Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

Just like motion detectors and dead bolts, the placement of a prickly plant or a holly bush can help keep bad guys out of your house.

With Memorial Day and summer vacations around the corner, homeowners can motivate intruders to stay out without turning the outside of your house into a fortified castle with a moat.

Environmental design can make a house less appealing to burglars who are usually lazy and adverse to pain. Plants with thorns or sharp leaves present a perimeter that few will enter.

Landscaping and plants should not function as an aid by becoming a screen to shield them from view when entering a walkway or breaking in to a building.

Fences, walkways, and plantings set psychological and physical boundaries to stay away.

A good place for a thorny shrub is underneath a window. Windows are easy access but thorns can help burglars away. The height of the shrub also shouldn’t create a hiding place either.

Do make sure that the shrubs are cut below the window in case you have to escape a fire. Proper air circulation and access for maintenance can be provided if you allow some distance between the shrub and the wall of the building.

Law enforcement also suggests the “3-7 rule,” which says to trim bushes down to three feet and have no tree limbs lower than seven feet. The cut-down shrubs provide no cover and the chopped limbs keeps burglars from climbing trees to get to the second story.

Just as ladders shouldn’t be left outside, either should garden tools or bricks which can be used to smash a window to gain access. A trellis that could support someone’s weight could be inviting to someone eager to sneak in upstairs.

A home inviting to burglars means easy access but with the right landscaping, you can make your home less attractive. Let Embark help you before Memorial Day or when you go on vacation. Call 713-462-3261 or make an online request.

Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

While the front yard is something that the whole neighborhood sees, the backyard is your oasis from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Coming up with a landscaping plan for the backyard helps maximize your space and the enjoyment that you get out of it.

The lawn is the welcome mat for your guests. A thick, green lawn provides room for activities like horseshoes or playing catch. Keeping it cut and green will provide the right canvas for landscaping.

Evergreens make for a good tree among the landscaping in the backyard, thus the name. No worries come with this tree since it doesn’t carpet the lawn with fallen leaves. These trees look good no matter what the season and being low maintenance helps.

Hardscapes such as rocks or brick retaining walls add to the visual variety of the yard. Climbing plants during the spring and summer make for eye-pleasing adornments. In the winter, hearty trees and shrubs make for wonderful views.

When deciding on landscape, consider the value for birds as well as the added value to the yard.

The natural beauty of birds is appealing to the eye while its chirps and tweets please the ear.

Few birds can resist the siren song of vibrant flowers, plentiful fruit, leafy foliage and inviting branches and twigs. Birds, like people, can’t resist a scenic place with plenty of food to eat.

Shrubs with low branches provide cover for ground-nesting birds while wider planted areas can furnish the dense thickets desired by other birds.

A bird bath nestled in a recessed part of shrubbery makes for a good place for bird watching. But don’t set a trap for them by putting them too close for the shrubs, where a cat can hide and then pounce on the birds.

A desire for landscape may not come with the time required. Let Embark Tree and Landscape Services come up with a solution by giving us a call at 713-462-3261 or allow us to contact you through our online form.