If you have pets you love as well as want an impressive and safe outdoor living area, you need to consider your pets’ needs along with your own when designing your landscape. We try to build in as many of the following areas in a pet-friendly landscape as possible.
Mulched Areas For Paths
Many dogs like to patrol their yard and will create a path along the fence. Any landscape beds in the way will get run over and destroyed. The path can get muddy when it rains. To keep your dog from destroying your flowers or tracking in mud, create a two-to-three-foot mulch path around the perimeter of the fence.
Raised Beds
While cats will go into raised beds as readily as level ground, dogs will often leave raised beds alone. A few lessons with your dog where you tell him “No” when he tries to enter a raised bed will keep your expensive plants safe.
Room For A Run
We have all seen dogs with the zoomies. Dogs like to run. It is a good idea to leave a long straight area in turf grass so the dog can run there instead of in your flowers. A dog with a good place to run will choose to stay out of landscape beds.
A Place To Rest
Most pets like to bask in the sun. See where your pet likes to lay and cushion the spot with mulch. The mulch will keep the spot from getting muddy when it rains and is just nice for the pet to lay on.
Shade should always be available to your pets. Summer is hot, and they need a cool place to go to stay safe. Shade cloth or an awning can make instant shade and still look nice. Of course, if you have an open-air outdoor living area, the pet can sleep there. Keep cool water available for them, too.
Safe Plants
Toxic plants do not have any place where your pets can reach them. Cats and dogs have different toxic plants, although they have some in common. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has a list of plants to avoid on its website. You should also avoid plants with thorns or other dangerous parts where the pets will play. Running into a thorn can blind an animal while stepping on a sticker hurts.
Other Toxic Substances
Mulch is good, but mulch made from cocoa bean shells will kill a dog. It has the same substance in it that chocolate does. Use a mulch made from hardwood or pine.
Pesticides, including both insecticides and herbicides, can make your pet sick. When using them, be sure to consult the label for the re-entry time. Keep your pet inside for that length of time to make sure he doesn’t get pesticides on his coat and become sick. Cats will lick themselves to groom, so anything that gets on the fur ends up inside the cat.
Turf Alternative For Shade
If you have an area that is too shady for turf, you can use artificial turf or mulch to cover the ground. Both can be cleaned by hosing them off on occasion. Bare ground gets muddy and can erode, damaging tree roots and structures.
Designated Potty Area
Running barefoot in a yard with dog waste isn’t safe and isn’t pleasant, even with shoes on. Dogs can be trained to use a designated potty area before being allowed to run loose in the rest of the yard. Pea gravel on the ground will allow liquid waste to drain, while solid waste can be picked up easily. Simply hose the gravel off once a week or so to keep it clean.
Our office dogs, Lexi the mini Golden Doodle, and Reign, the Yorkie
Design For Pets
We love pets at Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping. Because of this, we can take your pets’ needs into consideration when designing and installing an outdoor living area. Tell us what kind of pet you have, and we will help all of you enjoy your outdoor living area. Simply schedule a consultation and we will get right to work.
Football season is here, and the town is painted red every weekend. One of the best places to hold a watch party is in your outdoor living area. As you get ready to entertain, here are some things you can do to be prepared.
Lighting
The sun has started going down earlier. Check all your lights to make sure your guests won’t get lost, stumble over a plant, or end up in the pool. If the lights have gotten knocked about while you enjoyed your landscape during the summer, spend some time aiming the lights so they illuminate the correct spots again. Now is also a good time to run a damp cloth over the lights while they are off and cool to clean the lens. You want them as bright as possible, and a dirty lens prevents that.
Gas
Do you have a gas BBQ grill or fireplace? Now is a good time to check that the gas in each works. If you use propane, don’t forget to fill the tanks and get some extra. You don’t want the BBQ grill to stop cooking at the worst time possible.
Food
What is a party without food? With an outdoor kitchen, you can cook while you visit with your guests. A BBQ island is another good move so you can cook and talk to the boys.
Drinks
BBQ goes best with beer. We can install a beer trough that you can fill with ice and beer so your guests can grab one and go. Sodas and water will work, too, for the little ones. Beer troughs keep guests out of your refrigerator while you are trying to cook.
Entertainment Center
Of course, the entertainment center is key to watching football. We can mount a giant television on a wall so your friends can see every detail of the game and each play. We can mount one over a fireplace if you want to enjoy a nice fire while you watch the Chiefs win.
Stereo
Television isn’t much fun without sound. You will want a world-class stereo system to play music during the day and broadcast the television sound during the watch party. We can install a great outdoor system, which uses special weatherproof components to withstand the various elements of our Midwest climate.
We Can Help
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can help check your lighting, gas, entertainment center, and stereo. We can install everything from a wall to a complete kitchen and living room for you and your friends to use. Give us a call at (816) 825-2524 or schedule a consultation for more information. Go Chiefs!
The heat of summer is finally starting to fade, and Labor Day is over. That means it is time to swap your tattered summer flowers for new fall ones. Here are some of our favorite flowers to plant for fall color.
Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums are spectacular bursts of color. Originally a golden yellow, chrysanthemums have been developed that have almost any color of flower you desire. The blooms come in three forms: single, anemone, or decorative. Single mums look like daisies, with petals around a central disk. Anemone mums have a row of petals, then a disk-like row of florets that point upward, then a central disk. They have a cushioned appearance. Decorative mums have so many florets that they hide the central disk. Any of these types of mums will add a welcome pop of color to your landscape or planter. They need full sun to perform their best and last the longest.
Asters
Asters are related to chrysanthemums and also have florets around a central disk. Asters are native to North America. Plant breeders have made several improvements on the wild aster, including expanding the range of colors they come in. Asters have some of the truest blues of any plant. Butterflies like asters for their nectar. Asters, like mums, are brought into bloom when the day shortens. Most plants respond to long nights, but asters need short days to bloom. They also prefer full sun.
Pansies and Violas
Pansies were bred from violas. Pansies have four petals pointing up and one petal pointing down in their flowers, while violas have three petals facing up and two facing down. Both pansies and violas have been bred to come in many color combinations. Pansies are the flower that is always in bloom somewhere. In the winter, they bloom in the Southern United States, and in the summer, they bloom in the Northern United States. In the Kansas City area, the cool temperatures and abundant sunshine of fall are ideal for both pansies and violas to bloom. They need full sun as well to shine their brightest.
We have also found that pansies tend to overwinter in our climate and come back with great color in the cool spring season around easter and up through to Mother’s Day. What a treat they could be for the special someone in your life😊
In September, Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping will be celebrating ten years of service to the Kansas City area. To celebrate, we are throwing ourselves a party. We hope you and your family can join us. Get your tickets on Eventbrite, and help us help others for a great cause.
Giving Back
We are not just having a party; we are raising funds to send kids to a one-week camp held by Wildwood Outdoor Education Center. These camps take kids who are underserved and may never have been outside the city and show them the outdoors. They go sailing, kayaking, swimming, hiking, and other things to instill a love of the outdoors in them. We got that from our grandparents growing up, but these kids won’t have that unless they get to go to one of these camps. It costs $675 to send a child to a week of camp. Most of the families we sponsor are only charged a $40 deposit.
Sponsors
We are seeking sponsors for our anniversary celebration so we can send as many children to camp as possible. We are sending all the proceeds to Wildwood, so the more the merrier. If you are interested in being a sponsor, please contact the office at [email protected] or call at (816) 825-2524. Here is a current list of sponsors.
Good Earth Water Gardens
Arbtech
Metcalf Partners Wealth Management
Enterprise Bank & Trust
Juice Plus
Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Iron & Oak
Activities
Our celebration will be at Colonial Gardens in Blue Springs, Missouri, on September 23rd from 3-7. Colonial Gardens is a local nursery with tons of plants and garden décor, as well as a café and room to explore and play outside. We want this to be a fun, family-friendly event, so bring the kids. We will have barbeque, outdoor games, a kid-friendly scavenger hunt, an adult scavenger hunt, a silent auction, and a cash bar. We will also be sharing slide shows and videos of our work over the years and the culture of our team. There will be a brief presentation and door prizes at the end of the evening.
Silent Auction
As I mentioned, there will be a silent auction at the event. You must be present to bid on all the goodies we will offer. If you have something you would like to donate for the silent auction, please contact the office. Here are the auction items we have so far.
Bar K – Prize Pack with 4 Free Dog Entry Passes
Kansas City Zoo – Gift basket
Lakewood Oaks – 4 rounds of golf of w/ 2 carts
Jack Stack BBQ -250 gift card along w/ Hilton Plaza Stay with Parking & Breakfast
Curbz Landscape (Toronto) – Japanese Maple (planted by the Blue Crew)
Myer Music – Acoustic Guitar w/ case
Imagine Wholeness – Massage & Facial
Walnut Creek Winery – Wine Basket
Hilton President – One night stay with parking and breakfast for 2
Hilton Plaza – One night stay with parking and breakfast for 2
Hilton President & Midland Theatre – 2 Tickets to your choice of show
We would love to have you join us at our 10th Anniversary Party as we raise money to send kids to camp who wouldn’t otherwise get to go. Tickets for this event are available on Eventbrite. Children twelve and under are free. Tickets are selling fast, so get yours today.
While it is hot now, fall is coming. Remember, fall is the best time to plant shrubs in your landscape. Look around at the shrubs that have not survived the intense cold and then intense heat this year. Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping recommends the following shrubs to replace your dead or dying ones, or to create an entirely new landscape area for your home as well.
Drift Roses
Drift Roses are a low shrub with beautiful large flowers from apricot to coral red. The leaves are dark green. The flowers are 1.5 inches across with up to twenty-five petals. The plant gets up to two feet tall and three feet wide. Drift roses have excellent disease resistance making them a very low-maintenance plant. Plant in full sun. Deadhead spent flowers for the best results and continued blooms.
Ninebark
Ninebark shrubs vary in size and leaf color depending on the variety. The young stems are brown while the older stems have exfoliating bark. Leaves are dark green above and lighter green below. The small flowers range from white to pink and are replaced with red fruit that stays on the shrub through the fall. Depending on the variety the shrub can get from 3-8 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide. The fruit attracts birds and other wildlife. Plant in full sun.
Spirea – Gold Flame
This showy plant has small pink flowers and golden-colored leaves. New leaves are gold, and mature leaves are green gold. This hardy shrub will tolerate partial shade but does better in full sun. It is resistant to deer. Spirea Gold Flame grows up to 3 ½ feet tall and 4 feet wide. The flowers attract butterflies and other pollinators.
Crape Myrtle
Crape Myrtles are a wonderfully versatile landscape plant. They bloom all summer, come in a variety of colors from hot pink and red to white, come in sizes from ground cover to tree, and have interesting bark. In our area, crape myrtles reach shrub size. However, you can find a crape myrtle cultivar to fit almost any space. Plant in full sun for a very showy plant.
Butterfly Bush
Butterfly bush is another plant that flowers in a variety of colors ranging from yellow to orange to red to purple. The leaves vary from deep green to gray-green to silverish gray. As the name implies, the bush attracts lots of butterflies and other pollinators, including Monarch butterflies. The bush grows 6-10 feet tall and 4-10 feet wide and has a pleasing arching form. The size, flower color, and leaf color vary by variety. It requires full sun. One of our favorites is the “Miss Molly” variety.
Rose of Sharon
Rose of Sharon has big flowers that come in blue, red, pink, lavender, purple, white, or a combination of these colors. Some flowers are double blooms, while some are single blooms. The leaves are bright green. Different varieties come in different sizes, but the largest can grow up to fifteen feet tall and wide. Bees and hummingbirds love Rose of Sharon flowers. Rose of Sharon will grow well in partial shade but has more and bigger blooms in full sun.
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Oakleaf hydrangea has large, showy green leaves that turn bronze or other colors in the fall. The flowers are ivory-white when they first come out and may blush pink as they age. The bark on the stems is fuzzy and brown at first, maturing to a cinnamon color. The bark exfoliates its outer layer, lending interest to the stems. Oakleaf hydrangea size varies by variety but is typically 4-8 feet tall and as wide. Dwarf varieties may top out at three feet high. These bushes do best in partial shade or dappled sun. They attract pollinators with their flowers.
Can’t Decide?
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping’s Garden Care Specialist, Jess Jones, can advise you as to which of these beautiful shrubs will best fit into your landscape. She can help educate you on the alternatives, as well, if none of these strike your fancy. You can call our office at (816) 825-2524 or schedule a consultation to have us come out and help you evaluate your landscape and suggest new plants for your needs.
