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Ideas To Keep Busy – Part 1

Keeping Busy and #StayHome

As we’re being asked to #StayHome, parents and families are looking for fun ways to keep kids busy. We found a few fun ideas from Growing A Jeweled Rose to help keep kids busy in the garden. We’ve selected our favorites and listed them here. If you try any of these, please post your photos or if you have any other ideas, please share in the comments below. As adults, some of these look fun to us too, so don’t feel like you can’t participate if you don’t have kids at home.

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If your kids are a little older and/or are ready to help in the yard, here are a few ideas we found to help keep them busy helping you

Debris Clean- Up
One thing you can do is to clean up your yard. This means removing leaves, twigs, branches, dirt and other items that have accumulated over the fall and winter months.   There are some common issues in Clark County & Portland Metro, so if you’re seeing bare batches, there are a few issues you could be facing.

Make it fun – make it a race to gather debris and bring it to the compost pile. Use a stopwatch (or app) to time them.

Composting
Collected leaves, cuttings, spent foliage and other debris will decompose and create nutrient rich humus for amending your garden. Adding organic compost can be a great way to improve the condition of your soil. Composting also helps to improve water retention, airflow and can improve the strength and feel of the soil. The debris in your yard, such as leaves, plants, grass clippings and even kitchen scraps (not animals) can make great compost. You’ll need to turn it frequently to speed up the decomp process.

Make a game for your kids by having them take turns turning the compost. Time them and have them pass the turning tool around to all of them.

Retaining Walls

At Frontier Landscaping we receive many requests for Retaining Walls. This is one of the more frequently discussed additions with regards to a clients’ hardscaping, when deciding on their Landscape designs. This can be with a brand-new landscape or an addition to an existing landscape. Some of our clients live on more sloped areas and it is not unusual to want to create flat or level spots within the Outdoor areas to get more usage from the property. When deciding on a Landscape or improvement to the existing Landscape, at Frontier Landscaping we discuss the best way to increase the living spaces and or enhance by adding these features to the design.

A Few attributes of adding retaining walls

  • Creates more useable Outdoor Spaces
  • Rapid Installation
  • Creates vertical, horizontal areas as well as adding curvature
  • Concrete, wood, synthetics, brick, blocks, etc.
  • Wide variety of colors, sizes and textures
  • Provides support

One method of building Retaining Walls consists of modular concrete blocks that interlock with each other. They can be used to hold back a sloping face of soil to provide a solid, vertical front. Without adequate retention, slopes can cave, slump or slide. With construction of our Retaining Walls, higher and steeper walls can be constructed with the ability to retain the force of earth pressure created by the backfill soil, giving more flexibility to your design choices.

Retaining Walls can be installed in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and textures. They can incorporate straight or curved lines, steps, and corners. They are ideal for not only slope support, but also for widening areas that would otherwise be unusable due to the natural slope of the land. Retaining walls are often used for grade changes, and for other functional reasons such as widening driveways, walkways, or creating more space in a patio outdoor area. More usable area for your Landscapes and Outdoor Spaces.

Retaining Walls provide lateral support to vertical slopes of soil. They retain soil which would otherwise collapse into a more natural shape. The retained soil is referred to as backfill.

Fall is a Great Time for Landscape Add-ons and Renovations.

Have you been wanting to freshen up your space and give your backyard a new feel?  Perhaps you’ve thought of transforming your backyard into an entertainment space, perfect for hosting get-together’s and even Holiday events if the weather is right. Below, we selected six renovation ideas to spruce up your landscaping and get your backyard ready for anything.

1. Adding Hardscape

Looking to add texture to your backyard design? Adding hardscape will greatly increase your backyard’s appeal and usability.  Hardscape design can be simple, like a river rock path meandering through your greenery. Or you can choose to be bold and do the entire backyard in natural stone slabs., pavers or something entirely different. There are endless design options you can create by choosing natural stone, pavers, bricks, river rocks and more. Our Professionals at Frontier Landscape can help you design outdoor spaces that are truly your own.

Adding hardscape can also create a kid and pet friendly play space. 

2. Build a Retaining Wall

Do you have a sloped backyard? Building a retaining wall, or a tiered retaining wall, can create depth and add character.  Kick your design up a notch by adding flowers, plants, shrubs, or even a couple of trees.

3. Design a “Native” Landscape Area

In Washington, we have many different colorful trees and shrubs that add texture and form to your Landscape. You might try a Red Dogwood or Ninebark for year-round color. Planting a Native Garden keeps us in touch with the flora around us.

4. Create a Natural Outdoor Space

Do you find lush trees and cascading waterfalls relaxing?  You can use natural rock slabs to create a waterfall and river that re-circulates through your yard.  Plant trees that give a home to birds, and add bird feeders throughout your backyard.

While you’re at it, add a hammock for relaxing at the end of a long day for when the season rolls back around.

5. Add a Garden or Planter Boxes

Ready for some garden to table living? Starting your own edible garden with fruits and veggies can be very rewarding.  You can start big or small, depending on what your outdoor space will allow. Planter boxes are perfect for creating an area for fruits, vegetables, or herbs to grow without compromising on space. This can be rather seasonal depending on your location and winter temperatures. But… once you have the Garden or Planter Boxes, you can rotate “off-season” with color/flowers that work well when your edibles do not.

Our final thoughts on renovating your backyard:

Add some personal touches!  Maybe some outdoor sculpture with an artistic flare…Consider adding lighting (pathway lights, twinkle lights or tiki torches), a fire pit, or maybe even a bocce ball court.  Personal finishing touches will bring your backyard renovation together and make it the perfect place to relax and welcome friends and family. Have fun and make it your own!

Whatever your backyard renovation dreams or desires are, we want to be a part of them!  Contact US!  or visit our contact page to schedule an appointment with our Frontier Landscaping Professionals. Start making your backyard dreams a reality.

Contact US to schedule an appointment!

Fire Pits and Outdoor Spaces for Fall

Fire pits are a popular and comforting addition to any yard, especially in the temperate Pacific Northwest! As our weather begins to change, our busy lives do too. Work, school, kids and Pre-holiday projects are picking up as we enter the Fall Season.

What better time than now to consider putting in a Fire pit? You have likely thought about it on many occasions, but not gotten around to it. Maybe now IS a perfect time.

Here are some of the advantages to consider…

  • Increase your outdoor season. Mother Nature decides what portion of the year that we can spend outdoors – or comfortably anyway. An outdoor fire pit extends the portion of the year that you can spend in your backyard by providing a heat source. Outdoor gatherings and family evenings can still be enjoyed well into the Fall and sometimes beyond.
  • Creating an Outdoor Gathering place. People love to gather around a fire. A fire pit gives you the perfect focal or gathering point where you can relax with family, friends, and neighbors. Putting the word out that you are having a fire that night, and your people will come!
  • Light… Let’s face it, fires provide heat but they also provide light. When you add a fire pit to your backyard or outdoor spaces, you are also adding light.
  • Adding art and ambiance. Fire pits also add a focal point and a touch of artistry to your outdoor spaces. If it’s a block ring to beautifully tiled fire pits made with natural stone, slate, blocks, and even the addition of water, you can really add beauty along with warmth and light to your yard or garden.
  • Fire Pit functionality. In addition to the warmth, light and ambiance that fire pits provide, there are some things that can also be very functional.

Slate, wood burning fire pit.

Block Fire Pit with Grill

Some fire pits can be equipped with a grilling surface for barbecues or convert to a table. They can be wood burning, propane or natural gas and light with a push of a button or ignite the old-fashioned way… The different versions and possibilities are endless. Based on your personal taste and sense of style, our Frontier Landscaping Staff can help you with the best “version” for you.

Contact US to schedule an appointment!

Summer Landscape Additions

Summer Landscaping… There is still time to make your landscape everything you had wanted when the summer started. These summer landscape additions can transform an “average” yard into an excellent one. And, with that in mind, you and your family and friends can enjoy the remaining warm weather in the comfort of your own backyard. Use these summer landscape additions to reinvent your design in August and well into Labor Day.

Lighting up the Night

Adding lights along your sidewalks and gardens creates an enchanting ambiance to your yard when the sun goes down. You can have your family and friends over for a summer evening barbecue. A romantic evening for two…Or even some quiet time of your own for an evening. Adding the element of the soft lighting contrasts the darkness and allows you to experience your yard in a whole new way.

Learn more about how we can light up your landscape

The Sound of Water

A fountain or stream in your landscape can transform your yard to a private oasis. There is nothing more soothing than the sound of running water. Water summer landscape additions are perfect for enjoying a summer evening with a book, or a morning cup of coffee. Water features also improve the look of your landscape design. Even the simple addition of a small water feature can enhance the aesthetic quality of your yard. Or perhaps you want to make a bigger statement? In this case the larger water features’ possibilities are endless. You can even make this the focal point of your yard. With any of these choices, you can’t go wrong adding the calming effects of water.

Learn more about our fountain and water installation services

And then there was FIRE!

There are few things in a yard that can make people come together more than a fire pit. A fire pit is a staple for classic American, summer time cooking. Making hotdogs, s’mores or campfire pies is sure to draw a crowd. Incorporating a fire pit into the overall design of your landscape will make the property feel like it’s made for enjoying good food, fun people, and making memories.

Following the right path…

Paths and Patios may start with a new path from the street to your front door so guests don’t have to traverse the front lawn, stairs and a front porch. But don’t stop there!

Paths and Patios can be created using slate, brick, concrete, rough stone, gravel, crushed granite, pavers of all shapes and colors or a mix therein. Frontier Professionals can create paths and patios, steps, fire pits to suit your needs, solve problems and enhance your landscape and property value.

Suited to your own aesthetic tastes, we can create living spaces that extend the hospitality of your home, extended and open up an area for entertaining or create a quiet retreat. We can configure them to fit nearly any shape, size or scope of project; they may be used to meet a number of landscape goals while letting water drain through.

Check our our full range of Path and Patio services

Color…Color…Color…

Summer…You want to make the most of it while you can. Adding flowers along your walkways, on your front step, or in a flower garden will help you enjoy some of the best delicacies of the season. Flowers are easily maintained. They add character and texture to your yard. They also make for a nice contrast between the seasons and give you something fresh to look at and enjoy. There are also different types of foliage plants that have texture and color. Needles, flowers on plants, perennials, annuals, grasses and even brightly-colored bark on shrubs and trees give something even in their dormant season. Your Professionals at Frontier will surely fit your needs and work with you to get the best result possible.

Find out more about how we can add color to your landscape

Summer Hardscapes

Summer Hardscapes

The warm weather is here, and if you are like many people, you are beginning to clean up here and there. You may even be looking to make improvements to your property involving landscape, including new walkways, patios, or walls. Hardscaping can make any yard or property look like a million bucks.

What is a hardscape?

The term is something that is not known by everyone, as hardscaping is its own category of landscaping. It usually consists of hard design elements such as stone, concrete, or brick. Some popular hardscape features include outdoor kitchens and living spaces, garden walls, paths and walkways, as well as the maintenance and repairs that come with maintaining these features.

How to give your home that Wow  Factor…

Maybe you have been thinking about adding the perfect entertainment area, a stonewall for privacy, or beautiful walkways for your garden or something more. If we might suggest, you might focus on these elements…

Take a look at your Landscape… Below are a few questions to ask before making a hard decision on a Hardscape…

  • How do you want it to function?
  • Would you like a space to entertain?
  • A Space to relax?
  • A play space for the kids?

The beauty of answering these questions is that by doing so, you are that much closer to getting exactly what you want when you talk with one of our experts at Frontier Landscaping.

Now, Let’s talk materials…

Some materials you might have seen, maybe liked in someone else’s Landscape or you liked elements of it, but might want a different color, etc. Below are a few more questions to consider before going forward.

  • What overall tone or atmosphere do you want these spaces to project?
  • What kind of feeling do you want yourself and others to experience?
  • What do you visualize the overall, finished Landscape to look like?


Again, this will bring you even closer to having exactly what you want.

Always Ask the Experts!

You can envision your new space for entertaining. You have found the perfect shady place for the kids. You have picked out the perfect hammock placement for naps on weekends…Now, you aren’t sure what to do next. Well, it’s time to ask the experts at Frontier. A Professional opinion is exactly what is needed to make your dreams into reality. By doing that, not only will the elements be in the final project, but it is likely that it will even come out better than you had imagined.

At Frontier Landscaping we understand how important hardscaping is to the overall look and feel of your landscape. When you need help deciding what landscaping work needs to be done, be sure to contact our expert team! Our Frontier Landscaping experts will walk you through our entire design process, and ensure that you will feel confident and clear that your project will be the best that it can be.

Contact US to schedule your appointment!

(360) 574-8979