Timber To Enhance Your Landscape Design

How To Use Timber To Enhance Your Landscape Design
By: Scott Fromherz

Landscaping timber has become a popular choice for a wide variety of projects because of its natural beauty and durability. You will find landscape timber in fencing, decks, play equipment and outdoor furniture. These materials can even be found as edging to define areas of a yard or as an element of paths and walkways.

There are many attractive accessories for the yard that are also constructed from landscape timber. Trellises and arches add a decorative zip while picnic tables and planters provide a functional purpose. Before investing in any product constructed from a wood product, you will want to identify the wood that is being used and learn how best to care for it. Proper maintenance of your landscaping timber will yield you years of enjoyment and functionality.

Types Of Landscape Timber Available

There are two types of landscape timber; the soft woods such as redwood or western red cedar. These soft woods are generally pressure-treated, particularly for use as a deck material. Harder woods such as oak are available but can be more expensive.

You will often find the harder woods in public works, such as public decks or parking bay dividers. You will also find that railroad sleepers are a popular variety of landscaping timbers, and can be used as decorative edging for planting beds and garden paths.

No matter what type of landscape timber you choose to add to your yard, treatment of the wood is important in the durability of your materials. Most wood that will be used outdoors is pressure-treated with a preservative. If your landscape timber will be coming in contact with the ground, this process is absolutely necessary, so make sure that you are buying appropriate materials for outdoor use.

You can also use a stain on your fence or deck to further protect the wood from outdoor elements. This can enhance the look of your wood as well. Many stains require that you repeat the process every year or two, depending on the climate that you live in. You can also install end caps on your fencing posts to ensure that water does not get into your landscape timber and cause any kind of erosion of the wood.

There are many ways to use landscape timber to spruce up your outdoor living area. With proper care and treatment, your wood products can be around for you to enjoy for many years.

A wealth of information about this type of landscaping can be found through a number of locations:

1) The Internet - A favorite search engine
2) The Library - Don't forget about free books!
3) A Bookstore - Again, books are full of useful information.
4) A Home And Garden Shop - Ask the workers, look at the supplies, read their books
5) Ask your people in your neighborhood



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