People frequently ask us for simple ways that they can improve their front yards. Thankfully, years of experience have given us many ideas to share and in this post, you will find 6 straightforward, cost-effective ways that you can enhance the appearance of your front yard and your home. Add in vertical details A flowering vine climbing up a fence or a corner of the house; an ornamental tree with colorful annuals at its roots and tall flowers planted along the front of the house are all vertical details that can add a touch of class to an otherwise common…
An upward sloping front yard can be an eyesore without proper landscaping. Left to its own devices, it may soon become bare as erosion and a lack of water absorption thin out the plants that manage to grow there. The front yard is an important part of your home’s first impression on visitors and passers-by, so finding solutions to a front yard that slopes down to the house with landscaping is important. Ideas for Landscaping a Hill One common recommendation for landscaping a slope on a budget is to plant a hardy ground cover. This can work well with short…

Now that spring has arrived, there is never a better time to get motivated to do some gardening.
So here are a few suggestions to get you started:

At Normark we like our gardens to have a consistent pallet around the perimeter. This can be achieved in numerous ways but a cost effective and high impact solution can be installing a climber frame. It would be priority to paint all boundary fences with a dark colour exterior paint so that the green of the plants are exaggerated when growing up the mesh frame. We like to use the one plant type for the perimeter to provide an elegant backdrop for the garden.
Climbing frames can either be a steel weld mesh, timber lattice or stainless steel yachting wires. Material used will depend on the end result desired.
Have a look at some of these climbers, they look so much nicer than a plain fence.
Following on from our previous blog on heating we thought we would share some more stylish heating options. Whether you are looking for a portable heater that you can move around or something more fixed these heaters not only provide warmth but can also be a feature in your garden providing ambiance and style.
Outdoor heating is essential for alfresco living in the winter months. There are various outdoor heating appliances available including gas patio heaters, chimineas, fire pits and heatstrip heaters.
These vibrant flowers add a striking hit of colour over the winter period. The bold flower that sits atop of a long stem comes in colours ranging from red, yellow, orange and all variations in between. Originally from South Africa Red Hot Pokers are drought and heat tolerant and grow from 60cm to 2 metres in height.
These clump forming perennials attract local birds such as Rosellas to their tubular florets. Plant them in full sun where they will flower from May. Dead head continuously and they should flower all the way through winter into spring. Clean up leaves at the end of spring. They can be propagated by plant division, just remember to cut back late spring or autumn with crowns just above the ground.