Some Inspiration From My Favorite Movie

My favorite movie growing up was Edward Scissorhands. Sure, some of it freaked me out but most of it had me in complete awe of suburbia. My husband and I just purchased our first home and when discussing our yard, I immediately fell back into my Edward obsession. I had to have our shrubs and trees designed into topiary’s like Edward would do. We called McLean VA landscape experts and although they laughed a bit – together we mapped out a plan to have a family of elephants created for our yard. I love it, and you wouldn’t believe the number of neighbors we met because they stopped by to admire our yard!

Why Not Plan For Summer Early?

Every winter we stick ourselves inside and wait for the luxury of spring and summer to come. Why not invest in your summer months with a new patio? Can you see yourself sun tanning on your patio in the summer months or having a BBQ in the backyard with ample seating next to the grill? Reach out to a landscape design, Chester Springs, PA expert and invest in your summer vacation!

Who Should Be Installing Your New Sprinkler System?

Winter may be right around the corner, but it’s never too early to think about ways to keep your lawn looking beautiful.  And the best way to do that is having a knowledgeable, experienced team install a custom sprinkler system tailored just for your home’s landscape needs.

Anyone in the market for sprinklers in Chelmsford MA should consider the following before making any decision about who will be installing their new sprinklers:

Is it a reputable company? There are lots of landscaping companies out there who are looking to cut corners (and costs) when it comes to your lawn, but the question is, how do you avoid working with these lemons?  Here are a few tips to help anyone looking for a new company to install sprinklers:

1.      Are they accredited with the BBB? If so, what is their ranking?  This kind of information can be helpful because less reputable businesses often are not accredited with the BBB or have a negative ranking when you look them up online

2.      Is there a warranty on parts and labor?  If there isn't then you might be getting set up for future costs down the road.  Without a warranty on your new sprinkler system, the company who installed it could be setting you up for future costs on “repairs” down the road.  Don’t let them nickel and dime you!

3.      Check their references.  Lots of companies have happy customers, and the best companies are willing to share those happy customers with a potential new customer in order to get business.  Referrals are the best way to grow any business, so if someone is not able to give you a referral from a REAL client of theirs, you should be weary of working with them.

No Procrastinating!

We all know that household chores are never fun, but leaving landscape design chores for one weekend in a chilly town like Chester Springs, PA is even worse.  Try to spread out your fall maintenance regularly so that you aren't overwhelmed with yard work.  Tasks such as ridding your yard of leaves, light pruning, mulching and planting perennials are such easy tasks that are the basics of your fall chores.  The key to fall landscaping is do a little bit every week, and you are sure to have a beautiful lawn.  Don't procrastinate like everyone in America loves doing - it won't be fun. Call the expert West Chester PA landscape designers for more tips today! 

Halloween Is Near!

Living in Vienna, VA and need help with landscaping ideas for the fall?  Well if you have access to some pumpkins, hay and scarecrows, then you are all set.  Pumpkins are a great fall accent for your landscaping design because there are so many different things you can do with such a simple item.  If you want to add some lighting outdoors, clean out a pumpkin, cut out a pattern in the front (leaves are always a great idea), and place a citronella candle inside.  You can also place several pumpkins on your front porch with some hay stacks and a scarecrow and kill two birds with one stone – fall and Halloween décor. Call the local Vienna VA landscaping experts today!

Fall Best Time For Planting?

Don't let people out there fool you - fall is actually the best time for planting! Most people will say no way with the cold weather coming up, but here is why fall is actually a good time to get the new plants into the ground. Just because most plants and trees lose all their leaves and go cold for the winter, this is only what you can see. What you can't see, is what is going on underneath the soil. These roots and bottoms are actually just beginning and are 'firing up.' By the start of the spring these plants will already have a leg up on the newer plants being put into the ground in the spring and will come out of the gate faster to bloom early! This is a very important piece to keep in mind and if you have any additional questions or want to learn which types of plants work best, be sure to call your local Potomac MD landscape designer today!

The Fall Season Is Upon Us

Walking out the front door these past couple mornings you can really feel the cooler air hit your face which means only one thing... the fall season is here. Some other signs include football on the weekends, leaves falling off the trees, and traffic being terrible again because of all the kids back in school. Now is the perfect time to examine your yard and see what work needs to be done for the transition into the cooler days and nights ahead. I know it is a bummer seeing the bright flowers start to go but there are definitely fall ideas out there you can use to keep your yard looking fresh. Make sure to call your West Chester landscape designers today to learn how they can help with the transition.

Custom Woodwork - It Can Happen!

Now that you've got the patio installed and a nice outdoor set of table and chairs, but there is just something missing. The space seems too open and you realize there needs to be something up above the patio. Maybe a roof or shade of some sort but you don't want to block all that sunlight. How about a custom woodwork? Good news - call your local McLean landscapers today because there is a chance they can put one together for you and make it a perfect fit to your brand new patio area! Here is an example of how it can bring your outdoor area all together:

Landscape Design Process

Where do you even begin when trying to decide the perfect landscape for your property? My parents used a local landscape design company and they made it very simple and straight forward. They had a three-step process broken down into the different stages of the landscape design.

Step 1 - The Initial Consultation: This is the beginning step where a walk through of the property is completed. The main landscaper walked with my parents listening to them and taking notes trying to envision the design through their eyes. The main landscaper then put together a document regarding the design fees and agreement in order to move onto the next step where the landscape will begin to come to life.

Step 2 - The Concept Stage: Now the project and exciting part begins. The outline of the landscape will be presented and get down the major details. This part is important because both my parents and the landscaper want to make sure the project is heading down the same path.

Step 3 - The Plan Stage: This is where the final pieces start moving all together. They get down to the details of what will be included with specific plants, trees, and hardscape (if you go this route). Another walk through is then performed with the final touchings added which at this point the final proposal is then put together.

New Pool?

Last summer's big project was the installation of your brand new pool. It was a perfect way to keep the kids cool in the summer heat but also outdoors in the fresh air. Project for this summer? What is the best way to keep the yard neat and clean between the pool and house? A patio is a fantastic investment and an easy way to keep the space between your pool and house looking crisp. No more wet grass and mud being tracked into the house and you can also add furniture to the patio to make the outdoor area even more enjoyable. Especially on those cooler summer nights! I would recommend contacting your local landscape construction professional to learn more about the simple ways of making your last summer project even more enjoyable.

Yikes!

My grandmother recently moved into a new home in the Washington DC area. She had been living on her own ever since my grandfather passed about 10 years ago. We finally convinced her to move from Vermont down to be closer to her family in the DC area. She got set up with a very nice home that included a pool so we can go over and hang out with her especially in the summer time. I had never seen the house before she moved in and we went over last Sunday for a big family welcome party. We pulled up and my first glance of the house:

First thing I noticed was the landscaping - Yikes! The rest of the house was perfect including a nice screened in porch with a pool in the backyard. Of course grandma had no clue the landscaping wasn't in good shape so we took control and called our local Vienna landscapers to come and help her the following week to shape the yard up and make it look pretty. Those guys are the best.

Cherry Blossom Trees

If you're not familiar with the area, you may not know about Cherry Blossom Trees. These are sacred trees to the Washington DC metro area. So much so, that last month, we had the National Cherry Blossom festival. It's mainly an excuse to get drunk (but what isn't?). There are places that have Cherry Blossoms, but not like DC. Below, are Cherry Blossom Trees.

Cherry Blossom Trees were a gift from Japan. They have since also given us Toyota, Betamax, and Hyrbid Vehicles. I'm not sure we're that deserving.

In any event, DC's Tidal Basin is surrounded by Cherry Blossom Trees. Any Fairfax Tree Service Company would be proud to maintain these trees. My parents are proud to have them in our town. My nephews are proud to climb them (even though they're from evil, evil, Minneapolis).I guess I'm proud of them, too (although not as proud as I am of my Betamax).

While I can make it a drunken mess, the National Cherry Blossom Festival really is an exceptional event. People travel from all over the country for it. Usually the only reasons that people visit DC are for school field trips, or to be indicted, so it's a nice change of pace.

The Cherry Blossoms are now gone, but they'll be back again next year. And I will be drunk.

Rain, Rain Go Away

So it has been raining here for the past 3 days and I'm starting to get depressed. This is why the winter time is always a drag because you don't get the sunshine and hustle and bustle outdoors. Everything is alive and people are generally happier. Now we're going back to stuck indoors and gloomy moods. But we always can't be downers about the situation so a positive outlook is the rain was needed. The pollen levels were up and we can always use a little extra rain for the grass and plants. Plus - softball season starts next week! The fields need some shaping up so the rain will be good then we can have our Potomac landscapers come in and give it a nice mow before the first game. Okay now I'm feeling better, stay tuned for some softball stories during the season.

Landscape Design Ideas

With the warm weather approaching, I have been thinking of some ideas to spice up our backyard. We spend a ton of time out back in the summer and love it. I have been thinking of working on a project that can enable us to spend just as much time out back during the late fall, winter, and early spring when the weather isn't perfect. Our Malvern landscape designer was working in the yard yesterday so I figured I'd pick his brain about some ideas. He said fireplace installations have been on the rise recently which was perfect for my plan. He told me he can construct a fireplace on our patio which would be perfect for cooler nights so I wouldn't have to stay cooped up inside. Also would work great when we host the entire family for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Let the plans begin!

Spring Time!

That time is almost here! What time... Spring time! Everyone will be back outside running around and catching some rays - which I cannot wait for. One thing to keep in mind is your yard will be noticed more once the weather turns nice with everyone hanging out outside and people will not want to look at the old 2012 landscape that took a beating during the cold winter. Make sure to call your local Vienna Landscapers earlier rather than later to ensure your yard will be looking fresh and ready to kick off another Spring! 

Glad you Stayed

Glad you stayed to see more of our mind blowing blog. Spring is here. Got that? That means you better get planting. Stop goofing off, listening to Rock N Roll music. Spring is when new plants grow and that's a fact, Jack. What are you doing about it. My suggestion? Put down the Nintendos and prep your soil.

"But I don't know how to prep soil" you might say. That's why you've got me here. I'm your guide. I'm your Mr. Miyagi. Think of the soil as Johnny from the Cobra Kai. No, think of the soil as Dutch from the Cobra Kai. You're gonna win the tourney against soil with my help. But you won't have to do a crane kick. And you'll win the tourney against Dutch, instead of Johnny. Wait, I was right the first, time, think of the soil as Johnny from the Cobra Kai, but without the respect that he gives Daniel-san after the tournament, and thus no redemption.

So the first thing we're going to do is paint the fence. Not literally. You don't have to paint the fence of your garden. First, we rake up any debris from the garden. Any dead annuals should be pulled up along with fresh, young weeds.  Then check the pH of the soil. You can get pH tester kits at your local store. Most plants prefer a pH in the range of 6.5 to 7.0. The best way to adjust pH is to add compost. Once done adjusting the pH, paint the fence.