LawnScapes Spring Clean Up!!!!

Well spring is here and it is time to get your landscaping in order!  Right now is the perfect time to call us and schedule a LawnScapes Spring Clean Up.  Our Spring Clean Up includes spreading 14-14-14 fertilizer on all beds to feed all of your plants all year long.  Any mulch that is built up more than 2” thick will be removed and raked down.  Extra mulch built up around plants can promote disease and general unhealthiness.  Our crew members will weed the beds, spread pellitized pre-emergent (to prevent Spring weed growth), and then spread and dress new 2” of new mulch of your choice.  Perhaps one of the most important things is cutting back your perennials and properly trimming your shrubs and trees.  In short let us do all the dirty work for you so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the weather!  Check out mulch options HERE.  IF you have any questions don't hesitate to visit our web page at www.lawn-scapes.net.

Spring has Sprung!

Cherry Blossoms! In mid-March....

               Well, it is looking like we are going to get an extra month of spring here in South Eastern Pennsylvania!  Last year it snowed on April 1^st!  Here at LawnScapes we have been in contact with our suppliers and everyone is ready to go.  99% of the perennials are ready to be picked up, shrubs and trees are ready to be planted, and our guys are itching’ to get back to work.  Mike and I think that it would be best to wait until at least the second week in April for any planting, just to head off any freak frosts we might have but, mulching and spring clean ups are a go.  Let’s enjoy this weather and use it to get a jump start on our summer projects!  Go ahead and schedule your spring clean up and mulching job so your yard is ready for that Easter Egg Hunt.  Since the ground never really froze this winter, the weeds are getting a head start and we need to head them off at the pass.  Please call us for your lawn weed and feed so we can get your lawn looking great for the months ahead.  If you have any questions don't hesitate to visit our web page at www.lawn-scapes.net.

-Matt Bradley, BLA, PCH 

Mulching.......

I posted this blog earlier this year but I have been getting a lot of questions about mulch and what we recommend lately so here is the re-post.........

Check out mulch options on Delaware Hardscape Supply's website.

Mulch is generally sold by the cubic yard.  A cubic yard is about one bucket of a loader.  In order to make sure that you have enough, I recommend adding 20%-35%, more to the total cubic yards you require.

(x)(y/12)=z/27=Cubic Yards

x= the square footage to cover

y= the depth of the mulch in inches

z= cubic feet

            There are many benefits of mulching your beds and garden.  Mulch keeps weeding to minimum by keeping their seeds from sprouting.  Water in soil naturally evaporates; mulch insulates the soil from drying out.  Mulching can also prevent soil borne diseases from spreading to fruits and leaves.  This happens when water splashes the soil onto the leaves.  Soil will also take longer to change temperatures.  Decomposing slowly, mulch adds nutrients to the soil, and makes the soil looser.  Earth worms really enjoy mulch.  The worms break down the mulch and aerate the soil.  Before mulching it is important to remove weeds currently growing and water thoroughly.  Finer mulches should be applied no more than 2” deep.  Coarser mulches can be laid up to 4” thick.  In order to determine how much mulch you need measure the square footage of your beds you can use this formula:

            Everyone knows that mulch makes our flower beds much, much more attractive.  Mulch is defined as a soil cover that is composed of organic material.  The forest creates its own natural mulch each year when deciduous plant and trees drop their leaves.  Because of this we should replicate natural process in our gardens.  We recommend bark mulch for your beds because it lasts a long time and looks really good.  I usually stay away from stone chips and river jack because they retain heat and can cause root damage.  Using stone as mulch also removes the benefits of decomposition and adding amendments back to the soil.  Mulching should be done about twice a year, once in the spring to freshen your beds and once in the winter to insulate your plant’s roots from the cold.  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to visit our web page at www.lawn-scapes.net.   

-Matt Bradley

Rose Tips and Tricks

          By far, roses are some the most difficult and rewarding flowering shrubs to grow.  Rose colors can range from white, yellow, orange, pink, and of red.  Some of the most popular rose types are:

-Bush Roses: these roses tend to grow quickly and abundantly.  Many, are more disease resistant than the hybrid teas, floribunda, and grandiflora varieties.

- Creeping Roses:  these tend to grow fairly quickly and lay closer to the ground. 

-Climbing Roses: These roses climb like a vine and include the Georgia State Flower, the Cherokee Rose.

-Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, and Grandiflora: These are the types I am going to cover in this blog.  These tend to be the most finicky and disease prone.  If you put the time and effort in the reward will be big, beautiful, and wonderfully fragrant blooms.

There are several strategies that can be observed to help insure successful rose growth.  One of the easiest things to do to insure proper location and soil composition is to grow your roses in a raised bed or containers.  Choose a wide open area that gets plenty of sun.  I had the best luck growing my rose in a container.  This enabled me to control the soils and location of the rose bush. 

Rose bushes grow best in an area with slightly acidic, well drained soil that gets plenty of sunshine.  The best weather to plant a rose bush is a windless, overcast day in the early Spring.  Planting in the early spring allows plenty of time for the roots to establish themselves during the upcoming growing season.  When planting a rose be absolutely sure to dig a hole that is large enough to allow the roots to spread out in their natural form.  Roses should be planted with the bud union (where the graft is generally) above the soil in a warmer climate and no further than 1”-2” in colder climes.  All roses need to be firmly planted.  To accommodate this need, place the plant into the hole, fill in some soil, and pack firmly with your foot every couple of inches until the hole is filled.  This forces the roots into contact with the soil around them. 

During the growing season I recommend daily maintenance and observation of your rose bushes.  This allows you to be on top of the maintenance and quickly catch any diseases that roses can acquire.   Dead heading rose blooms to encourage new flowers to form.  When dead heading; cut the flower stalk back to the first leaf with five leaflets.  Monitor your roses for disease problems throughout the growing season.  Roses are susceptible to numerous disease problems (too numerous for me to cover in this blog!) but some of the most common are aphids, powdery mildew, and black spot.  Any leaves with black spot can be removed and disposed away from the bushes or you run the risk of contamination of other plants.  I recommend picking up a book with pictures of the disease problems so they can be identified and taken care of.

The first year after planting roses should not be fertilized.  This helps them come to terms with the soil they are planted in.  In subsequent years fertilization should begin as soon as new growth is seen and should not be continued past August.  I have great success with Osmocote scratched into the soil.  Fertilization after each blooming period is recommended because it encourages new blooming.  Mulch the ground around your Rose’s roots to insulate them from changes in temperature and to retain moisture.

Pruning should occur late in the dormant season, after the last hard frost (be very sure of this!) and when the buds start to swell.  Make sure that your pruning shears are extremely sharp and that you have invested in some thick leather gloves.  Pruning cuts should be above a bud that is facing outward from the main stem.  The cut should also slope away from the bud in order to encourage water to drain the opposite direction.  Regular pruning techniques otherwise apply.  You want to eliminate weak branches, dead branches, rubbing branches, and branches that are growing inward.  Also prune to maintain the bush’s shape and form.

That about covers the basics of Rose Gardening, and I do mean the basics.  If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will do my best to give you an answer.    

-Matt

Designing with Children in Mind

When commissioning a landscape design, it is very important to consider how children view and interact with the world around them.  Children tend to view the landscape through a microscope, tending to focus on details rather than the big picture.  A child’s garden should appeal to all five of their senses (Moore, 1997).  It is important to instill in children a love of nature that will grow into stewardship and environmental sensitivity.  It is important to remember that children are individuals that can add a lot of insight into the design process. 

            A child needs are best met through nine basic elements provided in a design: discovery, water, loose elements, plant life, wildlife, heights, enclosure, movement, and make believe (Dannenmaier, 1998).  Discovery is very important to a child’s development.  Creative, constructive activity occurs through a child’s opportunity to define the parameters of their play.  One of the most desirable elements in any garden but is one of the least provided because of cost and liability issues.  A child’s need for loose elements can be provided by a sand box, or even natural elements such as dirt, twigs, and pine cones.  Playing with loose elements help children develop skills in construction and creation.  Heights provide a sense of escape to children by providing an exciting perspective.  If your site has great differences in elevation you can provide this very easily though if it doesn’t height can be provided by a well designed tree house.  Movement is the most important element to provide for kids.  Movement is satisfied through physical activity.  Provide children with a play-scape, a lawn area, but most of all make it this area very safe.  Allowing children room to be creative within the landscape is very important.  Providing a space for make-believe is very easy.  This space should have elements that children can adapt to their play.  Kids like to play in enclosed spaces.  Growing up we all had that special place in the woods where we built a “fort” or “cottage (girls).”  These special spaces made us feel safe, and allowed us to play privately.  Providing parents with a good sightline to these spaces is an important consideration when designing these spaces.  When choosing plants for use around children they should not have thorns, or be poisonous.  Common plants to avoid are anemone, caladium, foxglove, hydrangeas, lantanas, mistletoe, and philodendron.  The next question to ask is “should we educate our children about the dangers or eliminate these plants totally?”  Choose plants that have bright colors, unusual features, and interesting flowers.  Consider growing vegetables, and involving children in your gardening activities.  Use plants to attract wildlife into your garden or use a bird feeder.  Providing children with the opportunity to observe animals helps to develop a sense of wonder for natural processes.  

            Providing these nine elements within a well designed landscape is a difficult process.  Juxtaposing children’s areas against more landscape elements requires careful design consideration.  Keeping retaining walls shorter, designing stairs with a shorter rise and longer treads, and thinking about safer paving materials.  When designing for children it is important to stay away from abrasive paving materials such as, tumble bricks.  Use smoother materials such as range pattern flagstone.  Provide boundaries for children by using hedges or privacy fencing.  Providing ample area to circulate around pools, grills, and ensuring that a patio is well lit at night are important considerations.  Avoiding pressure treated lumber and wood chips in your landscape.  Using natural materials around your children is the best policy.  When placing sandboxes, playscapes, or tree houses consider sight lines from your house.  Most children are injured when they are out of sight.  Under playground equipment use certified playground mulch, poured rubber, or rubber mulch.  Install this material at least six inches thick to protect the kids from a hard fall.  Poured rubber is installed six inches thick on a concrete pad and come in a multitude of colors.  When doing the original design considering the children will outgrow any play ground equipment is very important.  Designing play spaces with a future use in mind.  An area that once held a sandbox or swing set can be re-adapted to a planting be, or a private, secret garden with a bench and fountain.  If you would like a pond, think about installing a grid a couple of inches under the surface of the water to prevent a child from drowning. 

            If you have children or are thinking about having a child please consider this in your design.  A child’s input is also an invaluable resource for a designer, so consider involving them in the design process.  With a little careful consideration and good design a landscape can be beautiful and safe as well.      

-Matt Bradley, Designer, BLA