Here's some great video for you to enjoy from the folks at Aquascape!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
A Look at Root Flare w/ Tyson Woods
This video on root flare remediation really gets to the heart of the matter.
"We plant trees because we believe in the future"
I'd have to say that really sums it up for me.
When I suggest making a change to a tree's environment, it's because
I believe it will give that tree a better future.
The future that I believe in needs more and healthier trees in it.
"We plant trees because we believe in the future"
I'd have to say that really sums it up for me.
When I suggest making a change to a tree's environment, it's because
I believe it will give that tree a better future.
The future that I believe in needs more and healthier trees in it.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Basic Landscape Design, part 2
Second part of my design tips for a beautiful and functional landscape.
6. Plan for those who will use your landscape. This means planning for pets and children. Be aware that some plants are toxic and exclude them from the parts of the yard that may be used unsupervised.
Plan accessability for elderly family members and people with disabilities by using wide paths, gate openings and ramps instead of steps.
7. Be water wise. Irrigate or go with a xeriscape (drought tolerant plantings). You want an attractive landscape, but who wants to spend all summer watering to keep it healthy? These days the trend is toward sustainable in all we do and the ritual of watering your lawn every other day for 15 minutes a zone doesn't fall into the category of sustainable. Modern irrigation systems can be very water smart, with advanced controlers programed to apply long soakings at infrequent intervals to develope a healthy root system without wasting water by frequent, light watering typical of older systems. Rain detectors are also becoming more of a standard feature, they keep your system from running needlessly during or after a rain.
Xeric Landscaping or xeriscape is the use of plants that are extremely drought tolerant once established (they still need watering the first year or two to get them established). Replacing a thirsty lawn with these types of plants; prairie grasses and wildflowers along with a variety of trees and shrubs can really reduce or eliminate the need to water. The need to fertilize and apply weed control on a monthly basis is also eliminated once the planting is established.Another way to be water wise is through the use of a rainwater harvest system. This can be as simple as a rain barrel under your downspout with a garden hose or watering can, or a complex system capturing the water from permeable pavements, rooftops, sump pumps and any other source of stormwater runoff, filtering the water through a constructed wetland, aerating the water in a recirculating water feature and a pump to transfer the captured water to its point of use. Just think of what these strategies could do for your monthly water bill!
8. Plan for the future. Remember the tree that ate the front door? Your plants will grow. Give them the space they need. What is full sun now may be very shady in 5 - 10 years. If you have a picture window with a west exposure and need some shade on it, you want a tree that will either grow quickly or be available in a large size. Or maybe both.
9. Be origional. Creating a landscape is an art. Each is a unique work and should reflect your lifestyle and tastes. 10. Be creative. Don't stop with a lawn a tree and a few shrubs. Flowering annuals and perennials, container plantings, water features, sculpture and outdoor furnishings along with fences, arbors/trellises and the paths that take you to and from these areas in your garden are all important parts of a beautiful and functional outdoor environment.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Basic Landscape Design Tips (1st 5 of 10)
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The cold snap has finally released its icy grip on us (for a few days, anyway) and the mailbox is full of nursery catalogues. It can't be long 'til spring and now is the perfect time to plan.
Want a landscape that will have the neighbors green with envy?
1st. Have a plan.
Landscaping is like any other home improvement, it can be fairly simple or extremely complex, and the cost can run the gamut.
The single biggest mistake you can make is to start a landscape project without any clear plan.
A good landscape design will reward the time invested with an efficient use of your resources.
We all want the best bang for our buck, so make the investment at the start and stick to the plan unless their is some truly compelling reason to change.
Give some thought to your home's appearance, existing landscape features and any views (good or bad, we all have them) that may need accenting or screening.
Think about what you need in your yard: Maybe you like to cook, so space for gourmet veggies and herbs are a must (kitchen garden!), or perhaps the children are at the age where the sand box and swing set are obsolete, but the patio needs to accommodate your family of 4 plus another 6 dinner guests and a fire pit would really help you get the most out of your yard by extending the season.
Plan before you start digging so you're not making big changes half way into the project. You'll wind up with a much more functional finished product and keep your sanity.
2nd. Design plantings based on your site conditions.
Pick the right plants and the maintenance is almost nothing.
The wrong plant will either be toast in a very short time (or worse still just look bad for years) or will require an outrageous amount of upkeep over it's lifespan.
Ok, so most gardens just kind of happen. You go to the local big box store and buy 'this cute little tree' in a container size that you can handle with relative ease, put it in the back of your urban chariot and take it home. (Over the course of a summer you can wind up with a whole collection this way.)
When you get back to the nest, you start looking around at all the possible spots for your newly acquired friend, and start positioning it to see how it will look in various locations.
Ever stop to consider your little green pets feelings on the subject?
You see, plants are very much like pets.
They have specific needs in order to thrive in their new environment.
They need the right amount of light or shade, the proper moisture and good drainage.
Proper air circulation is very important for some plants, others demand winter protection.
Then, there's the tree that ate the front door.
It wasn't because the tree was hungry, except maybe for more space.
No, someone brought this cute little tree home from the garden center and thought it looked best about 3' from the front door and 3' out from the foundation.
5 years later you need a machete to get in the front door.
Other considerations might be erosion control (who wants to mow a steep slope when ground cover would look better and be less maintenance?) and pest resistance.
3rd. Design for function.
The patio needs to be large enough for your family and an average number of guests, and it may look great 30 feet from the house, but that's really far from the kitchen.
You may need to think about an outdoor kitchen to make it really work, or a second patio area closer to the house. Entry walkways need to be wide enough for two people walking abreast, side paths/gangways wide enough for a single person.
A thoughtfully place stepping stone can make all the difference in a landscape design, as can a badly placed rose bush (can't tell you how many times I've been snagged!)
4th. Mulch your plants!
All of them. If you have any doubts as to the importance of mulching correctly please read my previous posting on the subject.
2 to 3 inches of organic material covering the soil around your plants will make their lives so much happier; it moderates soil temperature and moisture, improves soil texture and adds nutrients. If your plants are healthy they'll look better and that is what this is all about.
From a purely aesthetic point of view, mulch gives the planting beds a finished, uniform, 'tying it all together' natural look. (and PLEASE skip the dyed red stuff they use at McD's and BK, it hurts my eyes to even look at it!)
5th. Get two landscapes for the price of one!
You heard me right folks, you buy one landscape you get a second one for (almost) free today.
How you ask? - well I'm goin' to tell you.
Lighting. You put landscape lights in and it's like a whole different house at night.
Why, the first time you see your landscape lit up at night you may not even recognize the place.
Gives the home a whole new elegance, drama and style you can't get any other way.
Works like a charm for water features too.
Pools, ponds, water falls, water fountains, even bird baths look completely different and mysteriously beautiful when illuminated!
Properly designed landscape lighting will accent your plants and the architectural features of your home, improve the safety and security of your property and extend the enjoyment of your landscape into the evening.Ron Levinson
Basic Landscape
mailto:LandscapeRon@BasicLandscapes.com
http://www.basiclandscapes.com/
http://basiclandscapes.blogspot.com/
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year!
Welcome to the first post in my blog.
Hope everyone is having a great 1st day of the new decade after a great night of seeing off the dog of a decade we're leaving behind (and good riddance!)
I don't know anyone who will honestly miss the 2000's. Here's to the teen years being a return to prosperity.
Last night I watched 'Julie and Julia' and it inspired me to start this blog - it's a project that has been on my list for awhile now, but I just never seem to find time to take the first step.
My intent is to deliver timely and relevant info to you, my loyal following of gardeners, clients, cohorts and proteges in the landscape and green industries, and pick up a larger following (who knows? Maybe even on a global scale) of like minded individuals.
A word of introduction may be in order here, as most of the world won't know me from Adam.
I am currently the owner of a small landscape design/build/maintenance company based in DuPage County, Illinois, a company I founded about 10 years ago in response to what I saw at the time as a real lack of qualified individuals serving the western suburbs of Chicago and the missinformed homeowners who thought they were taking excellent care of their landscapes by hiring some of these 'professionals', or emulating their malpratice.
But I digress...
My background in the landscape industry began some 30 years ago working at my Uncle's garden center in the Wrigleyville neighbohood of Chicago. After 10 years at the family business doing 'whatever needed doing' (design, sales, retail opperations, installations) and the completion of an associates degree program in Landscape construction and maintenance, I went on to work for one of the largest lawncare service providers in the world as a horticulturist and have been a licensed pesticide applicator for turf, ornamentals, forestry, aquatics and rights of way for most of my career. I became an ISA certified arborist in 2001 and a Board Certified Master Arborist in 2008. I have spent the last 30 years diagnosing and devising remedies for all manner of landscape problems, both natural and man made. I won't claim to be an expert on all things horticultural, no-one should as there is just too much to know in this field, but I have a solid and relevant background, which I intend to share with anyone interested in listening.
Hopefully I can save at least some of you time, money and aggrevation.
If I haven't bored you to death with my ramblings yet then on to my 1st topic for conversation and discussion:
Excessive mulch depth or 'volcano mulching'.
Mulch should be maintained at a depth of 3 inches, with no mulch piled against the stems/trunks of the plants. Typically the root flare should be visible at the soil surface.
The problem is, most landscapes are mulched on an annual basis to a depth of 3-6 inches and the mulch depth can accumulate to depths of over a foot.
This kind of mulch build-up can cause any number of problems on your landscape, including mulch layers becoming water repellant, causing drought stress instead of preventing it.
Roots can grow into this layer of organic material and be subjected to abnormal temperature and moisture extremes.
The soil below the mulch can become super saturated, causing anerobic conditions for the tree roots. (plant roots need air, much as people and animals do).
Mulch can also provide an ideal nesting place for rodents, and rabbits at the base of landscape plants, where they then chew on stems and trunks, and cause what is often an unbelievable amount of damage.
Bark can deteriorate because of the constant contact with wet mulch, setting the plant up for easy entry by insects and disease pathogens.
The fix is relatively easy.
Cultivate the old mulch to break up crust and dig it back from the plants.
Keep mulch thin (a max. depth of 3 inches)
If you hire the job out, make sure the crew understands this guidline and sticks to it.
Your landscape will look better and live longer for the extra effort.
You'll probably spend a little more on labor to spread the mulch this thin, but you should need a lot less material, which will pretty much offset the cost.
Watch for my next topic - mechanical damage.
Blog to you later,
Ron Levinson
Basic Landscape
Ron@BasicLandscapes.com
http://www.BasicLandscapes.com
http://BasicLandscapes.blogspot.com
Hope everyone is having a great 1st day of the new decade after a great night of seeing off the dog of a decade we're leaving behind (and good riddance!)
I don't know anyone who will honestly miss the 2000's. Here's to the teen years being a return to prosperity.
Last night I watched 'Julie and Julia' and it inspired me to start this blog - it's a project that has been on my list for awhile now, but I just never seem to find time to take the first step.
My intent is to deliver timely and relevant info to you, my loyal following of gardeners, clients, cohorts and proteges in the landscape and green industries, and pick up a larger following (who knows? Maybe even on a global scale) of like minded individuals.
A word of introduction may be in order here, as most of the world won't know me from Adam.
I am currently the owner of a small landscape design/build/maintenance company based in DuPage County, Illinois, a company I founded about 10 years ago in response to what I saw at the time as a real lack of qualified individuals serving the western suburbs of Chicago and the missinformed homeowners who thought they were taking excellent care of their landscapes by hiring some of these 'professionals', or emulating their malpratice.
But I digress...
My background in the landscape industry began some 30 years ago working at my Uncle's garden center in the Wrigleyville neighbohood of Chicago. After 10 years at the family business doing 'whatever needed doing' (design, sales, retail opperations, installations) and the completion of an associates degree program in Landscape construction and maintenance, I went on to work for one of the largest lawncare service providers in the world as a horticulturist and have been a licensed pesticide applicator for turf, ornamentals, forestry, aquatics and rights of way for most of my career. I became an ISA certified arborist in 2001 and a Board Certified Master Arborist in 2008. I have spent the last 30 years diagnosing and devising remedies for all manner of landscape problems, both natural and man made. I won't claim to be an expert on all things horticultural, no-one should as there is just too much to know in this field, but I have a solid and relevant background, which I intend to share with anyone interested in listening.
Hopefully I can save at least some of you time, money and aggrevation.
If I haven't bored you to death with my ramblings yet then on to my 1st topic for conversation and discussion:
Excessive mulch depth or 'volcano mulching'.
Mulch should be maintained at a depth of 3 inches, with no mulch piled against the stems/trunks of the plants. Typically the root flare should be visible at the soil surface.
The problem is, most landscapes are mulched on an annual basis to a depth of 3-6 inches and the mulch depth can accumulate to depths of over a foot.
This kind of mulch build-up can cause any number of problems on your landscape, including mulch layers becoming water repellant, causing drought stress instead of preventing it.
Roots can grow into this layer of organic material and be subjected to abnormal temperature and moisture extremes.
The soil below the mulch can become super saturated, causing anerobic conditions for the tree roots. (plant roots need air, much as people and animals do).
Mulch can also provide an ideal nesting place for rodents, and rabbits at the base of landscape plants, where they then chew on stems and trunks, and cause what is often an unbelievable amount of damage.
Bark can deteriorate because of the constant contact with wet mulch, setting the plant up for easy entry by insects and disease pathogens.
The fix is relatively easy.
Cultivate the old mulch to break up crust and dig it back from the plants.
Keep mulch thin (a max. depth of 3 inches)
If you hire the job out, make sure the crew understands this guidline and sticks to it.
Your landscape will look better and live longer for the extra effort.
You'll probably spend a little more on labor to spread the mulch this thin, but you should need a lot less material, which will pretty much offset the cost.
Watch for my next topic - mechanical damage.
Blog to you later,
Ron Levinson
Basic Landscape
Ron@BasicLandscapes.com
http://www.BasicLandscapes.com
http://BasicLandscapes.blogspot.com
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