low-lying areas and unpredictable rainfall. A proper drainage system protects your property from flooding by carrying water away from roofs, paved areas and landscaping, thereby avoiding standing water where people can slip and fall and mosquitoes can breed. Drainage contractors can provide a holistic approach to ensure all the pieces work well together. Irrigation systems save money by supplying appropriate amounts of water to plant materials, thus protecting your landscape investment. They perform this function by separating the lawn, flower beds and planters into different areas that require differing amounts of water.

What are the benefits of a well-designed commercial property?
Expert commercial landscaping preserves and enhances your overall property value. A well-designed landscape makes a positive first impression on prospective tenants. It also helps keep your current tenants happy by giving them a pleasant ambiance.

Landscape lighting is an important attribute of the well-maintained commercial property. It is a proven deterrent to crime, providing an invaluable benefit to businesses that are open at night. Additionally, a well-designed landscape lighting system gives your property 24/7 visibility.

The addition of seasonal color creates an updated image for your property. Your Houston landscaping services company needs to have a creative skill with plant choices, color and texture that make your property memorable.

What about ongoing maintenance?
An important partner for you as a property manager is a commercial landscape maintenance provider who can work efficiently and effectively without continual oversight, as Exterior Worlds does for our clients. Your maintenance contract should cover duties such as mowing, edging, fertilization and disease treatment. Bushes, hedges, small trees and ground cover need to be trimmed so that they conform to the original design’s intent. Large or mature trees deserve special treatment such as regular deep-root feeding and aeration (to promote healthy roots). Plant materials and trees are susceptible to pests and diseases and therefore need systematic observation and treatment.

You also want a commercial landscaping partner who handles preventive maintenance. For instance, proper maintenance and regular inspections of the irrigation system will detect such problems as broken lines and heads. This service is absolutely critical for commercial properties. We have saved some of our clients as much as $5,000 to $10,000 per month because we early on caught problems with their irrigation systems.

Landscape Design Ideas

If you have visited our website, or frequently read home and garden magazines, you probably already have several landscaping design ideas in mind at the time you contact Exterior Worlds. You may have seen homes in your neighborhood that were professionally landscaped, or you may simply have a personal passion for certain cultures like the French, the Italians, or the Japanese. Working in close partnership with a Houston Landscaping Service enables you to fully explore and develop your landscaping design ideas in a way that will better compliment they way your home looks and more effectively extend its living space into the outdoors in a manner that more ideally suits your lifestyle.

It is important that you work with your consultant to make your entire property appear as a virtual, organic extension of your home’s structure and aesthetic. If reputable, trained, and adequately experienced, your landscaping architect will help you to develop the core essence of your landscaping design ideas into something that compliments the entirety of your house. Regardless of how small or large your home actually is, it is, for all intents and purposes, the most predominant feature on your landscape that simply cannot be ignored. All other structures built outside like arbors, fire pits, outdoor kitchens, patio fireplaces, and special walkways must work with its basic structures, never against them. If you are planning on building a swimming pool, let our swimming pool construction team subcontract the actual pool contractor for you in order to ensure that your pool harmoniously blends with the surrounding property and respects your home architecture. If you already have a pool that is terribly clashing with its surroundings, let our swimming pool remodeling team have it rebuilt in a more suitable design that can then be augmented with patios, outdoor ornamentation, fountains and spas, and unique plantings of vegetation that more effectively blend it into the landscape.

When working out a landscaping plan, do it along the principles of “form follows function.”
Your landscaping design ideas should materialize into that fulfill a practical as well as an aesthetic purpose. This is because of the simple fact that you are not going to simply want to look at your new landscape from your living room window. You are going to want to get outside and do something in the midst of all that grand, new design. The activities you pursue should therefore be supported by the features of the landscape we help you develop. If you intend to entertain outdoors on a regular basis, we should build you outdoor structures whose special environments support the specific activities that you and your guests especially enjoy. If you want to devote a portion of the landscape to creating one or more special play areas for the kids, let our Houston professional landscapers help you by subcontracting specialists who can design fields and ball courts under the careful management of a landscaping plan that will remain true to the overall landscaping design idea originally envisioned by the master plan.

Have your landscape decorated in a way that creates space as well as beatifies it.
Consider the possibility of something that is normally stereotyped as purely ornamental being used in a very special way to create a special space or delineate a subtle boundary between one part of the landscape and another. Landscaping design ideas often originate as a desire for a certain type of fountain, sculpture, or special garden and end up becoming a secluded, private space for the homeowners to enjoy quiet time alone away from guests, children, and relatives. . Your Houston landscaping company can build unique patio and seating areas that are apart just for such a purpose. Custom fountains and outdoor sculptures can be placed in key locations to function as markers between such intimate, private space and the surrounding public space at large. Landscape lights placed around these keynotes can then maintain these boundaries after sundown, so that residents can enjoy their own special part of the yard any time day or night.

Houston landscape

The Houston landscape today is very amenable to growing a plethora of both exotic and indigenous plants. Because of its hot and humid climate, and very mild winters, it will support a wide range of Mediterranean and tropical plants. This makes it possible for the professional landscaper to offer an eclectic range of garden styles to the discriminating homeowner. Houston landscapes are also very colorful as a general rule, and almost always have flowers that can bloom at any time of the year.

The downside to the Houston landscape is the heavy rainfall which we can receive at virtually any time of year. When it is very hot, heavy rainfall can produce outbreaks of mold and fungus sometimes in as little as 24 hours. Landscaping professionals have to take steps to minimize the impact of mold and fungus on gardens by altering irrigation methods and sometimes chemically treating gardens with anti-mold and fungal agents. Such treatment should never be attempted by anyone other than a trained botanist who knows the effects of such treatment on each species of plant within the garden, and who will be able to anticipate the impact that irrigation changes may have on the garden as a whole.
The Houston landscape is also characterized by heavy clay soils that present all sorts of challenges to gardeners and landscapers. Houston soil often holds a great deal of water when it rains. Special drains have to sometimes must be constructed beneath gardens in order to keep standing water from accumulating around plants and killing more sensitive species. One way we do this is by aerating the soil so that water will percolate in far enough and be absorbed by plant roots. Aeration also allows water to filter below the harder layers of clay near to the surface. At times, it may also be necessary to take the clay out to some degree and replace it with bedding soil. Very large gardens or more elaborate Houston landscape projects may require routing water to retention ponds and curbs.

Because rain water will not always easily filter through clay soil, plants may not always get the nutrients they need. Depending on the species of plants we use to populate the garden, we may need to amend the soil to ensure it properly supports the diversity of life it hosts. The inconsistent moisture content of the earth here can also cause the ground to shift and move. During summer months, soil dehydration reaches the point that cracks begin to appear in the ground. When rain later falls, water fills these cracks and causes the ground to shift. Structural foundations are strained as a result, even in the largest of buildings and outdoor decorative structures.

We use several innovating construction techniques to protect your investment in exterior design. We build patios and pool decks using piers and beams concealed underground. We make pools and coping out of thicker concrete and thicker rebar. While these materials and techniques do not stop Nature from following its own will, they do provide enough stability to prevent natural forces from ruining the ornamental and functional keynotes for which Houston landscapes are renowned.

Home Landscape Design

How does home landscape design effect you project?

Landscaping design for you home or “exterior home design does matters. A study commissioned by the Professional Landcare Network states it in monetary terms: Homes that have been professionally landscaped bring 15-20 percent more upon resale than those with no home landscape design. From an aesthetic perspective, it delivers pleasure. “The significance of home landscape design is that it creates an experience and evokes emotion as you come up to the house,” says Jeff Halper, home landscape design specialist with Exterior Worlds. “Additionally, it supports and enhances the architecture of the home.”


Here are some steps to starting you home landscape design phase:

• • Planning. This phase is where you get to dream. While you dream, you want to factor in how you and your family live in the space. Will your landscape design fit your desires, whether that means a swimming pool for the children, an vegetable garden or seating space for lots of guests? Would you like a outdoor kitchen for entertaining or the visual and auditory pleasures of a water feature? What qualities do you want to bring to your landscape—do you prefer lots of color, variations on one color theme or the more subtle effect of different textures of green? Perhaps you own an outdoor sculpture that you want to spotlight or have a garden type in mind, such as a Japanese garden design or an English garden design. Professionals, such as landscape designers and landscape architects, can help you make the best decisions.

• Financial. During this phase, the scope of the work is defined, including phasing in the different landscape elements. Cost elements include the hardscapes items like patios or decks; surfaces (cement, stone, brick) and walkways; fences, gates and arbors; outdoor kitchens; swimming pools and other water features. Also night lighting; irrigation systems and landscape drainage systems; and types of grass, shrubs, trees, perennials and seasonal color.
• Installation. The installation of your home landscape design is critical and takes into account the features you want to preserve and highlight—and those you don’t. In particular, tree protection is crucial. It involves constructing barricades around trees you want to keep so that roots don’t get damaged during construction. “Trees are large organism and don’t die immediately from the stress caused by construction. It may take them several years to die and many homeowners don’t realize that the damage actually happened during the construction phase,” explains Halper. Other aspects of the landscape installation involve setting up temporary drainage, preparation of the soil and garden beds, and installing irrigation, drainage and lighting. Then comes planting the trees, shrubbery, groundcover and any seasonal color. The final step consists of mulching and cleanup.
• Landscape Maintenance. From mowing to watering, regular landscape maintenance protects your investment, preserves the quality of the space and enhances your enjoyment of a lush, healthy landscape. It includes regular lawn mowing and trimming, shrub and tree pruning, fertilization, putting down rye grass, and management of pests and diseases. Exterior Worlds offers a menu of home landscape maintenance services: full service (52 or 42 visits a year), monthly or quarterly. “Our standards go way beyond most homeowners’. You don’t have to micro-manage it or worry about it. We do everything for you,” says Halper.

If you are interested in any high-end landscape services, Exterior Worlds has been providing the excellent residential landscape services and garden design services discussed above for the Houston and the surrounding areas including The Memorial Villages, Tanglewood, River Oaks, West University and the greater Houston (Hou), area since 1987. Contact us at 713-827-2255

Green Garden Design

We have become interested in environmentally-sensitive landscapes and want to know Exterior Worlds’ ideas on “green gardens.”
Like everybody else these days, we’re putting a lot of thought into “green” green gardens. At Exterior Worlds, we believe “green gardens” make a lot of sense. Not only from the viewpoint of being ecologically helpful, prudent and sustainable, but also in terms of beautiful landscapes, the impact on your budget, and time and energy savers.

With a design for a green garden, your goals are basically the same as for any other landscape design project, with a shift in focus toward using those materials, both plant and non-plant, that reduce the ongoing maintenance for watering, trimming, weeding and mulching.

Here are some ideas for your home landscape design to get you going on a “green” garden. And, as we’ve already mentioned, we think you will be pleasantly surprised by the positive side benefit of making your pocketbook greener, too!

Watering—
For grass, consider installing drought-tolerant lawns. Or you could use a variety of grass that grows slowly and thus doesn’t require mowing on a frequent basis.

Choose drought-tolerant and disease-resistant varieties of vines, bushes, trees, and ornamentals. Some plants in this category include pampas grass, spring bulbs, and black-eyed Susans. If you like roses, we recommend that you choose older rose varieties, which are hardier than modern large-flowered hybrids. In general, this type of garden reduces both the water requirement and the number of chemical treatments needed to fight diseases. Many of the Houston landscape designers we work with will be able to provide more ideas and suggestions for other plants that grow well in our climate’s rainfall.

Boost your irrigation system by adding French drains. We can also refer professional drainage contractors who can design drainage systems that allow storm water to be retained on your property. This design reduces the run-off into the city’s system and keeps the water on your property to recharge the soil.

Trimming—
For ground cover, use the varieties that need little to no trimming, such as Mondo, Ardisia, or Liriope. These types of ground cover work perfectly for your “green” garden because they are beautiful and colorful, and still reduce the need to mow, weed and mulch.

Weeding and Mulching—
To reduce regular mulching, mowing and weeding, consider using gravel as a ground cover. It’s another way to add interest and texture to your garden landscape and, at the same time, cut down your maintenance cost.

What other suggestions does Exterior Worlds have for us?
With your material selections for hardscapes, choose dark or earth tone colors that require minimal upkeep to look good. For all your hard surface areas, such as your patio design, use durable products like concrete, stone, engineered wood or pressure-treated pine, all materials with a long life span and a low maintenance requirement.

Another idea is to reduce large flower beds and instead use planters and urns for your annual flowers. This practice reduces the cost of replanting, allows you to keep the flowers fresh looking, and reduces the cost of your maintenance contract.

Xeriscaping Design

Xeriscaping is a landscaping technique that uses slow-growing, drought-resistant plant species for ground cover and gardening. Indigenous vegetation can also be used either as a supplement to imported species or a deliberate reintroduction of specific native species that grow very slowly and maintain their color and vibrancy year round. They are already adapted to the cycles of annual rainfall and do not need additional watering or fertilizer to thrive. Furthermore, they need far less cultivation and trimming due to fact that they are slow-growth plants.

Xeriscaping with indigenous plant life offers benefits beyond water conservation. In cities like Houston where rainwater can wash pesticides and fertilizers into a system of bayous and pollute park and wildlife areas, carefully chosen indigenous plants can end this type of pollution on several levels. For one thing, native plants already have a resistance to native pests and do not need our help in repelling most insects. Secondly, it is possible to create new lawns and gardens that do not need to waste city water or use artificial fertilizer to maintain healthy growth.

Many Houstonians may not realize the potential for Xeriscaping our Gulf Coast region has to offer. The city grew so quickly that much of the native beauty of the region has been covered up. The bayous of Houston are home to a tremendous diversity of plants and animals life that can play major contributing roles in our landscaping projects while they benefit in turn from Xeriscaping techniques that are adapted to our unique corner of the world.

While many people may hesitate to consider such a shift in landscaping design, it makes sense for a city already moving in many new progressive directions to consider taking a very aggressive environmental stance. There are countless drought-resistant species native to Texas that can grow hardily in our environment almost no human pampering. Houstonians do not have to give up their French Landscapes, Italian Gardens, parterre gardens, or knot garden designs. In fact, all of these traditional landscaping forms can take on an entirely new aesthetic when Xeriscaped with native plants that directly correlate with those of our immediate surroundings, but are also placed deliberately in accordance with our sensibilities.

Such a change would no doubt help the local wildlife greatly by removing toxins from the food chain that kill not only insects, but the fish, birds, amphibians, small reptiles, and small mammals that eat them. Since it has probably been years since you saw a living box turtle or bullfrog in your back yard, would it not be wise to consider Xeriscaping as a means of creating not only a new look on your property, but also inviting back some old neighbors who belong here just as surely as we do?

River Oaks Stepping Stone Patio & Pool Renovation

Exterior Worlds was contacted by a family in River Oaks to remodel their pool and build a stepping stone patio around it. The pool was L-shaped and clashed with the entire back yard. The owners wanted the pool redesigned with more of a curved, linear shape that would suggest harmony and balance with surrounding natural elements. They did not want a wooden deck or concrete patio around the new pool, either, but instead requested we build them a stepping stone patio that would look like a part of Nature, but would feature sophisticated drainage and provide a firm, reliable surface upon which to walk.

Stepping stone patios are not difficult to build. The difficult part is building them with a drainage system that will prevent standing water from accumulating. In this case study, we actually built the stonework on individual pads of cement. We built the french drainage system to run under this substructure, and we concealed it with vegetation planted between the individual stones. This made them look very old, as if the grass had punched through in places and had been growing there for a very long time.
We changed the design of the pool into that of a large, curved linear structure. We accentuated one side of it into a stone walkway that hugs the side of the pool. It ran all the way through the yard, and passed through a wooden trellis into a sculpture garden with an outdoor seating area and a patio. We wanted this walkway to look like it was a part of Nature as well, so we constructed it using the same materials we had used to build the stepping stone patio. We cut the stones into pie shapes rather than squares, which allowed us them to fit them individually together and build a 30” structure that followed the water in an arc, allowing it to serve as a coping as well as a pathway.

The sculpture garden into which this walkway led was also a very unique element to this landscaping project. Here, we moved away from the theme of a natural stone patio toward that of a traditional flagstone patio. We actually built this patio off the linear walkway coming from the pool, then connected small walkways to the two doors leading into the home’s interior. We also built a small fountain out of brick into the wall of the home, so that guests who were seated outside at night could look at the lighted water falling against the backdrop of the house.

Throughout the property, we planted a variety of flowering plants and ground cover around our stepping stone patio and walkway. Jasmine was used profusely to control erosion and to prevent encroachment from weeds. Monkey grass was also used for weed and erosion control. Agapanthus and golden globes were used in places near brick walls and corners to help keynote these areas with their highly colorful, seasonal blooms. We also added height and elegance to the landscape with Italian cypress, and planted Camellias throughout the property to provide blooms for the winter season when other seasonal were dormant.

Home Exterior Design

How do you determine what elements to incorporate into a home exterior design?
In many ways, you, the resident, determine the essence of your home exterior design. Your personal lifestyle and intentions for using your outdoor living space provide us with the basic, general guidelines necessary to get started. We also pay very close attention to the external appearance of your house and the property that surrounds it. Landscaping frames the function and form of the experience, and helps us determine where to create structures and special space for you in proportional relationship to gardens, manicured lawns, indigenous vegetation, and trees.

What are some of your more popular exterior home design elements?
Again, this is highly subjective and based on your personal lifestyle and preference. You might want to consider adding a screened-in room if you plan on hosting family gatherings outside. These rooms combine the freedom of the outdoors with the comforts of the interior. Anything from an outdoor bar to a full entertainment system can be installed in such a room, and even when the mosquitoes are thick, no one will suffer outside.

Outdoor kitchens are also very popular aspects of home exterior design. They can be created out of garden elements or hedges, or they can consist of simple, graveled areas for larger pits and smokers. One of the best things about outdoor kitchens is that they can be built virtually anywhere in the yard and blended with almost any natural feature. Arbors and gardens can surround the cooking area, and special structures can be constructed between trees to extend the shaded areas for guests. Something as simple as a bench can transform a fountain or a pond into a special gathering place. Outdoor tables can also be placed in these areas that act like outdoor dining rooms. In the evening, landscape path lights can make the entire property look larger by creating walking trails that wind through the garden and under the trees.

Also, if you have been thinking about calling a pool company or hiring a contractor to build you a patio, let us do this for you as a component of your home exterior design. Our professionals are well-versed in the lingo of subcontractors that prefer to work with a set of well-developed schematics. This offers you the additional advantage of making sure that any structures or swimming areas we contract experts to build for you blend harmoniously with the architectural and natural elements of your exterior design.

What features can you add to a yard of average size?
Any of the above elements can be proportionally added to reasonably sized yards. In fact, when installed proportionally and correctly, home exterior design professionals can install structures and create forms can create the optical illusion that a property is as large as 1 ½ to 2 times its normal size. This is very similar to the way that furniture fills a room and makes it look larger than it really is.

Landscape Plans

Where can I find contractors who specialize in specific landscaping services such as masonry, exterior rooms, and drainage for water features?

We recommend you hire a landscaping company who will subcontract and coordinate all of these services under a comprehensive landscaping plan. Any attempt to communicate with landscaping subcontractors directly normally leads to miscommunication and frustration. Subcontractors are more accustomed to working with a general landscaping contractor who speaks their language and can itemize expectations in the form of a detailed landscaping plan. This lets the subcontractor know immediately which services are expected and how those services will relate to other elements of the overall landscape. A landscaping plan also allows the homeowner to know the specifics of what he or she is investing in, see the big picture at the same time, and make any requests for changes in plenty of time for all parties considered to efficiently respond without mishap or needless additional costs.

Do landscape plans help minimize the cost of a landscaping project?

Yes. Time is money, and landscape plans keep projects on schedule and streamline key elements of process flow critical to a successful outcome. One of the most important things they do is to establish the scope of a project. A landscaping firm such as Exterior Worlds will develop a plan that itemizes each specific element of the design, including, but not limited to, such things as swimming pools, masonry, and exterior lighting. The general contractor then subcontracts these elements to the appropriate specialists and shows them the plan. This keeps everyone on the same page and makes it much more likely that things will get done correctly the first time, and that the project will be fulfilled on time.

Do landscape plans ensure a better aesthetic outcome?

Yes. Not only do they establish scope of project, but they also clearly designate the scale of project. Our plans are very detailed and drawn to exact, representative proportions of the property. Both the homeowner and all subcontracted entities can clearly see how each landscaping element in the plan will ultimately fit in with every other element and create an overall unity that compliments the exterior architecture of the home itself. Secondly, and equally importantly, it will ensure that that all specific elements interconnect to create a comprehensive aesthetic that appropriately compliments the exterior architecture of the home itself.

Do you allow the homeowner to revise the landscape plan you propose?

Yes. We recommend all changes be finalized, however, before we bring in subcontractors. Some things, such as swimming pools, masonry, and complex lighting arrays cannot be redone without enormous additional costs. For this reason, we spend a great deal of time consulting with homeowners and getting to know them. We draft a preliminary plan, explain the details, and answer questions. If the client requests changes, we revise the plan accordingly and finalize it with homeowner approval prior to bringing in other business entities to fulfill the details of the project.

Our experience has taught us that this process ensures that every client feels comfortable about the money they are spending, feels a sense of ownership in planning their own personal landscape, and has better results from subcontractors who come to the table under through our project management system that brings everyone to the table with the common purpose of successful implementation of the landscaping plan.

Houston Landscape Business

I want to hire a landscape business to work at my home. Can these companies do more for me then just gardening and landscaping?

Of course, landscape companies offer a full range of landscape services including consultation, design, installation and maintenance. A landscape business will usually concentrate in one or more areas and subcontract associated installation elements such as summer kitchens, swimming pools, water features, outdoor fireplaces, and night lighting.

Once you have decided to hire a landscape business, you typically begin with a discovery meeting or interview where you have a chance to talk about your overall goals, program elements, design objectives and the overall aesthetics. The subsequent meeting you may discuss landscape designs, landscape plans, permitting issues and cost estimates. In providing landscape services, a good professional should work conscientiously to help you define the scope of your project, phasing, scheduling, coordination, selection of all materials and construction methods, and project cost.
Once you have approved the landscape design, the landscape company you selected can begin the installation. As mentioned earlier, many landscape businesses act as the general contractor and oversee the entire installation of drainage, irrigation and landscape lighting. The fees for these services vary for each landscape business; however they are normally charged as a percentage of the total cost of the work for the project. .

A landscape business will usually include all plant materials, irrigation, drainage, and landscape lighting in their contract. Once the irrigation and lighting contractors finish their work, the planting can be completed by putting in all shrubs, groundcover, and seasonal color. After this step, mulching and cleanup commence. The irrigation and lighting subcontractors then return for final adjustments and the installation is complete.

It is during the installation that the importance of tree preservation must be emphasized. Careful pre-construction activities include protective tree fencing, borer applications on sensitive trees, temporary drainage and elevated walks to protect tree roots. Proper grading and soil preparation around large trees is another delicate issue. The foresight to understand the impact of changing grades on mature trees is crucial, so make sure your landscape service company is well versed in this area of expertise.
Some homeowners want to act as general contractors for their landscaping projects in order to save money. This choice can lead to some real problems. Often confusions can arise from the misunderstanding of trade terminology, scheduling and coordination if the different phases of a project. A subcontractor will respond much better to a seasoned general contractor who understands the work to be performed and with whom they have a good relationship based on past experience. Many landscape businesses have years of experience to make sure the end results exceed your expectations.

Landscape maintenance is one of the most imperative ongoing services to insure that your asset develops into a mature and beautiful outdoor environment. A landscape company will normally include proper trimming of plant material and mowing of all yard areas. They should have a methodical feeding program that boosts the varying plant health of tropical, acidic and seasonal color plants. The feeding program may also include spring and fall aeration of lawn areas with the application of fall rye grass.

If you are interested in landscape services, Exterior Worlds has been providing the services discussed above for the Houston Texas Hou area since 1987.