It’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.
Posts Tagged ‘Trees’
Spring Clean Up
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010Spring Pruning
Tuesday, 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.
Treehouses
Tuesday, 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.