The Most Expensive Cut Flowers in America

 When you want a colorful yard with beautiful flowers and are willing to spend the time developing them, you should investigate the where and why of your choices. There are various magazines that explain where the flowers come from and how to care for them. You could go online to find the same information, and that is as close as your fingertips.
  
As Valentine’s Day comes around year after year, it proves to be the best time to invest in the expensive cut flowers in America. The values of the flowers are rarely questioned and most are willing to shell out those hard-earned bucks. However remember when you pay for them from bank accounts that the intended receiver shares, draw out the money and pay cash for them. Just a word from the wise to the wise.
  
Why, though, are they so expensive? They import many from as far away as Hawaii for the Orchid; or the Orient for the Lily hybrids; or the Tulips from France. When they export the exotic flowers from across the globe, you can understand the price.
  
However consider the common rose. One of the most beautiful and demanding flowers around. The price can range from a mere $5 to over $45 per bunch. It all depends on the rose itself, and where it was produced. The East rose costs more than they do when purchased in California where they’re grown. That’s understandable as well.
  
Those blooms that only show up for short periods of time cost more than those growing for several months each year. If the plants are difficult to grow, the price goes up and up and up. The higher quality and the price continue to rise.
  
Then again, if you’re not really looking for a bouquet to send to your loved one, and you want those exotic flowers for your garden; do your homework. Make sure the plants will outlive the season, and will thrive in your yard. If it’s all about image, for instance try growing orchids in your hot house. They are difficult to grow, are not cheap, but their beauty outshines most other flowers.
  
The Hydrangea is a good example of a difficult plant to grow. Their flowers are in great demand and you’ll see them in fresh arrangements and dry as well. You can plant the bulb that produces the Hydrangea vine and they transplanted the popular flowers from Africa.

Millennium Construction specializes in landscape design Orange County, Orange County landscape architect, and landscape Orange County CA.

Grass, Just Say Yes!

 It goes without saying that if you have a pretty lawn, your home has the advantage of curb appeal. A sloppy lawn with trash, bare patches, weeds, or even decorations like flamingos will end the curb appeal and prospective buyers may not enter your home assuming the worst on the inside.
  
In today’s green world grass could be a four-letter word, but that doesn’t mean you have to get rid of it entirely. Unless you have acres and acres of grass you won’t be competing with the local golf course as you attempt to care for your yard.
  
A neat well-arranged yard can have more than just a lawn. Try curbing and walk ways to cut down on water, plants that are indigenous to your area work well. Trees that provide shade on a hot summer day can be another advantage as you control erosion, cut down on pollution and even create oxygen.
  
However if you’re insistent that you have the most beautiful lawn in your neighborhood, there are a few things that you can do to help you attain that goal. First try to avoid weeds right from the beginning, and in the spring crabgrass will attack your lawn; and the fall you’ll see dandelions. Attack them with herbicide.

Always water early to conserve water. Don’t pick up the grass or rake your lawn because the grass clippings provide additional nutrients to your lawn. Don’t cut it too short, so the grass will grow deep roots creating a luxurious lawn. Never cut your grass in the same pattern. By going at it from a different direction you prevent the turf and soil from compacting and the wheels will not form tracks. Avoid over fertilizing because too much can cause problems.

The experts claim that Americans spend almost $40 billion a year on their grass even though grass has no other intrinsic value than its aesthetic beauty. We don’t eat it, or wear it, and we don’t export it or even smoke it. Yet most prospective homebuyers search out the homes with well planned out landscaping.

If all this seems too much to attempt, many go to professionals to help solve their problems. It is a fact that when the yards are designed and maintained by the experts, it will pay off in the long run.

You may think the so-called experts are a dime a dozen. However before you spend those hard-earned dollars doing it yourself, ask that neighbor whose yard looks like the pictures in the magazines. You won’t be sorry, and they don’t charge for free estimates.

Millennium Construction specializes in Orange County landscaping, landscape design Orange County, and Newport Beach landscape Design.

Landscaping Adds Value to Your Home More Than Just Curb Appeal

Yes, it’s true that landscaping adds more value to your home and it’s definitely more than just curb appeal. Look at your landscaping as an investment in your family’s future. Take the time to discover the best indigenous plants for your area, and when you plant them strategically around your property you’ve increased your ability to sell your home. The buyer will appreciate your efforts, and so will your neighbors because that curb appeal is important.

Trees and well-manicured shrubs on your property will be a factor for reduced utility bills resulting in shade on a hot summer day. When you plant cactus under or around your windows you’ve increased another layer of security. Anything that will discourage a burglar and cause them to go elsewhere helps. Businesses have also discovered this and change their landscape accordingly.

Color adds great appeal to potential buyers. When you add colorful plants and trees your property stands out from the rest. There’s that curb appeal again, and it works even if you plant only with the idea of selling.

However if you plan on remaining in your home for longer periods of time, plant for the future as well; and it will take a bit of planning on your part. It isn’t easy when you try to consider today and ten years down the road. Often when some buy plants they buy very small plants because they’re cheaper. As the plants grow they then realize that the plants are too close together and a squeezed plant will not prosper.

When you don’t have the knowledge or the ability to bring your property to its highest potential, it may be a good idea to hire a professional. When you see someone’s yard that you admire, ask them if they did it themselves, chances are they did not. So call their landscaper and have them give you a quote so your yard will have the look of a professional.

Listen to the trained expert who knows the area, knows what works and what doesn’t work. If you want to do the job yourself, no problem, the landscaper can help you design your yard even if you do the work. Remember though, the landscaper is in business to provide for himself, and his family, and possibly those working for him. Pay him accordingly, and make the decisions up front.

Regardless who does the work, every green tree or plant on your property counts.

Millennium Construction specializes in landscape Orange County, Mission Viejo landscaping and Orange County pools.

Luxury Pools: Playing With Fire and Pool Designs

When you’re planning a high-end swimming pool, don’t stop at the pool. Continue on into your entire yard encompassing both the water and fire; and you don’t have to actually play with fire to achieve it.

However you will want a dedicated pool architect who will listen to your ideas and even develop a few of his own. The professional will have developed the amount of pools he’s designed that looked good, but also worked well. Fire and water don’t mix well together. Apart they are fine, but when you put them together, they work against one another. Water destroys fire, and the opposite is true as well.

However, you can prove those statements wrong. You have your own ideas, but how will it work to have a bowl or other fireproof container in or at the side of your pool that will reflect flames into your pool. You could have a simple fire pit, but that is too simple and anyone could build that. You want more, so you’ll have to search to find someone who can do that.

Search no more, because the ‘mixture of fire and water’ has come of age. They are everywhere in places from Las Vegas resorts and casinos, to high-end hotels, so why can’t you have them in your back yard?

That’s the point, you can. Today there are businesses that design technical mechanic components that your pool contractor can install. They look simple, but when you see them at work, you’ll change your mind, and you’ll want one of their designs. Las Vegas probably was the very first to want the mixture of fire and water featured within their resorts, and they didn’t stop there.

Don’t be surprised when you find your entire yard transformed into a deserted island right in your own neighborhood. Your home will become, if it hasn’t already, the highlight of your neighborhood. Curb appeal undeniably will be improved, but once you get your yard just the way you want it, you’ll never want to leave.

So take the plunge, find out what’s available in your area today. Call that swimming pool architect to come to your home and help you design your own hide-away. That’s the first step, and you’ll be excited when the last step is taken as your new swimming pool fills with water. You’ll find enthusiasm when you click on the remote and fire bursts forward while water cascades over the stones.

The reflection in the water will give you the relaxation, peace of mind, and pride of ownership every time you step into your back yard.

Millennium Construction specializes in landscape Orange County, Newport Beach pools and Orange County pools.

Make Your Yard a Fun House For the Whole Family

As you start to design your yard to be a fun house for the entire family, take the time to draw the designs on paper first. That way you’ll be sure the space is large enough to be creative. There are many things you can do even if your backyard is bare, and they don’t include swimming pools, spas or other out of pocket expenses. They do include using your imagination and remembering what you liked when you were the same age as your children.

If you liked the pirate scene as a child you may want to make that your theme and concentrate on a simulated pirate’s ship complete with sails made of flimsy material. You could attach the flag to anything like the side of your fence so it will blow in the wind. A piece of old carpet could be the ship’s floor. Once you start to make it, you’ll think of other ideas that fit the theme.

Little girls would like something like a castle, or a room for their tea parties. Boys would like a fort where they can hide. If you have both boys and girls, make the fun place suitable for both. The use of plants that you normally find in a garden would work as walls and even teepees.

For a teepee, tie about five tall poles and bind them at the top. Pole beans can be planted that will grow up the poles. Tunnels are always fun and will take a bit more effort to get the desired effect.
Some have suggested planting corn to substitute as walls. 5 rows would work as long as you leave a space for the doors. Sunflowers will also make a good room for your children to play and hide from the outside world.

Don’t just plan for the younger children, think of things your older children and even you will enjoy. Something like a stage where they can dance, or perform for others. To build a small stage, raise a platform on in ground posts and they’ll be using it as a lookout as well.

Large landscape rocks could be a mountain, a log or stump part of a forest. The ideas are endless, and your backyard will not only be a place for your children to play, but a place where your family gathers, in a backyard that has been well planned to suit your entire family’s enjoyment.

Millennium Construction specializes in landscape Orange County, Anaheim landscaping and Orange County landscape architect.