Articles
Landscape Design
- Is Your Landscape Barbecue Ready?
- Landscape Your Home With Trees and Shrub Plantings
- Winter Landscaping Ideas To Liven Up Your Vienna, VA Home
- Add Rocks to Your Northern Virginia Landscape For Natural Beauty and Function
- Landscaping Style Guide for Northern Virginia Character
- Spring Landscaping Tips For Your Northern Virginia Home
- The Importance Of Choosing A Landscape Design Company For Your Northern Virginia Home
- The Basics Of A Dry Stone Retaining Wall Right For Your Northern Virginia Home
- Create an Outdoor Living Space Through Landscaping
- For the Best Results Match Your Landscaping With the Style of Your Northern Virginia Home
- Incorporating Loose Stone and Rock into Your Northern Virginia Landscape
- Container Gardens Enhance Even the Smallest of Outdoor Spaces
- Rock Gardens Add Low-Maintenance Beauty to Your Northern Virginia Landscape
- How to Augment Your Centreville, Potomac, or Woodbridge Landscape with Stone Walls
- Create Usable Space with a Multi-Level Landscape
- Ten Mistakes to Avoid in Designing Your Landscape
- Extending Spring Cleanup to Your Northern Virginia Property
- Importance of Erosion Landscaping and Drainage In Residential Northern Virginia
- Retaining Walls Both an Aesthetic and Functional Landscape Feature
- Different Elements in Your Landscape Add Interest
Maintenance
- Installing A Soaker Hose
- Reduce the Time Spent Weeding Your Flowerbeds This Summer
- Pruning Shade Trees on Your Newington, VA Property
- Are Underground Sprinklers Right For Your Northern Virginia Lawn?
- Protect Your Northern Virginia Landscape and Plants From Salt and Chemicals this Winter
- Essential Tips for Lawn Mowing Safety
- Rake Your Northern Virginia Yard without Straining Your Back
- Using Vinegar as a Natural Weed Killer
- Smart Watering Tips for Your Lawn
- Pruning 101
- How To Create A Pristine Northern Virginia Landscape
Ponds and Water Features
- The Basics of Landscaping and Water Features For Your Great Falls, VA Home
- Add Curb Appeal with Stepping Stones Leading to a Water Feature on you Aldie, VA Property
- Winterizing Your Northern Virginia Small Water Feature
- What is a Formal Water Feature and How Can One Complement Your Landscape?
- Types of Water Plants for Your Northern Virginia Pond
- Adding a Pond or Water Feature To Your Northern Virginia Property
- Bring Life To Your Northern Virginia Pond or Water Feature
- Issues Surrounding Your Northern Virginia Pond or Water Feature
Lighting, Ornaments and Materials
- Are You Considering Outdoor Lighting For Your Middleburg, VA Home? Read This!
- Consider Masonry Projects When Designing Your Newington, VA Landscape
- Choosing the Right Material for Your Outdoor Planters
- Shedding Some Light on Outdoor Lighting
- Incorporating Garden Ornaments in Your Landscape
- The Benefits of Using River Rock in Your Northern Virginia Landscape
Livestock and Wildlife
- Build a Wildlife Oasis With Creative Landscaping
- Landscaping Your Northern Virginia Grounds To Attract More Birds
- Create A Butterfly Garden For Your Northern Virginia Landscape
- Add Interest to Your Landscape With Hummingbirds
- How to Protect Your Northern Virginia or Maryland Garden from Pesky Rabbits
- Landscaping for the Birds
- How to Care for Your Koi Fish
- Ways to Keep Deer from Dining in Your Yard
All About Plants
- Great Flowering Shrubs and Bushes To Enhance Your Home Landscaping
- Consider Shrubs For Added Home Security
- The Best Time To Plant Shrubs On Your Newington, VA Property
- Landscaping Plants That Are Easy To Grow In Northern Virginia Gardens
- Watering Systems For Your Northern Virginia Home And Garden
- Plants Need Water To Survive
- Tips For Planting A Rose Garden At Your Northern Virginia Home
- Topiary for Beginners
- Adding Color to Your Landscape
- Choosing the Right Plants for Pool-Side Landscaping
- Starting Your First Northern Virginia Vegetable Garden
- The Benefits of “Greenscaping” Your Northern Virginia or Maryland Yard
- What Are Native Plants and Why Are They Important?
Tips
Decks and Patios
- Benefits of A Flagstone Patio For Your Vienna, VA Backyard
- Cabinets and Sinks For Your Northern Virginia Outdoor Kitchen
- Taking Your Kitchen Outside Add another dimension to your Northern Virginia home
- Patio Design With Urns and Planters Virginia Style
- Keep Your Northern Virginia Deck Colorful Throughout the Winter Months
- Using Focal Points in Patio Design
- Design Your Patio to Be an Outdoor Extension of Your Northern Virginia Home
- Brick Pattern Ideas for Your Northern Virginia Patio
- Flagstone Patios Bring Natural Beauty to Your Northern Virginia Landscape
- Spring Patio Decorating Tips
Hardscaping
Driveways
Associations & Directories
DC · MD · VA Chapter Association of Professional Landscape Designers
www.dcmdva-apld.org/
Garden Scout
www.gardenscout.com
Better Business Bureau – Washington, DC Chapter
www.dc.bbb.org/
South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce
www.southfairfaxchamber.org/
Suppliers and Partners
McLean Electric
McLean, VA
www.mcleanelectricco.com/
Halco Fence
Bristow, VA
www.halcofence.com
Fisher Group
Design Build Construction
Annandale, VA
www.designbuildrenovate.com
Absolute Kitchens
Kitchen Remodeling
Tyson’s Corner, VA
www.absolute-kitchens.com/
Commonwealth Home Remodelers
Vienna, VA
www.commonwealthhome.com
Wilcoxin Pool Construction
Rockville, MD
www.wilcoxonconst.com/
Nicolock Patio Pavers
www.nicolock.com/
The Care of Trees
Alexandria, VA
www.thecareoftrees.com/
Outdoor Lighting Solutions
Herndon, VA
www.outdoorlightingsolutions.com
Inside — HVAC, Plumbing
Harvey W. Hottel
Inside — Mold Remediation and Asbestos Removal
RTS Environmental Services
Victory Mold Remediation
Create an Outdoor Living Space Through Landscaping
Through the years, many designers have suggested clients use the outdoors to make the house feel larger through visually extending rooms into the lawn, garden or patio creating an outdoor living space. This is easier than it sounds with the use of appropriate materials and design plan.
Using the same materials – or at least the same color scheme—inside and out as well as strategically placed windows, your living room, dining room or even master bedrooms can flow outdoors to decks, bricked terraces or lattice-roofed spaces. Vines, fences, flowers, shrubs and shade trees aid in creating an outdoor living space, making it more inviting for entertaining or relaxing.
Using vines such as grape vines, hyacinth or gourd vine on latticework provides shade in the summer months when it’s needed, but drop their leaves as cooler weather sets in. These vines grow quickly, providing the best results for both added decoration and functionality.
When possible, situation your outdoor living space near shade trees for optimal comfort and protection from the sun. However, if this is not an option, consider a self-bracing terrace roof extending from your house.
Making your outdoor living space as conveniently located as possible will increase its use. Converting an existing window to a French door will make enjoying your new space as easy as stepping out the door and into relaxation.
Tie your outdoor living space in with the rest of your landscape by incorporating flowers, vines and ornamental grasses in pots, baskets, tubs or any other container that matches your overall décor. Building multi-layer flowerbeds adds dimension to your landscape while also conserving space through building up rather than out.
For more information about creating your own outdoor living space, contact the landscape professionals at Lost Creek Landscapes. Serving all of Northern Virginia, including Clifton, VA, Great Falls, VA, Newington, VA, Reston, VA and Woodbridge, VA, Lost Creek Landscapes employees are professionally trained and equipped with the best knowledge and tools in the landscaping industry, and are constantly rewarded for pleasing our customers.
