A Day in the Life of a Landscape Designer

So, for the past week to week-and-a-half I have noticed that every time I am in our nursery or I walk by a window that faces the nursery I take time to look for our 1 remaining Gingko tree in the yard.  Weird. Ginkgo’s are nice…they have fan-shaped leaves that are pretty cool…but other than that it’s a tree that I tend to just pass by. Until now!  It is my new favorite fall tree. The leaves are bright yellow and stand out amongst all of the reds, burgundies and oranges of the season. Another cool fact….the leaves tend to fall all at one time. Not fun if the tree is in your yard but a lot of fun if you pass by a few that are planted all together. The leaves form a thick yellow carpet on the street that makes you want to stop and do ‘leaf angels’.  Anyway, just a fun fact…my favorite fall tree…if anybody cares :)

--Abbey.

P.S. The best spot that I have found to take a gander at a few of these autumn beauties is on the corner of 4th St. & Bentz St. in Frederick. They are still pretty green but keep your eye out…they should be changing (and falling!!!!) soon.

Outdoor Lighting: A Beautiful & Practical Enhancement

Outdoor lighting enhances the beauty of your home and landscape — highlighting key features like trees, planting beds, and intricate stone or architectural work. Aside from this, a lighting system is a practical solution for many of your outdoor living needs since one can be implemented in any size lot for safety and security or purely aesthetic reasons, and requires limited maintenance. Whereas high energy usage was an issue before, with low-voltage options, outdoor lighting is now more economically and energy friendly than ever!

  

Regardless of season or weather, landscape lighting addresses the matter of safety while enhancing your outdoor space. Outdoor lighting allows homeowners to prolong their outdoor enjoyment late into the evening, whether it be relaxing alone or entertaining guests, by extending the useable hours of your outdoor living area. You will be able to take spend time outdoors without the hassle of applying sunscreen or frequent air-conditioning breaks! There is no need to worry about your guests or children as they navigate the deck or patio at night. If correctly placed and installed, path lights, directional lights & flood lights will light the way and increase the ease of navigation as well as your ease of mind.

  

Even when the temperature dips below your comfort level, as it soon will be, outdoor lighting is still a practical investment. After Daylight Savings Time ends in a few short weeks, you will be leaving for work in the dark and arriving back home in the dark. Imagine driving up to a lit and welcoming home after a long day of work. Outdoor lighting will ensure safe foot travel by providing ample light for you to walk to and from your front door without slipping and tripping. Our designers will visit your site and discuss your needs with you to ensure safe navigation through your outdoor space.

  

Those homeowners that are concerned with resale value will be happy to learn that outdoor lighting is an excellent way to set your house apart in this tough real estate market. You hear from every direction the important role that curb appeal plays in selling your home, but without properly lighting your front space, you could lose the interest of potential buyers that pass by in waning daylight.

  

Having a functional and safe “night-scape” does not have to interfere with the function and beauty of your landscape. If planned correctly, your outdoor lighting system will blend seamlessly into your yard so you only see it when you need it. Don’t let your plans be dictated by daylight, give us a call to discuss your needs and we can design an outdoor lighting solution to suit them!

Call one of our designers to get started today!

Read More about types of outdoor lighting fixtures… >>

Winterize your Pool!

Cooler days are here!  And now is the time to winterize your swimming pool. Here are some tips for you do-it-yourself-ers:

Make sure water chemistry is balanced to protect the surface from staining and etching.

Keep your water clear and blue for next season with a winterizing chemical kit.

Protect your pool from damage caused by freezing! Lower the wate rlevel  to below the skimmer, blow out the water from plumbing lines and plug the end of each line.

Fill the skimmer line with antifreeze and place a skimmer guard in the skimmer to prevent costly damage from ice forming

Use a cover to keep debris out of your pool. Research pool covers to determine which is best suited to your pool type & shape.

Drain all water from your filter equipment. After draining, turn it on briefly to ensure all water is out of the veins of the impeller. Do not run for more than a second or two to avoid burning out the seal.

Ensure that all chemicals have run out of your feeder—leaving chemicals for the winter can cause damage. Drain your chemical feeder, automatic cleaner pump and any other equipment that has water in it.

We recommend closing your swimming pool BEFORE the leaves start blowing around! But even though that’s already started to happen, it’s not too late to protect your pool. Generally, plan to close your pool when the night time temperatures start to dip reliably into the 40's and the daytime temperatures range in the 60's to low 70's. Much sooner than that and you risk an algea bloom (don’t worry, I think we are out of that danger by now). Much later and you could be fishing out a ton of leaves, but if you don’t do it at all, or do it incorrectly, you could risk not having a working pool system next spring.

Fall Clean-up for your Landscape: Part 2

Fall is finally here! Cooler temperatures and bright autumn foliage are hopefully in the process of conquering your end of summer blues. Below you will find the second installment of our fall landscaping tips...which will keep your yard healthy and looking good until the spring!

·   Mulch your beds in the fall to protect the roots of your plants from winter frost and help retain moisture during a dry winter. Spread 2-3” around shrubs and trees. The best practice is to avoid using free mulch found in municipal piles which often contain disease spores.

·   Early in the fall, or up until the ground freezes, is a good time to plant trees and shrubs. The cooler temperatures and autumn rain put less stress on the young landscaping plants.

·   Remove dead landscaping! Deadhead expired blooms, and cut back dead perennials and ornamental grasses. If you do this now rather than wait until spring, you’ll avoid having to look at an untidy and depressing landscape all winter long as well as having to complete this chore when spring comes.

By creating small holes in your turf,
water, nutrients & oxygen are circulated
through the root system of the grass.



·   Aerate your lawn! By creating small holes in your lawn, aeration helps loosen compacted soil and helps water, nutrients and oxygen to permeate to the roots of the grass.



·   Fall can be a great time to over-seed your lawn since the stresses of heat, dry soil and weeds are likely to be lower. The process involves sowing seed over existing grass, in order to fill in the bare patches. Therefore, over-seeding lawns makes sense only if the existing grass is healthy enough and abundant enough to be worth keeping. To give the new seed a better chance of sprouting, mow the existing grass shorter than you normally would so that it won’t rob the seed of much needed sunlight. Make sure your lawn has been aerated prior to over-seeding.

·   Keep raking! Regularly removing fallen leaves from your lawn will help avoid smothering the grass. As the season draws to a close and most of the leaves have been raked, the final scattered leaves can be shredded with a mulching mower and left on the lawn with finely chopped grass clippings. The leaves and clippings will decompose and add organic matter to the soil.

·   Call Clearwater to schedule a fall clean-up today! We can take care of the pruning, mulching, over-seeding and aeration you need to keep your landscaped yard healthy and looking good until spring! Call 301-607-4480 (toll free 800-944-7227) or contact us through email!