An Investment Worth Making

Have you ever considered what it would take to replace the plantings in your landscape? For example, picture a full-grown oak or magnolia. It would be very difficult and costly to find a suitable substitute if either one was lost. However, each will continue adding value to your property with the right care.

You can’t go wrong by investing in your landscape, especially when you think in terms of curb appeal. Studies show that a well-maintained and designed landscape can add as much as 15% to the selling price of a home.

With that in mind, it makes sense to do whatever you can to prevent tree and shrub decline and promote good plant health. Properly cared for, your trees and shrubs will definitely improve with age, and some can last for generations.

It’s an investment worth making, and from an environmental standpoint, everyone can benefit!

Pre-emergent herbicides offer added insurance

As their name implies, pre-emergent herbicides prevent crabgrass plants from emerging in the first place. They work by killing off any would-be crabgrass plants soon after their seeds germinate. Pre-emergents won’t work if they aren’t applied prior to seed germination, though, so it’s important to make sure they’re on your lawn before crabgrass grows. Plus, since there will always be crabgrass seeds trying to grow in your lawn, yearly applications are necessary for ongoing control.

Also, keep in mind that pre-emergents will stop good grass seeds from growing too. Therefore, you should wait six to eight weeks after a pre-emergent application if you want to reseed your lawn.

With a one-two punch of good lawn care practices and pre-emergent herbicide applications, your turf will be much less likely to suffer a crabgrass infestation.

Start Your Seedlings Indoors

Starting some of your vegetable garden or annual flowers indoors is a great way to get started in your garden while the weather outside may still be more like winter than spring. This is a great project for everyone in the family. Your kids will love to help so they can watch the seeds sprout and become plants.

Here’s what you'll need to get started—

• Pots – peat pots are nice because drain well, and when the time is right can be planted directly into the garden, or saved and reused next year. You can also purchase a mini greenhouse made just for starting seeds. These are great for keeping temps and moisture consistent. Once the seeds sprout they need to be taken out of this and transplanted into larger container with a new source of light and warmth.
• Soil – good soil is an important part of this process, you can make your own, but because you don’t need a lot it’s easiest to just purchase a bag. Potting soil is a mixture of peat, vermiculite and other light material that retains water without becoming dense or soggy. It’s free of diseases and insects that may be in your garden soil.
• Seeds – this is the fun part! What do you want to grow? Think about what you like to see in your garden, the colors, and sizes and also what you’re interested in harvesting. There are more seeds in a package than you can probably use, so talk with other gardeners and friends and see if you can set-up an exchange. Follow the instructions on the seed packages for planting. If you aren’t familiar with the plants it’s a good idea to label your containers.
• Location – You’ll need a warm sunny location for your seedlings. You can use grow lights or heat pads to supplement if you don’t have the ideal location. Most people find this is necessary. Remember that the seeds start in small containers, but as they grow and need transplanting they start taking up a lot of room, so plan wisely.

Early Season Gardening

When you can’t wait to get started in the spring garden, a good task to undertake is pruning. Most trees and shrubs benefit from annual pruning. It keeps them in shape, gets rid of dead and diseased wood and encourages new growth. But not all trees and shrubs should be pruned early—early spring bloomers set their flower buds the fall before. Pruning them early in the spring would mean losing some blossoms. Most of the time this is not what you want. However there are exceptions. It’s often easier to prune when you can see the shape of the plant, before the branches have leaves on them. Trees and shrubs that need shaping could sacrifice a few blossoms for a spring pruning.

The trees that can be pruned early are those that have flower buds on the new growth made this year (called first year wood). These trees generally bloom later in the season, beginning in late June or July.

Many trees you may have in your yard can be pruned in early spring, while they’re still dormant, they include: Bradford Pear, Butterfly Bush, Crape Myrtle, Flowering Dogwood, Flowering Plum, Glossy Abelia, Golden Rain Tree, Honeysuckle, Potentilla, Redbud, and Spirea.

If you prune an early spring bloomer, the budded branches can be cut and put indoors, which brings the feel of spring right into the house. The closer to outdoor blooming time a branch is cut, the faster it will flower indoors.

Telling the difference between a vegetative bud (leaves) and a flowering bud is easy. Flowering buds are much fatter. If there are three buds on a branch tip and the center one is larger than the other two, it is a flowering bud.

Garden lighting Design

Enjoy your garden longer with outdoor lighting, enjoy your backyard or patio not only in the daylight hours but for twilight entertaining or for evening dining and relaxation. Garden lighting is necessary for pool safety and dining or cooking areas, but illumination for your flower beds, shrubbery, deck or patio adds to the beauty of your garden.

How do you plan to use your garden space? Do you need hardwired lighting with switch capability? Plan lights near pathways and dark areas. Decide if you will need bright lights on your patio, perhaps above a table where you will entertain. Use a flashlight at night and experiment with different locations.

Do you have a pond or water feature? Underwater lights add beautiful lighting and reflection. Solar lights are a great option since they don't need electricity.

Solar lights work in any season, even if they are covered by snow. Solar powered lights can be moved for a quick redesign any time of the year. Solar-powered garden up-lighting that displays flowering plants in the summer can be moved to highlight evergreens, seasonal decorations or other interesting areas of your garden during the fall and winter. Design your garden lighting plan with all seasons in mind.

Landscape lights are available in a wide range of styles and prices, and are available with professional installation from Designer Landscaping, in Bethlehem, PA.

Is Fall The Best Time for Planting?

For most of us, when it comes to planting our gardens, we think of springtime, but the truth of the matter is that fall is the perfect time for planting. Your plants will actually get off to a better start in the spring

Perennials, cold-tolerant vegetables, spring flowering bulbs and woody plants can all be planted in the fall.

So here’s the 411 on fall planting, you should plant perennials and woody plants at least six to eight weeks before winter arrives. That way they will have plenty of time to get settled in and make good root growth. Just remember when planting in the fall you will still need to water if the weather is exceptionally dry. But in the winter when they’re inactive, they don’t need much water. It’s not recommended that you let them dry out completely. Your plants probably won’t survive the winter if they become dry.

Just like with spring plantings, you will probably want to add a layer of mulch around the crown of each plant. Make sure that it doesn’t touch the leaves or stems. The mulch will keep the soil moist so less watering is required. And the added bonus is that it will keep the ground warm so your new plants can continue to grow longer in the fall.

The majority of fall plantings don’t need fertilizer except for fall planted bulbs. Fertilizers that are high in nitrogen (the first number listed on the container) can be very bad for your plants. Your plants aren’t growing enough to need fertilizer in the fall. The fertilizer only facilitates growth that won’t be adequately hardened off by winter. You are better off fertilizing in the spring and summer.

Some experts call fall the second season because it is the perfect time to plant a late vegetable garden. The majority of the cold-tolerant vegetables do extremely well in the fall months. Some herbs also do well in the cool weather. These include ones in the onion family, cilantro, chervil, dill, and parsley.

The seeds of annuals can also be planted in the fall. The advantage is that they can get an early start next spring.

For more information about fall planting or any of your other landscaping needs, please contact Designer Landscaping PA today!

The Right Plant for the Right Site

The best way to avoid potential problems in the garden is to use plants that will thrive in the conditions provided. For example...a plant that enjoys a shadier, moist environment (i.e. Astilbe) would not be the best choice to plant in a well-drained soil, full sun site. It would be an uphill battle to provide enough water to make it happy and healthy.

Therefore, good planning up front can save a gardener a lot of work later. Monitoring and keeping good notes about a new garden site the season before will help you select appropriate plants based on their cultural requirements; sun vs. shade, moist or dry soil, wind conditions and hardiness.

It does not just end there. Be aware of a plants mature size and site it appropriately. It makes no sense to plant a tree or shrub that has a mature height of 12’ in a space that only allows it to grow 6’ tall, the pruning would be endless, if not impossible.

Finally, certain perennials and shrubs may require more maintenance (division, pruning, and deadheading) than others. Keep in mind the amount of time you can spend maintaining your new garden and choose plants accordingly. With a little pre-planning you will be well on your way to a beautiful, healthy garden.