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Careful! Beware of the “Carnival Effect” In Your Landscape

Careful! Beware of the “Carnival Effect” In Your Landscape

by | Oct 20, 2020 | Landscaping, Lawn Care

When landscaping a home sight there are a few basic design elements to be considered.  These elements are hard fast and almost never broken.
A landscape must draw attention to the entry of the home.  This is accomplished in a number of ways.  The most common is color next to the entry, and a unique focal plant next to the entry door that draws attention to the entry year round.  Plants on the corners and perimeters of the site must be taller than the focal plant or plantings next to the entry door.
Use plant material to break down vertical, harsh lines at the corners of your home.  Keep in mind that you want the landscape to flow into and around the home.  Taller height on perimeters and shorter plants near the entry draws the human eye to the door.

Landscape beds must be three dimensional. In other words, do not simply install a row of plants along the foundation.

Landscapes must be tiered or stepped to create depth.  i.e. shorter growing plants at perimeter, then depending on scale, taller plants behind, and even taller plants next to the foundation or what is otherwise known as the stair-step effect.

Always determine a plants mature height and width when designing.  Many designs incorporate a tree in the center of the front yard.  In this case always select a tree that ultimately has a canopy that begins above the line of sight to the front door.  In some cases clients desire a somewhat hidden entry, taking their visitor on an almost secret path to the front door.  Decide which effect you desire before you begin the design process.

There should always be a back drop behind the house utilizing evergreen plants that, at mature height, are thirty percent higher than the tallest point of the home’s roof line.  The most common mistake in landscape design in front of your home is installing  too many different types of plants in an area creating what we call the “carnival effect.”  Do not be over creative! In many cases a simple design is a timeless design. You definitely want a timeless landscape.

It takes many do it yourselfers years and sometimes lifetimes to understand what makes a design timeless. The most important factor in design is planting the right plant in the proper exposure.  For example, you don’t want a shade loving tree planted in full sun and vice versa.  This is a major mistake that even experienced designers make.

Always select a competent, experienced company to design an architecturally sound landscape.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions and give your input and thoughts to your chosen designer.

In some cases designers install what we call “cookie cutter designs” because they are trying to utilize plant material they have overstocked. Again, a trusted landscape source with years of experience is a good choice. Landscape design is an art form, look for a Landscape Architect who is also an artist or employs one to create your beautiful, new landscape.

 

David and Ed’s Secrets To A Natural, Healthy, Green Lawn

David and Ed’s Secrets To A Natural, Healthy, Green Lawn

by | Oct 12, 2020 | Lawn Care

Ninety percent of top soil ends up buried in a low lying area somewhere along a ditch during the process of excavating and contouring most subdivisions built within the past 30 years. The result is your soil in your own yard is usually clay or a soil type that has no organic activity present. 

Organic activity is produced when vegetation decomposes. The odds are, a sod company came in and threw down bluegrass or fescue sod over the clay and walked away leaving the home owner, you, with a fight that will last 7-12 years until organic activity resumes. Even then, organic activity is minimal at best.  

To bypass the 7-12 year fight you must introduce organic activity from an external source.  The most effective source is a product called Milorganite. Milorganite is basically activated sewer sludge that has  no odor. It contains a high percentage of iron. Iron coupled with the introduction of organic activity, will maintain your lawn in a state which is green and lush.  We apply Milorganite to lawns at a rate 3 times greater than the recommendation by the producer of the product.  Sometimes twice a year for a minimum of four years.  This will turn your lawn deep dark green.  However it will not increase the number of times that you will have to mow! 

As you probably know when your local chemical lawn applicator comes and applies chemicals to your lawn it requires your lawn be mowed every four to five days because they use nitrogen (fertilizer) to turn your yard green.  We have done studies for years that prove that nitrogen and chemicals are not the only answer.  Simply put, use Milorganite instead of harmful chemicals to produce the level of turf quality that you will be proud of.

The next secret to a green lawn is your lawn must have a neutral ph of 6.8-7.0.  To achieve a neutral ph you can test the ph yourself by buying a ph tester from your local Lowes or Home Depot.  These ph testers normally cost somewhere between $12 and $16. Test your ph after a one inch rain when the soil is soft.  The ph tester must be embedded in the soil one and a half inches to get an accurate reading.

In the Midwest, you will find your ph will be as low as 5.3 and normally as high as 6.2, which obviously is to low.  For turf grasses and other plants, neutral ph enables the plant to transfer nutrients and utilize these nutrients thus stimulating healthy root growth, and the green tops that you are trying to achieve. 

To raise your ph, you must use a form of calcium quicklime to skew the ph to 6.8 to 7.0.  You can buy these products at most reputable nurseries.  Note, do not use pulverized limestone, which is a form of calcium.  Pulverized lime stone will not impact your soils ph for potentially up to five years. Obviously, you want results near term. In most turf areas we normally apply calcium quick lime at a rate of 20 lbs per thousand square feet in the fall. In the spring we apply calcium quick lime at a rate of 10 lbs per thousand square feet.

To better understand this ph issue, visualize putting down four times the amount of nitrogen with a ph of 5.8 to achieve the same result as if the ph were neutral. Every time nitrogen is applied it reduces the soils ph.  Most lawn care companies do not test for ph, they just increase the amount of nitrogen applied to your lawn, which results in even lower ph levels.

You must have as much organic activity present as well as a neutral ph. These are the two building blocks you need to achieve the healthy lawn you’ve been fighting for.  All the other chemicals applied are virtually moot without these two building blocks in place. Be kind to yourself and the environment, and implement these processes now!