Your garden has sprung or is slowly springing back to life. Your grass is greening, your flowers are blooming, and your desire to head outside and enjoy the good weather is increasing. Here are a few spring garden care tips that will set you up well for summer.

Care for your lawn

After its winter snooze, your lawn is springing to life – or trying to – which means it’s hungry. Spring garden care rule #1: Feed your lawn with a lawn builder. This will help strengthen roots, promote growth and thicken your lawn.

If your lawn is looking patchy, sow some seed and apply top dress to fill in dips and holes. Use either a specialised weed free top dressing mix or a washed sand.

Spread the top dressing over the top of the lawn at a depth of about 4 to 7mm, rubbing it into the lawn with the back of a rack or lawn level. Ensure that at least 1/3 of the leaf is poking through the soil.

For established lawns, weekly watering will be sufficient. Ensure heavy watering periods rather than shallow water applications, as this will promote deeper roots and a healthier lawn.

Mowing the lawn at a longer length will also help the roots grow longer, building a more drought resistant lawn – and let’s face it, there are some pretty bloody hot days awaiting us!

Plant a veggie patch

Make a great summer salad from your very own veggie patch!

Plant beans, carrots, celery, chillies, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, leek, lettuce, melon, potato, pumpkin and tomato.

Prepare vegetable gardens by forking mushroom compost or cow manure through the garden, then giving a thorough water before planting. Add blood and bone and sweeten the soil with garden lime.

Protect vegetable and flower seedlings with animal-friendly snail pellets (use as per product instructions).

For a great harvest, plant blue, purple or yellow flowers near your veggie patch. Bees are especially attracted to these colours and will help pollinate your vegies.

Spring garden care rule #2: Water gardens regularly as spring flowering plants use a lot of water when in flower.

Get on deck

Spring garden care rule #3 – make the most of the warmer months!

In 2012, domain.com.au estimated that adding a deck could increase a property’s value by up to $100,000. Given how the property market has skyrocketed since, it’s probably more now. Cheaper than adding a large extension to your home, decking is the most cost effective and time efficient method of adding square metres to your home.

But getting decked out is about more than just finance, it’s about lifestyle.

Australians love outdoor entertaining – especially during the summer months, which are fast approaching! One of the ways you can have more fun in the sun while investing in the value of your property is to add a deck.

If you home lends itself to it, create flow between internal and external spaces by having your outdoor living area lead off an indoor entertaining area. You’ll get more use of the deck if it’s accessible from a communal space.

Check if you need to get council approval. Not all decks need it, but some do.

And remember this is an investment in quality time with your family and friends, as well as the value of your property. That means you want a structurally sound deck that will withstand the test of time. So make sure you have it professionally designed and installed.

About Empire Walls

We ensure each client receives personalised service, their retaining wall is fit for purpose and we guarantee our retaining walls from the ground up. Retaining walls are just the start – offered as part of our complete landscaping services, which also includes decking.

• For examples of our work or if you’re after a service not listed here, please see empirewalls.com.au.
• For more information and/or a free quote, call Adam on 0421 573 001 or email empirewalls@live.com.au.
• For free landscaping tips and to stay in touch, follow us on Facebook.

The weather will be warming up soon and you’ll be heading outdoors with family, friends, or even by yourself. But how inviting will your backyard be looking after a few months of hibernation? Here are some trends to get on top of before spring is sprung.

Split level yards

Whether you’ve got a big yard, small yard, sloping yard, you can have a split level yard.

If you have a small yard, a split level yard can maximise the ground space you have available by adding vertical layers to your garden.

Retaining walls make sloping yards, once inaccessible, dangerous or prone to flooding, a thing of the past. With some smart engineering, now you can access all areas!

If you have a rather large block and you want to reduce the mowing, weeding and general gardening, while increasing the value of your house by adding square metres to the floor plan.

How? Get on deck!

And that brings us to our next point…

Outdoor entertaining

In 2012, domain.com.au estimated that adding a deck could increase a property’s value by up to $100,000. Given how the property market has skyrocketed since, it’s probably more now.

Cheaper than adding a large extension to your home, decking is the most cost effective and time efficient method of adding square metres to your home.

If you home lends itself to it, create flow between internal and external spaces by having your outdoor living area lead off an indoor entertaining area. You’ll get more use of the deck if it’s accessible from a communal space.

Concrete finishes

A natural and durable material, concrete lends itself to a variety of forms and finishes – sandblasted, honed, burnished – for a contemporary industrial yet refined feel. Use it instead of the traditional tile or pavers for walls, floors and other landscaping features.

About the author: Providing complete landscaping services to residential and commercial clients for more than 10 years, Empire Walls are the retaining wall specialists in Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. We ensure each client receives personalised service, their retaining wall is fit for purpose and we guarantee our retaining walls from the ground up. Retaining walls are just the start – offered as part of our complete landscaping services.

• For examples of our work, please refer to the Empire Retaining Walls online ‘Portfolio’. 
• If you’re after a service not listed here, refer to this listfor details of our complete landscaping services.
• For more information/a free quote, call Adam on 0421 573 001 or email empirewalls@live.com.au.
• For free landscaping tips and to stay in touch, follow us on Facebook.

1. It’s more than a wall. Retaining walls are primarily functional but can double as a fashionable landscaping feature, especially if accompanied by low garden walls and edging with the same finish. There are lots of retaining wall landscaping ideas out there worthy of consideration.
2. You’re spoilt for choice. When it comes to retaining walls, there’s something to suit all styles – timber, concrete sleeper, reinforced besser block, brick, stack stone, segmental, rendered, the list goes on! Of course you need to consider which materials are best suited to your specific wants and needs.
3. They’re great for creating more space in small areas. Yes, retaining walls are more commonly seen in large, sloping yards. But they’re fabulous in small spaces too! Maximise the ground space you have by adding vertical layers to your garden. And ad stairs into the retaining wall design to open up even more opportunity. Here’s some inspiration.
4. DIY is not advised! Fundamentally, all retaining walls are stablising structures primarily designed and constructed to support soil at a slope steeper than can naturally be supported. It is a specially engineered stabilising structure. As a result, if the retaining wall should fail, significant damage can follow. For this reason DIY jobs are definitely not advised!
5. There are warning signs your retaining wall needs to be repaired or replaced. These include tilting, sloping, cracks and crevices in the wall or adjacent flooring, crumbling of the surface of the wall, or one section becoming separated from the surrounding structure. Do not ignore the signs – call in experts who can access the best way to proceed.

About Empire Walls

Providing complete landscaping services to residential and commercial clients for more than 10 years, Empire Walls are the retaining wall specialists in Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. We ensure each client receives personalised service, their retaining wall is fit for purpose and we guarantee our retaining walls from the ground up. Retaining walls are just the start – offered as part of our complete landscaping services.

For examples of our work or If you’re after a service not listed here, please see www.empirewalls.com.au.

For more information and/or a free quote, call Adam on 0421 573 001 or email empirewalls@live.com.au.

For free landscaping tips and to stay in touch, follow us on Facebook.

First impressions are important. And since your front yard is the first thing people see – whether they are coming to visit, or to inspect your property for purchase or lease – here are a few ideas landscaping ideas for your front yard, so you can make a positive first impression.

Install a fence

Other than increasing street appeal, other benefits include:

* Increased child and pet safety

* Block unattractive views

* Increased privacy

* Reduced noise

* Creates a sense of space

* Evokes a sense of security

And it doesn’t need to be a traditional, whimsical, white picket fence. Make a statement with a strong, durable retaining wall – although that could probably be incorporated if you wanted!

Here are some pictures to inspire you.

Please note, council approval may be required.

Make an entrance

If your house lends itself to it and you don’t already have one, install a front landing.

Decorate it with a small outdoor setting and some pot plants to create a warm, welcoming entrance to your home.

Protect it from the elements by installing an awning, so you can use it all year around. Even enclose it with some railings so as to again:

* Increase child and pet safety

* Create a sense of space

* Evoke a sense of security

Best of all you’ve got an awesome new outdoor entertainment area! If someone pops over unannounced and the house is a mess, you can have a cuppa outside and not feel any less the entertainer.

Or you could go for a statement entrance like this.

Easy care lawns and gardens

If you’re looking for designer appeal at a fraction of the cost and also without the crazy maintenance schedule, consider the following:

* If your lawn is dead, dying or patchy as hell, consider installing hardy new turf. The best time to do this is towards the end of winter, start of spring.

* Minimise the number of plant species in your garden to make it easy to care for and to give a more uniform look.

* Install an irrigation system – especially if you have a tendency not to water your plants and let them all die.

* Lay down some wood chip – this will help your plants retain water, while also keeping weeds at bay.

About the author: Providing complete landscaping services to residential and commercial clients for more than 10 years, Empire Walls are the retaining wall specialists in Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. We ensure each client receives personalised service, their retaining wall is fit for purpose and we guarantee our retaining walls from the ground up. Retaining walls are just the start – offered as part of our complete landscaping services.

• For examples of our work, please refer to the Empire Retaining Walls online ‘Portfolio’. 
• If you’re after a service not listed here, refer to this list for details of our complete landscaping services.
• For more information/a free quote, call Adam on 0421 573 001 or email empirewalls@live.com.au.
• For free landscaping tips and to stay in touch, follow us on Facebook.

Structural tips

Tiered gardens

Maximise the ground space you have available by adding vertical layers to your garden. Retaining walls are especially fabulous for this. Remember they do retain heavy soil behind them, so have them installed by a retaining wall expert, to avoid any risk associated with collapse, which could be pretty devastating in a smaller space.

Take it up a step

If you do install a retaining wall, it can be handy to maintain access to the tiers so that you can easily conduct garden maintenance – planting, weeding, etc.- and the best way to do this is by adding some stairs as part of your retaining wall design. Not only will they be practical, they will provide some additional seating and become the focus point of your landscape.

Create an outdoor entertainment area

If you’ve added layers to your garden by installing a retaining wall will often create some additional space for a small outdoor entertaining area. Think about installing some brickwork or decking – somewhere you can pop a cute outdoor dining set, have a coffee, glass of wine or beer and enjoy the scenery.

Decorative tips

Add some extra height

While we’re talking about adding height, consider a vertical garden. Something that will flower all year and spill over the edges will look fabulous. Not much of a green thumb? Buy some fake greenery. Another enchanting option is succulent wall art.

Fake it

Photo sourced from the Liz Marie Blog, via Country Living

While we’re talking outdoor entertaining areas – if your yard is a little too small for a real lawn, consider a faux grass rug. Offering the illusion of a luscious green lawn while also making the space look bigger, pop your faux grass rug under your outdoor dining table or between a couple of outdoor chairs of the ultimate outdoor living experience.

About Empire Walls

Providing complete landscaping services to residential and commercial clients for more than 10 years, Empire Walls are the retaining wall specialists in Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. We ensure each client receives personalised service, their retaining wall is fit for purpose and we guarantee our retaining walls from the ground up. Retaining walls are just the start – offered as part of our complete landscaping services.

For examples of our work or If you’re after a service not listed here, please see www.empirewalls.com.au.

For more information and/or a free quote, call Adam on 0421 573 001 or email empirewalls@live.com.au.

For free landscaping tips and to stay in touch, follow us on Facebook.

Landscaping idea 1: 

Level up

Ideal if you have an already sloping backyard, but also great for those who want to break up large areas of lawn.

Think raised garden beds…Not the aluminium Bunnings type, but a true landscaping feature.

Retaining walls can be designed and installed in a variety of aesthetically pleasing materials suited to your surroundings.

Landscaping idea 2:

Level out

Retaining walls make sloping yards, once inaccessible, dangerous or prone to flooding, a thing of the past.

Not just a practical solution; as shown (above), retaining walls are great landscaping features.

However, these are stabilising structures that need to be correctly engineered and installed to withstand the pressure of the soil they retain. Avoid DIY jobs.

Landscaping idea 3:

Step up

If you want raised areas, like those shown above, to remain accessible, stairs are a fabulous idea.

Not only will they allow you to make the most of your space, they will quickly become the focal point of your yard.

They may even lead to your outdoor entertaining area, which brings us to our next point…

Landscaping idea 4:

Entertain outdoors

If you have the space, those stairs could lead you up the garden path to a place that used to be inaccessible but is now a small sanctuary or fabulous outdoor entertaining area.

Imagine sitting here, in the sun, reading a book, cup of tea in hand, or roasting marshmallows in the fire with friends, while sipping wine.

Bliss!

Landscaping idea 5:

Create an outdoor living space

Reduce the mowing, weeding and general gardening, while increasing the value of your house by adding square metres to the floor plan. How? Get on deck!

If you home lends itself to it, create flow between internal and external spaces by having your outdoor living area lead off an indoor entertaining area. You’ll get more use of the deck if it’s accessible from a communal space.

Close it in, maybe with bistro binds, so you can still appreciate the great outdoors, and you basically have a whole other room happening!

About Empire Walls

Providing complete landscaping services to residential and commercial clients for more than 10 years, Empire Walls are the retaining wall specialists in Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. We ensure each client receives personalised service, their retaining wall is fit for purpose and we guarantee our retaining walls from the ground up. Retaining walls are just the start – offered as part of our complete landscaping services.

For examples of our work or If you’re after a service not listed here, please see www.empirewalls.com.au.

For more information and/or a free quote, call Adam on 0421 573 001 or email empirewalls@live.com.au.

For free landscaping tips and to stay in touch, follow us on Facebook.

Spring has sprung. Dormant gardens are starting to show signs of life. Soon the weather will be warmer and you’ll want make the most of the sunnier, longer days by spending them outside.

It will be great to emerge from what has essentially felt like a less snoozy form of hibernation – leave for work when it’s dark, come home from work when it’s dark, eat, sleep and repeat – to step out into your …

Well, here it could go either way!

a) Fabulously landscaped and lush piece of heaven, where you will bask in the sun, dine alfresco and be the envy of all your family, friends and friends of friends;

b) Completely boring, uninspiring patch of poorly maintained nature, so uninviting not only will you not entertain others, you’ll just stay inside yourself.

If you align more with Option A, good for you! You can now stop reading this blog and go back to lazing in a hammock, suspended over your perfectly manicured lawn, soaking up the ambiance of your designer outdoor décor.

If you’re leaning towards Option B but don’t want to spend all your evenings consuming TV dinners, enjoying Daylight Savings only as it filters through your window because you know any attempts to relax outside will be quickly and rightfully be corrupted by contemplation of home improvements, read on!

Now, because we specialise in retaining walls, we’re going to look at a few fabulous ways you can use retaining walls as part of landscaping features that will add a new dimension to your outdoor living. Think designer appeal but for a fraction of the cost…

• Garden edging: You could go to Bunning and buy some of that cheap and nasty plastic edging stuff, but that isn’t going to take you from drab to fab, is it? No. Using retaining walls as garden edging is a great idea. It’s practical because it’s significantly more durable and, with a range of materials and finishes to choose from, aesthetically pleasing. Nothing cheap and nasty looking here; it’s all class!

• Stairs: Retaining walls are primarily used to make sloped land safer and more accessible; specifically engineered to stabilise soil at a slope greater than can be naturally supported. It sounds very practical and not particular pretty, right? Wrong! Stairs will not only increase the accessibility of the space, they will draw they eye and become the landscaping feature of your yard. Choose the right materials and these stairs will take your landscape to the next level, literally.

• Tiered gardens beds: Retaining wall landscaping works for yards of all shapes and sizes, and tiered garden beds are a great example of why and how… Have a small space? Make the most of it by adding height and layers. If you’re working with a larger space, imagine having a split level backyard – overflowing flowerbeds, outdoor entertaining areas, a grassy knoll or two. You might even want to throw in some stairs!

If you want to make the most out of the warmer days and longer nights fast approaching, contact us now with your retaining wall landscaping enquiry. Don’t delay, because by the time summer rolls around, you want your outdoor area to be fully established, not a construction zone.

Providing complete landscaping services to residential and commercial clients for more than 10 years, Empire Walls are the retaining wall specialists in Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. We ensure each client receives personalised service, their retaining wall is fit for purpose and we guarantee our retaining walls from the ground up. Retaining walls are just the start – offered as part of our complete landscaping services.

• For examples of our work, please refer to the Empire Retaining Walls online ‘Portfolio’.
• If you’re after a service not listed here, refer to this list for details of our complete landscaping services.
• For more information/a free quote, call Adam on 0421 573 001 or email empirewalls@live.com.au.
• For free landscaping tips and to stay in touch, follow us on Facebook.

We’ve been the retaining wall specialists in the Mornington Peninsula for more than 10 years, providing complete landscaping services to residential and commercial clients in:

• Arthurs Seat
• Botanic Ridge
• Carrum Downs
• Dromana
• Frankston
• Frankston East
• Frankston Heights
• Frankston South
• Karingal
• Langwarrin
• Moorooduc
• Mornington
• Mount Eliza
• Mount Martha
• Portsea
• Red Hill
• Rosebud
• Safety Beach
• Sandhurst
• Seaford
• Settlers Run
• Somerville
• Sorrento
• Tootgarook
• Tyabb
• Aspendale
• Aspendale Gardens
• Beaumaris
• Berwick
• Black Rock
• Blind Bight
• Bonbeach
• Brighton
• Carrum
• Chelsea
• Chelsea Heights
• Cheltenham
• Cranbourne
• Cranbourne North
• Cranbourne South
• Cranbourne West
• Dandenong
• Edithvale
• Hastings
• Highett
• Mentone
• Mordialloc
• Parkdale
• Patterson Lakes
• Southland

And now, Empire Retaining Walls is pleased to announce our specialist services are being offered in:

• Armadale
• Ashburton
• Ashwood
• Bentleigh
• Bentleigh East
• Carnegie
• Caulfield
• Caulfield East
• Chadstone
• Cheltenham
• Clayton
• Elsternwick
• Glen Huntly
• Glen Iris
• Glen Waverley
• Hampton
• Hughesdale
• Huntingdale
• McKinnon
• Mount Waverley
• Mulgrave
• Murrumbeena
• Notting Hill
• Oakleigh
• Wheelers Hill

Services include:

Retaining Walls

• Timber
• Concrete
• Reinforced besser block
• Brick
• Stack stone
• Segmental block

We ensure each client receives personalised service and a top quality custom solution made of the finest materials. We are fully licensed, fully insured and we guarantee our retaining walls from the ground up.

Complete landscaping services

Whether you’re looking to make a big impression, add value to your home or improve your lifestyle through the creation of an enjoyable (perhaps even enviable!) outdoor space, we’ve got you covered with our complete landscaping services.

• Design
• Excavation and earthworks
• Decking
• Fencing
• Brickwork
• Repair work
• Consultations

Where to from here?

• For examples of our work, please refer to the Empire Retaining Walls online ‘Portfolio’.
• If you’re after a service not listed here, please all Adam on 0421 573 001 to discuss your needs.
• To obtain a free quote, call Adam or email empirewalls@live.com.au.
• For free landscaping tips and to stay in touch, follow us on Facebook.

We’re in the depths of winter and it is bloody cold, there’s no doubt! It seems like spring is far, far away, but it will be here before you know it. So here are four things you should do in August to prepare your garden for spring and ensure your little pocket of the great outdoors reaches its full potential.

1. Check for repairs. Exposed to the elements, retaining walls and decks take a beating during winter. And some of the damage caused to these structures can be dangerous, so be sure to check if any maintenance is required.

a. Here are some tips on:

i. What to check your retaining wall for; and

ii. How to protect your deck.

2. Plant and prune. It’s time to trim your fruit trees and roses, and transplant deciduous trees and shrubs while they’re still dormant. Plant fruit trees, top up the veggie patch and consider a sustainable, low environmental impact mulch that will enrich your soil as it breaks down. If you’d prefer flowers over food, it’s time to plant your annuals.

a. Tip: Prune at a 45 degree angle. This helps the plant heal better and therefore limits the chances of pests or diseases taking hold. If you have pruned plants that are infected with pests, sterilise the tools used to avoid spreading disease.

3. Weed and feed. It’s time to rip out the weeds, maybe throw down some wood chip so you can reduce their regrowth. Treat your plants and your lawn to a slow release fertiliser. If you’re laying new turf, the end of August is a good time to do so.

a. Tip: If you have a furry friend, be sure to get a pet friendly fertiliser.

4. Complete landscaping projects. The fourth and final tip to prepare your garden for spring, but by no means the least important. By the time spring/summer rolls around, you want your outdoor entertaining area to be fully established, not a construction zone. Now is the time to install landscaping features like retaining walls, decks, fencing, brickwork etc.

a. Tip: We offer complete landscaping services and specialise in retaining walls. Contact us for an obligation free consultation and quote.

About the author: Empire Retaining Walls offers residential and commercial customers, including builders and architects, practical and aesthetically pleasing landscaping services and solutions. Whether you’re looking to make a big impression, add value to your home, improve your lifestyle through the creation of an enjoyable (perhaps even enviable!) outdoor space, or just maintain that space, we’ve got you covered with our complete landscaping services. For examples of our work, please refer to the Empire Retaining Walls online ‘Portfolio’.