Besides the personal enjoyment you'll get from a prettier yard, landscaping adds more value than almost any other home renovation. Landscaping is the one home improvement that actually appreciates over time. So how do you decide which projects to tackle? That depends on how long you think you'll be around to enjoy the results. Follow the simple guidelines below to have a more enjoyable outdoor area around your home.
 Watering and Healthy Plants
Always try to water in the morning hours of the day. This not only coincides with watering regulations but will make for healthier plants and turf. The reason for this is if water is applied late in the day it will stay on the plant all night and may harbor disease and other ailments that could lead to the demise of certain plants.
Avoid watering the foliage of plants other than turf grass. This will help with disease problems. Instead water the ground directly below the outer reaches of the foliage (canopy). This will ensure that the roots of the plants are getting the water rather than being trapped on the leaves which do not take in water anyways.
Saving Water - Saving Energy
There are many ways to save water. Some are more costly than others and may produce the same results as less costly more effective means. Depending on the situation and the overall appearance you are expecting from your landscape you can chose from many water saving options.
Mulch Garden Beds
This not only hiders weeds but also acts as an evaporation barrier that will hold the water in the soil for a longer period of time. Amend your soils with organic matter. This will keep water in the soil for a longer period of time as well as adding aeration and nutrients to the soil.
Use less water needy plants if watering is an issue or you just want to cut back on your consumption. Full scale Xeriscaping may not require any watering if the right steps and planning are taken and will produce a beautiful low maintenance garden.
Install efficient irrigation systems. Drip systems can easily be installed and produce a better result with less time and wasted water that hand watering.
Leave the mown height of your grass a bit more than usual. This will help with the drying out of the grass.
Water your plants and lawn deeply 2-3 times a week rather than every day. In Vancouver the evaporative loss of water only requires watering 2-3 times a week. Any more watering than this will be pushed out of reach of the plants you are trying to target and be wasted.
Proper Pruning
Pruning is a very important step in keeping a landscape healthy and in check. Pruning is used for such things as size reduction, shaping, benefiting flowering/ fruiting, and disease control. These are just some of the reasons we prune. See our pruning page for more idea’s.
The number one rule of pruning anything is know what the plant is before you prune it. The reason for this is different plants react to different types of pruning at different times of the year. You must be especially careful when dealing with flowering plants. Different plants produce their flower buds on different ages of wood and at different times of the year. For example take rhododendrons’. They produce their flower buds right after flowering and throughout the winter. The best time to prune them is either when they are nearing the end of their bloom or directly after.
For sever pruning such as removing large amounts of foliage or wood always do this in the early spring. The reason for this is plants are entering into a stage of extremely fast growth and will be able to recover and hide any sever pruning you have done.
When pruning something always start by removing the dead, diseased, or damaged wood first. This will not only give you a better idea of what the actual living shape of the plant is but also help remove diseases and save energy that the plant can use elsewhere, such as bigger flowers.
For any other horticultural tips or questions please do not hesitate to contact Brian and LandyMan Landscaping.We are happy to spread good advice and hope that we can help you make the landscape of your dreams.
If you are looking for top quality landscaping service and excellent customer service contact us today to see if LandyMan Landscaping is right for your next project.
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