As far as adding life and character to a home, gardens are unparalleled.

Besides having a haven to grow your favorite flowers and fragrant herbs for cooking, gardens are a beautiful outdoor setting for family and friends.

There is one problem, though.

Tending to a garden is not an easy task. You have to choose the right plants for Chicago, know when to mulch, weed and irrigate. You should also be able to recognize diseases that might attack your garden and take corrective measures.

With this in mind, most people find that hiring a professional gardening service gives them the healthy garden they want while allowing them to get on with other aspects of their lives.

Raised Bed Gardening

A raised garden bed gives you complete control over a few factors such a soil quality, location, depth, drainage and better disease and pest control. A raised bed is an area in garden filled in with the soil of your choice to achieve better growing conditions for your plants and better accessibility as well.

There are 3 types of raised garden beds:

supported garden beds, usually a raised topsoil area delimited by edging features such as bricks, stone, etc.
simple raised garden beds, usually a raised area about 6-8 inches in height. They are subject to some settling, and require just a little bit of reshaping before each growing season
raised garden containers, planters made of a sturdy material such as wood that can keep the dirt in place. They can be built to any desired height to improve accessibility.

Flower Gardens

Such gardens bring color, beauty and pleasant fragrances to any type of landscape. They can be a varied mixed of flowering plants, annuals, perennials, roses and native plants such as coneflowers. The color combinations can be used as a focal point, or to bring out other elements and hardscape features.

Vegetable Gardens

A yummy way to stay active and relax at the same time, vegetable and herb gardens can provide you with healthy and tasty food. As long as you get the proper mix of sun, water and nutrients, growing vegetables is an easy task that can even save you some money.

As a rule of thumb, you should grow plants that you are going to consume and plan their location based on the amount of sunlight they need daily. Fro example, tomatoes need a lot of sunlight, between 6-8 hours per day, whereas vegetables such as carrots only need 4 hours per day.

The Chicago area is rich in clay soil, so you might to add compost or additional topsoil to make sure that the dirt is not too compacted and it provides the necessary nutrients.

Green Gardening

It is similar in some ways to organic gardening, but the purpose of green gardens it to minimize the (negative) impact they might have on the environment (such as by using pesticides, chemicals and certain fertilizers) and maximize their positive impact.

Native plants are a very good choice for green gardens as they require little fertilizers, less water and are lot sturdier and incorporated in the local ecosystem that other plants. Find out more about native landscaping.

Organic Gardening

A popular type of organic gardening are organic vegetable gardens. Since the vast majority of people planting vegetable gardens also consume them, organic is a popular choice.

To start an organic garden, you need to plan several things:

the topsoil. Testing the soil is a good idea. A lot of backyards have construction debris buried just under the top layer of dirt. Such debris might contain unwanted chemicals and pollutants.
the seeds or plants you are going to use. Usually they are labeled as organic by the distributors. You can also use your own seeds, from the previous year, if you store them properly and plant them at the right time.
the fertilizer. There is plenty of organic fertilizer, or you can use compost.

These are the USDA's requirements for organic crops, just to give you an idea of what it takes:

no prohibited substances applied or used in the past 3 years
soil fertility attained through approved techniques, such as tilling, crop rotation and approved fertilizers
pest management and removal done only with approved substances or through other means, such as physical and mechanical removal
no genetic engineering allowed and organic seeds are used

Of course, you do not have to do all the complicated testing; if you follow the tips above on how to start an organic garden, you should get healthy food at harvest time.

When starting a garden, no matter what type, it is always a good idea to follow hygiene and disposal best practices. Fertilizers, dirt and compost, even organic, can contain bacteria and microorganisms that get you sick. Always remember to wash your garden tools and hands after tending to the garden and wash your herbs and vegetables thoroughly before consuming them.

Gardens and Landscape Design

Gardens can complement your landscape, no matter if they are flower gardens, vegetable gardens, a formal garden or other styles of garden design. In fact, many people sess a mix of hardscaping, a front yard lawn, flowers and a small herb garden in the backyard as the ideal landscape.

If you are have been thinking about hiring a gardening service, here are seven reasons why you should.

Benefits of Working With Local Landscape Gardeners

1. To Enhance Your Home’s Appeal

Despite your house looking great on the inside, its first impression lies in the garden.

If it’s dirty and unkempt, the assumption is that the home itself is in a similar state as well.

A beautiful garden, nicely trimmed hedge, and mowed lawn immensely increases your home's street appeal.

Our landscape professionals can design your garden in a manner that complements your home’s design. This increases your home’s street appeal as well as its market value.

Should you wish to sell, you can rest assured you will get a good price on it as well done landscaping might increase property value.

2. You Get Your Vision

If you have made attempts at growing a garden, you probably know that your dream and what you actually come up with can be worlds apart.

Not so with a professional on board.

A good team of landscape gardeners will start by planning ahead, according to your wishes.

3. They Can Transform any Space

Most people worry that the size of their property is too small. You should not worry about this.

Professional gardening services can plan around the available space, design the landscaping, and leave you an entertainment nook if you require one.

4. You Do Not Need to Invest in Tools

Gardening requires tools and equipment to execute. These also require a degree of care and maintenance.

Our team of professional gardeners invests in best tools and updated equipment and it is powered by over 20 years of experience.

Not only don’t you have to buy any gardening tools, but you also don’t have to worry about their care and maintenance.

5. You Save on Time

Professional gardening services advise you on all the actions needed and schedule them on your behalf.

With this function in good hands, you can focus your time on career, entrepreneurial pursuits, family, and even relaxation instead of worrying about your garden.

Similarly, a professional service means you do not waste time on trial and error. If you want a lush garden quickly, your best bet is hiring a professional service.

6. You Get an Array of Services

You get more than a gardener when you pay for a gardening service; you get complete garden services.

Aside from someone to do the actual planting, you also get a garden designer, yard waste removal, garden cleaning, and landscape gardeners.

This means you bet the services and counsel of different professionals. The result is a well-maintained, healthy-looking garden.

7. You Avoid Expensive Mistakes

Plants do not grow the same in all environments.

It's not uncommon for homeowners to see some beautiful plants elsewhere and buy them, hoping to replicate them at their homes.

Unfortunately, this does not always work.

Climate and soil types are essential factors that determine which plants thrive where.

If you were to hire a local gardening services, you are guaranteed that they are well versed with the Chicago climate. They also already have a firm handle on which plants, herbs and grasses grow well here.

This eliminates an expensive trial and error process and gets you more accurate results.

Tips to Picking the Best Gardening Service

All gardening services companies are not equal. If you want good results, you must start by identifying a good company to help execute your vision.

Here are some quick tips to help you do that.

Find a local company to take care of your garden. Local firms have learned what works and what fails in Chicago through hands-on experience.
Ask for referrals. Your friend and acquaintances should be able to point you in the right direction. The benefit of this is that you will be relying on a tried and tested company.
Do thorough research. With a few prospects in mind, interview them, and get quotes for their services. Here, you want to find a good fit with what you are looking for and within your price range. Aside from the quoted given, find out about additional costs should you need extra services.