Fall Landscaping in Lincoln – September 2021

Summer is about to come to a close and fall is getting ready to hit Nebraska. Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year, and we all try our best to enjoy every bit of it before winter arrives. If you have been thinking about doing a landscaping project this year, now is the time to do it before we are covered in snow. This is also a time to be proactive about your lawn and take the necessary steps to winterize it before the first freeze hits. We spoke to local lawn care and landscaping professionals about the landscaping projects you still have time to complete, and what you should do to protect your outdoor space against the soon-to-come bitter cold.

Prepare for Winter

Nebraska winters can be brutal, so it’s important to winterize your outdoor area before the cold and snow set in. Jackie Svoboda with Luxury Landscape (luxurylandscape-llc.com) offered some advice on winterizing your lawn landscape.

“We prefer leaving the late fall leaves on a landscape because it provides a blanket for young plants, but there are several other plants that need tending prior to winter’s arrival,” Jackie explained. “If a client prefers to have all landscaped areas cleaned out in the fall, we recommend– and can provide – a spreading of mulch to protect plants. When cold weather is imminent, there are a couple of key things to remember to preserve fall landscape efforts. It’s very important to heavily water all new trees and plants going into winter. It’s a roll of the dice as to when winter will hit, but it is then crucial to make sure all water features are drained and the pump is stored properly indoors before it freezes. This ensures the components won’t freeze, which can be pretty expensive to replace.” Jackie encourages those who are interested in winterizing their landscape and outdoor spaces to contact their business as soon as possible to be guaranteed a spot on their fall schedule.

Jackie recommends taking a few hours to complete some outdoor housekeeping in order to make for a much better spring and ensure a happy, healthy landscape. By watering trees and large shrubs going into winter, draining water features, and storing outdoor items such as patio furniture, cushions, outdoor rugs, and planters or pots, your landscape will be ready to bounce back as soon as the snow melts. Jackie says that if you must leave planters or pots outside, make sure they are emptied and turned over so that they don’t crack or break.
Luxury Landscape can do much more than winterize your outdoor space—they are a full service landscaping company that can install beautiful and unique landscapes to residential and commercial properties.

“A short list of services we provide include fire and water features, pergolas, arbors, gazebos, retaining walls, planter boxes, paver patios and walkways, full landscaping around in-ground swimming pools, and plantings of trees, shrubs, and perennials,” Jackie said.

Jackie said this has been a very popular year for full outdoor living spaces, and they have been busy doing projects that include all of the possible services they provide. She is also very proud of Luxury Landscape’s hardworking crew and the outstanding results that they deliver.

“Our crew is out of this world!” Jackie exclaimed. “They are very experienced, knowledgeable, and respectful of our customers and their property, and amazing at explaining our processes to our clients. We have heard over and over how amazing our crew is! We also take our time on our projects and make sure the job is done correctly. We know our name is on the work we complete, so we don’t rush through any of our landscaping projects. Some of our customers may have to wait a little longer, but they also know they will have a completed landscape that’s done right!”

Grow Your Garden

Gardening plays a big role in landscaping, and with all the different types of plants there are, it’s important to get help from a professional to guarantee your plants will survive the months to come. Get in touch with Earl May Seed & Nursery (earlmay.com) to renovate your landscape with beautiful plants that are sure to brighten up and color your property.

“At Earl May, we are passionate about gardening and making the world more beautiful, one backyard at a time,” said Jessica Jasnoch, manager of Earl May’s South Lincoln Garden Center. “We can provide and plant trees, shrubs, and perennials; create flower beds and berms; and renovate existing flower beds and berms.”

Jessica encourages fertilizing trees and shrubs in the fall to ensure that they will have the energy to leaf out in the spring. Fall is also a great time to protect the bark on young trees from animals such as deer and rabbits. Call Jessica and her team at Earl May today for all of your gardening needs!

Quality Lawn Care

Aerating is the process of making finger size holes in your lawn and depositing the removed material on the surface to break down. This allows fertilizer, water, and oxygen to get to the roots where healthy grass originates. In areas where the soil has high clay content, compaction, and thatch buildup is more prevalent, aeration should be down twice a year. This will result in a continued healthy lawn! Aerate your lawn to give it a good boost before the winter starts by calling the team at TDK Lawn Care, Inc. (tdkinc.com)

“We recommend aerating your lawn before the end of September to ensure that it has time to create a strong foundation,” said Owner Lee Schumacher with TDK Lawn Care. “Combine this with another service we specialize in: over-seeding. This is an easy way to bring new grass seed into your lawn, as the seeds will fall into the holes created when aerating and mix in with the broken down soil deposits on the surface. Not only will this fill in the bare spots on your lawn, but it will improve turf density and lawn color. This is an easier and less expensive alternative to buying and laying new sod.”

TDK Lawn Care, Inc. also offers mowing, fertilizing, and snow removal services. Their nearly 20 years of experience in the industry proves that they know landscaping and can get you great results!

Did you know that on average, over half of all domestic water usage goes to maintaining lawn and landscapes? It’s important to have an efficient sprinkler and irrigation system, and Hunt Irrigation (huntirrigation.com) can help you reduce your overall outdoor water usage with their water-saving practices. They include proprietary irrigation designs; help planting and maintaining low-water landscapes that will thrive in our local climate; installing new irrigation systems that use controllers with real-time weather day; rain-climatic sensors to automatically adjust water output to meet plant needs; and using low-volume drip-irrigation to apply very small amounts of water to gardens, trees, and shrubs, thus minimizing evaporation and waste.

“Our team at Hunt Irrigation is highly qualified and certified, and will familiarize you on your new sprinkler system and demonstrate how to properly operate it for peak efficiency,” said Owner Jeremy Hunt. “We will discuss with you how to maintain a seasonally correct watering schedule and how to properly conserve and protect water resources. Even if you already have an irrigation system, if it is not performing as well as you would like, we can perform an audit and make suggestions for upgrades.”

Hunt Irrigation can also help you in your fall landscaping activities by adding lighting to your property. By incorporating low voltage lighting systems into your landscaping features, you can enhance these features during the nighttime hours. This is a creative way to light the trees, gardens, sculptures, and shrubbery you have worked hard on implementing into your landscape. Hunt Irrigation takes into consideration the safety, security, and aesthetic components to create a complete and balanced custom design. They are also certified to install systems that are safe and energy-efficient, and these installations come with minimal disturbance to your landscape by using easy-to-relocate fixtures that can expand or change as your outdoor needs may also change in the future. You can increase the safety, security, and value of your home by adding lighting to driveways, pathways, and steps to avoid potential accidents, as well as discourage unwanted guests by illuminated hidden areas.

When deciding a company to hire to help you care for your lawn before the winter weather arrives, a good factor to start with is industry experience. 55 years ago, Ray’s Lawn Care (rayslawn.com) began as a side business in 1966 before growing into a full-time engagement in 1969 for Ray Svoboda and his family. Now owned by Ray’s youngest son, Larry Svoboda, the company continues to maintain the reputation they have worked hard to build.

“Our landscaping services include: lawn treatments, mowing, aerating, snow removal,” said Svoboda. “Fall landscaping is about prevention and being proactive, and this includes weed management and fertilization to prepare your lawn for spring.”

Get the Looks and the Protection

A new coat of paint on the exterior of your house can really change the entire look of your property, whether you are freshening up the current color or going for a new theme entirely. In addition to this, according to CertaPro Painters, a good paint job adds value to your home, and quality paint acts as an extra layer of protection from the outside, keeping your home safe from weather, insects, and dust. It can even keep wood from rotting and prevents you from facing larger repair costs in the future. Invest in your home now with Walter’s Painting Inc. (walterspaintinginc.com), and let them both beautify and protect the exterior of your home.

“Our crew here at Walter’s Painting can transform your chipped and peeling exterior into something out of a magazine,” said Jeff Walters, owner. “We can also spruce up your exterior wood, including decks, stairs, or pillars. It’s amazing what a new coat of stain on wood can do for your home, making it look like new while also protecting it from the harsh weather that will inevitably arrive in Nebraska!”

If you’re not looking to do any exterior painting, another great way to freshen up the look of your property is through pressure washing. Walter’s Painting Inc. can pressure wash your home exterior, including pools, fences, hardscapes, concrete, brick, wood surfaces, and decks. When is the last time you washed your driveway? For many of us, the answer is probably never! Walter’s Painting can easily and quickly clean it for you, giving your property a clean, fresh look.

Exterior Design

Your house is the centerpiece of your landscape, so don’t leave it out when completing landscaping projects! If you are looking to work on roofing, siding, windows, or gutters, HomeShield Roofing & Exteriors, LLC (homeshieldroofingandexteriors.com) can get the job done for you. Owned and operated by Matt and Kristina Hill, they share a commitment to delivering the highest level of customer satisfaction on each and every project. As their client, they want you to know that you can rest assured that you won’t ever be dealing with a pushy salesman trying to meet their monthly quota, or that the person you are working with might no longer be with the company, leaving you high and dry. Each time you reach out to HomeShield, you will be communicating directly with an owner of the company.

“We know that there a lot of decisions to make when updating or remodeling the exterior of your home, which is why we are available to explain the options to you and help you make the best choice for your house,” said Co-owner Kristina Hill. “Don’t stress about choosing asphalt, metal, or shake roofing, or deciding between LP SmartSide, James Hardie, or vinyl siding! Our expertise in the field and knowledge of the products can lead you to a satisfactory decision.”

Kristina says the end of summer is a perfect time to have your roof inspected before the cold weather hits to ensure that no damage has been done to your roof over the last storm season. If there are any issues, this will allow them to be identified and fixed while the weather still allows.

“If you find a leak when you have snow sitting on your roof, it’s too late to properly replace your roof,” Kristina explained. “We’re able to continue roofing until the weather averages under 45 degrees; after that, it’s best to wait until the spring season. Otherwise, you may run into issues with the shingles not sealing properly.”

HomeShield is proud to have been ranked among the top roofing and exterior companies in the area because of their dedication to their community, hard work, and reputation of delivering quality work to their customers. They stand by their claim that they will treat each home roofing, siding, windows, and/or gutter project as if it were being completed on their own home. They only partner with reputable, customer-first vendors and products, helping them maintain their reputation of reliability, quality, and honesty.

The Benefits of a Good Fence

COVID taught us to enjoy more time outside, and that pastime has carried well into post-pandemic days. If your yard doesn’t have a fence, or if your current fence doesn’t offer adequate privacy, your time spent outdoors is likely impacted as a result. Give your family the privacy they deserve by calling Empire Fence and Netting (empire-fence.com) to construct a beautiful fence to keep your family out of the public eye. They offer vinyl, wood, chain link, or aluminum fences, depending on your needs and wants. They also offer FenceTrac, a system that has virtually endless possibilities with a beautiful aesthetic look and is deigned to simplify picket installation. The posts and frame are made of steel, which encases a privacy picket providing personalized options for choice of material, color, and style. FenceTrac pickets can be made of almost any material, and the pickets can even run horizontally.
Besides offering your family privacy, fences are also a great way to boost curb appeal and add to the aesthetic of your property. If you have pets that tend to run off unless on a leash, fence in your backyard and let them roam it freely without worrying about where they are at.

Empire Fence and Netting is a member of the American Fence Association, and they align themselves with top vendors that adhere to the highest quality standards to bring their clients an exceptional finished product. You can be sure that you are getting a high quality of service when working with Empire!

Locally Made Brick

Retaining walls continue to gain popularity as they hold both functional and decorative purposes. For example, they can stabilize sloping landscapes and prevent rainwater from flooding your landscape, all while giving your property an aesthetically pleasing look. When installing a retaining wall, use a quality brick locally produced by Yankee Hill Brick (yankeehillbrick.com). They offer a variety of brick in many different colors and styles to perfectly match your landscape. Brick pavers are also a popular trend that continues to grow, with residents opting for this style for their patios, pool decks, driveways, and pathways. Yankee Hill Pavers are hard and durable, low maintenance, and long lasting. They come in 15 different colors and can be formed into a variety of patterns to reflect contrast or unity. The products produced by Yankee Hill Brick are a sure way to instantly boost the curb appeal and value of your home.

Landscaping is an art and Lincoln has some of the best artists around. These professionals can help you transform your outdoor space, whether you are just looking to spruce it up, get it winterized, or add a gorgeous deck where you can sit and take in the beauty of your landscape. We recommend these experts to help you check off every item on your fall landscaping to-do list!