Author Archives: Chanel Lanzara

As a homeowner, you want your home to be the best on the block. This means extensive landscape design along with regular exterior home care. But where do you start? Many homeowners shy away at the thought of a new landscaping project. However, your home landscaping and maintenance processes don’t have to be stressful or overwhelming. Following these tips can help you have the curb appeal you’ve been looking for.

How Can I Improve my Landscaping?

 

We’ve all been there. You move into a home and the yard is grass. There are no trees, bushes, or flowers; no sidewalk or pathway or dimension at all. But landscaping ideas can be difficult to come by, especially for people without a green thumb or eye for design. Luckily, there are steps that you can take to create a beautiful, relaxing exterior for your home, whether you are a style extraordinaire or have never planted a flower.

 

What is the Landscaping Design Process?

Landscape design can be approached in various ways. However, the simplest way to consider your exterior project is beginning with the outer edge and working inward. This helps to create boundaries naturally and can aid in planning location and object use. Once you have your boundaries, you can plan the materials that will be used including stones, plants, shrubbery, and any statues, decorations, and other features you plan to have. When you have your concept plan, you can begin work on your masterpiece. Be sure to check weather predictions before beginning to ensure that your project goes quickly and smoothly.

What are the Basic Principles of Landscape Design?

In landscaping, there are certain basic principles that one should follow to achieve an appealing space. These landscaping basics can help you design a simple, pleasing atmosphere easily.

The Concept Plan

It seems logical to have a concept plan before beginning a landscaping project, but what is a concept plan? What does it include? A concept plan is a basic idea of what your finished project will look like. This will include a generalized overview of the entire space as well as more intricate examples of each specialized area. In order to achieve a well-designed concept plan, follow these organizational ideas:

Does Landscaping Increase Property Value?

Landscaping can increase the value of your home, but only when other exterior services are completed. All siding installation and repair, fence repair, roof work, and window services should be completed along with your landscaping to ensure complete exterior upkeep and value maximization. In order to keep your property adequately maintained and cared for, inspect your siding, roof, and secondary components at least twice per year and after severe weather. This will help to identify and alleviate damages and imperfections before they turn into big problems.

When Does Landscaping Season Start?

Typically landscaping takes place in the Spring, around the beginning of March. This protects against the majority of freezes which can easily freeze sensitive plants and still leaves sufficient time for growth before flowering in the Summer. Some landscaping is also done in the Fall and includes sprinkler and irrigation inspection, and Winter annual planting.

Inexpensive Upgrades That Make a Big Difference

• Add a Splash of Color: Small, inexpensive plants are perfect for lining flower beds and trees and provide a colorful, pleasant atmosphere.
• Line Your Beds: Concrete and rock liners are available at most home improvement stores and can add extreme depth to your home’s exterior. Consider lining the outside of your flower beds for added structure and appeal.
• Don’t Rule Out Decoration: A well-placed birdbath, fountain, or other objects can bring new life to a drab space and can be picked up at most home supply stores.

Whether you’re designing your home’s exterior landscaping for the first time or you have decided that it’s time for a new look, the professionals at MDM Landscapes can help. We work with you throughout your landscaping project to deliver the look you expect and a price that’s right. Call us today at 817-396-0125 to learn more about our landscape design services in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX.

When it rains really hard, we are really concerned about flooding in our homes. Most of the time our homes are protected against flooding, but that doesn’t mean our yard and lawn are. When there are lawn drainage issues in your yard or lawn, it can cause your property to flood. Not only can this be bad for your home, but it also isn’t great for the environment either. A ton of rain can cause issues with your soil, such as soil erosion, which is when the soil begins to wear away. While soil erosion is caused by a ton of things, water is the biggest culprit. So how can I make my soil drain better? Add drainage to lawn! The best way to prevent soil erosion and have it drain better is by investing in lawn drainage. Below we will discuss how to get rid of standing water with drainage, how it works, and how it can be installed. This is an easier way to prevent flooding in your yard, as well as reduce the risk of soil erosion.

How Do You Get Rid of Standing Water in Your Yard?

So how do you get rid of standing water in your yard? There are a couple of things you can do. You can level your yard better, add more soil, plant more grass and plants, invest in rain barrels to catch rainwater, or you can get lawn drainage systems, which are relatively easy to have installed. There are a couple of drainage systems that you can use to remove standing water from your yard.

• Drainage Pipe: With a drain pipe, you are able to move standing water from your yard or lawn and away to a different place. The way that it works is that the start of the drain (where the water enters) has to be at a higher level than where it will exit. If you add the drain pipe at the lowest point, the water will be unable to move forward, this is why the drain needs to start at a higher level. It’s relatively simple to add a drainage pipe to your yard, all you need to do is dig a trench for the pipe to go, then add a drainage inlet where the drain will catch the water, and drainpipe discharge where the water will exit.
• Dry Well: Another option for homeowners to consider is a dry well. A dry well is a well that is installed underground to catch water. The water will sit in the well and flows into the ground. This way your lawn isn’t getting wet and soggy, but your soil is getting the water that it needs. Again, this type of drainage system works well when it is installed at a lower point than the house; this way it can catch the rain that is flowing down your yard. The way to install a dry well is to dig a big hole and adding the well. This type of well will need little puncture holes in it in order to release water into the soil. They will need gravel or an aggregate material installed around the well to keep dirt out of the well.
• French Drain: A french drain works exactly like a dry well, except the french drain is in pipe form. When it rains, the water will make itself into the French drain, which has tiny holes in it. This will enable the rain to move away from your lawn but into the soil through the tiny holes that are in the French drain. To install the French drain, you will need to dig a deep trench just as you would for a drainage pipe. However, the French drain will need to be installed in the areas of your lawn that get the most flooding. In order for dirt and other debris to stay out of the French drain, you will need to add gravel or another aggregate material that will filter the water from the dirt.

Out of these three choices, the most popular choice is the French drain. How much does a French drain cost? If you are installing the French drain on your own, it is going to cost a little bit more because you have to rent the equipment and buy the materials. For someone to install a French drain for you, you are looking at spending somewhere between $300 to $1,500 depending on the size of the drain.

How Do I Put Drainage in My Lawn?

So how does lawn drainage work? It works by removing water that is pooling in your yard and moving it away so that the yard doesn’t flood. As stated above you can use different types of drainage systems such as drain pipes, dry wells, and French drains to move water away from your lawn. Some homeowners even have sump pumps installed in case the flooding from your lawn becomes too severe and causes flooding in your home. For those who are interested in lawn drainage for their homes, they tend to want to know how to do lawn drainage. The answer is that you have to install whatever lawn drainage system you think will work the best for your home.

If you get flooding in certain areas of your yard, it might be a good idea to get a French drain. If your home is at a higher level than the street, you might consider having a drainage pipe installed. With each lawn drainage system, there will consist of a lot of digging. You will need to dig a trench for both French drains and drainage pipes and then a large hole if you want a dry well. You will also need the proper materials, such as PVC piping, and a perforated well for a dry well. It’s a good idea to consider PVC piping insider of copper, so you can avoid a copper pipe burst. If you are wanting more answers about drainage for your Dallas-Fort Worth, TX lawn, please call MDM Landscapes at 817-396-0125. We have the best solutions to give you better drainage for your lawn and yard.

If you’ve ever seen a tree collapsed on top of a home, you’ll understand how much damage an unkempt tree can cause. Regular pruning and general maintenance can help you protect your home from these disasters. If you’re not sure how to get started, here’s a quick guide to help you out!

Avoiding Tree Related Property Damage

There are many potential ways a tree can damage your home, such as…

• Dropping Limbs on Your Roof
• Collapsing on the Side of the House
• Causing Soil Shifting Around Your Foundation
• Rupturing Underground Pipes
• Dropping Debris Inside Your Gutters

You can begin your tree care by pruning away dead limbs or those extended over your roof. This will improve the health of your tree while simultaneously reducing the potential for rooftop damage. Untrimmed branches could lead to costly roof repair after the next wind storm. You’ll also find that pruned trees are much more attractive than their counterparts.

Can Tree Roots Damage a House Foundation?

Roots however, are an entirely different story. If allowed to grow too close to the house, a tree root can destabilize the soil surrounding your foundation. This can lead to shifting that can seriously crack your foundation.

Tree roots also have the nasty habit of invading pipes, such as your sewer or main water line. It’s not unusually to see roots press against pipes until they crack, then grow into the pipe itself to form a clog. To guard your plumbing and your foundation, make sure your trees are planted far enough away from your house, or have the roots cut back by a professional.

Schedule Your Tree Pruning Today!

If you need expert assistance in caring for your trees, the courteous team at MDM Landscapes would love to serve you! Give us a call today at 817-396-0125 and get an estimate for your professional tree trimming and pruning.

If standing water regularly collects in your yard after a big storm, or if it suddenly appears out of nowhere, you have a definite issue that needs resolution. Yards should not collect water in pools, nor should water linger after a storm. The damage to your lawn aside, standing water almost always serves as an indication of another problem. At MDM Landscapes, we have the means to address standing water or a flooded yard for Dallas-Fort Worth, TX area clients. To learn more or schedule service, give us a call today at 817-396-0125.

Typical Reasons for a Flooded Yard

In order to identify the proper solution to your flooded yard, and begin water clean up sooner rather than later, you should familiarize yourself with the different causes of the problem.

Collected Thatch: Thatch is organic debris that naturally collects between a lawn’s grass and its soil. If you never clean your lawn of grass clippings are you mow, or rake dead leaves, these organic materials will break down and add to the layer of thatch. Too much thatch prevents water from draining naturally into the soil.

Improper Grading: When homes are constructed, the builders grade the property to allow water to drain away from the home. If this isn’t done properly, water will collect in certain areas after storms.

Burst Pipe: Homes have two major pipes that run through the front and back yards. The water line runs from the street to the home, while the wastewater line runs from the home to the sewer. If either of these crack or burst, you will find yourself with a flooded yard.

Yard Drainage Solutions

As for solutions, it depends on your issue. If a burst pipe caused the problem, then you need the service of a plumber. Most often, burst water and sewer lines develop because an old-fashioned steel pipe has corroded past the point of use. If an old, corroded pipe is indeed the reason for your soggy lawn, consider its replacement with flexible, durable PEX pipe.

If the issue has developed because of excess thatch or improper yard drainage, then the team at MDM Landscapes can help. Our lawncare services can clean your yard of thatch to enable the natural drainage of water. If grading is your issue, then a French drain represents an elegant and simple solution to your standing water problem. At MDM Landscapes, we provide solutions for issues of a flooded yard in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX. To learn more or schedule service, call us today at 817-396-0125.

Ever pass by a street where all the yards are lush and green, then there is that one house with the brown, overgrown yard? It really throws the whole dynamic, aesthetic, and cohesive look of the neighborhood off. Lawn maintenance not only shows that you care about your house, but it can also be safety measure, showing that someone is actively home and living there, preventing burglars. While extensive landscaping services can get expensive, there are some basic lawn maintenance skills and affordable lawn service companies who can help you get a nice looking yard. For landscaping services in Godley, TX, call MDM Landscapes at 817-396-0125 today.

Benefits of Standard Lawn Care

According to a 2018 National Association of REALTORS Value Survey, randomized REALTORS members ranked that they found lawn care to be the most appealing and the most likely added benefit to a home’s resale value. Landscaping can be as simple as applying mulch, mowing, pruning, or planting a garden. It not only gives you a hobby and responsibility, but it significantly increases resale value. 74% of realtors have suggested getting a landscaping service job before selling a home. 17% of homeowners have reported that getting the lawn makeover helped them complete the sell.

Increase Property Value with Tree Care

While it might take a few years to see your results, planting trees not only spruce up your bare yard, but help to provide shade, cooling, and fun outdoor play areas for your children. Should you need removal of an overgrown or dead tree, require professional assistance as this job is dangerous.

Local Landscaping Professionals

Based on the results of this study, lawn maintenance and landscaping services will drastically help you when you put your house up for sale. The rich aesthetics of your new lawn draws in potential buyers… and helps seal the deal! If you don’t have a green thumb or like the outdoors filled with UV rays and insects, there are plenty of landscaping services available to call for help. If you are looking to put your home on the market and need landscaping services in the Godley, TX area, call MDM Landscapes at 817-396-0125 today.

Summers here in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX can be hard on gardens. In order to keep your plants and flowers at their best and most beautiful, you may think you will need to water them more. However, this can lead to high water bills and may not be the best way to keep your plants healthy. There are a few ways you can improve your gardens utilization of water without watching your water bill soar. We have compiled some quality tips for your garden so that you can conserve and grow.

Water Conservation Tips

• Plan Your Plants – Different plants have different needs. When choosing plants for your garden, take the time to consider its particular water needs. Try to select plants that either has low water needs or are native to your region. These plants will be able to work with the heat and natural rainfall to thrive.
• Mulch It Up – Mulching provides a plethora of benefits for gardens, including helping your plant conserve water better. Mulch will prevent water loss, meaning your plants can best utilize the amount of water you have given them with minimal loss. Also, mulch can prevent weeds from springing up and stealing the water your garden needs.
• Use Porous Stonework – When designing paths through your landscape or garden, try to choose materials or stones that will allow rain to pass through into the ground. This will allow that water to redistribute to your plants, minimizing the amount you need to spray them down and allowing them to flourish.

Your home or business can have and maintain a beautiful garden this summer while conserving water! Want more tips or to get started on your new landscaping look? MDM Landscapes provides you with quality landscaping and services in Godley, TX. Reach out to our experts for your landscaping needs by dialing 817-396-0125.

Most homeowners will tell you that pruning is never truly done, and they’re right. Tree pruning is hard work. While it may be tempting to indefinitely postpone maintenance, tree pruning provides three very simple, but critical benefits for your property.

Benefit #1: Protecting the House

Perhaps the most important mission behind tree pruning is protecting your home from damage. For tree limbs that hover directly above your house, catastrophic damage is never to far away. That’s why homeowners need to consistently keep their trees trimmed and pruned, so the next thunderstorm won’t leave fallen limbs on your rooftop. As a side benefit, this will also reduce the volume of twigs and leaves that flow onto your roof or into your gutters. Who wouldn’t like to clean their rooftop less often?

Benefit #2: Healing Your Trees

Dying limbs draw nutrients away from healthy areas of your trees. Pruning away these limbs allows your trees to utilize its resources more efficiently and grow new limbs in the process. If your trees can’t seem to continue growth, try scheduling a tree pruning.

Benefit #3: Beautifying Your Property

How many times have you driven through a neighborhood and spotted out of control tree growth. Overgrown trees detract from the beauty of your landscaping and can even affect your property value. If you think managing this wild foliage might be too big a project for you, reach out to a trustworthy landscaping service to help you get the job done.

If you’d like more information on landscaping, or if you’d like to schedule a tree pruning for your property, feel free to talk to one of our specialists at MDM Landscapes. Talk with us at 817-396-0125.

There’s no denying that a beautiful exterior can draw in customers. Whether it be from amazing architecture or artwork, well-designed marketing signage, or greenery, what is directly outside your business can seriously affect the profits going on inside it. Landscaping is a great way to attract clients as it is so attention-grabbing. Here are some tips on how to enhance your business’s curb appeal with landscaping.

Sign Visibility

If your sign is not noticeable, how will people know to come into your business or recommend it to others? Is your company’s logo being blocked by overgrown trees or bushes? MDM Landscapes offers trimming services. We also provide lighting installation that will help to put your sign front and center in everyone’s minds.

Flowers

Colors automatically catch the eye. Planting bright flowers around your business will not only attract customers, but help the environment. Keep them healthy with fertilizer and soil aeration.

Walkways

You’ve now got this beautiful flower bed. Immerse shoppers in them by placing walkways in between your gardens and leading it up to your commercial building. This can be greatly beneficial if your business is on unpaved road or land, providing people with ease of walking and comfort while also being very aesthetically pleasing. If you are worried about the flowers being destroyed from being too close to foot traffic, consider getting a retaining wall, which will safely enclose your little garden.

Sprinklers

Installing sprinklers will preserve the life of your plants and grass. It will keep them vivid, green, and colorful. Dry, dead grass can make shoppers think a commercial building is uncared for and therefore out of business. Show how much you love your business by taking care of the lawn in front of it.

If you want to improve your business’s visual with landscaping in Grandbury Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, call MDM Landscapes at 817-396-0125 for any of the mentioned services.

Your yard is the first thing that people see when they pull up to your home. Undoubtedly, you want it to not only look nice, but you want it to be safe. This is where yard lights play a big role. Most people have lights on their homes, but many don’t have lights going up the pathway to their doors. This may not seem like a big deal, but if you are like many Americans, you may get home from work when the sun is about you go down or leave the house in the morning before the sun is up. If this is the case, for your safety, it may make you feel better to have lights put in so that not only can you see where you’re going, but you are in a well lit area. Even if you live in a safe neighborhood, you can never be too cautious about making sure you are in an area that people can see you well.

More Pros From Lighting Your Yard

Not only is safety a big selling point, but adding a few lights to your yard can actually change the look and add a little flair of your own. If you have a path that leads to your porch or your front door, you can put a few lights in the ground to guide the way in the dark. This will help you to see better and also gives off a beautiful look to a greatly lit pathway. If this is something that you think you may want or have been wondering about pricing, call MDM Landscapes at 817-396-0125 and we can go over options, pricing, and placement with you whenever you like.

Spring is coming. Is your landscape ready for it? Your yard and plants don’t suddenly burst with life when spring hits. They need help and care. Here are just a few of the many tips for spring lawn preparation that you can apply to your landscaping.

Plant Bulbs

Bulbs are some of the easiest ways to jump start new plant growth. Just put them in the ground, make sure they have enough water and fertilizer, and then let them grow. There are innumerable plants you could add to your landscaping with just some bulbs.

Lay Mulch

The best time to apply new mulch is just before new plants begin to rise to the surface. Remove your old mulch and put new stuff down. Good mulch retains water and fertilizer to aid your plants, and applying early is a great way to start your landscape off for spring.

Plant Grass

Early spring is the best time to plant new grass seed. Plant your grass seed early to save water and prevent the seeds from struggling in the hot sun. You can plant before winter, but the grass will need time to get established in order to survive winter. Early spring means green grass through the rest of spring, and in summer.

Prune Plants

Start pruning your plants. Pruning is an often-neglected part of landscaping all year. But, for many plants, pruning helps improve growth. Removing the dying parts of plants also helps your landscaping look better in general.

For more spring lawn preparation tips, come to the landscaping experts of MDM Landscapes in Granbury, TX. Call us for your landscaping services at (817) 396-0125.