Landscape Maintenance

A lot of the success of a commercial real estate building depends on first appearances.  No matter how great the services you offer are, it’s entirely possible that people will never notice your community or commercial building if it doesn’t look as great as one of your competitors.  To persuade people to stop by, your building needs to look top-notch and your landscaping should look flawless.  Because lawn areas of commercial properties are typically large and highly visible, a commercial turf care program is a great place to start. What Are Turf Care Programs? Turf…continue reading →

There are many signs that spring has arrived...robins chirping, daffodils blooming, the days get longer, and there's the unmistakable smell of mulch in the air.  Mulch.  It's a glorious blanket for the planting beds that makes the landscape look clean and manicured each spring.  But mulch also serves many important roles in the landscape outside of just making the beds look nice.  Mulch retains soil moisture, insulates the root zone to keep soil temperatures more consistent, and helps to prevent invasive and unsightly weeds.  Organic mulches will also create a favorable environment for soil organisms that are essential to good plant health.

Soil provides essential nutrients, air, and water for plants, lawns, and microorganisms that make up the landscape. It is literally a living ecosystem. Keeping the landscape healthy means keeping the soil healthy too. Nutrient availability, pH balance, and organic matter content are not visible to the naked eye so the one tool we have as landscape professionals is regular soil testing. Soil testing is the equivalent of a person taking a physical exam at the doctor’s office. The results of the soil tests give us the information that is needed to customize ornamental and turf care programs that ensure each unique landscape is the healthiest and strongest it can be.

An old, sprawling tree is a beautiful thing. Besides adding shade, mature trees do a world of good for properties. They absorb pollutants in the air and water and reduce soil erosion. They significantly increase curb appeal — a mature tree can be valued between $1,000 and $10,000 and can increase property value.

Dormant pruning is the process of performing routine maintenance pruning on trees and shrubs at a time when they are not actively growing.  Elevating low hanging branches, removing damaged or broken limbs, and creating space between structures and the landscaping can all be done during late Fall and Winter.   Routine pruning practices can be used, but plants can also withstand more dramatic pruning at this time of so it's also a good time to address shrubs that are growing into walks and paths or that are growing above windows creating a safety concern.