With temperatures dropping and staying cooler, many gardens lack color and life, but they don’t have to! LSU AgCenter suggests adding cool season annuals to your landscape during the winter to “enhance the quality of your garden, increase curb appeal and add color and dimension to a possibly otherwise barren landscape.” Not only will these varieties liven up an ordinarily drab garden, they will also provide much needed nourishment to nectar-loving migrating insects that are preparing to fly south for the winter. Supertunia Vista Bubblegum Petunia According to LSU AgCenter, the Supertunia Vista Bubblegum petunia is one of the most talked-about petunias over the past three to five years, and one of the best petunias in landscape trials at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station. The clear, bright pink flowers have proven to be one of Louisiana’s most durable varieties. They can grow 16 to 24…
Guest article by Ali Sanderson. Photo by Fauzan Saari on Unsplash. Why Faking the Lawn is Worth the Trouble New Orleans set a new record with a temperature of 96 degrees in May 2018 according to the National Weather Service. Tending to your lawn in hot temperatures that come with humid warm air is not anywhere close to pleasant. However, people do spend several hours a week keeping their lawns immaculately manicured so that their grass is always greener than the other side. The reward is people constantly pausing at front lawns just to take a look and some even bending to touch the grass. So it’s not hard to imagine why a “veteran natural lawn-maintainer” would look down on people who go the easy route with synthetic turf. Artificial grass is cheaper to maintain Artificial grass or synthetic grass is simply an outdoor carpet that looks…
Guest article by Ali Sanderson. Photo by Luke Schobert on Unsplash. Planning and developing a beautiful garden is a very rewarding pastime. However, there is one aspect of a successful garden that many people overlook. That is the availability of pollinators. For those who hope to grow fruits or vegetables in their garden, having nearby pollinators, such as domesticated bees, is necessary for flowers to set fruit on plants. Thankfully, beekeeping has become an increasingly popular activity for people with gardens and yards of all sizes. You do not need to have several acres of apple orchard to keep bees. You just need a little planning to ensure you have adequate food resources available for your hive. Creating the Perfect Landscape New Orleans agriculture, plants, and wildflowers depend on pollination from bees. Thus, the fall season is the perfect time to plant and make your…
When is the best time to add a shade tree to your landscape? Beverly suggests fall is one of the best times to add shade trees to your landscape. The soil is still warm, yet the opportunity for rainfall and cooler temperatures allow the tree to establish itself before springtime. When selecting a shade tree for your landscape, a few considerations should be kept in mind. Size how large will the tree become once it’s mature where will it cast its canopy in your landscape, and how will its shade affect other plants Appearance what will the tree look like throughout the year will it fit in with your landscape aesthetic Ecological how your selection will benefit the local wildlife whether or not the tree be a host to destructive insects and disease pests Maintenance what maintenance will accompany your…
Louisiana citrus season is here and for the next two months or so, you will notice an abundance of Louisiana tree-ripened satsumas, grapefruits, navel oranges and lemons at your local grocer and farmers’ markets. When it comes to Louisiana citrus, an ongoing trend is homeowners buying their very own citrus trees to plant in their yards. We consulted the experts at LSU’s AgCenter to find out what to look for and how to maintain a healthy citrus tree in Louisiana. A few tips include: Purchase your citrus tree from a certified nursery; this ensures the health and longevity of the tree. Allow your fruit to tree-ripen before picking. This allows the fruit to absorb the most nutrients from the soil resulting in a sweeter fruit. Do not let the root stock take over the tree. Doing so creates a thorny plant…
The temperature has dropped (slightly) and the Holidays are upon us! We wanted to take this opportunity to offer some inspiration to get your home ready for the season! A simple, yet festive way to create a Holiday look is by adding ornaments or colorful bulbs to your outdoor planters. Simply drop a few into your existing potted plants and your home will suddenly look Holiday ready. Of course, at Exterior Designs, we love the idea of incorporating fresh greenery into your decor. Some of the best front door designs we have seen stick with a theme. Whether you go with a playful look and incorporate colorful bulbs with Christmas characters, or a more elegant theme using fresh greenery and white twinkle lights is totally up to you. Choose a theme special to you and your family and run with it!…
Beverly Katz Adds a Touch of French Quarter Style to Metairie Home Old world custom fireplace, brick paved courtyard and black wrought-iron details reflect influences of Spanish and French architecture. Upon entering Cathy Green Rosenstein’s garden in Metairie, you cannot help but notice the vibrant colors that greet you. The eye is drawn to a large multi-trunk Savannah Holly tree and an elegant fountain used to anchor the space while setting the stage for a colorful garden that flanks the kitchen window. Intended to be enjoyed from inside the home as well as outside, the garden incorporates varying textures and heights, creating visual interest from both perspectives. Dwarf mondo grass provides a lush filler of dark green blades and is the perfect backdrop for the surrounding pink geraniums, blue salvias and sun-loving impatiens. Beverly Katz left nothing to chance when…
Looking to start a landscape project in time for spring? Exterior Designs and Bevolo Gas and Electric Lights partner frequently to create well lit New Orleans style courtyards and outdoor spaces using Bevolo’s copper electric & gas lighting. Read the interview below, copied from the original article at: http://www.bevolo.com/blog/trends-in-landscape-architecture What makes New Orleans landscape unique? The outdoor spaces reflect the historic buildings of Spanish and French influence with the brick masonry, wrought iron and sconces. Customers will say to me, ‘I just want a feeling of the past and to connect to [my] ancestors, I want what my grandmother had.’ Beverly achieves this feeling through careful selection of materials and frequent maintenance. What trends are you seeing in Landscape Design? Here, the trend is to stay Southern and true to local. I can take a huge space and make it an intimate area. It…
It’s Valentine’s Day and I can’t help but to think of the love I have for New Orleans – our city is so diverse in its culture, music, food and even landscapes! We have traditional New Orleans courtyards that Exterior Designs has become somewhat of a local legend for designing. We also get a lot of requests for outdoor patios, kitchens and comfortable areas to entertain guests when grilling, boiling crawfish or crabs, or hosting a fish fry. More recently, we have been asked to design meditation gardens. That’s right, a place where residents can get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and retreat to a relaxing, tranquil garden in their very own back yard. I think this trend is a result of our busy schedules – we’re running around town, working full-time, carting our children to after-school…
Exterior Designs by Beverly Katz of New Orleans Awarded Best Of Houzz 2017 Over 40 Million Monthly Unique Users Nominated Best Home Building, Remodeling and Design Professionals in North America and Around the World New Orleans, LA, January 19, 2017 – Exterior Designs by Beverly Katz of New Orleans has won “Best Of Customer Service” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. The full-service design and build landscaping company was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than one million active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals. The Best Of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 40 million monthly users on Houzz. Customer Service honors are based…