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29 Jan 2014
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Best Mulch for your Garden


Gardening is an incredible method of relaxing. There are a variety of ways to find peace and relaxation on a personal level. Gardening is a great way to do so. You will not need to spend a lot of money to grow your garden, and it provides many benefits. The best return on your investment is the feeling of happiness and tranquility from growing your own greenery. Many people have enjoyed the hobby of gardening for many years. It can be done for sheer pleasure or it can be done to feed a family. This article brings more of the joy of gardening to your life, especially if you nurture your plants with the best mulch for your garden.

There are many different types of mulch to choose from these days, but you don’t need to narrow down the different options if you are just looking for something that will work for everything. There are some mulches made from compost, while others are made from hay, but you will usually get a combination of a few different options when you’re looking for an all-purpose solution. Let’s take a look at some of the main features that you should be looking to get the best mulch that you can use for any new project.

Best Mulch for you Garden

Organic Mulches

The first thing you should look at when it comes to mulch is whether or not the mulch comes from organic materials. Organic mulches tend to improve the soil in the surrounding area because they don’t come with all of the inorganic materials, such as stones and plastic, that are found in many of the mulches sold in stores today. By going with a natural option, you can make sure that you are improving the health of your yard rather than destroying it.

Bark

Bark is usually the materials that you will want to make up most of your mulch. It can be shredded, chipped, or put together in chunks, and you also have to make a decision between pine, hardwood, and other types of trees. The best thing about bark mulch is that it will last a long time and it looks very attractive in any setting.

Dark Mulches

One last thing to remember is that you will want to stick with dark mulches more often than not. Dark mulches tend to absorb heat much more efficiently than their lighter counterparts, and the good news is that dark mulch and bark-based mulch are usually one in the same. You may find that the plants in the surrounding area become overheated if you go with lighter mulch. The plants will have to pick up the slack for absorbing the heat during the hot summer months. You should definitely try to avoid over-decorative mulches, such as white stones.

More gardening tips

Make use of root cuttings to create many new plants. Wait until winter when the roots are dormant before cutting them. The roots that should be cut are the biggest and thickest ones, use some hedge clippers or a sharp knife. Each root should be cut into lengths of about two inches. Fill seed trays with grit and moist peat, and gently lay the cut roots on the surface. Cover up the roots with a thinner layer of the peat mixture. Place your seed tray in a cool location and new seedlings will appear in about a month’s time. Plant each seedling in its own small pot until they grow big enough for outdoor planting.

Certain houseplants need to be re-potted; while others hate it when you disturb their roots. You can easily find out which plants need to be re-potted by turning each plant upside down, then tapping the pot until the plant frees itself from the pot and drops out. If the root structure is pushing out against the edges of the soil, you should transfer the plant to a larger pot. On the other hand, if only a minuscule amount of roots are showing or none at all, then your plant will be all right in the pot it was already in.

As previously mentioned, gardening is something that has been enjoyed by many throughout the centuries. At one time, most people saw gardening as the sole means of providing food for their family. Today it could be used for profit, need or pleasure. Whatever reason pulls you in to gardening, the information you have read in this article should help you to enjoy the process just that much more. Appreciate the pleasures of your gardening habit.

Need to learn how to choose the best mulch for your garden? Call 805-773-5395 

 

31 Oct 2013
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Simple Landscaping Ideas [Infographic]

Want to learn  simple landscaping ideas? You may be thinking that it will be difficult to impress anyone with your landscaping skills because you simply do not have enough time during the week to take care of the yard. The good news for anyone who never has time to take care of the lawn is that there are some simple landscaping ideas that you can use to your advantage.

Let’s take a look at a few different simple landscaping ideas that could work for your home.

Simple Landscaping Ideas

 

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18 Oct 2013
1 Comments By Evergreen Landscaping Archive

How do I prevent crabgrass from growing in my yard?

Many people are interested in the idea of getting rid of crabgrass because this is the kind of problem that can quickly spread to the rest of the yard. The best way to prevent crabgrass from becoming a problem in your own yard is to make sure that you take the steps to prevent it from popping up in the first place. If you plan ahead, you greatly increase the chances that you will never have to face crabgrass in the future. Let’s take a closer look at what crabgrass is and what you can do about it.

What is Crabgrass?

Crabgrass is an annual plant, although most people think it never dies since it always seems to pop up at the worst times. It actually dies off every winter, so that is when you should be planning your attack. If you are unsure if you have crabgrass in your yard right now, you should look for a low plant with very thin leaves that seems to be infecting your yard like a virus. Although there are only two species of crabgrass currently found in the United States, there are actually over 300 different types of crabgrass found in different parts around the world.

How to Prevent Crabgrass from Growing

The best way to prevent crabgrass from taking over your yard is to keep your yard generally healthy. A healthy lawn will takeover the crabgrass if your yard rather quickly if you give it the chance to succeed. If you already have a few crabgrass plants popping up, then it is beyond the right time to take action. The biggest tip to remember when it comes to preventing crabgrass growth is to let your grass grow a bit higher. Over four inches should work during the summer, and you should aim for a little over three inches during the winter and fall seasons.

09 Sep 2013
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Putting Together a Sports Field Irrigation and Sprinkler System

Irrigation and Sprinkler SystemWhen you are looking at various irrigation and sprinkler system designs, it is important to realize that there are different designs available for different types of sports fields. Whether you are looking at a sprinkler system for a football field or a baseball field, it’s important to make sure that you are choosing the right design.

Setting up Irrigation and Sprinkler System

You cannot simply place your sprinklers in random spots across the field because you need to make sure that every aspect of the field gets an equal amount of water when it is time to turn on the sprinklers. By setting up everything correctly at first, you can avoid any issues when it comes to too much water raining down on one spot or another spot not getting any water at all.

Field Maintenance is Important

Whether you are coaching little league or leading a high school football team, you have to remember that field maintenance is sometimes part of the job. Without a proper field to play on, the players will not be able to excel and play the game like it should be played. In some situations, an improperly maintained field can lead to injuries to your players or players on the opposing team. Situations like these need to be avoided at all costs, and it really does not cost that much to properly maintain a field when you have a few people who will be able to do the regular maintenance.

There are In-Ground and Portable Options

If you are part of a team that travels across the country on a regular basis, then you may need to find a portable irrigation system. These are basically sprinkler systems that you will roll out on the field and setup whenever they are needed a few days before a game. On the other hand, teams that actually have a home field will be able to install a proper, in-ground irrigation system. You can control everything from the sprinklers to fertilization without much work after a proper system has been put into place.

Hire the Professionals

If properly maintaining your field is too much for you to handle right now, then you should think about calling in the professionals. This would be a much better option than just simply leaving the field to rot. It’s important for the team to have a proper field to play on if you want to be able to make sure the game goes smoothly.

Looking for more tips and suggestions for your sports field? Contact us For a Free Consultation or call 805-773-5395.

13 Aug 2013
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Water Garden: Adding Great Value to your Home


There are many different factors that go into the overall value of your home. But you can definitely increase the general appeal and value of your home with water garden. While the interior of the home is going to be one of the major deciding factors at the end of the day for most people, the reality is that a water garden can add an x-factor to your property. In the same way that a person may choose one home over another because one of them has the added benefit of a backyard pool. You may also find that the same situation applies with a water garden.

Water Garden: Fountain or Pond

The amount of extra value from your water garden will really depend on a few different factors. First of all, you have to take a look at the bigger picture when it comes to your yard. A fountain or pond will not help you out very much if the rest of your yard is a complete mess. The people who are usually able to get the largest value increase from a pond or fountain are the ones who also have a nice patio to go along with the water area.

If you really want to add more value to your home with your backyard, then you may want to look into creating a calming atmosphere. An atmosphere that covers the entire backyard rather than just throwing a random bit of water into the mix. A bridge that runs over the pond would be a best case scenario, and perhaps you could have a walkway that wraps itself around a fountain.

Using Xeriscaping for your water garden

While having a full-fledged water garden is rewarding and enjoyable, lots of people simply don’t have the time that is required to maintain it. Whether you have too much going on at work or too many kids to take care of, you should never try to operate a garden if you don’t think you can handle it. For those people who are just too busy for a normal garden, I would suggest a somewhat recent method of gardening known as Xeriscaping. This minimal yet stylish theory first emerged in Colorado when water levels were at an all-time low. It is a great method of having a great looking yard or water garden, without having to maintain it or water it very often at all.

water garden

If your area is undergoing a drought, you should check with the water suppliers and see if they are offering lessons. If you attend those, you will be able to get advice specific to your region (IE types of plants to grow, how much to water them, etc.).

To some, the name Xeriscaping conjures the image of a yard that consists of a giant rock bed. However, this is known as “zero scaping”, and it is a considerably different concept. It focuses on reducing your yard to nothing that requires any maintenance whatsoever. Unfortunately this is usually just rocks. But this shouldn’t be your goal. While keeping maintenance at a minimum, it is still possibly to retain a nice looking yard that won’t attract the negative attention of everyone who passes by.

This might sound like it would be hard to implement without making your yard into a hideous mess, but this is not so at all. The theory basically involves choosing plants which are low maintenance to begin with, then putting them each in environments that are ideal. It is usually applied by figuring out what side of the house to place it on to get the best amount of shade, and figuring out how to group it with plants with similar water needs.

To get started in your Xeriscaping renovation, you first need to pick out all the plants you will be using. They should for the most part require a low amount of water. This doesn’t mean you can only grow cactuses in your yard. Just cut back on the really thirsty plants that you have to water every day to keep alive. You’ll want to stick with local plants for the most part. Don’t go with anything too exotic as these generally require larger amounts of water.

 

The second most important principle of xeriscaping is placing the plants in ideal areas. Place them all together with plants that require essentially the same amount of water. This way, you will end up saving lots of water. Also place the plants in areas where they will be protected from wind or excessive sun, depending on the needs of the plants. Xeriscaping is almost the same thing as microclimating, just with more of a focus on adaptation to harsh conditions rather than avoiding them. So if it sounds good to you and you’re looking to save time and water by renovating your garden, you should look for xeriscaping lessons.

The size of the pond or fountain for your water garden is also going to have an impact on how it affects your home’s value. If you have a large pond where large fish are stocked on a regular basis, then you could be looking at adding a few extra thousand dollars to your home’s overall value. On the other hand, a small fountain that is placed in the center of your backyard is probably not going to do very much for you. At the end of the day, you need to make sure that your water garden is the main attraction in the backyard. You are really going to be able to get any extra value out of it.

Looking for more water garden tips? Find out more from the experts! Call us today at 805-773-5395.