With 90 degree days and long stretches without rain, it is important to focus on keeping your plants well hydrated through the summer. Without water many landscape plantings will become unsightly and growth will be stunted. For trees, shrubs & perennials, it is best to deepwater once or twice a week depending on the species. Let a hose trickle slowly by the plant for an extended period of time so that the water soaks deep into the ground. Then let the area dry out for a few days. This will teach the plant to send roots down more instead of staying near the surface. It is best water plants at the base, especially if watering in the heat of the day. If you water the foliage in the middle of the day, the wet leaves may burn in the sunlight and any flowers will certainly wilt. This is general advice, but you should certainly research the water needs of your specific plants and adjust this advice as needed. Take care of your landscape plantings so your outdoor living rooms can look their best.
Keep plants watered during dry heat spells
June 22nd, 2010Spring Clean Up
April 21st, 2010It’s time for spring cleanups in the landscape. Cut back any dead wood on shrubs and trees, cut back any remaining perennial debris, fertilize, edge the beds and mulch. Time invested now will save time later in the summer and make the gardens that much more beautiful throughout the season. Generally, stick to the natural triple ground mulch. Some people prefer the dyed mulch (black, etc.), but that really isn’t best for the plants. Penn State research has shown that dyed mulches tend to encourage more detrimental bacterial and fungal growths. And always make sure you don’t put too much mulch around the base of shrubs and trees. This will eventually rot the bark and kill the plant. Remove the old mulch first, then put down the new mulch. Make your landscape gorgeous for the season with these early season preparations. If you would rather not do this work yourself, call ELA for all your spring clean up needs and to design this years landscape projects.
Swimming Pools
April 16th, 2010
With summer around the corner, many homeowners are dreaming of a swimming pool. The first instinct is to call a pool company, but that may not lead to the best overall result. All too often we find ourselves called into a project after the swimming pool has been designed and contracted, only to have significant ideas that could make the project better but it is too late. The problem is that most pool contractors are only interested in selling a pool and are not trained to develop plans that create a unified and successful entire back yard landscape. For the best results, call a landscape architect or professional landscape designer first and develop a comprehensive plan for you back yard living spaces. You will most likely end up with a much better pool design as it relates to the entire property. Landscape architects and landscape designers will work with the pool contractor to develop the best pool design for your project, and they will incorporate that design into a comprehensive master landscape plan. Landscape architects will also be able to help you negotiate the best price for your people and consult about the pro’s and con’s of various pool builders. So if you are thinking about a pool, call Environmental Landscape Associates to design a comprehensive plan that will ensure the best results for your swimming pool and entire outdoor living space.
Landscape Permits
April 15th, 2010Do I need a permit for my landscape construction project? That answer depends on the township and the project. You’ll generally never need a permit to put plants in the ground, but for most everything else you may need a permit depending on your townships requirements. I’ll be posting more about this over the years because it is a deep and complex issue in the industry and difficult for most homeowners to understand. The big picture is that if you are planning a significant hardscape project you will need a zoning level permit, often called a ‘minor grading permit’. That permit ensures the township that you are dealing with the grading in an appropriate way. Also, many townships will require on site storm water retention which is part of that permit process. Once that permit is approved, a variety of building permits may be required for everything from general construction to outdoor lighting. ELA has worked with many townships to get through the permit process successfully, and each one is different.
Spring Pruning
April 13th, 2010With spring in full swing, people often have questions about what to prune. Well start by making sure all your perennials are cut back. Lots of people do that in the fall, but it is really better for the plant to wait until spring if you can tolerate the somewhat messy appearance. And cut back all of the ‘cutback’ flowering shrubs, the more herbaceous ones. Plants like spirea can be cut to 6″ above the ground and will bloom much better if you do this. And prune your woody shrubs to create the form you are looking for from them. Finally, check all your trees for any dead branches or tips and clean them up. If you put your time into spring pruning, your landscape will reward you throughout the season with better growth, healthier plants, and more flowers.
Building Construction in the Landscape
April 12th, 2010
Environmental Landscape Associates has a building construction partner named K. Frederick Builders. Both companies operate under one roof giving the clients the benefits of complete coordination between building and landscape construction. We have gone in this direction because the majority of our projects involve building construction of some sort from a pergola or porch roof to a full pool house.
Spring Landscape Design
April 10th, 2010Spring is here in Bucks County. The trees and shrubs are blooming. The landscape is gorgeous and bright again. One of our favorite spring flowering shrubs is the Viburnum Carlessi – Fragrant Viburnum. The smell of the flowers permeates the air. The fragrant and colorful shrubs and trees of spring can’t be beat. The red bud trees are brilliant purple/pink. The bulbs are covering the ground with colors. Time to plan your landscaping projects so that next spring your garden will glow even that much more. Time for planting is now. So call us and get your landscape planting design ready for installation. It is the season for landscape design and construction now, so don’t wait.
Treehouses
March 23rd, 2010
Tree-houses can be a romantic fascination for children and adults alike. We have an innate physiological bond with trees that may very well stem from a genetic memory of our ancestors reliance on these living giants. Psychologists have shown that we are drawn to trees that are climbable and provide good opportunity for broad surveillance, probably based on early survival needs. “The idea of building a small refuge in the trees seems to be one that man has entertained since the beginning of his existence……In certain cultures of the South Pacific, entire populations once lived among the trees……Records also document observation bridges in Japan, luxurious platforms in Persia and classical Rome, and a popularized version of the tree house in Victorian-era Britain” (From TreeHouses by Alejandro Bahamon, 2007). Tree houses come in all styles from an eclectic structure pieced together with found materials to a refined architectural design built by professional craftsman. Many people think of tree houses a place for children to explore, exercise and imagine. But today, tree houses are being built as home offices, guest rooms and even entire living spaces.
Welcome to the ELA Outdoor Living Blog!
March 19th, 2010Welcome to the ELA Outdoor Living Blog! We are planning to update our blog with a lot of new original content. Please check back soon!