Spruce Up Your Yard Without Breaking the Bank

So many times I hear, "We'd love to make our yard look better, but it's just not in the budget this year."  I imagine for some folks updating their landscape is never really in the budget, just like when you hear someone say that they're not financially ready to have children.  Those of us with kids know that you're never really ready financially!  And granted, a complete yard overhaul can get costly, but there are some simple ways to improve outdoor living areas that aren't so hard on your wallet.

One of the easiest ways to achieve a quick yard makeover is to do a clean-up.  Many properties that we see have tons of bedded areas, and gathering and removing branches and pine cones, raking out dead leaves, and freshening the straw or mulch in those areas packs an immediate punch.  We also suggest removing aged, overgrown shrubs.  Less is definitely more in this instance -- bare and clean is much crisper and pleasing to the eye than overgrown and wild.  This is supposed to be your yard after all, not a jungle!

And, of course, mowing, edging, and simple, regular maintenance will help your yard look tended and loved. Adding some color in flower beds or bright colored pots will also distract the eye from other the other stuff and take care of bumping up your curb appeal at the same time.

So those are just a few of the simple ways to vamp up your landscape a bit, but if you've got bigger plans in mind, then we'd love to talk about those, too.  Retaining walls, paver patios, outdoor fireplaces . . . these are a few of our favorite things!  Whatever your plans for your yard this season, Team Turf is happy to help you make those a reality.

March Is the Time To . . .

• Prune hollies, boxwoods, gardenias, spireas, abelias, butterfly bushes, evergreen shrubs, and most summer-blooming shrubs.  
  
• Cut back and fertilize roses (although you can do this as early as Valentine's Day).  Cut hybrid teas back to 18" tall, remove dead canes, and canes that rub. Knockout roses can be pruned back to half their size if necessary. Climbers should be pruned after first flush of blooms.
  
• Fertilize shrubs, trees, and Fescue lawns.
  
• Fertilize blueberries with Cotton Seed Meal.
  
• Get those vegetable seeds started so you can set them out in mid to late April.
  
• Cut back ornamental grasses to 6-10 inches tall.  If they were laying over on you last year, it may be time to divide them as most grasses will need dividing every 4-6 years.
  
• Clean any debris from fountains and ponds, check hoses for cracks, scrub clean with a mild solution of bleach.

Want some help?  Give us a call because we'd love the chance to help get your yard ready for Spring!

It's Time to Prune

This is the time of year that you will look outside and see our crews pruning and cutting back the perennials in your yard.  So don't get upset when you come home and things look tidier, and perhaps a bit smaller -- we're doing what needs to be done to get your yard ready for spring. 

Here is a quick overview of why we do what we do:

Why prune?   

• Reduce plant size,
• Reshape plant
• Remove dead, damaged, diseased wood
• Encourage new growth and more bloom

When?

• If it blooms in spring, prune soon after it finishes blooming - these plants bloom on last year's growth. 
• If it blooms in summer or fall, prune in late winter to early spring - these plants bloom on current year growth.
• Dead and diseased wood can be removed anytime.

How?             

• Use sharp tools, with the cutting edge toward the part that stays on the plant.
• Cut about ¼" above an upward- or outward-facing bud, at a 45˚ angle,

OR

• cut back to a main branch or trunk, not flush, but just to the slightly raised branch collar.

Pruning the plants in your yard is just one more thing that Team Turf does to keep your yard looking its very best.  If you have any questions about specific plant pruning, please feel free to give us a call.

Conditions Are Right for Fall Armyworms

A lot of yards have suffered this summer.  Scorching temperatures, not enough rain, too much rain -- all of these factors have worked together to upset the very delicate balance that nature strives for in order to keep our grasses green and our flowers and plants thriving.  One would think that with Fall creeping ever closer that we'd be in for a bit of reprieve with the promise of cooler temps and the ability of our yards to heal themselves, so to speak.

Enter the Fall Armyworm.  Who, you ask?  Well, apparently these little pests have been becoming more and more active within the United States over the past few years, and their ability to take a thriving, healthy lawn and swiftly and efficiently make it the most unsightly yard in the neighborhood has gained them much notoriety.

Here are some things you should know:

• The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugipeda) are caterpillars that feed on agricultural and turf grasses.
• The larvae feed at night on grass blades while the caterpillars feed on a variety of plants.
• Warm-season grasses such as bermuda grass, St. Augustine grass, and some others are commonly attacked.
• Bluegrass, ryegrass, fine fescue, and bentgrass are preferred cool-season turfgrasses.
• Heavy infestations may seriously damage large areas of turf.
• Populations of fall armyworms are typically kept in check by natural means, though population booms can occur, generally after a drought.
• The damage creates a frosted appearance or a brown area (look for this symptom late in the summer or early fall) or in the case of severe infestation, the turf may be completely denuded.

Below is a photo of an adult armyworm.

And this is a photo of a young armyworm.

Heavy infestations of armyworms can seriously damage large areas of turf, so let's hope that we don't run into any of these little critters in our yards.  If you do suspect that some type of pest has taken up residence in your lawn, be sure to look for dew sparkling on the webs in the early morning or at dusk -- a sure sign of armyworms.  Treatment is definitely possible, but catching on early is the key.

Find out more about armyworms.

A Big Dry Spell

I thought I'd share this article from a newsletter I received from Autumn Hill Nursery -- one of our favorite places to shop for great yard additions:

"This current dry spell has crept up on us after we enjoyed a wet spring, and with the soil as dry as it has become, we are fielding more calls than ever about plant problems.

Many of you are calling with dying evergreen trees such as cryptomerias, hollies, cedars and leylands.  Often the damage to these plants is done even before the plant shows signs of stress. While dead branches won't come back, you can often prune these out, bump up the moisture the plant can take up, and recover the lost growth within a year.

If you have stressed plants you may consider using soaker hoses. When the soil is this dry, hand watering with a garden hose is inadequate. The surrounding dry soil quickly wicks away the moisture before the plant can take up what it needs. Think about a paper towel soaking up a spill. Wrapping affected plants with a soaker hose is much more effective. For young trees or shrubs, wrap a soaker hose 3-4 times around the plant, making the radius larger with each circle. Run the soaker hose for 2-3 hours. This will prevent runoff while saturating the surrounding soil. It may be necessary to water 2-3 times per week while this dry spell continues.

Soaker hoses can also be used in the vegetable garden. Weave lengths of hose through the rows, and again let it run for a couple of hours. The ground becomes evenly saturated, and you will avoid fungus problem that can occur with frequent overhead watering.

Under the new outdoor watering guidelines, homeowners and businesses are stilled allowed to water daily between 4pm and 10am. Watering during this time avoids excessive evaporation from the heat from the mid-day sun.

A watering schedule that was sufficient just a month ago, may now be inadequate."

Autumn Hill is located in the Crabapple area of Roswell, and the ladies there are very knowledgeable.  You'll love this nursery, especially if you're shopping for roses!  

Garden Update

Finally!  Here are the pics of the new vegetable beds and surrounding area that we installed in our backyard this spring.  I remember how excited I was to be able to plant even more vegetables this year, and I had some pretty grandiose ideas about corn and watermelon . . . well, let's just say that there's always next year!

Here's what we do have planted and growing (quite well, if I do say so myself):

Cucumbers -- pickling types, of course, since I think they have a better flavor and because we have friends that beg for our pickles each summer

Green, yellow, & red bell peppers -- although I have to say that I struggle with peppers, and I have no idea why

Lima beans -- These are my daughters favorite, so the plant marker reads, "Lilla Kate's Lima Beans."

Squash -- What can I say about squash?  Ridiculously easy to grow, and very yummy.

Strawberries & Blueberries -- the kids' favorites

Several varieties of heirloom tomatoes -- Black Zebra, Chocolate Stripe, Kelloggs Orange, Sunset Gold, Black Cherry, Roma, Brandywine, Green Zebra, Red Zebra, Black Krim . .  . and a few more

Various herbs including a few varieties of basil, sweet marjoram, oregano, rosemary, creeping thyme, and lavender . . .

Oh!  We also have edamame, but that seed tray got mixed up with a tray of hollyhocks, so there are hollyhocks growing next to my squash and the edamame is mixed in the landscape!  Everything is progressing nicely, though.  Tomatoes have been coming in a few at a time for a couple of weeks, and this week has been the beginning of cucumbers. 

So in celebration of the plentiful summer bounty, I invite you all to send me pics of your own home gardens.  I'd love to see what you all are growing and to hear about what's working and what's not.  Just send them to jtucker@teamturflandscapes.com, and I'll publish them in an upcoming post.

Running A Little Behind . . .

So, I know that I've promised you all a study of local vegetable gardens, and I will get to that soon.  What with all the rain we've been having lately, coupled with the very high temperatures, our workload has been a bit stressful to say the least.  Until I can get my veggies in a row (sorry, I can't help myself sometimes), I thought I'd at least give you a few photos to browse through because let's be honest, nothing says summer in the south like a yard full of gorgeous hydrangeas (apart from the humidity and mosquitos, of course)!

These photos were all taken in my backyard . . . where apparently the motto is: "You can never have too many hydrangeas!"

What you should take away from this post is this:  if you're looking for dramatic color in your yard, you cannot go wrong with hydrangeas.  There are so many varieties, and the varieties go so much further than simple blossom color.  There are textures and bloom types that will blow you away! They're easy to care for, so very southern, and they can literally make people say, "Wow!" 

And, folks,  that is something that I think all landscapes should strive to achieve.