Adding Light and Life in Every Season

During winter in some parts of Canada it is freezing cold and covered in excessive amounts of snow, but still bright sunshine (think North and East). In other parts of Canada (think Beautiful British Columbia), there’s rain and grey skies. Without as much sunshine in the mild BC winters, everyone has lower levels of serotonin hormones, which can lead to a higher risk of seasonal depression.

This is why we want to help add light and new life to your yard.

Landscaping designs can open up your yard so you can access more of the little light we get. This could include trimming back overhanging trees or moving plants which block the sunlight from getting into your yard. This could also be having furniture or building-siding painted brighter or lighter colours.

We can suggest winter appropriate options. For example, plants which will stay alive during the winter months. Or, a benefit of not having constantly freezing temperatures, a water feature could be added.

Another method of adding light is by physically adding lights. This could mean lights along a path, small lights above your head to mimic the stars, or putting lights on a tree or into the water feature.

We want you to have a wonderful winter and hope we can help by developing a space with new life and new light for you to enjoy this and every season.

Using Any Space

We have all heard about the skyrocketing real estate prices around Vancouver. But having small property is not an excuse to avoid turning your space into an intentional part of your home.

In fact, specifically crafting the space you do have is bound to help it feel larger, make it more functional, and reduce your stress levels!

Make small spaces bigger! When we look at a space, we can envision using parts of it that you forgot about, like the back corner where some weeds have grown, or the wall of your storage shed, or the middle of it where a small fountain would add life. Capitalizing on each of these spaces and creating new dimensions will make it feel larger.

Maximize the functionality! Once your space has been redesigned to maximize the underutilized areas, you get to rediscover its functionality too. Come to us with ideas of what you want your space to be used for and those can be planned into the designs. A properly designed space can also be more of a multi-functional space. Your kids will be able to play, you’ll have the opportunity to entertain and everyone can use it to relax.

Reduce the stress! An intentionally designed space will also help reduce your stress levels. Studies show that clutter, whether in your home, at your work, or around your garden, causes excessive stimuli on the brain. This makes it harder to focus, more difficult to relax, and hinders your creativity and productivity.

We have the imagination and experience to use every inch of your space to make it beautiful and uniquely yours.

Let us help you maximize your property!

 

Rain, Snow, Sleet, & Hail

With the onset of winter, you may be wondering how you can best prepare your yard for winter. Here are 5 tips to keep your landscape looking neat, clean, and beautiful, even in the coming months of rain, snow, sleet, and hail!

  1. Sweep out those stems! It's very important that blackened stems and any other aspect of your plants from summer that look diseased be cleared from your garden beds. Failure to do so, allows “disease pathogens and insect eggs” to cultivate over winter under the blanketing of snow and ice.

  2. Spare the spread! Hold off on spreading your compost until your yard has experienced a good freeze. This prevents mice, insects, and other creepy crawlies from making your yard their home!

  3. Wrap up tight! Wrap the base of young saplings with a tree guard or wire to keep animals from wrecking their base during the wet winter months when roots may be more vulnerable in the mud.

  4. Bury your winter bulbs in evergreen. Nothing says Christmas like planting the bulbs you want to see in Spring down deep, covering them in evergreen to protect them from being dredged up to the soil's surface before they can take root.

  5. Curate your cuttings! Take cuttings of any plants you want to enjoy during the winter months and start growing them indoors. It will feel like summer all year round!

Interested? Chat with us today!

5 Steps to Getting Started

Photo Source: Unsplash.

Are you overwhelmed by your yard? Maybe you have weeds as far as the eye can see. Maybe it looks like your lawn has gone for the California blond look this summer. Maybe you’re dreading another fall of flooding or your backyard stairs have rotted just enough to make you worried.

Follow our easy 5-step guide to begin tackling the landscape needs of your home!

  1. Make a list of the projects you would like to accomplish in order of priority. → You can do everything...just not at once!

  2. Be honest about your budget. → Not every project is necessarily out of your price range. Be clear about how much you are willing to spend and then work with your contractor to find the best solutions for your financial capacity.

  3. Get personal. → What do you want your yard to say about you? Are you creative? Do you want your yard to be a place of retreat? Landscaping is often the first thing people notice about a home.

  4. Make a timeline. → There’s nothing worse than a project dragging on forever and interrupting the flow of your work day or personal life. Be clear about your desired timeline in the first conversation you have with your contractor.

  5. Only hire a trusted contractor. → As mentioned in one of our previous posts, reach out to a contractor that comes highly recommended by friends or family. This initial establishment of trust will allow for a more efficient and creative working relationship, enabling you to communicate your vision to the contractor who will be making it become a reality!

Interested? Chat with us today!

Live Free, Play Clean

We've already installed 20 synthetic lawns for clients this year alone...and we're not anywhere near done! Synthetic lawns continue to be one of our highest requested packages and two of the biggest reasons have to do with those special little someone's in our lives.

You heard us right! While some clients come to us simply wanting a “no fuss” lawn solution, many clients come to us because the installation of a synthetic lawn meets needs that arise from having children or dogs.

 

For the Kids:

In 2012 and 2013 Stats Canada reported that, “Children and youth spend the majority of their time being sedentary. Children and youth aged 5 to 17 spent an average of 8 hours and 27 minutes, or nearly two-thirds of their waking hours, being sedentary each day.” British Columbia is a province that receives a lot of rain. This, combined with the increasingly fast paced life of young families and sedentary nature of school, leaves kids unable to get an adequate amount of exercise. The installation of a turf in the backyard allows them to go outside to play year round regardless of weather and without fear of injury.

 

The Dogs:

Did you know that Vancouver is home to an estimated 145,000 dogs? Many families large and small have a canine mascot that seems to be almost constantly tracking mud inside or turning the backyard into one giant mud-pit. The installation of a synthetic lawn can let pet owners live with ease as their puppies get out all of their excess energy without the dirt and damage that usually come as part and parcel of the dog experience.

Contact TBO Landscaping Solutions today to get your quote on the installation of a synthetic turf lawn for your own! Let your little ones #livefreeandplayclean without fear of grass stains or mud holes!

Fun Fact: Did you know that it was a British Columbian Member of Parliament and a British Columbian Senator, former Olympian Senator Nancy Greene Raine who started National Health and Fitness Day? Start gearing up now for National Health and Fitness Day in your very own turf backyard!

Interested? Chat with us today!