Landscaping is, put simply, the effort of making an outdoor space look more attractive. This can be done in a variety of spaces, ranging from a homeowner’s backyard to a public building’s front or back grounds to a public park. An apartment building, an office, a bank, or a school’s staff may invest in some fine landscaping, and this can have a positive mental effect on anyone who visits the premises. Good landscaping can show that a company cares about its image and how it treats its customers, and people looking for an apartment to rent may get a good impression from quality landscaping. Meanwhile, a homeowner may expect a solid ROI, or return on investment, when they spend money on landscaping efforts. In fact, good landscaping can make the property more valuable and appealing on the real estate market. How is landscaping improvement done? This varies, but landscape improvement may involve bark blowers and bark dust specialists, as well as cedar chips and more. And this is just for the natural features.
Where Bark Dust Is Used
What exactly is bark dust, and how does it factor into landscape improvement? Bark is the cork-like, rough exterior of a tree’s trunk, and that bark can be harvested and used as landscape improvement anywhere from a park to an office’s front grounds to a homeowner’s backyard. This is not to be confused with mulch, which can be made up of many different shredded organic materials. Bark dust in particular is the cork-like cover on trees, and when ground up and shredded, it can be blown and scattered (not dumped) anywhere a person wants to make for a new ground surface. This is not only aesthetically pleasing, such as when bark dust layers surround a tree or fill in a stone pathway, but it’s practical, too. When landscape improvement is done, experts recommend a layer of bark dust two or three inches deep, and this layer can do a lot of good for the natural ground. Bark dust will impede the growth of weeds, and it can help the ground retain its moisture better. This keeps the soil healthier and helps prevent it from drying out or eroding away.
Fir is the most popular material for bark dust, but hemlock has proven to be a bark dust staple as well. A homeowner may choose to have their backyard renovated, and such landscape improvement may include bark dust scattering. It may difficult to do this alone, so a homeowner can contact local bark dust blowing companies and ask them to visit the premises to scatter bark dust. The ground may be prepared ahead of time, and this may involve smoothing over bare dirt surrounding a tree or a shrub. Bark dust, if shredded finely enough, can also make for a fine foot path in the back yard, and bark dust may frame staggered-out walking stones as a filler material between them. And of course, all of this can be done for the features of a public building’s or park’s features for a good aesthetic.
Other Landscaping
cedar chips are not to be confused with bark dust. This material, made by shredded and chipped cedar wood, is meant to be stepped on repeatedly, which makes it a fine choice for a playground’s surface. It is not only attractive like bark dust, but it’s durable enough for people to walk or even run on, and it has a cushion effect if a person falls over on it. This makes it much safer than sheer concrete or asphalt. And like with bark dust, cedar chips may protect the ground underneath and prevent erosion or dryness. A parks and recreation department, for example, may hire cedar chip shredders to grind up some cedar wood (or get it pre-shredded in bags) and have it scattered on a playground on a large scale. This may be done if a park’s playground equipment is recently installed, or if an older park is being renovated. Other natural landscaping such as shrubs, trees, and even flower beds can be used in parks, office front grounds, or private property. Trees can filter the air naturally and also shade a building, reducing its need to use air conditioning (thus saving money). They also act as windbreaks.
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