Changing Flower Beds For the Summer

Now is the time to change out commercial flower beds around your business for flowers that thrive in hotter temperatures and more intense sunlight. Here's how flower beds should be changed out as part of your commercial landscape maintenance program. Let's start with some flower suggestions. These include delphinium, roses, peony, daylilies, asters, anemones, and iris. Then, choose flowers for their color and fragrance to provide visual interest. Pick flowers from different part of the season that can handle early, mid, and late summer weather. Next, don't just start planting with the new flowers. Instead, you need to prepare the flower bed by removing old perennials and then using weed killer to remove any other type of bed growth. Add new soil and compost to provide nutrients for the flower seeds or flowers that you plan on putting in the flower beds for summer. This is also a good time to change the shape of the flower beds. You don't have to use the traditional straight-line flower beds. Instead, consider curved beds for a unique look. When doing this you can plant the flowers in groups of three or more rather than the straight line found in a vegetable garden style bed. We can help you create beautiful summer flower beds that provide color and a fresh look all season long. Contact us now to find out how we can take care of your commercial landscaping needs.   Arrange your garden with an eye to plant color, shape and size as well as time of bloom to give your garden movement and provide new views every time you see it. Arrange plants, shortest to tallest, from front to back or perimeter to center in your bed. When arranging groups, consider the views of your flowerbed from the house and sidewalk as well as the view from up close to it. Use dramatic plants like hostas to brighten shady places; add dramatic punctuation with oriental lilies and commission annuals such as snapdragons to bridge periods when few perennials bloom. Whether your flowerbed is a high-maintenance rose garden or a jumbled cottage plot, it should reflect your personality. You may want shades of one color or a balanced palette of several. Your native garden’s monarda and purple coneflowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies; a moon garden’s white flowers attract nocturnal moths. Declare your concern for the environment by xeriscaping or designing a rain garden, techniques that use native plants to reduce the need for added nutrients and water. Whether a collection of heirloom blooms or the latest hybrid gems, your flowerbed speaks volumes about the gardener who keeps it.

By |2019-04-28T21:48:33+00:00April 28th, 2019|Categories: Flower Beds|Tags: , , |Comments Off on Changing Flower Beds For the Summer

Why is Compost Good For Lawns?

You may have heard of compost, and it brings to mind what people can do with some of their food waste. That's because compost is essentially decomposed organic matter that includes some of that food waste you throw away. It's that compost and what it is made of that helps nourish the soil and feeds those plants or that lawn. Compost can be made on a small scale like what people do with the organic aspects of their trash. It's typically made in a large container. Or, it can be created on a much larger scale. Besides food, compost can also include grass clippings, leaves, hay, seashells, tree bark and twigs, animal manure, and straw. The compost mixture typically consists of two parts of dry material like leaves to one part wet or green material, such as grass clippings. The mixture is then left to decompose. Air movement is important, but the decomposing compost must also remain evenly moist. What makes compost so good for the lawn and other landscape is the microorganisms. Millions of microbes deliver the necessary nutrients to the soil to help stimulate plant growth. With all the nutrients, the grass becomes healthier. Just think of it as vitamins for the grass. To apply compost to a lawn, it needs to be spread with shovels to create a layer across the lawn that is about 1/4" thick. After a rake can be used to ensure the compost is evenly spread. It is good to apply the compost just after seeding and aerating. Because microorganisms are continually reproducing and dying, you can never add too much compost to the lawn. Once organic matter starts to build up in the soil, you can apply compost much less.  Also, you won't need to fertilize and water the lawn while weed, insect, and disease will also decrease. This illustrates another benefit of using compost for the lawn. To get professional assistance with composting, contact us now to find out how we can help you maintain a lush commercial lawn.

By |2019-04-13T21:21:04+00:00April 13th, 2019|Categories: Feed Your Lawn|Tags: , , |Comments Off on Why is Compost Good For Lawns?

Spring Insect Control Tips For Year-Round Benefits

Spring is the season for rebirth and renewal, and that includes animals and insects along with grass, plants, and flowers. While that is good overall, all those insects can wreak havoc on your commercial landscape. These pests include fleas and ticks, mosquitos, flies, ants, cockroaches, and termites. This is the season to start with your insect control strategies, which can help how much pest control work you have to do the rest of the year. Here are some tips for spring insect control: Store and dispose of food and waste properly, including any bins located around your commercial property. Keep these bins tightly closed and empty them daily. Control moisture and standing water around your commercial property. High humidity contributes to pest egg production. Fix any leaks and clear out gutters and downspouts. Also, trim tall grass and remove any wet or decaying wood. Inspect perimeter areas around your commercial property for areas that may ideal for insects to breed and live. Treat these areas first. Trim back trees and shrubs touching your commercial building as insects like to live there. If there are any fruit trees, clean these up because ants and other insects love the fruit. Keep all areas of your commercial property as clean as possible. Insects like debris and trash so remove all brush piles, excess leaves, and trash. Avoid mulch because insects love its warmth and moisture. The mulch should be used sparingly or not at all. Partner with Rosie's Pest Control, which as part of Pugh's Earthworks, has pest control services. This can help by regularly treating all lawn and landscape areas to limit any insects or pests. Contact us now to find out how we can reduce and even eliminate insects now so you don't have to deal with them throughout the year. By getting control of pests now, there will be less work to do the rest of the year.

By |2019-04-08T13:37:06+00:00April 7th, 2019|Categories: Pest Control|Tags: , , |Comments Off on Spring Insect Control Tips For Year-Round Benefits

April is Lawn and Garden Month

Every April, communities, businesses, and individuals across the celebrate gardening during National Garden and Lawn Month.  It brings awareness to the beauty found in nature as well as the benefits gardening provides all of us. Gardens and lawns contribute to better health, improve the aesthetics of cities and businesses, and provide an overall attractive look to everything around us to enhance moods. This celebration was started by the National Garden Bureau who worked with 23 national horticultural organizations to legislate National Garden Week. Former President Reagan signed the Proclamation on April 18, 1986. National Garden Week was first celebrated April 12 to 18, 1987. Then, in 2002, the National Gardening Association decided to extend the celebration to encompass the entire month of April. From 2003, National Garden Month has been celebrated during the month of April. Here are some ways to celebrate the month: Participate in a city or neighborhood beautification day. Visit a farmer's market or garden center. Volunteer to clean up a park or street. Work with others to develop a city garden. Add a garden or more greenery at your workplace. Include more houseplants in the office. Take a local garden tour. Find ways to be more environmentally sensitive, including using less pesticide, water, and electricity. Start an indoor herb garden. Buy locally grown food. During this month, you may also want to work with a professional commercial company like Pugh's Earthworks to manage your commercial lawn and garden or find a way to redesign it so it uses less water thanks to new drough-resistant plants. Contact us today to learn more!    

By |2019-04-04T22:22:12+00:00April 4th, 2019|Categories: Commercial Landscape Maintenance|Tags: , , , |Comments Off on April is Lawn and Garden Month
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