Stone Driveway Entrance

Found this in my travels.  A really simple and easy way to use stone to edge your drive.  Do you like it?  

Liriope

Just a quick note about  Liriope.  It is a decorative grass that blooms with either a purple or yellow and white spike of flowers.  Grass is actually a misnomer as it is a part of the lily family.  There are two types of Liriope, spicata and muscari.  Liriope spicata is a rapidly advancing ground cover and will spread very quickly.  Care must be used in planting this type of Liriope to ensure that it has room to run and that your garden will not become overwhelmed by its presence.  The other type, Liriope Muscari , grows in clumps.  It does spread but not anywhere near as rapidly and it does not send off runners as the Spicata variety does.  Both varieties enjoy shady, well-worked soil, but will grow almost anywhere.  It is a very effective groundcover for steep banks.  Once established it is very difficult for weeds to come through the thick tuberous root mass.  An added bonus is that it doesn't require mowing.  Liriope will grow 10-20 inches tall and likes sun to partial shade.  Liriope can be transplanted almost anytime of year, however, it is best to avoid the hottest and coldest times of year.   Liriope requires very little care or effort to become a very beautiful, effective ground cover and weed block .

Garden Edging - Creating Curb Appeal

Garden Edging is an effective solution to creating quick and lasting curb appeal.  Are you getting ready to sell your house? A little garden edging goes a long way towards creating a look that will impact the visual appeal of your home.  If you are selling, your Realtor has probably already told you that first impressions are lasting impressions.  What does a potential buyer see when they look at your home?  Do they see a neat, orderly, and well-maintained yard that speaks volumes about the care and quality of maintenance that has gone into the home or do they see a major project that they will need to tackle when and IF they decide to purchase your home.

A yard that is creeping into the gardens or growing over the walkways creates a sloppy and unkempt appearance and gives an immediate impression to a potential buyer that your home is not being maintained. Overgrown trees and bushes, lots of weeds, or excessive overcrowding say to a buyer that the home has not been taken care of for a long time.  If you are selling your home, that last thing that you want to do is give a potential buyer the impression that the home is not well-maintained  or properly cared for.  Creating that impression costs you money, because it takes longer for your house to sell and you will not be offered what you would have been if the buyer had a better first impression of your home.  

The investment that you make in Garden Edging can have big returns resulting in a quicker sale and for more money.  Sales people will tell you that the key to phenomenal sales results are getting the potential buyer to say yes as often as possible.  Most buyers have made a preliminary decision before they even enter the house.  If the first thing that a buyer sees - your front lawn - is a "Wow". The potential buyer is already softer and more willing to say yes to the rest of the house.  Remember, what they just saw is what their friends and family will see they want to impress them. 

Garden Edging creates a clean line between your gardens and lawn giving an immediate boost to the visual aspects of your home.  Clean out the weeds and add some mulch, peat moss or other garden cover and you have increased the curb appeal and the potential buyer's perceived value of your home.  If you want to make a slightly more elegant appearance without adding a bunch of cost put in a double layer of Garden Edging separated by 4-10 inches, dependent upon the size of your garden.  Place some landscaping fabric or heavy gauge plastic between the rows of edging and then pour river rock or another pebble type of gravel in between the layers.  It gives a sense of elegance and permanence similar to that of brick or rock without the cost or effort.  

Curb appeal is important if you want to sell quickly and for as much money as possible.  All of your potential buyers need to think that your house is a definite possibility before they ever walk through the front door.  Trim your bushes and trees, clean up the weeds, create a clean line around your walkways and gardens.  Then create that eye-catching visual effect that tells the potential buyer that your house is a  "definite yes" by adding Garden Edging.

Granite Garden Edging

Granite garden edging is a popular favorite for those who enjoy stone garden edgings.  The granite can be used in a couple of different ways.  It also comes in a variety of styles and colors to make it acceptable in any landscape design or color scheme. 
 One popular use is that of cobblestones.  These can be used to edge driveways, gardens, walkways etc.  They are a stable and solid edging.  With proper installation they can almost completely eliminate grass creep into you r garden, drive or walkway.  Another popular use is crushed granite.  This is also an elegant installation and can create stunning results.  With the crushed granite you will need to install a thin border edge of some sort, aluminum or plastic in order to keep the gravel from shifting and moving out of the space you intended.  Crushed granite can also be used as a ground cover in a garden that has lots of open area.



Because granite comes in so many different colors it is very appealing. 

To properly install either granite cobblestone or crushed granite, we first need to prepare a trench.

For cobblestone:  The trench should be an inch or more wider than the cobblestone.  Layer the bottom of the trench with at least 1 " of coarse sand.  For cobblestone, you need to determine what height you would like your stone to be above the ground and then use your sand to level your trench to achieve that height consistently.  You can lay a 2 X 4 across your cobblestone and place your level on it to ensure that your garden edging is level.

After installing the cobblestone apply crushed gravel or granite to the outside edge of the trench and fill the inside edge next to the drive, walk or garden with sand.  Also put sand in the cracks between the cobblestones to help hold them in place. 

For crushed granite:  After digging your trench to the desired width for your project, you may want to put down a layer of Weed Bloc or heavy grade plastic sheeting, before putting in the sand to help prevent weeds from growing up into your crushed granite edging. For crushed granite place your thin edging material on both sides of the path where the granite will lie.  If the granite is adjacent to a walk or drive, then you will only need to do the outer edge.  If your granite is adjacent to a lawn, you can set it in two ways.  You can raise your thin edge to be level with or slightly below the grass when it is freshly mowed and fill with crushed granite to that point, or you can lower the edge to a point 1/2 to 1 inch above ground level and fill.  If you install a raised crushed granite edging adjacent to a lawn, you will need to use an edger to keep a clean look.  With the lower installation of the crushed granite edging, you will be able to push your mower close along the inside edge of your crushed granite edging and keep the grass under control without having to use a string edger. 

Granite is a beautiful and natural garden landscape edging.  It is a bit on the pricy side, but holds its value and when properly installed lasts for a very long time with very little maintenance.