Thoughtful Guidance from Local Outdoor Design Experts

Tips, tricks, and inspiration from the crew who makes dreams come true – welcome to our landscape design blog.

Comparing Local Landscaping Services
Comparing Local Landscaping Services

If you’re looking to refresh your outdoor space, add beautiful detailing to your backyard or simply take the first step in your landscaping journey, there are plenty of available local landscapers for you to contact. In fact, in Dayton, you’ve got dozens of options to...

Landscape Design Trends for Fall
Landscape Design Trends for Fall

The summer heat starts to turn into a cool breeze. Leaves begin to change color. Fall is on its way! With a new season comes new opportunities for landscaping design, as well as new popular trends to take part in. We’ll show you how you can customize your outdoor...

On Your Timeline: Multi-Phase Landscaping Packages
On Your Timeline: Multi-Phase Landscaping Packages

At The Site Group, we often encounter landscaping projects that may seem overwhelming or complicated for our clients. If you are looking forward to a landscaping refresh or renovation, but would like to spread the project out over several years, we are happy to help....

Charleston Gardens Landscaping Design
Charleston Gardens Landscaping Design

Sprawling acreage or small urban plot, you can have the charm of the Deep South in your Dayton backyard. To most people, the mention of Charleston, South Carolina evokes historical images: Fort Sumter, belles in colorful hoop skirts carrying parasols, the scent of...

Decks Are Back In Style
Decks Are Back In Style

“Decks are like taxus shrubs – everyone liked them and then they didn’t like them, so it’s tough to get people to see the progress they’ve made.” Dave Swearingen, The Site Group. Ten years ago, wooden decks were almost mandatory in a well-appointed backyard landscape...

Sculpting the landscape with retaining walls

From pillar to post, retaining walls are versatile enough to solve many site challenges. Sloping terrain. Stormwater erosion. Boring landscaping. What’s a homeowner to do? According to Dave Swearingen, a Landscape Architect with The Site Group in New Carlisle,...

A new approach to paver patios and hardscapes
A new approach to paver patios and hardscapes

Pick up any design magazine and you’ll no doubt find a section on “what’s new”.   We place high value on having something that is not readily available or embraced by the masses.  Marketers even recognize a whole class of consumer called early adopters – people who...

Patio fire features and fire pits
Patio fire features and fire pits

Conjure up with me a fall memory.  Beautiful leaves, football Saturdays, and crisp evenings around a campfire come to mind for many.  About that campfire… What makes it so magnetic?  Is it the dancing flames?  The gentle warmth?  A hint of...

Shedding some light on landscape lighting
Shedding some light on landscape lighting

There are more reasons for you to include landscape lighting for your home’s exterior than meet the eye. Take safety. The last thing most of us want is to have folks taking a header on our property and possibly hurting themselves. Nighttime increases the risk for such...

Phasing Your Landscaping

How do we get started on this project?  Do we have to do it all at once?  Will our whole yard be torn up at once?  These are questions that we frequently hear.  Taking the plunge and allowing a landscape contractor to tear up a perfectly good yard...

Landscape Design FAQs

Dave Swearingen, Landscape Architect with The Site Group, Inc. of New Carlisle, Ohio, answers some FAQs about landscape design and installation. Q. How much should I spend on my landscaping? A. This one really depends on several factors: How much do you enjoy...

Planning for success
Planning for success

“Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential” – Winston Churchill Perhaps Churchill had it right.  Maybe the reason we hesitate to plan, to write anything down, is that experience has taught us that our plans always change.  According to research by the...

Site Group Landscaping on Houzz

If you haven't heard of Houzz, it is kinda like Pinterest but just for the home. Our customers love Houzz for gathering photos, landscaping inspiration, planting ideas and more. They often bring these ideas to our consultation meetings to share their vision for their...

Outdoor Gas Firepits and Fireplaces
Outdoor Gas Firepits and Fireplaces

Imagine walking out your back door and relaxing in front of a beautiful roaring fire - gas firepits are a great way to enjoy the great outdoors. These outdoor landscape features enhance the ambiance of your outdoor living space and light-up instantly. They add a cozy,...

Spring Recommendations
Spring Recommendations

Want to keep your spring garden looking as fresh as the season? Here are some spring recommendations from the pros at The Site Group: Look into using a pre-emergent herbicide such as Preen to help control weeds.  Pre-emergents will kill seeds of any plant, so...