They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. So from the moment guests step onto your property, you want them to take notice of your home. Designing a natural stone walkway is one great way to ensure you capture your guests’ attention from the beginning. The variety of style options allows you to be as creative as possible.

Before getting into the actual design of your walkway, you need to keep a few things in mind. The first is the climate of where you live. Each natural stone reacts differently to certain weather conditions. So knowing what the stone you choose can and can’t handle should be top priority.

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Of all the steps you can take to help encourage garden growth, mulching is right up there with watering your plants and flowers. The benefits of mulching are numerous, and the growth results make the additional work more than worth the effort. So while you may feel that simply watering your garden is enough, mulching adds another layer of healthy growing options to your repertoire.

Choosing the right mulch is very important when deciding to include mulching as part of your gardening. Some mulch is better suited for trees while others work best with specific parts of your garden. Knowing which to use and when will also jump start growth and ensure the health of your plants.

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One positive thing to look forward to when deciding to build a retaining wall is that you have options. Although this is certainly not a task for the rookie DIY homebuilders, you should, of course, have a say in the style and material used in your retaining wall design.

In addition to the aesthetic value created by putting together a retaining wall, there is also a functional use, as it will prevent soil from sliding. A bonus for retaining walls is that they can also act as seating if they are low enough, which typically is reserved for walls around a garden.

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Of course it’s a lot of work, but any home improvement or home renovation project is always exciting and something to look forward to. Realizing that once all the upgrades are finished, your home will look that much better and you’ll be that much happier knowing it’s all yours is a comforting thought.

Besides the work, the tough part of any home renovation project is deciding on material. And when doing your front yard, choosing a patio stone can be a little confusing considering the scope of selection that’s currently available. We’ve taken the time to outline the benefits of the more popular types of stones so you know what will be the right fit for the look and feel you’re striving for.

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Toronto, Canada July 17, 2015 — FSI Landscape Supply (www.fsilandscapesupply.com), a leading provider of high-quality landscaping materials for both residential and commercial landscaping in the GTA, is commenting on a renovation scam targeting seniors, specifically of Italian heritage.

The most recent case was reported on CTV news on July 8th. A man named Matteo De-Paola was charged with one count of fraud over $5,000 when it was discovered that an elderly woman had given him $25,000 over three years for landscaping work that was never done.
(Source: Balca, D., “Man accused of renovation fraud targeting Italian seniors,” July 8, 2015. http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/man-accused-of-renovation-fraud-targeting-italian-seniors-1.2459391)

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It’s pretty much agreed that triple mix is the universally accepted soil best used in gardening or any kind of planting of trees or grass. When mixed properly, triple mix incorporates all the proper nutrients needed to let the garden or grass grow healthy and last for the duration of the warm months and beyond.

The funny thing is that many people don’t know exactly what triple mix is or what’s actually inside the one they are using. Knowing the ingredients is important. Homeowners should be questioning their landscaper as to what’s inside the mix so they know what they’re dealing with. If you are a DIY homeowner choosing each portion of the triple mix yourself, you need to understand which ingredients to choose and why you are choosing them.

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If you’re a DIY homeowner, you know that maintaining your garden is a year-round commitment. From mowing the lawn to installing turf to watering the garden—keeping up with the monthly duties can certainly be a chore! By following these garden maintenance tips, you’ll have results that show year-round discipline is worth the trouble.

Since the winter and spring are already over, we’ll focus on the summer and fall months. For example, did you know that during the summer season, it’s best to water your lawn during the dawn and dusk hours, when evaporation risks are lower? By now you should have already pulled out all your weeds, fertilized and reseeded thinning grass, and pruned any damaged branches! Let’s take a look at a few more garden maintenance tips for the upcoming months:

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Unless you live completely off the grid, you know that Canada has been experiencing a real estate boom over the past decade. Though most of this growth has been reserved for cities like Toronto and Vancouver, the overall impact has been pronounced and continues to forge its imprint onto the Canadian economy.

As a result of the housing boom, other sectors have also seen an increase in activity and opportunity, most notably landscaping and renovations. Landscape design in Toronto and other cities where real estate has taken off is a market showing considerable growth and one that can be expected to continue its expansion even as the housing market cools.

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