5 Maintenance Tips for Your Landscape

In today’s busy life, most homeowners forget about their landscape once they have got it professionally installed. A handful of those who are still optimistic beat a hasty retreat once they find it too tiring and time consuming to deal with the endless deadhead blooms or high-maintenance plants. If you too feel that you don’t have the time or energy to invest in your landscape, you can use these five basic landscaping maintenance tips to keep your patch of green healthy and attractive:

1. Proper watering: In case your turf has newly planted species, remember that these plants will face a certain degree of transplant shock after their initial installation. It’s important that you water them properly to ensure good health. Since sprinklers and irrigation systems often fail to offer sufficient water to the roots, you should apply water directly to the roots. This will provide sufficient saturation and help the roots expand into the surrounding soil media. For turfs that are already established, you can set a watering schedule early in the morning. If you water your landscape sometime at noon, the water will evaporate too rapidly, while watering too late in the day may lead to humidity and growth of fungi. Also, you should avoid over watering as the turf roots need oxygen to survive. If you find standing water on your landscape or notice the turf to be soppy, you should reduce watering. In such cases, you may even consider topdressing or installing a drainage system.
2. Mowing, pruning and edging: Most landscaping experts suggest mowing two strips around the perimeter of your patch and then mowing in straight lines at right angles to this. The most effective method is to alternate the pattern every other mow, if possible. Pruning your plants and trees, especially their lower limbs, should be done carefully to avoid a negative impact over the life of the plant/tree. Edging is equally important for your landscape’s maintenance as a good edge keeps your turf looking great and creates separation between the turf and bed areas. You can prevent the grass from growing into the beds by edging every other mow.
3. Weed and moss control: Healthy landscapes haveno or minimal weeds.But when you notice a steady growth of weeds, you should remove them by hand or use a selective herbicide. Refrain from using a non-selective herbicide as it will kill both the weed and the grass. Moss control is another aspect of yard maintenance. Since moss is prone to occur in shady regions and in areas where the soil is not favorable for a healthy lawn, you can prune plants in such areas to bring in more sunlight. Opting for shade tolerant plants can also help control moss. If you spot moss in your garden, you can apply liquid iron to kill it within hours. Once the moss has died, scrape it out, either with a power rake or manually.  
4. Fertilization: You can consult landscape professionals to select the right fertilizer for your turf. Apply them carefully, as per instructions, because over fertilization can burn your turf. You can even use topdressing and aeration to amend the soil, thus decreasing the amount of fertilizers required.
5. Plan well: Analyze the life cycles and growth of your plants and plan their maintenance according to their requirements. Remember – good landscaping is all about maintaining a balance between how plants look when they are planted and how they will appear when they have become fully grown. Therefore, have patience, be ready to invest some time and have a maintenance plan handy.

If you feel that all these tasks require a lot of effort and time, and you are just not ready to sacrifice time for such tasks, it’s better to hire landscaping professionals to get the job done.

How to Invite Wildlife into Your Landscape?

The landscape can be turned into a smorgasbord of delight for your wildlife friends provided you know the right tricks. There are homeowners who prefer a meticulous touch in order to attract natural world into their garden spaces while many don’t mind an unkempt touch but in an orderly manner.

Start by taking a closer look at your yard

Is your landscape having the right ingredients to attract nature? Does your yard have right kinds of plants that attract native birds and creatures? Are you supplying them with adequate water, food and protection? If the answer to all these questions is a yes, then don’t worry! Butterflies and birds won’t be able to stay away from your charming garden.

What your yard should have to attract wildlife?

Your garden will turn into a riot of colors with lovely butterflies flying all around, provided there are ample plantings of lavender, butterfly bush or cinquefoil. To invite hummingbirds you can try plants like hollyhock, coral bells and currant. Yarrow, veronica and asters are great options for butterfly larvae.

Apart from these, there are other varieties of perennials, annuals, shrubs and trees that can lure hummingbirds and butterflies towards your back/ front yard. Finally there is no problem designing your entire yard with plants available locally, in order to attract native wild species.

Prepare a year round food source

There might be migratory birds that fly over the locality and decide to stop in your yard to relax. Take for instance the San Francisco Bay Area. Being the largest estuary on the Pacific Coast, it is an ideal refuge for wide variety of winged creatures that include songbirds, shorebirds and raptors.

Make sure your garden has steady source of clean water to quench their thirsts, be it in the form of bird bath, dripper or misters. To prepare a bird-friendly landscape that assures year-round food supply, concentrate on assortment of plants. Fruiting plant can be great food source as it supplies birds and butterflies with seeds, saps, flowers and fruits almost throughout the year.

Give protection to wildlife

Birds and butterflies look for protection when they flock your landscape. So to make them feel secure, create a protective habitat. Some trees like pine or junipers help create dense habitat thus offering perfect cover for birds. Nature lovers also try out dense leafed deciduous shrubs and trees as well as weed and debris to design protective homes for their winged friends. Some even try out different types of decorative pieces or simple birdhouses to create that peaceful abode. Such garden decoration further renders an artistic touch to the overall ambiance.

To conclude

If it remains your dream to design that lively landscape where birds chirp and butterflies fly regally then you need to take proper care of it. Keep in mind that excessive spraying of chemicals might drive away birds and creatures from your backyard. So minimize chemical application as much as possible. Clean the place daily and weed out creepers or unwanted plants.

Finally, you can always consult professional landscapers to know how to accurately design a wildlife-centric yard.

How to Choose the Right Irrigation System for Your Garden

According to the US Irrigation Association, around 30% of the water delivered by the most efficient automatic sprinkler systems is wasted. Most landscape owners think that their task is finished once they have installed a good irrigation system. However, landscaping experts warn that unless proper maintenance is done, even the most efficient irrigation system would stop performing or show signs of snags, over time. Most experts recommend hiring professionals for at least an annual inspection to ensure that your irrigation systems are working fine. It’s equally important to check that your system is supplying water where it’s needed (the root zone of plants), at times when it’s needed. Perhaps now you know why it’s important to select the right irrigation system and plan strategies for making smart use of water in your landscaping.

Listed below are some factors, which you should consider to choose the right irrigation system:

• The Size and Complexity of the Garden: For a small garden with a few potted plants, you can water plants manually. Using a watering wand or a hose with a flow trigger fitting and spray head are also good choices. However, to water a large area, you will need to consider a drip irrigation system or permanent in-ground irrigation system fitted with timers. These days, you can also get smart irrigation solutions that incorporate sophisticated options like flow management, weather-based smart controls, and remote control options from a central computer. Such hi-tech features will be useful if you need to manage your irrigation requirements remotely.

• Your Water Conservation Goals: If you live in a drought-prone area, water efficiency of your irrigation system is likely to be of high priority. In some other areas, water may be available for little or no cost, but electricity to run the irrigation system could be expensive. In such cases, you will need irrigation systems with controllers that can coordinate irrigation demands to make your pumps operate at peak efficiency. This will help you save money on electric bills rather than on water bills. Some people may also need systems that can adapt to changing water restrictions applicable in a particular region. Thus, your water conservation goals would be a key determining factor while selecting the right irrigation system.

• Budget: You need to ascertain a budget and research online to shortlist the varieties of irrigation systems available within that range. You should also notice the ones that are more water-efficient than the others before taking your final pick.

• Watering Window and Flexibility: Your watering window (the time and duration of watering your garden) can be affected by watering restrictions applicable in the area, sudden outdoor events and the varying levels of pedestrian traffic. Therefore, your system must be flexible to easily and quickly accommodate to scheduling changes, as and when the need arises.

• Monitoring the System’s Water Flow:In case you need to generate water usage reports, your irrigation system should be fitted with flow sensors to record the actual flow of every valve in the system. Even when you don’t need to generate reports, using such flow sensors will alert you whenever there’s a deviation from the normal flow. Thus, a sprinkler head clogged with grass or mud will show an abnormally low flow. Again, if trespassers have kicked off the sprinkler heads, the flow sensors will display a much higher flow than what’s normal. Thus, you will be able to monitor your water flow closely and take corrective measures, where required.

The type of water (potable/non-potable)and water-pressure in your area, as well as the number of people managing the systems are other factors that should be taken into account while buying the most apt irrigation system for your garden. 

What to Ask an Expert about Landscaping?

As one of the leading landscape companies in the Bay Area, we at Landscape Pros have often seen how people are at a loss when it comes to asking experts the right questions to get their dream landscape design done. Once we had a client who wanted us to do too many things - an open air sit-in, a pool, a trellis and a BBQ installation, in their small space, which was simply not feasible. On the other end of the spectrum was a couple who wanted to give their spacious backyard a makeover to include a pool area, a lawn, a fire pit and a patio, but didn’t know what they should ask us to get the work started. In both these cases, we had to handhold our clients, and organize several consultation sessions, before we finally arrived at a feasible plan. This experience set us thinking – What is it that our clients should ask the experts that would set the ball rolling?

So, here’s our take on some questions, which you should ask your Bay Area landscaping expert:

• What’s the best utilization of my space? This question is especially important for owners of small spaces. If you own a small space, you should ask your landscape expert about the best way to utilize it and incorporate some of your dream elements (if not all) into the limited yards. Even owners of sprawling greens would do well to consult their landscape designers to ensure that every inch of space is utilized wisely. 
• What landscape design should I choose? Mark Twain once spent a summer in San Francisco and said that it was the coldest winter he had ever spent. This refers to the greatest challenge of landscaping in SF Bay Area – modifying the climate through good design to create comfortable outdoor places. Therefore, starting from the right design for your landscape to choosing native plants and shrubs, you should ask your landscaping expert about everything. Deciding on the right placement of your landscape features, choosing the most fitting plant palette, the most ideal materials and décor items to use are other factors that these professionals can help you with. After all, creating a spectacular outdoor space is best done with the advice of experts.
• Can you share some ideas about green landscaping? As people across the world are trying to go green to save water and conserve energy, it pays to opt for green landscaping. You should ask your landscape expert about tips and steps that can help you get started with green landscaping. Since a complete makeover may not be possible for all, the emphasis should be on asking about small steps that can help create an environment-friendly landscape. Be it installing turf grasses that need less water, using natural fertilizers and recycled items for landscaping, or opting for drip irrigation and microspray/rotor technologies, small steps advised by landscape experts can go a long way in helping you create a green landscape.
• What would it cost me? Most people get carried away by the entire process and end up spending a lot more than what they might have planned initially. Therefore, it’s best to get a quote from your landscape company or ask the experts about a rough estimate for the entire job. You may also ask about the additional amount, if any, which may be incurred to include certain aspects that you wish to, in your landscape. We at Landscape Pros believe that our clients should have a budget before they get the work started and keep a close eye on the progress. This will ensure that the expenditure doesn’t overshoot their budget.

To make the most out of your landscape, make sure that you ask these and other relevant questions to your landscape expert.

How will Climate Change Affect your Landscape

Plants and climate always go hand in hand. When an environment is green and clean, chances of erratic climate also becomes lesser. Ironically, the increased rate of natural disasters, the untimely occurrences of storms and rains – all point towards the overall climate change. This is not a positive sign for garden landscapes any time!

Change in Climate and Shifting Landscapes in the Bay area

As it has been found out in some studies, the Bay Area, along the coast of California, is likely to face a major impact of climate change. Researchers predicted that these changes might occur in terms of infrastructure flooding, ecological challenge, land use modification etc. With the climate getting warmer continuously, scientists are expecting that the microclimates of the Bay Area will shift and predict that the plant communities of the area could move with the changing conditions. But it is not known to the scientists how these changes in the climate might affect the region’s wildlife and parks and how rapidly the vegetation could migrate to the new areas. Presently, the Bay Area plays home to a number of microclimates, diverse in nature, and it is basically warmer around the inland and cooler on the coast. But with the rising temperature and changing rainfall patterns, scientists are assuming that many of these microclimates will shift either closer to the coast, or to higher elevations.

How to adapt these climate changes?

Since there are a number of significant changes in the climate around the Bay Area, it is of utmost importance to adapt strategies to deal with them. To begin with, climatic water deficit, which refers to the difference between the amount of water that a plant would use if it had it and the actual amount that’s available, is an aspect that is likely to affect Bay Area landscapes.

Landscape experts even emphasize on how warmer air temperature would increase evapotranspiration (water lost through evaporation from leaves of plats as well as the soil), which in turn would increase a plant’s demand for water. Therefore, the focus would increasingly be on using water-conserving plants such as Golden Yarrow, Tree Poppy, Santa Barbara Ceanothu etc. Planting a wide array of evergreen perennials, bulbs and shrubs, or ornamental grasses that need less water could be another option to create an eye-pleasing bright spot that won’t demand a lot of water for growth and maintenance. Western Blue Flax, Sulphur Buckwheat and Douglas Iris are some waterwise species that landscape experts recommend for barren spaces or those with inadequate water supply.

Many reputed companies offering custom landscape services are also considering developing certain planning tools for assessing the probable risks of flood. People who live in a flood prone area and are worried about erosion and runoff on their property should opt for some native plants to control erosion and stabilize the soils. According to experienced landscape professionals, cool and moist months are ideal to start these "soil keepers", which would also help in decreasing the future irrigation costs. California Fuschia, Blue-eyed Grass and California Redbud are some species that will help in slope stabilization.

The Mediterranean climate of Southern California is prone to fire, which makes it important to create firewise landscapes. The key to creating such spaces depend on the right plant selection and placement, along with proper maintenance. Landscape experts emphasize on using plants low in available fuel and high in water content, in addition to decreasing mass plantings by spacing large shrubs and trees apart to prevent "fuel ladders". Maintaining the landscape by removing dead wood, using proper trimming and providing appropriate irrigation are other crucial aspects to build a fire-safe space.

So, Bay Area landscape owners should keep these factors in mind to help their spaces adapt to the changing climate.