Now that spring is in our sights, getting back outdoors is the No. 1 priority. But if you find that your yard doesn’t quite fulfill the expectations of eliminating cabin fever, you might decide that it’s time to freshen up the way your yard looks. Whether you want to make your yard a private nirvana, to increase the appeal to a potential home-buyer, or if you just want to have less yard maintenance in years to come, we’ve got advice from two leading landscape experts in eastern Idaho.
Town & Country has a mile-long list of tools, goods, and services for gardeners, but if it’s landscape you’re looking at, Jeff Denney is the one to ask for, with over ten years of experience with landscape design under his belt.
Denney has noticed that his pool of clients tends to fall into two groups: people who want to simplify their yards with lower-maintenance plants and features, and others who want to maximize what they can do outside. Many homeowners want to incorporate features such as pondless waterfalls, fire pits, and wildlife-friendly habitats into their yards.
“Where people aren’t traveling as much, they’re trying to create a place in their backyard to enjoy more,” said Denney. With more people planning “staycations” rather than traveling long distances for entertainment, there is a higher demand for room to entertain friends and family by creating space for tables and chairs, and adding features like fire pits.
Denney recommends that people come in to have their landscape designed with their hobbies and outdoor time in mind. “People have planted and years later, they’re having to start over,” said Denney. By creating a master plan, homeowners always have a main idea to refer to, whether they change their yard piece-by-piece or in the space of one summer.
Further up the valley, Lone Pine Nursery resides just west of Highway 20 near Rexburg. For almost 20 years, Justin Bowen and his team of landscapers have given their time and talents to turn a patch of grass into a beautiful outdoor haven.
Colored crushed rock, for example, can act as a replacement for mulch in tree and shrub beds; instead of decaying and requiring replacement every few years like mulch does, crushed rock keeps its color and lasts for years longer.
“It’s a little greater cost, but it lasts much longer and holds its color. Lots of people like it,” said Bowen.
Sod is another noticeable trend in this area.
“The area we live in is friendlier to sod, because we have such short cold snaps," Bowen added. "We also have a lot of rain, or a lot of sunshine.” He notes that traditional grass seeding takes more time, and its growth can often be cut short by the constantly changing weather conditions.
Bowen also recommends that the first step in landscaping a yard is to sit down and brainstorm ideas for a design, and ask an expert for help creating a design. “[With Lone Pine], we wanted to be a one-stop shop for everything needed to landscape a yard,” said Bowen. Homeowners can see first-hand which plants grow best in this region, and then use their ideas to help build up an ideal vision for their yard, and then to make that vision a reality.
Editor's Note: This article was edited for length. For the full version visit our news archives at www.idahofallsmagazine.com.
Numbers to Know
You can reach the mentioned garden centers for any of your gardening and landscape needs. There’s also several other great nurseries in the area that you can find a great selection of plants and tools to get started with your yard!
Town & Country Gardens
5800 South Yellowstone Highway, Idaho Falls
(208) 522-5247
Lone Pine Nursery
2803 West 3800 South, Rexburg
(208) 356-6966
Eagle Rock Nursery
1850 Rollandet Street, Idaho Falls
(208) 529-3305
Sunnyside Gardens
2366 East Sunnyside Road, Idaho Falls
(208) 522-4660
Garden Gate Nursery
465 Annis Highway, Rigby
(208) 745-0004