Now is the Time to Prep for Spring

On October 29, 2021   /   Lawn Care Tips  
Now is the Time to Prep for Spring

It’s fall. We will forgive you for thinking that now is the time to relax and cut back on the work in your yard. We are approaching winter, and the busy summer season is finally dwindling. However, now is the time to prep for spring! If you want your lawn and garden to be flourishing by the time April rolls around, it’s essential to do the prep work now. Here, we lay out what to do over fall and winter – so that your garden reaches its full potential in 2022. Prep for Spring – Harvest Existing Plants If you have any plants, vegetables, or fruit that need harvesting, get this done first. Make sure that any dead or dying plants are disposed of or composted. Rake and Layer Your Garden Spend some time raking your garden. Try and rake through all plant leaves so that your garden and soil are exposed. This step is especially important if you have plants that showed signs of any mildew. You want your plants to have the best chance of growth for the spring season, so get rid of any plants that showed signs of disease or decay so that it hopefully doesn’t

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Best Landscaping Ideas for 2022

On October 29, 2021   /   Lawn Care Tips  
Best Landscaping Ideas for 2022

It’s time to look ahead for the best landscaping ideas in 2022. Due to lockdowns and a new normal, gardening and landscaping saw a surge in popularity during 2020 and 2021. It shows no signs of slowing down as we enter the new year. In fact, this new normal is being seen right throughout the garden trends and ideas for 2022! This blog will outline what landscaping ideas to look out for in 2022. A Mix of Interior and Exterior This new normal is all about functionality and ease of living, and it’s no different for landscaping in 2022, either. Outdoor entertainment spaces are becoming highly popular in 2022, as well as peripheral buildings and functional spaces within your garden. So, if you’ve been thinking about building that She-Shed, installing the BBQ, creating that outside kitchen, or finally creating the terrace of your dreams – now is the time to do it. Bring your interior outside and entertain your guests in your beautiful outdoor area. Embrace the Wild Look for wild gardens and meadows to storm the landscaping trends for 2022. A fun trend for 2022 – replicating an English meadow – full of wildflowers, untamed, and free. This trend

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Pretty Perennials Add Lasting Beauty

On August 10, 2021   /   Lawn Care Tips  
Pretty Perennials Add Lasting Beauty

Adding perennials to your garden is a great way to incorporate lasting color with less maintenance. Annuals may have a more extended bloom season than some perennials, but they won’t come back next year, requiring you to replant your garden each season. When choosing perennials for your Maryland garden, there are a few things to consider to make your landscaping efforts provide curb appeal and a wow factor. Hardiness Zone Depending on where you live in Maryland, you could be in one of five hardiness zones: 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b The hardiness zone you live in is based on frost dates and weather patterns. Zones five and six are hardy down to -20 degrees, while zones seven and eight are only hardy down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Knowing which zone you are in can help you select the right perennials to flourish best in your zone. The hardiness zone also determines the best time to plant for the best results. Sun Tolerance Plants need sunlight to survive, but each perennial has its own amount of sun tolerance. A perennial requiring outdoor shade would burn up and die in full sun, and a perennial needing full sun won’t grow in

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When is the Best Time to Plant Fruits and Vegetables?

On May 21, 2021   /   Lawn Care Tips  
When is the Best Time to Plant Fruits and Vegetables?

A fruits and vegetables garden offers you many benefits like access to fresh produce. To enhance your harvest, you need to consider the planting time. Most importantly, the planting time and season mainly depend upon the weather the vegetables can tolerate. Notably, you only need to consider two main types of fruits and vegetables: warm season and cool season. Therefore, the question is, when is the best time to plant? When to Plant Cool Season Vegetables You can know cool season vegetables by edible buds, leaves, or stems, think cabbage, potatoes, and onions. The crops must mature when the weather is still cool. Cool season vegetables usually have shallower roots than warm season vegetable plants. In normal circumstances, they stop producing in early summer when temperatures surge to 80°F. Their ideal planting time is in spring, when soil temperatures range between 40°F and 75°F. Plant these vegetables between 2-4 weeks before the last spring frost. Don’t plant them in soggy soil, as they might rot. Most seed packages will come with the desired soil temperature to sow the seeds for the vegetables. It is advisable to have a soil thermometer, which comes in handy. Here are examples of crops for

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The Case for Mulch

On April 16, 2021   /   Lawn Care Tips  
The Case for Mulch

Using mulch is part and parcel of gardening as it supports some natural processes in your garden. If you carry out mulching correctly, your garden will reap several benefits while cutting down on watering, weeding, and pest control expenses. Notably, you can incorporate it into any gardening system. So, what are the benefits of mulching to your garden? The Benefits Of Mulching Your Flower Beds and Trees To get the full benefits of mulching, ensure the layer is at least 5 -7.5 inches. The mulch offers the following benefits to your flower beds and trees. Helps With Weed Problems A good layer inhibits the growth of weeds in the soil. It is the solution for a weed-free garden. A weed-free garden ensures the flower bed and trees have all the nutrients without competition. Retains Moisture and Nutrients AThe same layer helps with water and nutrient retention. Furthermore, if you opt for organic material, it will release the nutrients into the soil on decomposition. Moreover, it will help the plants survive hot weather like during the summer. Soil Temperature Regulation Mulch ensures plants remain in stable condition without being stressed in conditions of fluctuating temperatures. This is beneficial, especially during the

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Spring Prepping Your Lawn

On March 24, 2021   /   Lawn Care Tips  
Spring Prepping Your Lawn

The exhaustion you feel from Daylight Saving Time may also put some wind in your sails. The time change signals that winter is about to leave, ushering in spring! Time to put away the snow shovels and start putting your spring plan into action. Let the Spring Prepping begin! What should you do when prepping your lawn for spring? Here are six tips to get your yard ready for summer? Spring Prepping – Cleaning First things first – time to assess the damage caused by the winter season. As soon as it’s warm and dry enough, take a walk around your yard and clean up debris. You should remove leaves, twigs, branches, acorns, and litter. Inspect your soil, grass, trees, shrubs, and garden structures to see what’s growing back and which section needs the most attention. Create a plan to tackle it when the ground isn’t saturated, which can create further damage. Rake the Grass Thatch, the layer of dead turfgrass covering the soil and root system, needs to be tended to. No matter how vigorously you raked in the fall, don’t skip this step. Raking not only gets rid of the thatch covering, but it also stimulates the grass

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4 Reasons Why Perennials Make Sense

On March 24, 2021   /   Lawn Care Tips  
4 Reasons Why Perennials Make Sense

Spring is in the air, despite the wet weather we’ve been getting. Have you planned out your garden for this year? If not, you may be wondering if it’s better to plant annuals or perennials. Annuals are colorful flowers even the most novice gardener can keep going. They are inexpensive, usually have a long bloom time, and can add bright cheer to your home’s exterior. The biggest downside to annuals is that when they die, they won’t come back, so you have to buy and plant them every year. Perennials, however, come back year after year, sometimes for decades. Perennials include flowers, fruits, legumes, nuts, and vegetables. The foods we eat come in both annuals and perennials. Today, we’re making a case for including perennials in your garden. Here are four reasons why perennials make sense. Water Conservation Annuals are particular about water – too much, and they rot, not enough, and they can burn in the harsh Maryland summers. Even still, annuals require frequent watering, sometimes twice a day when it’s hot and not so humid (which is rarely the case here). Perennials, though, require watering while the roots are getting established but can adapt more easily to the

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When Should You Start Planting Bulbs?

On February 18, 2021   /   Lawn Care Tips  
When Should You Start Planting Bulbs?

Planting bulbs in your garden is easy, and the colorful displays you receive once they bloom are a prominent sign of a job well done. But when should you plant bulbs in your gardens for maximum impact during peak season? The answer to this depends on the type of bulbs you’re planting and whether they are spring-blooming or summer-blooming bulbs. Here are some tips to use for planting bulbs in the right place and time in your gardens. Know Your Bulbs It doesn’t matter if you’re a serious gardener or a beginner; flowers grown from bulbs are a simple way to beautify your landscape design. You want to choose large and firm bulbs, avoiding any that are soft or mushy. While it’s normal to choose flowers based on colors and presentation, you have to know if they will bloom in spring or summer. When they bloom will determine when you should plant them. It would be best if you planted Spring-blooming bulbs in the fall after soil temperatures have cooled. Living in the transition zone of the Mid-Atlantic, that could mean as late as October or even November. Evening temperatures should be between 40 to 50 degrees, and the ground

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How Early is Too Early to Seed in the Spring?

On February 18, 2021   /   Lawn Care Tips  
How Early is Too Early to Seed in the Spring?

We may be just getting into winter here in Maryland, but some are already thinking about prepaing to seed in the spring. There are so many things to do to prepare for the new season. It’s time to start planning out your garden, determining if you need to make changes to your landscape design, and getting your seeds ready to germinate. As you look out the window at your yard, are you wondering how early is too early to seed in the spring? The brown patches of grass and bare spots full of mud after the snow has melted are an eyesore for many. Unfortunately, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow as he came out of his hole. So we have at least six more weeks of winter with which to contend. That doesn’t mean we can’t make plans for the spring that will eventually come our way. One of the challenges of living in Maryland is our hot and cold overlapping climate puts us in the transition zone. It makes it harder to determine the best time in spring to begin seeding. Why Timing and Seed Choice Matter If you seed too early, you risk the soil being too cold

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Winter Lawn Maintenance

On January 14, 2021   /   Lawn Care Tips  
Winter Lawn Maintenance

Planting Grass and Trimming Back Shrubs What are they doing?! You wonder as you watch your neighbor outside in the dead of winter, pruning their shrubs and throwing out grass seed. Do they know something I don’t? What’s the deal with winter lawn maintenance? When planting grass and trimming back shrubs, what time of year is best? It really depends on the type of grass and shrubs you have. Planting Grass If you missed the fall window to lay down seed, you might be waiting until spring comes around. However, depending on the type of grass in your yard, winter might be the best time to overseed bare spots and thicken up your lawn. It’s best to do dormant seeding with cool-season grasses: Tall fescue Bluegrass Perennial ryegrass Seeding now, as a part of your winter lawn maintenance, rather than waiting until spring, allows the grass seed time to germinate before existing grass and other plants begin to sprout.  Frost and snow seeding also have their advantages. The freeze and thaw cycle that comes along with cold night temperatures and warm day temperatures creates pockets and small cracks in the soil. This process provides natural aeration, allowing the seeds to

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The Fastest Way to Clean Your Gutters

On December 17, 2020   /   Lawn Care Tips  
The Fastest Way to Clean Your Gutters

The change of seasons from summer to fall brings brilliant colors, crisp air, and nights spent around a campfire. Unfortunately for some homeowners, fall also means leaves everywhere. The magic starts to fade as you see leaves covering your roof, gutters, and yard. If cleaning out your gutters is part of your fall to-do list, here are a few methods you can use to get it done as fast as possible and mark this task completed. Leaf Blower If you have a leaf blower, it can be one of the fastest ways to clean your gutters. When using this method, the most effective way is to get on the roof and blow the leaves from the gutters down to the ground. Make sure you do this safely: Use an extension ladder to get on the roof safely Wear safety goggles to keep leaves and gutter gunk out of your eyes Tie yourself off to a safe area to avoid falling off the roof while you’re working Be sure to blow the leaves over the gutter so they fall down on the ground rather than into the downspout. Don’t forget to check the downspout to make sure nothing gets blown in,

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Is it Okay to Mow Leaves Instead of Raking?

On December 17, 2020   /   Lawn Care Tips  
Is it Okay to Mow Leaves Instead of Raking?

Shade trees are wonderful to combat the intense heat of summer but come fall, homeowners might sing a different tune. You’ve watched the healthy green leaves turn into beautiful hues of yellow, orange, and red.  Now, they’re falling off to settle on the ground below. You let out a big sigh because you know that means one thing. It’s time to rake up those once beautiful leaves before winter comes. But, is it okay to mow leaves instead? The chore of raking leaves can be time-consuming, back-breaking, exhausting work, especially if you have a big yard and lots of trees. If raking up all those leaves keeps getting added back to your to-do list, you may have another option. Is it okay to mow leaves instead of raking?  Yes, it’s alright to put the rake down and turn on the lawnmower to handle the leaves on the ground. In fact, over the years, studies have confirmed it’s actually better for your lawn to mulch the leaves rather than rake them. Here are a few benefits you can expect from mowing your leaves instead of raking them. Fewer Weeds When mulched into small pieces, the leaves will naturally fall between the

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What Do You Put on Your Lawn in the Winter?

On December 17, 2020   /   Lawn Care Tips  
What Do You Put on Your Lawn in the Winter?

We know you won’t be outside mowing the lawn and tending your garden over the winter. But, that doesn’t mean you should ignore your yard until the warm weather returns. You don’t want your lawn looking like a brown, dry, lifeless mess when the seasons change. There are a few things you can do with your lawn in winter to get a jumpstart on spring. Aerate Your Lawn In Winter Over time, the soil in your yard can get compacted, especially in high-traffic areas. This can limit the number of nutrients your grass can absorb and prevent the ground from draining properly.  One way to improve drainage and ensure your grass is getting the nutrients it needs to stay healthy is to aerate your lawn in winter. You can do this with a power aerator if you have a large yard.  This machine will puncture the earth, allowing air to flow and water to get down into the soil. If your yard is on the smaller side, you can also do this by hand using a pitchfork. If your lawn could benefit from aeration, be sure to get it done before the first frost. Fertilize Fertilizing is another way to

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