Scenic would like to take this opportunity to bring you up to speed with a nationwide epidemic that may be affecting your property.
Across the United States, blight has been spreading quickly and killing boxwoods. Blight is a natural occurring, incurable fungal disease that affects boxwoods; both the plant and the surrounding soil. It became more prevalent in the past year due to extreme weather conditions. With the warm, wet and humid weather we had in 2018, we have been seeing cases of blight spreading throughout the tri-state area. Keep an eye out on your property for any signs of boxwood blight.
Scenic is staying proactive to make sure our clients are informed and aware. We are working with industry specialists to develop a fungal spray program that will help manage the blight.
In the meantime, we have solutions and alternatives available for damaged boxwoods.
While it is not harmful to humans or pets, please do not touch. It is possible for it to spread to other boxwoods on your property.
With about a month to go until the official start of spring, we are slowly seeing signs of winter ending. It is staying light out longer in the evenings, the soil in the ground is starting to warm up, buds are getting ready to bloom and before long, we will be seeing spring garden landscape come to life.
While winter is thawing and spring is showing promising signs of arriving early, this is a good time to plan ahead for your spring garden landscape. Winter shows the true backbone of your property. It allows you to see the outline of your space and gives you a clean slate. When looking at the bare landscape of your yard, you can envision the spaces you want to create and the areas you would like to fill. It is a good time to plan your spring garden landscape design. Take this time to plan for changes you would like to see come to life this year. It is a good time to develop your new year and spring cleaning projects. Working with a designer or landscape architect helps maximize the use of your property and budget. It helps to make sure you get the most out of your time, energy and money. Working with a professional and planning ahead help to maximize your chances for success.
Planning For A Spring Garden Landscape Design
When it comes to spring garden landscaping, there are many factors to consider. Planning ahead is key. Spring bulbs should be planted in the Fall season beforehand, before the ground freezes. That way, once winter passes, your spring flowers will begin to bloom, bringing bursts of color into your yard. Choosing a color scheme to stick to beforehand is a good place to start. Choosing flowers, plant materials and specimens for certain parts of your property takes proper planning. As well as a well rounded base of knowledge for which plants will thrive in certain conditions. Observe the light and shadows that hit your property. Observe the water and conditions that surround your planting areas. To ensure a thriving and healthy garden, it starts with planning the proper areas and providing the best conditions.
They say without winter, spring would not be so pleasant. Winter is a reminder every year of all the good that is to come. It is the power and resilience of mother nature. The patience of waiting and trusting that the spring garden landscape will return. It is a good mantra to keep in mind to make it through these last few lingering weeks of winter.
If you are looking to make changes to your spring garden landscape this year, or would like help by hiring a professional, we are here for you. Give us a call to schedule a free consultation today. Our team of designers and landscape architects are able to bring new garden spaces and outdoor living rooms to your property this year. Make this the year you transform your property into your dream spring garden landscaping oasis.
In the month of August, we are soaking up the last few weeks of summer. It has been a wild month with weather. There have been heat waves, heavy rains and summer storms. There have been floods. It has not been the easiest month for our industry, with storms causing damages and flooding on so many properties. While it seems like we are finally having some sunshine to enjoy, nature is always unpredictable. Ongoing maintenance is needed to keep properties thriving in this wild outdoor summer season.
This is the last month of summer fun, before school is back in session. When the days last longer, sunlight stays later, and time spent outdoors is plentiful. This month we are seeing bursts of blooms in summer landscapes, bright colors and tropical hues in gardens large and small. Lawns are lush and deep green from rain, hydrangeas are finally emerging, and wildlife is enjoying the outdoor summer season as well. Slowly we will begin to see the changes into fall season, later this month and early into September. As the light changes, soil cools down and temperatures decrease.
In this last month of summer, we encourage our clients to take a look at their outdoor space. Were there changes you would like to see? What would make your outdoor space more enjoyable for the next outdoor summer season? Are there things you would like to eliminate or add to the yard? Imagine ways that you could better enjoy your outdoor summer space. The addition of a pool, a fire pit, a new garden, removing wasteful materials or damaged trees, clearing out new space, revamping patios, the ideas are endless. We are here to help with new ideas or to design a space better suited for your needs.
Your property is an investment, and putting the time and proper design into the space enhances both your lifestyle and your investment.
Outdoor Summer Decorating Ideas
With homeowners wanting to spend their free time outdoors, creating the perfect space is important. The space should be inviting, and provide an extension of indoor living. It should be a space that works for each individual’s lifestyle. Adding colorful cushions or outdoor furniture brightens up the space seasonally.
When it comes to outdoor summer plants, choose specimens that thrive in heat. Such as succulents, tropicals, coneflowers, zinnias, verbenas and lantana. Summer is a fun time of year to play with colors and tropical flowers, especially on the east coast it becomes such a treat to see the exciting plant life and florals in bloom. Summer container gardens are another great way to add color and vibrant outdoor summer plants to a property.
If you are looking for ways to redesign or revamp your outdoor summer space, or are looking to start a new project this fall, we are here to help. Our talented team of designers and architects would happily come meet for a complimentary consultation at your property. We look forward to bringing a new space to life for you and your family to enjoy for years to come.
Whether it may feel like it or not, March 1st is awakening your spring backyard back to life. As outside temperatures are slowly rising, the soil temperature is increasing, plants become active, days become longer and the first of the minor bulbs start to bloom. You may have even noticed some bulbs blooming with the snow still on the ground. March is the kickoff month; it is exciting to watch the transition of Mother Nature, as the beautiful first signs of spring start to finally appear.
As the month of March progresses, you will notice some of the first plants and bulbs begin to bloom. Witch Hazel, Snowdrops, Crocus and early Daffodils will start showing up early on in the month. Given the change of time from daylights savings, we begin to have longer days and more hours of sunlight, which help assist in the blooming process and help us to gradually make our transition out of the winter.
A common mistake many homeowners make is waiting for the warmer months to begin to want to make any changes to their spring backyard. March is the time to create your game plan for the season and begin backyard spring cleanup. Setting up your gardens, pruning and cutting back trees, laying down fertilizer and splitting early perennials should all be items that are taken care of early on. Use March to get ahead of the season, so when the warm beautiful days arrive, you will be able to enjoy your yard to its fullest. Consult with a landscape professional for a plan that would work best for you and your home this spring season.
Things to Do for Your Spring Backyard
As you stop by your local hardware and garden centers signs of spring backyard cleaning will soon be showing. A great way to add an early spring backyard revamp is with early season perennials, annuals and forced bulbs. Arranging them into planters carefully selected and placed in key focal areas of your garden are a great way to get an early start on the season and add interest to areas currently still stuck in winter mode.
While springtime is often associated with removing the clutter that has accumulated within your home, one should take advantage of the end of the dormant season and get outside as well. Save the inside for a rainy day! Rake out the thatch from your lawn, redefine those bed edges, and clean up the broken winter damage from plants. The early spring is the time to start pruning all of your ornamentals, shade trees and woody plants. Winter often causes damage to your yard and now is the time to start accessing the damage and instituting a plan for what needs to be done. Take the time to properly spring backyard cleanup. It is also a fantastic time to split perennials. With a little extra labor, one plant can be split into four, helping to make your landscape lusher and healthier.
Plants and trees right now do not require much water. With the cool evenings and abundant ground moisture, little additional water is necessary, making it an ideal time for planting, fertilizing and over-seeding those bare patches on your lawn. Now is the time to kick start your plants. You do not want to miss the window of opportunity that early spring moisture provides to help your yard to benefit in the months to come. For further assistance or a complimentary consultation, feel free to contact us. We want to help bring your backyard to its fullest potential.
Maintain and Enhance Your Property With Custom Garden Services
While Scenic Landscaping offers traditional lawn maintenance and lawn care services for our design/build clients, we also provide what we call, Custom Garden and Enhancement Services.
Custom Garden Services or CGS is a specialized department at Scenic that uniquely cares for your gardens, ensuring that they grow to their full potential. Much more than merely weeding beds our CGS department focuses on custom garden services such as maintaining the health and proper care of your plantings – monthly, seasonally or all year long. CGS services include, selective pruning and proper fertilization of bulbs, perennials, shrubs, grasses, evergreens and ornamental trees.
Enhancement Services at Scenic Landscaping encompasses everything from bed mulching to the addition of seasonal color (annuals) as well as, fall and winter holiday displays. Our Enhancement Team can also install smaller planting installations for clients who want to add to an existing landscape or create new planting beds.
Having an outdoor event this summer? Possibly a high school or college graduation, Sweet 16, birthday party, or wedding anniversary? Maybe you’re the family that has the annual Labor Day or Memorial Day party at your home. If so, Scenics Enhancement Department can work with you to beautify your property for those special occasions.
Our Enhancement team provides garden design and maintenance packages and is also available to help you choose garden containers or other landscape elements for your front entry, rear patio, swimming pool, or any hardscape area that needs a seasonal display. Ultimately, we want you to think of our CGS and Enhancement department as your own personal “exterior designer” that can add beauty and detail to your garden.
We look forward to working with you to both maintain and enhance your gardens, now and into the future. To set up an appointment to review your goals and needs please call our office at 973-616-9600 or 201-783-2844.
The winter solstice arrives next week, and with it brings many changes landscaping in winter. The solstice marks the first official day of winter, which brings colder days and soil temperatures begin to drop. The good news is the days begin to get longer now. Everything happens on a bell curve, the soil temperatures will drop, but will begin to rise again, bringing to first early sign of spring to the winter landscaping around us.
Landscaping in Winter: What to Expect
As the temperature on the bell curve comes back up,and soil warms up, that is our first sign of spring. Even if you can’t see it, bulbs are starting to get forced out of ground. Bulbs all winter are spent underground, developing and maturing throughout the winter. This is necessary so that come springtime, they can push their out of the ground. The shade trees, such as maple trees start to show their first spring appearances with tiny blooms. This is always a good sign of winter on its way out.
Landscaping in winter is the time of year to refresh and clean and prepare. This is always a good time of year as we get closer to spring to focus on hardwood pruning, and cutting back growth on your trees and plant material. Eliminate damage to existing plants and trees by removing snow and ice buildup throughout the winter storms.
Bulbs need to be in before winter, so they will come back by spring. Witch hazel starts blooming in mid February. In the latter part of winter cornus moss start to bloom, native shrub called mock orange start to bloom before March. The red flowers on maple trees are little signals that spring is coming, as the days are starting to get longer.
Winter Garden Ideas, Winter Planter Gardens for Color and Interest.
Winter time while cold and dreary, does not mean your landscape needs to be. Mother Nature takes it toll on the East Coast, but there are ways to add interest to your property with winter landscaping. Winter garden plants can be used in planters throughout the property. This is a common and easy way to add color during the colder months. The winter garden plants that are often used are holly, birch limbs, southern magnolia leaves, cypress, pine cones, and red berries. These will all survive the harsh temperatures and frost and snow. These custom displays and holiday displays are a fun way to add color and landscape to your home.
Start planning early vegetable gardens during winter as well. Vegetable gardens will be planted in late March right after winter passes. This is a good time of year to take advantage of pruning old perrennials, getting fertilizing done, and organizing the early plants that will get in towards spring. It is important to consider frost tolerant plants and vegetables, since early spring can still bring frost.
Winter Landscaping Services {Periodic checks December thru March}
This includes: General cleaning of gardens and grounds, selective winter pruning of, shrubs, evergreens and ornamentals as species dictate and tolerate. Snow and ice damage monitoring to relieve weight and stress of snow and ice covered plantings.
We also provide an extensive catalog of urns, planters, and fountains to match your home and garden. These are easy additions to enhance the natural landscape all year long. Our award winnings crews are highly trained and dedicated to their craft. Please feel free to reach out to us to learn how we can help your property during the winter, to ensure the very best come springtime.
