Posts Tagged ‘Landscaping’

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Keeping Pests off Your Landscaping

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

 

Are you overwhelmed by pests? Pests can make the best landscaping job look like an amateur stepped in. In actuality the pests create the mess. This post is going to give you some ideas to consider to keep pests away from your landscaping.

Did you know the best way to keep pests away is to take preventative measures? You can use pesticides to control pests when they arrive, but what if you can cut down on pests before they even make a home in your yard?

There are certain plants you can plant that actually repel pests, such as marigolds, petunias, and dahlias, to name a few. If you plant some of those you have made your first step in getting rid of pests. You should consider keeping all plant life and trees at least six inches from your home, as this helps with the creepy crawlies who can live indoors as well as outdoors.

If you use mulch, consider changing it out for red stones. If you really think about it, mulch is nothing more than decaying vegetation. And it can bring in a whole host of unwanted pests. Sure it’s nice to look at but it is also a tasty treat for bugs and pests.

These are few things to consider when landscaping, if you don’t want to have to deal with pests. This is not to say you won’t have a pest problem at some point but it will certainly cut down on unwanted visitors.

Source: Lifehacker
Image ℅: Wikimedia Commons
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Protecting Landscaping in Winter

Monday, January 30th, 2012

With winter in full swing, what have you done to protect your landscaping from the harsh weather? To keep your landscaping in manageable condition come spring, you must protect your plants, trees and shrubs from winter conditions. The best prevention is being proactive. Do not wait for winter to be looming upon you before you start. The best time to start winterizing your lawn is late fall. Starting the process earlier not only protects your landscaping but makes it easier to spruce things up in the spring. 

It’s important that you not start too early; the best time to start the winterization process is in late fall when the leaves on the trees are falling consistently and are turning brown. First you want to start with taking indoors all potted plants. Anything that is left outside should be wrapped in burlap. If you have plants that grow near walkways where you may salt, protect them – salt kills plants.

Clean all the debris off your lawn. You should also rake up all leaves. If it snows and the leaves are still there it can cause snow mold, which can destroy lawns.  You can also put out mulch. It helps to act as an insulator for plants, protecting them against frost and snow. It also helps plants keep their moisture.

I know it may sound like a lot of work, but these are things you really need to consider doing in order to keep your lawn and plants ready for springtime. Winters can be brutal, especially in New York and New Jersey.

Source: Yardener
Image ℅:  Wikimedia Commons
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Elegant Trees to Elevate Your Landscaping

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Yoshino Cherry Tree

 

Are you planning to redo your property in New Jersey or New York? Are you thinking of ways to beautify your property and give it some real curbside appeal? Or trees that will boost your property value?  If so this post will give you some great ideas for elegant trees and shrubs that grow well in New Jersey and New York.

The Yoshino Cherry tree is a stunningly beautiful tree. It has gorgeous white blossoms. It grows very well in most soils. And as a plus it is also draught resistant. This tree makes a statement when bordering a driveway. It would also look nice surrounding an outdoor living area. The Yoshino tree is indigenous to Japan and made its way to the US in 1902. There is a lot of history and culture behind this whimsical looking tree.

The Thuja Green Giant Tree is another tree that is aesthetically pleasing. It is an evergreen tree. It can hold up to extreme heat, is resistant to insects and pests, and is extremely easy to grow. These trees makes excellent privacy fences, because they grow in such a uniform shape. Another bonus to adding this tree is it is low maintenance. It only requires a trim at least once a year.

These are couple of trees that will make people stand and take notice of your landscaping. These trees boost property value and will beautify your lawn area.

Source: Fast Growing Tree
Image ℅:  Wikimedia Commons
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Two Famous Landscape Designers

Friday, April 29th, 2011

Margery Fish and Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe have both had a marked and significant difference to their professions and have both contributed immensely to the art of landscape gardening. Included below is a very brief overview of their contribution.

Margery Fish was born in 1888 and passed away in 1969. Margery had a huge influence on gardening, not only in the United Kingdom. She became well known for her passion and ability to mix a large variety of plants in a very small area. She was also famous for the ability to mix contemporary plants with older type plants. She was one of the most important influences in the English Cottage Gardening genre and she had a large influence on the style and type of gardening done during her lifetime.

Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe was born in 1900 and passed on in 1996. He had a huge influence on all those around him and had a very long career of almost seventy years. He will be remembered for the great and innovative changes he made. He trained as an architect, but soon found himself working as a town planner and landscape architect. His passion became obvious as a garden designer. He described it as “the mother of all arts”. His landscaped gardens are indeed very architectural as well.

It was his idea to start the Institute of Landscape Architects, and was also its president from 1939 to 1949. The International Federation of Landscape Architects, of which he was Honorary Life President, was a large influence on the thinking at the time which can be seen in his work from Ditchley Park through to the designs for Sutton Place.

A lot of his works remain for all to see. Jellicoe’s creations such as Cheddar Gorge in 1934 and the Kennedy memorial at Runnymede, is considered to be one of his greatest works. Water was often a feature in his garden designs. He would often use water in many different ways from being very still and reflective to vibrant and busy like a waterfall or down steps.

Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe combined a deep understanding of classical design with a modern take. He had a unique way of having a feeling for the totality of a viagra and a rare sense of volume. His contribution to the profession into what it has become today is largely because of his innovative foundation.

Images: Great British Gardens
Garden Visit

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My Favourite Flowering Tree

Sunday, March 13th, 2011
Outeniqua_Yellowwood.jpg

Outeniqua_Yellowwood.jpg

My favourite flowering tree is, without a doubt, the African Yellowood (Falcartus Podocarpus) found in abundance in a very specific area – the Knysna forest in South Africa – and therefore considered rare and expensive.

The tree grows quite fast to reach the forest canopy, but is actually a slow grower. This very sought-after wood is light in colour and quite soft but makes good furniture and is very attractive to look at. It blooms in spring like so many other trees in the forest, but it produces beautiful blossoms that looks like a little orchid with white and yellow petals which last about three weeks.

The blossoms turn into seed. A full grown Yellowood can drop thousands of these by the end of summer. The tree is evergreen and will not lose its leaves in winter which makes winter a good time to transport and plant as it will then get a few months to settle down.

A large Yellowood can have a thick trunk as big as 15 feet in diameter and the usual height of an average indigenous canopy is between 30 and 50 feet. The tree is able to grow very old and there are some that have been found to be well over 100 years old. Most of the Yellowoods in Africa are now protected although there is still controlled harvesting and growing of Yellowoods for the wood industry.

Image: Creative Commons

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When To Fertilize In New Jersey

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

When it comes to plant nutrition, nothing is more important than fertilizing. But, as all good gardeners know fertilizing can either really help your garden, or it can really hurt your garden. Picking the wrong time to fertilize is one of the main causes of garden problems, so if you want to save yourself some pain, take some of this advice.

When it comes to New Jersey the summer months can get very hot very quickly. Summer is also one of the months where most inexperienced farmers typically use their fertilizer. Instead of making the biggest mistake of your life, try fertilizing in different parts of the year. I would recommend fertilizing in late May, early September, and the first week in November. These dates might seem a little close, but they are the best time to fertilize. In most cases there is no heat factor to that plays a role and you fertilize the recommended three times per year. Doing this will ensure that your lawn remains health and ready for the next summer.


References

1. About.com
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When To Plant In New York

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

Knowing when or when not to plant anything in your garden can be a tough thing to figure out. After all, you do not want your new vegetables or plants to whither away and die because you planted them at the wrong time. Still, that doesn’t answer the question, when can I plant in the state of New York

If it is fruits and vegetables you are worried about, the exact time can vary. The best method isn’t to guess and hope for the best, but instead do some research and find out what is the best time. This is a great resource for planting food crops in New York. Most farmers will already know this, but if you are just planting a small garden for vegetables, this information can come in handy.

Now we have the decorative plants. For this, there margin of error is really a lot less. The general rule of thumb is to plant in the spring while everything is growing back. This gives it the maximum amount of time for it to grow before the dormant season. However, there are some plants and trees that should be planted in the colder seasons, they are rare, but they do exist. To be on the safe side, ask the person that you are buying from. They would most likely know and can even give you advice for keeping your plant or tree healthy. That way your new addition to your garden can grow big and strong!


References

1. almanac.com
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Installing A Rain Sensor For Your Sprinkler System

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

When it comes to lawn care, too much water can be a bad thing. Weeds, bugs, and diseases are on the list of things that homeowners worry about when it comes to their yards, but over-watering is often an overlooked and preventable problem that can plague a lawn.

In most cases, over-watering is a result of having the sprinkler system on when it rains. It sounds silly, but it is something that people do to their lawns all the time. It is for this reason that many people add a rain sensor to their existing system. The device itself is rather simple: when it rains, the sensor ensures that the sprinkler system does not come on. That way, mother nature is watering your lawn instead of you.

Installing the device is also an easy task. The important part is to make sure the sensor is placed in an area free of obstructions. If a branch or a part of your roof is blocking rain from getting to the sensor, it will never know to turn off the sprinkler system. A common place to install one is on a fence, but it really doesn’t matter as long as the rain can get to it. After that, it’s just a few small wires to connect and you are done! Then you no longer have to worry about over-watering.


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How to remove snow from New Jersey Evergreens

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

New Jersey at the moment is under a blanket of snow. Spring is coming very soon and you don’t want your lawn or landscape still covered with snow. Take some small steps now to assure that your landscape will be snow free. It is very easy to get those trees to start looking green again and not white-walled with snow.

Take a look at this video for some great tips and tricks to get those evergreen trees looking back to normal. The video also gives some good pointers on what trees to buy that will sustain the most snow damage.

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The New Jersey Botanical Gardens

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

If you live in the New Jersey area and you are looking for some inspiration to put into your garden, you should check out the New Jersey state Botanical gardens. The Botanical Gardens feature some of the best and prettiest flowers in all of the garden state. I’m sure that if you are a plant lover, you will appreciate what this place has to offer.
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