2012 proved to be very harsh for landscaping as a whole. Some are calling it “The Landscaping Apocalypse of 2012.” We witnessed landscaping clients who were very committed to watering their landscaping and doing what it takes to keep everything alive lose a lot of the plants. Unfortunately, the harsh summer of 2012 ended up killing a lot of landscaping for even the most committed home owners. One thing that we did witness is that all of the landscaping that was dying was landscaping that had been planted in the spring. Clients that had planted in the fall on the other hand had zero issues with keeping their landscaping alive. There is a very simple reason why this is.

Planting in the fall allows all of your landscaping to develop a strong root system. Having a strong and deep root system is vital for your landscaping to flourish. You see, the deeper you go into the soil, the more water there is. If your landscaping has a shallow root system it will be striving in the heat to get the water it needs to survive. This is why so many people witnessed entire spring planted landscapes die with the 2012 landscaping apocalypse.

Now, the 2012 drought we experienced was a one off heat spell. Don’t live in fear that if you don’t plant in the fall of 2012 your 2013 landscaping will die. If we have a good year you will probably be fine. However, this does give testimony to the power of fall landscape planting. Imagine how well your fall planted landscape will do if we do have a really good year in 2013. On that note, if you take care of your landscaping now before winter, you will have a lot less needed maintenance and watering next spring and summer because the deep soil moisture will be doing most of the work for you.

In conclusion, the common misconception that spring planting is the best way to go is simply not true. If you would like a healthier landscape at your house for the spring and summer pre-winter planting is the way to go. Plus, you will only have to do half of the work maintaining and watering your lawn that following spring and summer. It is a win win situation for everyone.

Whether you decide to do all the work yourself or have us out to do your landscaping work, we hope you found this article helpful. Even though our main service area is Kansas City, Overland Park, Leawood and Olathe landscaping, we would be more than happy to take care of any surrounding areas.

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Thank you so much.

If you ever need a reference please let us know.

Sincerely

Shawn and Shellie V.

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In a unstable real estate market many overlook the importance of curb appeal. The first impression potential buyers have, is your yard. Statistics show that a professional landscape can add up to 30% value to your home. Depending on the size of your home and area, of course. But to many it can be an overwhelming task. Where do I start? How do I way out my options?

First things first, you need to get outside and evaluate your existing landscape, if any. Take note of plants that are not serving their purpose or have out grown their current space. Inspect the soil level around your foundation. Make sure the soil level is at it’s highest at the foundation and slopes away from the house. Also make sure there is no separation between the soil and foundation, as this can cause water to seep into your house. Now that you have inspected your current landscaping it is time to develop a plan. You will do this by creating a design. This is the most crucial part of the process. A great landscape starts with a well thought out design and plan. Don’t just go out and buy what ever you see at the local nursery, then throw it down. If your going to pay for anything through out this process, at least get a professional design.

Start by mapping out your home. Next layout the shape of your new beds, stay away from straight edges. The goal is to soften all of your homes straight edges, by creating beds that have soft curves that flow. Don’t forget to add your compass so you can determine where true north is. After all of that is done, it’s time to pull together a plant list. If you are not an expert gardner I suggest you utilize Monrovia’s website. This will allow you to search by your zone, type of plant, light needs, water amount, size, growth rate, foliage, flower color, flowering season and landscape use.

The goal is to create a good mix of evergreens and flowers that bloom at different times. You will now place the plants in your design. Try to work with odd numbers and once again stay away from straight lines. Staggering the plants will add more depth to the landscape. One last element to consider in your design is hardscapes. Which would be utilizing rock, boulders, pavers, flagstone, retaining walls etc. Don’t be scared to get creative. Are you ready for the fun part? It’s time to put your plan into action and install your new landscape. Don’t feel like you have to do it all at once. It’s perfectly fine to do it in phases.

Written by : Michael Candillo, owner of Garden Gate Landscaping

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How do you minimize thatch build up in your lawn? What is thatch? Where does it come from? And why is it important part of having a beautiful lawn? Thatch is created from your leftover grass clippings that has settled down on top of the soil. A small thatch layer is actually a good thing but, it needs to be under ½ inch in thickness. Yards with too much thatch are more prone to insect, diseases and pest damage not to mention it can prevent water form reaching the roots.

How can I prevent thatch build up in my yard, you ask?  Here are a few tips:

•  Never remove more than 1/3 of the grass in a single mowing
• Avoid mowing a wet lawn
• Rotate mowing directions
• If you have standing thatch after a mowing, bag or rake to remove
• Consider using mulching blades

Don’t pull out that bagger just yet, when you properly mow your yard the grass clippings are actually beneficial for your turf. Grass clippings will recycle nutrients back into the soil . Also a proper thatch layer helps with keeping the soil temperature lower, as well as added protection from unwanted pest and disease.

So, what if I already have thatch build up over ½ inch in my yard? Then you need to de-thatch by power raking your lawn. The power rake will bring the dead thatch to the top of the lawn. It will also slice the stolons which will promote new growth. You will be surprised how much thatch comes to the surface. Then you will have to remove that thatch, preferably by raking. Last, you will need to re-seed the lawn, the best time is in the fall. Do all of this then, since the proper time to seed is between September and October.

Written by: Michael Candillo, owner of Garden Gate Landscaping, LLC

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Normal rules and time lines are not going to apply this year because of the unusually warm season we have had.   We haven’t had any major storms or blizzards during this mild winter. Some trees are already budding and bulbs are already peaking out from the ground. Kansas City has had thunderstorms that remind you of spring, as well as other states seeing tornadoes.

Your yard will benefit from mowing the grass within the next couple of weeks. You need to cut it down about an inch shorter then what you normally would. It would also help to bag all of those clippings left over from mowing. Clean up all of the leaves left over in your landscaping or yard as well. Now is a great time to trim back or dead head most perennials and shrubs. Now is also a great time to trim your trees as well, the goal is to establish a central leader “the trunk”.  Remove anything growing down, into another branch or that is broken.

Crab grass will germinate when the soil temperature reaches 55 degrees for 3 consecutive days. When this happens, pre emergent for summer annuals will no longer have much of an affect. We normally hit this mark sometime around April but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it come by mid March. Because of a prolonged summer annuals season most of the industry has moved over to doing 2 pre emergents, 1 early spring, 1 late spring. A similar treatment can be done in your landscaping beds to help prevent weeds. At this point I would personally wait on any major seeding for your yard.

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There are several different methods used to (renovate) your lawn this fall. The most common practice used is core aeration, this is when you take 1″ – 2″ plugs from the soil. This maximizes soil particle space and there for reduces “soil compaction”.It also helps with nutrient absorption and photosynthesis. If you are seeding with a cool season turf (blue grass, fescue, perennial rye, etc..) do not over seed after core aeration. This will create plugs of grass and is not the correct method of soil preparation for cool season turf.

A second method to renovate your lawn is verticutting. This cuts straight grooves with in the soil, this should be done at least 2 different directions to form a grid pattern. This is the best method to prepare the soil for over seeding with a cool season turf.

Power raking is a third form used to renovate your lawn. This is primarily used to thin out the thatch layer, it can also puts grooves in the soil. You will be surprised how much dead thatch will come to the surface.

Now that you’ve chosen the right method for your lawn, it’s very important to pick the right seed. Most seed can contain fillers and weeds within the bag of seed that you bought. Blue grass is beautiful but does not with stand heat or drought very well. Fescue is still a great looking grass and has more tolerance for the heat and drought. But Home owners should stay away from k31 fescue. Perennial rye is the fasted germinating of all the cool season turf and great when fast coverage is needed…

Now that you have picked the right seed for your renovated lawn, now you need to finish with a starter fertilizer. Last make sure you water water water water until at least the first freeze then you kick back relax and wait for spring.

Tips: Make sure all weeds are killed before starting the lawn renovation process. Don’t wait to long to do your lawn renovation a hard freeze can damage the new grass.

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