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.
Archive for the ‘Landscaping’ Category
Keep plants watered during dry heat spells
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010Spring Clean Up
Wednesday, 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
Friday, 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
Thursday, 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.