Spring Landscaping Archives

Pet-Friendly Landscaping

Posted on May 11, 2018May 21, 2018 by Hidden Creek Landscaping

How to Create a Pet-Friendly Yard

You love your pets and even consider them as members of your family! But, unfortunately, sometimes it is difficult to maintain a perfect yard with pets roaming around it.

Across central Ohio, you can see countless yards that have all of the familiar signs: big holes in the ground, dead spots in the grass, dog poop everywhere and flowers that have been trampled on. These yards have all of the bare essentials to be a beautiful space, but the owners have seemingly let their animals take them over.

The following are some ideas you may consider if you are looking to create a pet-friendly landscape.

Consider Hardscaping

Hardscaping may be something you want to consider if you have a puppy who likes to get his paws dirty. This will create a barrier between your dog and your garden. By designing your yard with hardscaping, you will be able to remove some or all of the spaces where your dog can dig. Whether it is stone structures, retaining walls, or paved paths, Hidden Creek can help you design and install these features to protect your space.

Pick up the Poo

This isn’t so much a design idea as it is a simple suggestion. Many yards and lawns are ruined because there has been so much pet waste accumulated in them over the years. You would be surprised how many families and children don’t like to enjoy their yards simply for this reason. And, guests don’t feel comfortable walking through your yard and enjoying the space unless it’s clean.

You may want to consider regularly cleaning up after your pet in your yard. It will make your yard both more enjoyable and healthier for everyone. Make “pooper scooper the yard” a weekly chore for you or your kids, and protect your beautiful yard!

Keep your Herb Garden Safe

Pet-Friendly Landscape

Many homeowners like to grow little herb gardens in their yards. This is a great way to provide your own additions to healthy meals to enhance the flavor.

Unfortunately, though, dogs and cats also seem to love herb gardens. Our little friends like to chew on and eat soft and small plants. Avoid this by creating a barrier around your herb garden. You could consider protecting your herb garden with chicken wire, a stone wall or another hardscaping feature.

Steer Clear of Poisonous Plants

A well-designed garden will usually feature a number of different plant species. When planning your garden, though, you need to keep your animals in mind when choosing plant species. There are some commonly-used landscape plants that are poisonous to dogs and cats when consumed.

Some of these common species include lilies, azaleas, and tulips. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruetly to Animals (ASPCA) has an extensive list of these plants which you may consult. Take care when choosing plants for your yard, and make sure your landscape professional is aware of this concern.

Pick a Hearty Grass Species

A beautiful, lush, green lawn is what most homeowners desire. However, dogs can be problematic when considering your lawn maintenance. As mentioned before, dogs can frequently burrow into lawns, which causes damage. Pet waste can also cause dead and yellowing spots in the grass. It can be difficult to balance the needs of your lawn and the needs of your pet.

Despite all of these concerns, if you still want a green lawn, then consider carefully which species of grass you choose. Some species of grass are heartier, and they can take the beating of a dog’s usage a little better. For a species recommendation, schedule a consultation with one of our landscape professionals.

Fence in your Dog Yard

Pet-Friendly Landscape

Oftentimes, the best solution to having animals and a beautiful landscape is allocating one part of your yard for them and another part for more intricate gardening or entertaining space. This separation can often best be done with fencing.

One solution would be to have a smaller backyard area where you allow your dogs and cats to roam that’s fenced in, and a separate space for entertaining and gardening. Or, if you don’t have that much space in your backyard, you can have a fenced in area in the back and then place more beautiful and delicate plants that could potentially be harmed by animals in your front yard.

Place Delicate Plants Away from your Pets

Features like flower beds, herb gardens, and succulent plants need to be placed away from where your pets go. As these features tend to be more easily harmed, they should be positioned in an area that will not be frequented by your animals. As mentioned before, this could be accomplished with fencing, or with a water feature or hardscaping.

In areas where your animals will be, you can place sturdier plants and landscaping features. In these spaces, hardscaping or ground covers would be great options, as well as larger shrubs or small trees.

Time your Irrigation Appropriately

In many cases, irrigation is necessary to maintain a beautiful garden. Plants have different moisture requirements to grow and be healthy. Irrigation allows you to control and create the ideal environment to keep your garden beautiful.

However, many times irrigation systems are set on timers, which can actually be problematic if you have pets. Don’t set your irrigation to run immediately before or during the times your pet will be in that area of the yard. When soil and lawns are wet, they can be more easily damaged by your animals. Not to mention, this could set you up to have muddy paw prints tracked into your home!

Creating a pet-friendly landscape is definitely doable, but does require some extra planning beforehand. Usage by your pet is simply another factor to be taken into account during the landscape design process. Make sure to communicate this need to your landscaping professional when creating your ideal design.

Have questions? Contact Hidden Creek Landscaping and together we can build a yard that is great for you and your furry friends!

What Are the Best Trees for Ohio Landscaping?

Posted on April 20, 2018March 15, 2018 by Hidden Creek Landscaping

The unpredictability of midwest weather can cause a lot of frustration. One minute it is sunny, and it could be storming the next. There can be snow in the springtime and warm winter days. However, when the weather messes with your landscape, it can be discouraging. After all, homeowners usually put a lot of time, effort and money into the landscaping to ensure that it is always looking splendid.

To stop this frustrating dilemma from affecting your landscape, here is a list of trees, flowers, and shrubbery that will survive year-round in Ohio:

Best Trees for Ohio Landscaping

Red Oak Tree

The sturdy and heavy Red Oak wood has a reddish-orange color that adds vibrant color to the landscape and is an excellent source of shade.

Japanese Tree Lilac

The Japanese Tree Lilac is perfect for those who are looking for an exceptional accent plant with beautiful and fragrant spring blooms. A big part of the popularity of this tree is that it is low-maintenance and resistant to diseases. Also, it prefers moist, well-drained soil, thrives in direct sunlight and requires very little pruning. Among the most favorite selections of the tree are Summer Snow and Ivory Silk.

Witch Hazel Tree

This tree is a remarkable option for broad and open areas in your landscape. The tree favors partial shade or direct sunlight and soil that is moist and well-drained. Its orange and yellow foliage creates a spectacular display during the fall months. Even when there is snow on the ground, the Witch Hazel tree will flower. The spicy fragrance and twisting branches of the tree are particularly unique and form a part of its grand appeal.

Crabapple Tree

Easy to grow and stunningly beautiful, crab apple trees produce incredible flower shows during the spring. It is necessary for these trees to be planted in well-drained loamy soil because fruit trees will not flourish in wet soils. Crabapple trees require good air circulation and full sun exposure to ensure the leaves stay dry. It is essential to keep these leaves dry because wet leaves on fruit trees tend to cause diseases. When the apples fall, disease resistant varieties will not create a mess.

American Hornbeam Tree

American Hornbeam trees are a fantastic option for naturalized or woody landscapes. This magnificent tree thrives in shade or partial sunlight and favors soil that is wet and well drained. The American Hornbeam is native to the northeast and produces outstanding red and yellow foliage during the months of fall.

Pagoda Dogwood Tree

The Pagoda Dogwood tree is a well sought after the native of the Midwest and hails, more specifically, from the state of Minnesota. This tree favors full sun exposure or partial shade and thrives well in these conditions. The foliage of this tree is a beautiful purple that shows out during the fall. It produces a pleasing aroma and creamy white blossoms during the spring. The Pagoda Dogwood tree can be significantly affected by city pollution, and as such, your Pagoda Dogwood should not be planted near to the roadside. Argentina and Venus are popular types of the Pagoda Dogwood tree, and its unique horizontal branching is one of its most remarkable features.

Japanese Maple Tree

This spectacular tree produces beautiful spring and fall colors. During the fall, its textured foliage changes to a hue that ranges from deep red to purple. White and pink blooms show up in the spring and last into the months of summer. To maintain its form, it requires pruning, or it will reduce into a shrub. It favors minimal sunlight and light shade and thrives best in average, well-drained soil. While this tree is typically hardy in Ohio, it is best to check with a local nursery to determine the variety that will thrive best in your region.

Asimina Triloba (Pawpaw)

This deciduous, conical tree grows between 12 and 20 feet tall. It has tropical-looking leaves that turn yellow in autumn and become as big as 12 inches. Dark-brown, velvety flower buds produce upside-down, maroon flowers as big as 2 inches across that bud for approximately six weeks early in the springtime. The Asimina Triloba produces the largest native edible fruit in America, and its flavor is similar to both banana and mango. Once established, this tree can tolerate full sun exposure, and young trees favor filtered sun.

Stewartia Pseudocamellia (Japanese Stewartia)

This deciduous, slow-growing tree is shaped like a pyramid and extends between 20 and 30 feet in height and 8 and 25 feet in width. It can be single trunk or multi-stem, prefers partial shade, favors well-drained soil and has no tolerance for drought. In July, its cup-shaped, white flowers emerge, and its fall foliage has incredible shades of burgundy and reddish-orange. It reddish-brown bark provides interest and fantastic winter color. It can be used near the patio or as a specimen plant in the yard.

Best Shrubs for Ohio Landscaping

Buxus “Winter Gem”

This trouble-free, dependable evergreen is not a deer favorite. It is most effective when used to create a hedge, and it produces glossy, medium-textured foliage. The leaves will hold their color even throughout long and brutal winters. This shrub’s growth becomes a refreshing light green color in the Spring. It can be used to bring evergreen structure to the landscape, which is mainly essential during the winter when there is very little green left. It is a low-maintenance plant as it only requires pruning once or twice a year.

Clethra Alnifolia (Summersweet)

This native shrub is delightfully fragrant, attracts beautiful butterflies and blooms in mid to late summer. The elegant foliage and form of taller varieties make them great accents for anyt landscape. They typically reach between 5 and 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Shorter cultivars like the ‘Hummingbird’ work well for repetition and massing, staying approximately 2½ to 3 feet tall.

If you need more information about types of plants for Ohio landscaping or need help with a design, contact us!

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Spring Landscaping Tips After Winter

Posted on March 9, 2018March 7, 2018 by Hidden Creek Landscaping

After the long months of winter, a number of homeowners recognize the need to perform spring landscaping tasks in their yards. This freshens up the lawn and other parts of the landscape that are in need of extra attention at this particular time of the year. Doing so gets the yard prepared for the growing season. A yard clean up checklist for spring can be separated into 6 categories of related tasks:

Major Clean Up
Flowerbed Preparation
Begin Planting
Control Weeds
Control Pests
Plant Care

Major Clean Up

This aspect of preparing the yard for spring landscaping will require a rake, gloves, and perhaps a few other small tools. Picking up after the snow melts can be quite a messy, yet necessary task. Therefore, you should roll up your sleeves, put on your gloves, and get to work. You can also ask a landscape maintenance specialist for help.

Leaves that have blown around, trees, and perennials can remain in place and mulched over. If they are in modest quantities, there is no need to remove them. However, there are often matted leaves all over the yard after the winter has passed, so we recommend you do remove most of those.

The cleaning process requires you to remove debris. This includes clearing away dead leaves, grass, pinecones, and whatever other unwanted rubble that may be on the lawn.

Flowerbed Preparation

For flowerbeds that performed optimally the prior year, the best thing to do is put additional compost around the plants for fertilization. Also, you should remove any weeds that have sprouted in the beds. This will prevent them from spreading and growing more as the season goes on.

You have a few options when it comes to opening up new planting beds. They include breaking new ground using a tiller and transforming lawn space into planting beds. There is also the option of building raised beds. You could consider soil solarization in areas that are particularly rough.

If you have broken ground to open up a new planting bed, there is no doubt weeds will find it fast. Therefore, in many situations, it’s a good idea to lay a landscape fabric on top of the ground. This should be followed by adding a layer of mulch.

Begin Planting

Early spring is ideal for the installation of trees and shrubs and the planting of perennial flower borders. However, this is only true if the perennials are hardy. For tender perennials, annuals, and seed, you should await the passing of the last frost date for your region.

Control Weeds

Sometimes it is much easier to battle weeds prior to their emergence, instead of waiting for them to rear their heads. While landscape fabric can be used to eradicate weeds in flower beds, pre-emergent herbicides may be helpful for your lawn, especially to control crabgrass.

Control Pests

Precautionary measures can be taken to deal with garden pests. Many gardens require the protection of deer fencing or rabbit-proof fences. In regions where deer could pose a problem and fencing is not an option, installing deer-resistant plants is a wise idea. You could also look into growing rabbit-proof flowers if this is relevant to your situation.

Plant Care

Pruning

Trees and shrubs can frequently benefit from spring cleaning as well. The period between the end of winter and early spring is ideal for pruning shrubs that will flower in late June and last through much of the fall. For example, during this time you can prune shrubs like butterfly bush, abelia, beautyberry, clethra, caryopteris, smooth hydrangea, rose-of-Sharon and panicle hydrangea. It is also prime time to prune crape myrtle, St. Johnswort, vitex and summer-blooming spirea. Spring-blooming shrubs like rhododendron, azalea, lilac, weigela, viburnum, and forsythia should be pruned right after they start to flower.

There is no doubt that dead branches should always be removed. However, the need to prune off live branches is typically determined by personal taste or one’s need to give the tree or shrub a more visually appealing shape. The ideal time to prune shrubs to give them a desirable shape differs from shrub to shrub.

Mulching

Any deep coating of mulch that may have been covering your perennials throughout the winter should be monitored to determine when they should be pulled away. This is necessary for the perennials to emerge unhindered. There is no exact date for when the mulch protection should be removed from your perennials; this has to be played by ear.

spring flower care

The exact time to remove this mulch will differ based on where you live. However, if a deep layer of mulch has been applied, it will ultimately have to be scraped away from the ground immediately under the perennials to prevent smothering.

A comprehensive spring clean up readies your lawn and other parts of the landscaping for the spring and summer seasons. However, so much more can be achieved through spring cleaning. In many cases, this will save you from frustrations as the season progresses.

Contact us for more tips and to discuss how we can help you clean up after winter and create a beautiful landscape for spring.

Elements to Consider When Planning Your Landscape Project

Posted on February 2, 2018October 27, 2021 by Hidden Creek Landscaping

Beyond improving the aesthetic appeal of your yard, a proper landscaping design can help propagate local ecosystems, prevent soil erosion and flooding, as well as demarcate areas depending on your family needs or upcoming events. A well-executed landscaping project can add value to your home and provide you with a luxurious escape in your own backyard!

In order to achieve these benefits, you will need to put several elements into consideration. These elements are your city’s zoning and permit laws, your budget, and how you will use your new space.

Research Zoning and Permits

elements to consider when designing a landscape The first thing to consider is your city’s zoning and permit requirements and laws. Of course, it helps to work with a landscaping company that is familiar with these regulations, but you should familiarize yourself with before planning the project to determine what is possible.

The City of Columbus says, “The Zoning Code regulates the type of activity that may occur within specific geographic areas of the city.” You should check this code to figure out what you are allowed to build or change and where the zone of your property lies. This also includes finding out where your property line begins and ends, so you don’t go building into your neighbor’s yard.

You should also check your city’s permit regulations to make sure you have the proper paperwork needed for certain projects. This is determined by where you live and the type of project you are planning. For example, the City of Columbus requires a special permit if you hope to build a deck that exceeds a certain size. Permits also differ between commercial and residential properties.

In addition, make sure you are extra careful to check the regulations if you live in a historic area like German Village. These areas adhere to strict guidelines in order to preserve the historical value of the area. The German Village Guidelines say, “Whenever you consider making changes in your building site, carefully weigh whether these changes would follow established historic patterns.” It goes on to explain the types of fencing materials villagers would have used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These are the requirements for fencing materials today.

Keep all of these zoning and permit standards in mind when researching and planning your own landscaping project. Remember to check for specific regulations unique to your city, town, or village.

Create a Budget

Budget is, of course, important to consider when you are planning a landscaping project. Make sure you set aside money for this project prior to planning it and keep this number in mind when fleshing out the details. It’s easy to get ahead of your budget when you’re looking at all of the beautiful and unique features available to you. Be sure to be selective and choose your must-haves before considering smaller details. It may also be a good idea to set aside supplemental funds for additional features you can’t live without.

How Will You Use Your Landscape?

A good way to determine what features you need is to think about how you will use your landscape. Are you known for your dinner parties? Do you have a birthday or graduation celebration to plan? Does your family have kids or pets? Looking at these factors will help you decide how much seating or open space you’ll need.

For example, outdoor cooking and dining are becoming a huge landscaping trend. If you have any upcoming parties and you’d like to entertain outside, a new kitchen and patio would be an excellent idea. If you do have kids, you can plan on putting in a pool for the summer. Think about what you will use your new landscape for most frequently and base critical features off of that.

Focus on Design

Color

Last, but certainly not least, spend some time deciding on the design features of your landscaping project.

Color is one of the most important elements of landscape design because it adds dimension and interest to a landscape, which brings it to life. More specifically, you can use color to draw attention to a focal point, provide seasonal variety, create a mood, and blend your outdoors colors with the colors of your house.

To introduce color into your landscape design, you can use planters, walls, paving, garden décor pieces and fences. At this point, it is important to note different colors typically create different effects. For instance, similar colors create harmony, whereas different colors create contrast. Additionally, warm colors such as yellow, orange and red create a different effect than cool colors such as purple, green, and blue. On the same note, you can combine warm and cool colors to create stunning effects. When designing your landscape, ensure you extend the presence of color across all seasons.

Texture

A landscape’s texture includes the surface characteristic of an object, meaning it is both a tactile and visual element. In general, you can describe the texture of an object as either coarse, medium or fine. Plants, wood, bricks, stones, and other landscaping materials all possess different textural attributes. You can use these elements to enrich the visual quality of your landscape design. When using texture, consider how your landscape will appear from multiple vantage points. A landscaping professional can, of course, help you with decisions like these.

If you don’t know where to start for inspiration, you can also check out existing projects on sites like Houzz. Create an account and save your favorite photos to give your landscapers an idea of what you want to accomplish.

When it comes to creating a new landscape for your home, there are many factors to consider. The professionals at Hidden Creek would be happy to discuss these elements with you and decide on the best features. Contact us today or fill out our Dream Builder to get started on your landscaping journey with Hidden Creek.

Spring Landscaping Tips To Kickstart The Season

Posted on March 31, 2017April 4, 2017 by Hidden Creek Landscaping

Winter is long gone. The snow has melted and your yard looks like a tornado swept through it. Sprucing up your yard for the upcoming spring season should therefore top your list of priorities if you derive immense satisfaction from having serene surroundings. With a myriad of ideas causing a frenzy in your mind, that can prove to be impossible. However, there’s no need to panic though as all it takes is a few spring landscaping care tips and you’ll be well on your way to creating your ultimate spring paradise. You’ll be surprised by what can be achieved when you blend simple creativity with a little structure.

Compiling a ‘to do’ checklist of chores for the season is important. Consider:

Dealing with weeds once and for all. There’s no better time to apply herbicides to your lawn than now. Since weeds are a constant nag, getting rid of weeds at the beginning of the season ensures that you can then focus on chores that demand more regular attention. Whilst you’re at it, this is the perfect time to be filing up all those bare patches in your lawn. For the sake of uniformity, pluck overgrown lawn -together with the roots- and fill the blank spaces. If you have the same lawn seed that can work as well.

Killing those parasitic pesticides. Pests not only feed off plants but they can spread very fast and become a perennial problem. Check plants regularly for any unusual coloring or foliage damage. Once you’ve spotted a few recurring pests be sure to take these samples to a gardening centre for a diagnosis.

Experimenting with an indoor garden. Bring plants indoors to make your indoors airy, vibrant and colorful. You’ll want to incorporate evergreen climbers and vines as they don’t shed their leaves often.

Spring is a fun time of the year. It is a time to go out and enjoy the sun, and what better way to do that than by preparing for it in advance.

Tips For A Spring Garden Makeover In 2017

Posted on March 24, 2017April 4, 2017 by Hidden Creek Landscaping

You don’t need to spend a lot of time and money to give your lawn and garden a great new look this spring. Adding the right plants to complement your property will spruce up your home’s curb appeal. Here are some tips to help guide you through a makeover of your spring landscaping in 2017:

Add color and texture. If your garden is lacking color and texture, pick a variety of flowers and shrubs that will vibrancy. Plan in advance of planting to be sure that you get a good mix of plant life. Choose plants that are well suited to each area, as some plants need more hours of sunlight than others. With so many lush and beautiful flowers to consider, it shouldn’t be hard to find the right ones for your garden makeover.

Put in a patio. Putting in a patio is a great way to add outdoor living space and beautify your home’s exterior. A patio can be functional and decorative at the same time. If space allows, consider adding an outdoor kitchen or bar area. You can decorate with potted plants and do landscaping around the patio to create a cohesive look with your lawn.

Add focal features. Consider adding focal features like a pond, water fountain, or a gazebo. They can bring an elegant look to the garden, and will help to fill in a larger space that may be lacking in visual details. If you’re working with a smaller space, select just one feature to focus on. A bench is another great option so that you can relax and enjoy your garden when the weather is right.

If your garden is lacking in color, texture, and interesting elements, it’s time for a makeover. Keep these tips in mind when tackling spring landscaping this year.

Early Spring Lawn Care Tips

Posted on March 10, 2017March 20, 2017 by Hidden Creek Landscaping

As the warmer weather moves in, it’s time to start getting your grass ready for the months ahead. Homeowners can take simple steps to prepare the lawn and garden. Here are some important early spring lawn care tips:

Cleaning and raking. The first thing to do is to clean up the yard and give it a gentle raking. Collect all debris like branches and dead leaves, and then lightly rake over the grass. If your lawn is in poor condition, you can do a deeper raking. If the grass has held up fairly well and you won’t need to put down seeds, go easy on it. By raking, you can remove debris, thatch, and find the patches that may need to be rejuvenated with grass seed.

Fertilize and reseed. Many homeowners take the time to fertilize their lawn in the fall, but if you haven’t, spring is the time to do so. Put down a fresh layer of the right type of fertilizer for your grass. If you have bare patches that need to be filled in, add fresh soil and seed. It’s important to purchase the right type of grass seed for your lawn, and pay attention to the amount of light and shade that each patch receives throughout the day.

Tackle weeds. Weeds can be a recurring problem throughout the spring and summer, and they can ruin the look of any lawn. Tackle them early by using a weed killer that will eradicate them for good. There are many herbicides available, so choose the one that best suits your needs. There are even safe options available for homes with children and pets. Be sure to read the product labels carefully.

Even if you’ve prepped your lawn in the fall, it’s a good idea to take some time working on it in early spring. By doing so, you’ll have lush, lovely grass to enjoy all year.

5 Main Steps To Prepare For Spring Landscaping

Posted on March 3, 2017October 27, 2021 by Hidden Creek Landscaping

Before you know it, the refreshing season of spring will be here. Now is the perfect opportunity to start getting your flowerbeds, gardens and lawns ready for spring. Below are 5 important steps to prepare for spring landscaping:

Do an Evaluation. Take a walk around your property to evaluate the condition of the green areas. The winter weather has caused stress and might have even damaged your trees, plants and bushes. However, with a bit of care, it is highly likely that they can thrive again. An evaluation will give you a great idea about what is required.
Prune Your Leafless Trees. Using this time of year to prune you leafless trees is always a great idea. This is largely because it lowers the likelihood of certain tree diseases spreading across your property. In addition, this prevents huge pile up of snow from damaging the structural integrity of the tree.
Protect Your Lawn From Weeds. Preventing weeds from surfacing in the first place is the best method of reducing or eliminating these nuisances. To do so, pre-emergent weed control is required. However, for this to be effective, timing is of utmost importance as soil temperature plays a major role in the success of this strategy.
Renovate Your Lawns. If your lawn was damaged by the effects of the winter weather, now is the perfect time for some well-needed renovation. To restore its gorgeous appearance, it could become necessary for you to fix damages by seeding the grass. This type of application should be carefully carried out.
Do a Status Check on Your Shrubs.

The emerging season provides the perfect opportunity to access the look and health of your shrubs. Examine them for water damage and determine if the damage is repairable. If you are installing new shrubs, do so before adding mulch as this will maintain bed consistency.

Practical Lawn Care Tips For Spring

Posted on May 31, 2016June 2, 2016 by Hidden Creek Landscaping

Spring maintenance is an essential step in creating a healthy summer lawn. Soil pH can be altered by winter conditions and the soil could also become compacted. In addition, properly cleaning, fertilizing and mowing the yard early in the season is vital. This is so because winter conditions might have created conditions that are friendly to diseases and weeds.

Spring is about to turn into summer in just a few weeks. By now, problems such as invasive plants and bare spots would have been addressed. The broadcast spreader would have already played its role in filling in the spots left bare by the ravages of winter. You should have moved on to the stage of maintaining an attractive, healthy lawn that is both functional and aesthetically appealing.

Lawns are not just immaculately maintained patches of greenery. They play a valuable role in conserving soil, decreasing runoff, sequestering atmospheric carbon, helping to purify water, improving air quality and lowering urban heat loads.

Ideally, a lawn should not only look great, it should be able to take lots of pounding and maintain its visual appeal. Therefore, your approach to lawn care and landscaping in general should be practical and go beyond aesthetics. Below are some useful spring lawn care tips than can keep your yard looking remarkable all summer long:

Aerate. Now that the soil is dry and warm, use a scarifier to aerate a heavily-matted lawn. To promote healthy growth, a long-term fertilizer should be used during the months of spring. The best approach to achieving a thick lawn is mowing once a week. However, when there are periods of intense growth, the lawn can be cut 2 times a week.

Cut Cleverly. To ensure your grass is cut cleanly and not torn, newly sharpened blades should be used for the first cut of the year. To maintain a lush, healthy-growing lawn, only a maximum of 1/3 of the blade of grass should be cut.

Plant Entryway Flowers. The unpredictable weather of early spring should have passed by now and the sponginess of the soil should have disappeared. You can now plant some flowers at the entryway to give your home a more welcoming and pleasant look. Using annual flowers and perennials to adorn the entrance of you home will have an impressive impact on the overall look of the yard. Gertrude Jekyll roses, Lily-of-the-Nile and Petunias are great choices for the entryway.

Avoid Weeds With Spring Care From Hidden Creek Landscaping

Posted on April 23, 2016October 27, 2021 by Hidden Creek Landscaping

At Hidden Creek Landscaping, we know a healthy landscape begins with a site that is properly prepared. Before planting, we get rid of existing plants and get the area ready for planting. This is followed by the application of specialized herbicide on the shallow cultivation. The process is repeated until the area is completely free of weed. This is important when planting with either sod or seed.

In existing flower beds, annual weeds are easier to control than perennial weeds. We take out as many perennials as we can and bring up buried tubers, rhizomes and stems by cultivating the soil. This is done when conditions are dry and warm to allow the weed seeds and roots to dry on the surface of the soil. For weed problems that are especially troublesome, we will continue to cultivate the soil without irrigating for as long as it takes for new weed seeds and roots to emerge.

Species like purple nutsedge and field bindweed will need a different approach. We may use a systemic, nonselective herbicide like glyphosate when weeds are growing actively. Repeated applications of this technique could also be used to destroy difficult perennials.

Where necessary, we will use nutrients or organic matter to amend the soil. In clay soil, this can enhance drainage and the water-holding capacity of sandy soils can also be improved through this technique.

The capacity of soils to simultaneously drain water, while holding in an adequate amount is tremendously important to maintaining a healthy landscape. Essentially, flower beds flourish in soils that promote good drainage and enable the unrestricted flow of water, nutrients and oxygen. One of the spring tips we often share with homeowners is the need to ensure that when topsoil is being added, it is free of herbicide residues, rocks and weed propagules like tubers or rhizomes.

Spring is the perfect time to kick landscaping projects into high gear. At Hidden Creek Landscaping, we have the expertise, equipment and seasoned professionals guaranteed to transform your home into a beautiful, weed-free sanctuary. For further details, contact us today!

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