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Right equipment: Tools of the trade keep yard looking nice

When homeowners think of their backyards, most immediately think of the fun stuff - the flowering trees, beautiful flowers, great patio, comfortable furniture and the fire pit that gives them so much enjoyment.

But it is often the basic "nuts and bolts" equipment no one sees that makes it possible for residents and visitors to thoroughly enjoy a yard. They are the tools and building blocks that largely go unnoticed but are integral nonetheless.

For instance, if your lawn is not properly watered, it can look brown and sad. The ground can even crack in severe examples. That is why the nicest looking yards generally have underground irrigation systems.

"Consistently watering your lawn and landscaping keeps everything healthy and protects the considerable investment you have made," explained Colin Taheny, vice president of RYCO Design Group of Lake in the Hills.

"It also makes better use of your water than an individual does with a hose and a sprinkler because people often find themselves watering things that don't need watering - like hard surfaces - and overwatering certain areas," he continued. "In addition, many villages strictly regulate residents' use of water and irrigation systems provide much more effective water management, especially with all of the newly available timers, rain sensors and smartphone apps that are even tied in to weather.com to control your watering."

Homeowners can even run special lines to water particular roses or pots of flowers, if they so choose.

Some homeowners, however, face the opposite problem - too much water.

"One way or the other, it seems that people are constantly trying to control and regulate water. In wet years when flooding is a worry, trees, shrubs and ground cover that help regulate water on low-lying properties and prevent standing water are very popular, as are rain gardens," he explained.

"Water can be very restful, as long as it is effectively managed, and low lying portions of lots that attract standing water can be turned into an asset with proper planning," Taheny said.

Juice it up

With the proper foresight and infrastructure installation, today's homeowner is also able to create a full outdoor experience, complete with lighting and audio as well as fans and heaters for temperature control, according to Thomas Reindl, commercial lighting manager for NorthWest Lighting and Accents in Mount Prospect and McHenry.

"They just need to plan in advance so they can put in the correct size transformer, which is the backbone of any system. After that, they can implement their plan gradually. You don't want to become pigeonholed in what you can do because you didn't install a big enough transformer in the first place," he added.

Reindl said that with the correct lighting and controls, homeowners can bring the indoors outside, making it cozy and aesthetically pleasing so that people want to go outside.

"With planning, you can gradually upgrade from those outdoor security lights that wash the whole yard with light to landscape lighting, deck or patio lighting, pathway lighting, architectural lighting, focal-point lighting and even decorative lighting with chandeliers and grounded lamps, made for the outdoors," Reindl said.

"It is a shame to only use your beautiful outdoor space during the day. With the correct lighting, you can entertain with the same beautiful ambience at night," he said.

High-end LED lighting systems are even available now that allow homeowners to dim their outdoor lights, if they wish. That was impossible with LED lights only a few years ago.

Savvy homeowners are also enjoying the fact that they can control their outdoor lighting and audio systems from their smartphones and tablets, if they so wish. Special apps allow them to choose "entertain," for instance, it immediately adjusts your music and lights however you set them for those circumstances.

"We also suggest that, even if someone doesn't plan to install an audio system right away, that they do the necessary wiring at the same time that they bury the cabling for their lighting since the expensive part is the trenching. If they lay it out properly, the audio and light wiring can be placed in the same trench and then they can add the audio system some time in the future," Reindl explained.

Rev it up

Not all of the unseen equipment in a yard is buried or permanently installed. Some of it is put away in the garage or shed and only pulled out once a week or so in order to perform needed yard maintenance in order to keep a lawn healthy and looking pristine.

"I suggest to my friends and family that they buy a quality lawn mower in the first place so that they are not replacing it every three or four years," explained Ron Freund, a territory representative with PGA Outdoor Equipment Distributors of St. Charles. "If you buy a Toro mower with a cast aluminum deck, for instance, you can expect to get 15 to 20 years of life from it. Even if you buy one of the less expensive Toro mowers, made of stamped steel, you can expect to get seven to 10 years."

When choosing a lawn mower, horsepower is no longer a consideration. Homeowners need to look at the torque produced and the engine's cubic centimeters. Dave Kohlhagen, another PGA territory representative, said that it is also important to look for a brand name engine - with Toro, Briggs and Stratton, Honda and Kohler being the most highly rated.

Other important considerationws include what brands your local repair shop can service, whether you want to bag or mulch your clippings, whether you want a self-propelled or push mower and what type of starter you want (push button, key or pull start). Some premium mowers even come with an adjustable-height handle, too, for ease of use by people of differing heights.

"If you have a large yard, you probably want a self-propelled mower and a wider one. They come up to 30 inches wide. And if you have a swimming pool, you probably want to bag your clippings so that they don't end up in the filter," Kohlhagen advised.

Freund and Kohlhagen also mentioned that Toro has a new "Smart Stow" mower which is 22 inches wide and has a fold-down handle that allows it to be stored in a smaller space.

The other new and exciting development in lawn maintenance is the development of lithium ion battery-powered handheld trimmers, blowers and edgers. There are no cords to trip over or cut, they are as powerful as similar gas-powered tools and they last a long time on a charge. There are also no emissions from gasoline motors and they are comparatively quiet, Freund said.

Visit www.toro.com to find the closest servicing dealer to your home or to see more information on Toro products.

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Rain barrels help homeowners conserve water. Courtesy of RYCO Landscaping
Permanent installations, such as permeable pavers, above, and rain barrels, below, can help homeowners deal with water, whether you get too much water or too little. photos Courtesy of RYCO Landscaping
A heavy-duty self-propelled Toro mower can help your lawn look lush with less effort. Courtesy of Toro
Irrigation systems allow for lawns to be watered prperly without wasting water. Some systems are even connected to weather.com for more accurate water usage, said Colin Taheny of RYCO Design Group.
Outdoor chandelier from NorthWest Lighting and Accents. Courtesy of NorthWest Lighting and Accents
By planning in advance and installing the right size transformer, homeowners can build their outdoor lighting and audio systems over time, said Thomas Reindl of NorthWest Lighting and Accents. courtesy of NorthWest Lighting and Accents
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