Monthly Archives: May 2018

Use Landscaping Rocks to Make Your Yard Stand Out

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Landscaping rocks and stones are an easy, low maintenance way to bring texture and interest to your yard and garden. They also can be incorporated into patios or walkways instead of pavers for a less formal effect.

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Rock or rock pavers aren’t just for dry or desert landscapes. They can be a great option for anyone looking to give their garden a polished look without also adding more work or weeding maintenance.

Rock can be used to quickly improve your landscape and is a durable, long-lasting accent. With several colors, sizes, shapes, and textures to choose from, there is a huge variety when it comes to selecting the right rock for your space.

Rock gardens, walkways, or patios areas can all benefit from the addition of decorative or functional rock.

drainage-creek-bed-stream-eden-prairie-mn Benefits of adding landscaping rock

In addition to adding texture and interest to a yard design, landscaping rock has other benefits that make it a good choice for homeowners. As the summer gets hotter and dryer, landscaping rock will prevent water from evaporating as quickly, reducing watering costs for plants.

Landscaping rock also creates a clear border between your lawn and garden beds. Rocks keep grass back from buildings and gardens, making it easier to mow and weed.

Rock and stone pavers are a popular choice for less formal designs. They can be used in patios or walkways.
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Removing landscaping rocks

As helpful as rock can be in giving landscaping a polished look, there are also plenty of situations where homeowners find themselves needing to remove rocks. Whether it was placed there by a previous owner, slowly moved into the lawn or simply outlived its appeal, getting rid of landscaping rock can be a daunting undertaking. It’s often one of those jobs that are easier to just hire someone else to do.

Mike and his team at Great Goats Landscaping have all the tools needed to remove and dispose of landscaping rock. After it’s gone, they’ll help you come up with a plan to get your yard looking the way you want it too.

Give Mike a call today to see how adding or removing landscaping rock can change the look of your yard.
landscaping rocks

Does Your Flower Garden Need More Color?

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Things are slowly starting to turn green here in Minnesota, and if you’re lucky, you may have even seen a few bright crocuses welcoming the warmer weather. Those first flowers of spring get many of us craving more color and dreaming about flower gardens bursting with a rainbow of blossoms.
Adding colorful flowers and plants is a great way to bring interest and personality to a yard or garden. With an almost limitless number of flowers to choose from, it is easy to get overwhelmed while flipping through a seed catalog or wandering in a nursery. Fortunately, the team at Great Goats Landscaping has years of experience designing and planting flower beds that are eye-catching and appealing. They can help you decide what sort of garden bed would work best with your taste and the conditions around your home.

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Perennial flowers

Perennial plants are those that come back year after year. Native flowers, like coneflower, butterfly weed, or black-eyed susans, are often a good choice for difficult areas. Many non-native flowers will flourish in Minnesota too.
Perennial plants are often seen as lower maintenance. They still require some care and attention, but they don’t need to be replanted annually.

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Annual flowers

Annual plants are those that need to be replanted every year. Annuals that are quick and easy to grow are popular choices and can be used to fill in a garden bed while perennials are getting established. They are also often less expensive than perennials and allow you to plant a new combination of plants every year.

Your flower garden design

Of course, Mike and his crew at Great Goats Landscaping will be more than happy to help you design your flower, but it can be helpful to know a few basic garden design principles to get you started.
Mix colors and shapes in your garden to keep thing interesting. Complementary colors, those from opposite ends of the color wheel, will pop when planted next to one another. Grouping similar plants will help give your garden structure and keep it from looking too haphazard.
Just like in a photo, tall should go in back and shorter plants in the front. There’s nothing worse than having a beautiful plant blocked by a taller plant placed in front of it.

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Planning your flower garden

May is the time to design and plant a beautiful flower garden to add color and interest to your yard. Contact Mike at Great Goats Landscaping today to get started.