Landscape Contractor Serving Commercial and Residential

Proper Care

Water

Never let your plants drown or drought. Slightly moist soil is your best bet. If the ground is saturated, the plants will rot at the roots. Not enough water will cause dessication. In the heat of summer, especially, keep an eye on the plants. The curling and drooping of branches and leaves is an urgent indicator: Water!

Watering in the morning or in the evening ensures that the most amount of moisture is reaching the plant and not just evaporating.

Protection

Your plants are newly installed and have nothing to keep them from shifting around: no roots to hold them firmly upright. Though installation is always done properly, outside factors such as wind, kids, pets and wildlife can cause damage or displacement of the plant. These culprits can rub up against, step on or urinate upon the traumatized plants and be a major cause of death or disfigurement.

Try to ensure that the plantings receive the least amount of disturbance within the first few weeks following the installation. As they get established they will still need to be checked for damage from insects, critters and acts of God.

Maintenance

As I tell those clients who want a maintenance free landscape, go plastic so I tell you: plan on it. If you want to preserve the integrity of the plants and your investment you need to anticipate an annual/bi-annual mulching and cleanup at a minimum.

Usually through the growing season you will find it necessary to perform (either yourself or your chosen professional) regular weekly or bi-weekly weeding. The weeds deplete the soil, sap water from the plant and sometimes actually crowd out the desirable plant. It is important to stay on top of the invaders before they become a problem.

Gardening: The Original Self-Help Movement

"If you have a garden and a library, then you have everything you need." -Cicero

I admit I am an avid reader of all things,  and a consumer of endless self-improvement books, business books, and the like. They come in all shapes and sizes, differing perspectives, some faith-based, others not so much; some are applicable, others not so much. Each one has played its part in my journey and, if worthy of repeat visits, has a place on my bookshelf.

In the past few years, I have taken to become a "gardener", not just a landscaper. During one of my many "rescue attempt" sessions (i.e I didn't weed anything for a week and now I have to spend hours trying to undo my laziness) It dawned on me that if one were to spend more time gardening and less time "planning to succeed", all the lessons contained in a collection of personal improvement courses (including the number one self-help book, the Bible) could be grasped.

For example, think how easy it would be to understand the concept, " You reap what you sow" when you plant a carrot seed and, VOILA! a carrot grows. Not a turnip or a clump of lettuce, a carrot. Try planting a cucumber seed with the hope that it will become a sunflower. What disappointment! It is a mere cucumber. Yet, every day, we go about planting seeds, some good and some bad, and we lament that they have not become what we expected. If we plant the seed of order and contentment, that is what we receive. If we plant the seed of gossip, resentment, the contention that is what we receive in return.

It could also be said that if you fail to sow, you will have nothing to reap. I am a planner. I plan everything out as best I can beforehand to avoid as much pain as possible. It's what makes me a good landscape designer but not the greatest gardener. In order to be a great gardener, some planning is in order, but the most important thing you can do to be a successful gardener is to PLANT SOMETHING SO YOU CAN GROW SOMETHING! Thinking about it, charting it out, buying organic and non-GMO seeds, preparing the soil to perfection are all great and necessary. However, if you never actually plant the seed, it will all be for naught.

So if you really want to make the self-improvement journey, set your highlighted book aside for the spring and get out there and:

Grow something and in the process, grow yourself.

Summer Reset!

Summer is a great time to hit the RESET button on life.

Your landscaping benefits from a review also. While you are spending time outside, take note of how you are using the property.

+ Are you "outdoorsy" people who love to spend time outside all summer? 

+ Do you entertain frequently outside?

+ Are there some neighboring properties that are affecting your privacy?

+ What value can you add to the future sale of your home?

Here is a Summer Check List for your property: Summer Landscaping Check List.

Questions on how to make your property work for your life? Contact us today for a design consultation. We love making your property a place you love to live in.