Homeowners: Cleaning Your Brick Pavers at your Bethesda MD Home is An Easy Task

One of the great things about brick pavers is that they don’t need frequent cleaning – especially if they have been recently sealed – however, they still do need some attention at your Bethesda MD home.

Here’s a quick 5 step plan for easily cleaning your brick pavers in Bethesda MD:

  1. Start by sweeping over the pavers using a broom and removing all this excess waste.
  2. Turn on your hose, to a higher pressure, and rinse away any loose dirt.
  3. Mix some household detergent (Dawn works well) with warm water in a bucket.
  4. Pour the warm soapy water on to the brick pavers, and use the broom to sweep the pavers clean.
  5. Rinse the soapy water with the hose, and let dry.

Ok, so you’ve followed the steps above, and you still have some stains – what do you do now? Call the company that installed your brick pavers and get their professional opinion on what they would use to clean your brick pavers in Bethesda MD. Chances are, there’s a brick paver stain remover that you can buy from a big box store that will take care of the stains.

For more information on brick paver cleaning in Bethesda MD, please contact the best brick paver contractors, East Coast Landscape Design. The experienced professionals at East Coast Landscape Design will work with you to design, install, and care for your brick paver patio, walkways, sidewalks, and driveway.

Posted on Author mdlandscaperCategories Bethesda MD, brick pavers, Cleaning

Uplighting: Part of the Outdoor Lighting Design for Your Gaithersburg MD Home

Uplighting, as a part of your overall outdoor lighting in Gaithersburg MD, can add so much to your landscape design.

Like other outdoor lighting, uplighting draws the eye to areas in your landscaping that you want others to focus on, but in a specific direction – up – hence the name, “uplighting.” Mounted below or at ground level, uplights are usually placed so that they are not noticeable during the day.

There are many reasons to use uplighting: to add drama with shadows, to show off your best plants and trees, to create a magical view of your water features, to demonstrate depth and dimension of outdoor walls, fences, or other flat surfaces, to add to safety and security, and to draw attention away from eyesores.

There are four main types of uplights:

  • Bullet/spotlights: a narrow spot beam, used to focus on a particular tree, bush or small cluster of plants.
  • Wash lights: a wash of light, perfect for adding visual interest in plants lower to the ground, shrubs, and wall surfaces. These are also great for lighting pathways or walkways, when when you want soft safety lights.
  • Well lights: installed below grade, and used to light the underside of plants, benches, or the lower part of walls.
  • Flood lights: used for both uplighting and downlighting, flood lights are brighter, and have a wider beam than bullet lights. They are used for illuminating house facades or extremely large trees.

For more information on using uplighting as a part of the overall outdoor lighting for your Gaithersburg MD home, please contact East Coast Landscape Design. East Coast Landscape Design will provide everything to complete your project, from engineering design to wire and fixtures. Let one of our East Coast landscape design specialists show you how a well-designed outdoor lighting system can add to the beauty and safety of your Gaithersburg MD home and landscape.

Posted on Author mdlandscaperCategories Gaithersburg MD, outdoor lighing

What Should I Do When I Landscape My Silver Spring MD Home?

Proper landscaping can add tremendous value and beauty to your Silver Spring MD home. The key to proper landscaping is education. If you ever feel that you need help, give us a call. We are here to help.

Choosing Plants in Silver Spring MD

Be careful when it comes to selecting your plants, this can have a huge effect on the success of your landscaping. Avoid placing plants in shady areas if they require a great deal of sunlight. Don’t plant a tree in an area where it can’t grow to its full capacity. A little extra effort means that you will have beautiful, healthy plants and an easily maintainable landscape.

Consider the Design

Think about whether or not you need to have a design for your Silver Spring MD project. You might save money in the long run by buying only the plants and materials you really need to achieve the landscaping you want – as specified by a good design.

Add Some Needed Silver Spring MD Walkways

If you are tired of seeing your beloved plants trampled by visitors, consider adding a footpath. Use brick, stone or wood to create a path that extends well beyond the boundaries of the area you wish to protect. A well-defined, wide path makes it clear which areas are safe as well as, which should not be trodden upon.

Maintain, Maintain, Maintain

Try to make sure that the height of your Silver Spring MD lawn is always between 2 and a half to 3 inches. Having your grass at this height will help protect it from sun and heat damage. Also, at this height, moisture will not evaporate as much as it would if it were taller.

For more information on landscaping in Silver Spring MD, please contact East Coast Landscape Design, the Washington D.C. area’s leading licensed landscape design company. Located in Montgomery County, Maryland since 1979, the company has designed and installed landscape projects, including patios, outdoor kitchens, and driveways in Silver Spring MD.

Posted on Author adminCategories landscape design, landscaping, Silver Spring MD

Expert Landscapers Can Make the Most of Your Side Yard in Silver Spring MD

Expert landscapers can help you make the most of your side yard in Silver Spring MD. Often forgotten or just used as place to park your trashcans and recycling bins, your side yard (or yards) can be made into something wonderful, with the help of professional landscapers, How?

  • Giving your side yard an entrance, using an arbor, trellis, or pergola
  • Adding hanging plants and artwork to your fencing to make interesting “walls”
  • Placing stepping stones or brickwork to create a beautiful, sturdy, and safe walkway from your front yard to your backyard
  • Planting perennials that add color and interest to your walk through the side yard
  • Attracting birds and a sense of serenity with a fountain or a birdbath
  • Creating an area for seating (as space allows) making your side yard a destination to relax and rejuvenate.

Want to learn more about making the most of your side yard from expert landscapers in Silver Spring, MD? Please contact the award-winning landscapers serving Silver Spring MD, East Coast Landscape Design.

Posted on Author mdlandscaperCategories landscapers, Silver Spring MD

Hardscapes Are Part of the Landscape Design of Your Bethesda MD Home

While it’s easy to overlook them, hardscapes are part of the overall landscape design of your Bethesda MD home. And the role that hardscapes play is an important one.

As a reminder, hardscapes are the hard, man-made surfaces that are part of your landscape. For example, driveways, patios, sidewalks, walkways, decks, pergolas, arbors, gazebos, brick fireplaces, fire rings, fencing, rocks, fountains, pools, and ponds are all hardscapes. (Some of these — fountains, pools, and ponds — are also known as water features.) These permanent parts of your landscape need ongoing maintenance and replacement in a timely fashion.

If your hardscapes look like they’ve seen way days – such as a cracked driveway or patio – your overall landscape design will suffer. Your flowers and trees may be beautiful, but your home will still be the neighborhood eyesore with that cracked up driveway.

For more information about hardscapes as a part of your landscape design in Bethesda MD, please contact East Coast Landscape Design. Our consultation will outline how to incorporate hardscapes into your landscape design, and plan for hardscape maintenance.

Posted on Author mdlandscaperCategories Bethesda MD, landscape design

Landscape Contractor in Bethesda MD: Improve the Curb Appeal of your Home

The premier landscape contractor in Bethesda MD, East Coast Landscape Design, wants homeowners to understand that there are ways to improve the curb appeal of your landscaping.

Invest in your landscaping as you would any other aspect of your home. Your landscaping is the first thing you, your visitors, and neighbors see of your home. Any money spent on quality landscaping is money well-spent.

Think about all fours seasons, when you plan for landscaping. You want your landscaping to look great all year round, so you need to plan for that. Planting for four seasons, changes in outdoor lighting, and maintenance are key.

You also want to make sure that irrigation and drainage are well-managed all year round. Your goals here are to preserve your landscape investment, and save money and water with an irrigation and drainage system. Since we don’t have the same temps or water needs all year round,  these will have to be adjusted season to season.

You need to remember that your hardscapes are part of your landscaping. You could have gorgeous plants and lighting, but  a cracked driveway, sidewalk, or patio will make your home look unkempt.

For more information on the planning and maintenance of your Bethesda MD landscaping, please contact your premier landscape contractor, East Coast Landscape Design. For over 30 years, East Coast Landscape Design has been Bethesda MD’s leading licensed landscape contractor.

Posted on Author adminCategories Bethesda MD, landscape contractor, landscapers, landscaping

Why You Should Consider Flagstone Patios in Beltsville MD

If you are a homeowner, there are a few very good reasons you should consider flagstone patios in Beltsville Md.

  • Your flagstone patio will be unique to your home. Flagstone patios are custom designed and installed to work with the style of your home; the color, shape, thickness, and pattern can be adjusted to your preference, style of home, and the space available.
  • There is very little maintenance involved when caring for flagstone patios in Beltsville MD. You only need to do a few hours of fall and spring maintenance to flagstone patios, and that’s about it.
  • You don’t have to worry about flagstone patios being damaged by extreme heat or cold in Beltsville MD. Flagstone patios hold up well in during our extreme temperatures. Flagstones don’t expand and contract when the temperature or humidity changes.

For more information about flagstone patios in Beltsville MD, please contact East Coast Landscape Design. The East Coast Landscape Design team has over a quarter century of experience in the design, installation, and care of practical and beautiful flagstone patios, walkways, and driveways in Beltsville MD.

Posted on Author adminCategories Beltsville MD, flagstone patio, flagstone patios

Irrigation Systems in MD: Better for Your Yard and Wallet

Homeowners: irrigation systems for Maryland homes are better for your yards and wallets. How many times have you under watered or over watered your yard with a hose or old fashioned sprinkler? Probably too many times to count — and your yard and wallet have suffered because of it.

Under or over watering damages your lawn and other landscaping, and increases the likelihood that you will have to replace sod or plants every year. Also, when you over water, you are spending much more on water than you need to, and are wasting water. And that wasted water gets washed right down into the Chesapeake, damaging the environment.

Irrigation systems help MD homeowners to vary the amount of water used, when the water is used, and where it is used on their landscape. Adjusting for current weather and seasons, irrigations systems in MD provide the right amount of water according to the specific needs of your landscaping.

For more information on irrigation systems in suburban Maryland, please contact East Coast Landscape Design. For over 30 years, East Coast Landscape Design has been suburban MD’s leading licensed landscape design company. Located in Montgomery County, Maryland since 1979, the company has designed and installed irrigation systems and other landscape projects for many happy customers. Please contact East Coast Landscape Design today for a consultation on irrigation systems.

Posted on Author mdlandscaperCategories irrigation systems, Maryland, MD

Flagstone Patios in MD: Performance in Heat and Humidity

Flagstone patios are becoming more popular in MD; they can be a beautiful and natural alternative to brick or cement patios. But how do they perform in the heat and humidity in Maryland?

Flagstones reflect the sun, and can be quite hot to walk on with bare feet. However, flagstone patios in MD can handle our state’s various climates, and they don’t expand and contract when the temperature or humidity changes.

So the good news is that – when installed correctly – flagstone patios can be extremely durable, and last for decades in the MD heat and humidity. However, installing flagstone patios in MD correctly is not really a DIY project. It’s a back-breaking and time intensive job, which requires experience with ensuring a level outcome, and an eye for fitting those stones beautifully together.

For more information about flagstone patios in MD, please contact East Coast Landscape Design. The East Coast Landscape Design team has over a quarter century of experience in the design, installation, and care of practical and beautiful flagstone patios, walkways, and driveways in suburban MD.

Posted on Author mdlandscaperCategories flagstone patios, Maryland, MD

Patio Contractors Silver Spring MD: Basic or the Best

Most licensed patio contractors in Silver Spring MD would do an “ok” job on a “basic” patio. But, do you want a just “ok” or “basic” patio? For the money you are going to spend, don’t you want a patio designed for your home, with your wants and needs in mind?

You deserve better than “basic” – you deserve the best. The experienced professionals at East Coast Landscape Design are the go-to patio contractors for homeowners in Silver Spring MD who want the best. The East Coast Landscape Design experts have designed and built patios with both natural and man-made materials, as well as tiered patios and those that include built-in seating and retaining walls. They’ve also designed and built heated patios, and patios with outdoor kitchen appliances, fireplaces, and/ovens.

With East Coast Landscape Design, you aren’t limited by the “basic” skills of some patio contractors in Silver Spring MD. East Coast Landscape Design can build you the patio that you want and need, with what your budget allows. And East Coast Landscape Design is not your fly-by-night “basic” patio contractor; East Coast Landscape Design has been in business for many years, and many happy clients in Silver Spring MD.

For more information on patio contractors in Silver Spring MD, please contact East Coast Landscape Design. The experienced professionals at East Coast Landscape Design will work with you to design the best patio for your home and lifestyle.

Posted on Author mdlandscaperCategories patio contractors, Silver Spring MD