The nice weather has finally arrived and people all over the city are evaluating the outdoor areas of their homes and offices to see what needs to be done in preparation for spring and summer. Most of us want to take advantage of the nice weather and spend time on decks, patios or in yards but many of us have some work to do before these areas are ready. Fortunately, there are a number of professionals who can help you with this endeavor and make sure that the outdoor areas of your home and business are clean, accessible and attractive for the extended use they will soon be getting.
Clean-ups
Many of us in this region tend to ignore our yards and outdoor areas during the winter months, so clean-ups are usually necessary when the weather warms up. It’s important to completely remove any accumulated materials such as brush and thatch during a spring clean-up as it allows your lawn and plantings to grow freely and to their fullest potential. Many plant and tree beds also need to be replenished and nourished for the spring. Clean-ups usually also include deadheading flowers, pruning trees and shrubs, fertilizing and applying fresh mulch. During this time, your landscaping company can also address potential issues before they become larger problems.
On this note, Lee Schumacher of TDK Lawn Care, Inc. says, “The first thing you should do in the spring is to take a walk around your lawn and make a quick survey of the effects the winter had on your property. Remove any leaves that are still scattered across the lawn and check your grass for matted patches that could signal the development of snow mold. This lawn disease glues the grass blades together, which may inhibit the new grass from growing through the mat. A light raking will break up the matted grass and remedy this situation. Be careful if the ground is wet when you are raking. Vigorous raking can uproot the grass plants.”
Ken Svoboda with Ray’s Lawn & Home Care adds, “Cut back all ornamental grasses and perennials that didn’t get cut back last fall. Mow your turf, setting the mower at its second from the lowest setting and by mid-April apply a quality fertilizer and pre-emergent for crabgrass control.”
Landscaping Trends
It’s always fun to incorporate some of the new trends in landscaping into your own outdoors areas. While some of the new trends may not be a fit for your lifestyle (or budget), it’s always good to know what is going on in the industry so you can decide which options might work well with your landscaping plans.
“I believe the outdoor living space is going to continue from the last couple of years,” states Ken Svoboda. “With new construction materials and outdoor decorating projects on the market, the homeowner’s options are endless. Outdoor furniture, area rugs, patio heaters and electronics are more affordable and available. I see outdoor kitchens with sinks, grills, refrigerators and even wine chillers as the next trend setter in entertaining family and friends.”
Kristin Hain with Land Escapes also commented on trends this season. “Boulder Bubblers are remaining very popular in residential landscapes recently,” she says. “They offer a low maintenance option to ponds and traditional water features and are easy for the homeowner to care for once installed. The look can be rustic to modern, depending on the boulder selection. A large basin is buried underground and a drilled boulder is set on top. Water is then pumped from the basin below through the boulder and trickles back down the sides of the boulder through cobbles or glass rock. This makes a great option for someone wanting the soothing sound of water without the maintenance of a pond. They can also be placed above ground with natural stone blocks built up around the sides for a raised fountain and more formal look. In addition, utilizing quality container plantings in garden beds is a great way to add a burst of annual color amongst perennials, trees and shrubs. These can also be changed out seasonally to reflect spring, summer, fall or holiday themes. One other trend gaining momentum is landscapes is the use of laser lights to create a star field in trees, garden beds, around pools and inside the home as well. Land Escapes is the Nebraska distributor for Bliss Lights, a high quality laser light product that comes in many different options from outdoor units, stake lights that wire into existing low voltage lighting systems as well as indoor units for home theatres or event centers. The effect is amazing with thousands of tiny lights moving across every surface like stars. The units aren’t cheap, but worth every penny and offer years of fun and interest.”
“One of the growing trends that we have seen here at Precast Products & Landscape Village is the Pondless Water Feature,” says Jim Crawford. “Lower maintenance and space limitations make these options desirable to homeowners who want the sights and sound of the waterfall without the open water. You and your landscaper can explore our showroom and well stocked yard where we handle a complete line of pond supplies as well as landscape material including weathered fieldstone, cobblers, and flagstone.”
Landscaping Ideas
Decorative Concrete “Decorative concrete plays a big role in your landscaping,” explains Tyler Buckbee with Buckbee Decorative Concrete. “Adding decorative concrete with your flagstone, pavers and outdoor kitchens adds great variety to your back yard. A main focus point with highlights through the back yard creates the ultimate outdoor living space. Helping the customer put all that together is one thing that Buckbee Decorative Concrete specializes in.”
Outdoor décor It’s easy to customize your outdoor areas with décor. An especially popular place to decorate is on and around the front entrance. Plum Creek Gifts has a number of options to accomplish this, including outdoor statuary and door hangings.
You can even go a step further and pick out an arbor or gazebo that can be the perfect finishing touch to your landscaping project.
Unique and unusual plants Looking for something different? “For property owners who are looking for something different in their landscape, Land Escapes provides lots of options,” says Kristin Hain. “Land Escapes is known for thinking ‘outside the box’ and creating landscapes that don’t look like the ‘cookie cutter’ designs of all your neighbors. We are very knowledgeable about plants that grow well in our climate and specialize in picking varieties that are unique and unusual. We have some really exciting new plans available this season like Thuja ‘Filiformis’ (aka ‘Whipcord’ Arborvitae), which is an evergreen shrub grafted onto a short trunk with foliage that looks like a green haired Medusa. Some other new offerings include ‘Silberlock’ Korean Fir, ‘Rohan Obelisk’ Beech, ‘Quick Fire’ Hydrangea and Weeping Larch. These and other unique plant varieties are limited in availability so now is the time to research and plan for adding them to your garden this year.”
To create a unique and visually stimulating landscape or garden, you must consider all aspects of color, texture, form and function and know how to combine them for the best look. Land Escapes owner Kristin Hain’s biggest pet peeve in common landscapes is a sea of green. Meaning, all plants have green foliage which creates a monotone appearance and isn’t very exciting. “We always use plants with great foliage colors including gold, blue, black and burgundy. Having a variety of foliage colors mixed into the green foliage plants will give the garden color and interest even when nothing is in bloom.”
Projects for the exterior of your home Sometimes landscaping isn’t about the yard, trees or plants at all. The appearance of the exterior of your actual home can have a huge effect on the overall look of your outdoor areas. Working with a professional painter is a good way to make improvements that will increase your enjoyment of your outdoors (and even add some resale value in case you are thinking of selling anytime in the near future). Larsen Painting, Inc. can offer a number of services, including applying quality paint and stain finishes to walls and woodwork, siding and trim, applying protective and attractive epoxy finish to concrete such as garage floors and power-washing and refinishing decking, railings and columns.
Choosing a Professional to Work With
Why hire a landscaping company? “The simple answer is time,” says Ken Svoboda. “Business and home owners should ask themselves what their time is worth. Most of us have limited time with family and friends and with today’s hectic lifestyles we have little time for either. Unless you use yard work as your only form of exercise, it’s best to hire a professional. Professionals have the best equipment, the experience and the knowledge to do the work right. And of course if you just don’t have that creative eye or a construction workers back, a professional is just a telephone call away.”
Many of us stress about the states of our lawns and other outdoor areas. We try to carve out time in our already busy lives to get the lawn mowed or the leaves raked or to take care of the other needed tasks when we’d much rather be spending time with our families or concentrating on a hobby that brings us joy and relaxation. When you really look at the amount of money you’ll be spending to hire a professional, you’ll probably find that it is well worth it to alleviate yourself of the stress and free up your time to do what you truly love.
Important things to look for when choosing a landscaper: “When choosing a landscaper it’s important to meet the landscaper one on one and tell them specifically what you are wanting to do in your landscape,” suggest Kristin Hain. “The landscaper needs to be experienced in doing the type of work you want, they should also be a licensed contractor, have a pesticide applicators license (if applicable), be insured and have a nursery dealers license if they sell plants. There are lots of people who call themselves landscapers come spring simply because they own a truck and a shovel. In addition, many lawn and landscaping companies offer a wide range of service which can sometimes mean they have spread themselves too thin and may not have extensive knowledge of specific types of work. Just because one landscaping company can offer every type of work, doesn’t mean they’ll do each one well.”
“It’s also important to consider how you plan to take care of your new landscape once the initial installation has been completed,” continues Kristin. “If it’s not something you are able to or want to maintain, be sure you have someone lined up to take care of it for you. With new landscapes including trees, shrubs, perennials and materials such as mulch, regular maintenance will be required to maintain your investment and allow it to “grow”. Land Escapes has been providing landscape maintenance services since 1996. We are a small company but pride ourselves in our customer service plus excellent knowledge and skill when it comes to plants and their needs.”
Gauging how well you get along with the landscaper is also important. Though you may not be working side by side with the person (or people), you will have to communicate your needs to them and the process will go much smoother if you communicate well and are on the same page. This is why personally interviewing the owner of the company as well as your main point person for your project (if they are different) is so important.
Now is the time to secure your landscaping professionals who can clean up your outdoor areas and prepare them for the warmer months. We all enjoy spending time outdoors when the weather is nice and having a pleasant and clean landscape is the best way to encourage people to linger outside.