Landscaping Tips

Landscape Lighting

Do you have a landscape lighting system?  Be sure to adjust your timers according to the time of year.  At the same time it is a good idea to check your fixtures and be sure they are clean and not getting covered by vegetation.

Soil Preparation & Gardens

When creating new planting beds remember:  Great gardens start with great soil!   The most important component for successful gardening is proper soil preparation.  As a general  rule, work into the top 12” of soil, up to 1 cubic yard of topsoil or compost for every 100 square feet. If we provide healthy soil then the result is usually healthy, pest-free plants.

Sprinkler Systems

If you start your sprinkler system on your own, be sure to run through each zone and check each head for proper adjustments, and for any damages.  Although you may have a rain sensor, it is a good idea to leave your sprinkler timer in the off position until it is dry enough to start watering.  Rain sensor may dry out before your lawn actually dries out and you could be wasting water.

Grow Your Own!

Ever thought about growing your own vegetables? This is the perfect time of year to begin growing vegetable or flower seeds indoors to then transplant them in 4-6 weeks.  Lawn aeration in the spring will allow water and nutrients to penetrate and be easily accessed by the turfs roots.

Start Controlling Insects Now

Dormant oil spray can be applied to control overwintering insects such as scale, mites, galls, aphids, etc, on deciduous an evergreen trees and shrubs . Dormant oil sprays should be applied when the temperature is above 40 degrees F.  Early spring is a good time to divide perennials like Daylilies, Iris, Chrysanthemums, and Daisies.  The additional plants you create can be moved to a new area of the garden or shared with friends.

Early Spring Pruning

Prune roses and cut back liriope and ornamental grasses before new growth begins in spring.  When you complete your spring clean up and mulching, make sure no light fixtures are covered with mulch.  This is a fire hazard as the heat of the lamp will cause the mulch to catch on fire.

Snow Mold

Snow mold is a fungus. It symptoms consist of roughly circular patches of dead matted grass (at least 3 to 12 inches). It develops in wet, cool weather when the snow cover lasts for several months as ours has this year. Snow mold begins to grow when the grass is covered with snow before the ground has frozen. Snow mold grows under the snow, but may continue after the snow melts. The fungus lives for years in the thatch and soil, but is mostly never detected due to the weather in our area not being conducive to its growth.

March Snow

Snowstorms in March produce wet, heavy snow and it should be removed from evergreens.  The best way to safely remove the snow is to tap the evergreens with a broom.

Damaged Plants

If you notice frost or a freeze has damaged a plant, leave it alone until warmer weather arrives and new growth appears. Pruning or transplanting a damaged plant during winter months can hurt or even kill it.

Prepare now for spring color!

Take a walk around your property and note the areas full of perennials that are slowing down and about ready to be cutback. Think back…. How do these areas look in the spring? Are they bare until May or June? Bulbs may be the answer! Spring flowering bulbs are readily available to be planted now. It’s a great idea to plant bulbs among hostas, ferns, daylilies or ground cover. As these plants grow in the spring they will hide the dying bulb foliage!