Plan for Summer in Winter

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When the days get short and the temperatures turn cold, there’s one great thing you can do for your yard – plan out your one big project for the spring.

Just like the inside of your home, your yard needs continual updates as well. As we begin to take stock of the yard from the windows of our warm home, dreams of summer draws the mind to what would make our yards the perfect entertainment place or more secluded hideaway. Laying plans now for larger outdoor projects allow for both figuring out priorities and budgets.

Here are some popular yard projects Augustine has experience with:

  • Plant a large mature tree or two: Planting a mature tree instead of a sapling provides multiple benefits to your yard. It adds instant curb appeal, can decrease the amount of heat and air conditioning you use by providing shelter from the sun in summer and cutting down the wind in winter. Trees can also aid drainage problems by soaking up storm water. A properly sited tree can increase the value of your property by up to 20%.
  • Build or update a patio: More and more people consider their backyard an outdoor living space. And as such, want to create an environment with amenities like outdoor kitchens, fire pits, and beautiful lounge areas.
  • Add some stonework: Stone paths, a wall, or a few large stones set for effect adds elegance and is a durable, long lasting and low maintenance element all year round. Stone paths create the ideal way to connect different areas of your landscape.
  • Illuminate your yard: Landscape lighting is a burglar deterrent, adds safety for those walking up your drive, and highlights your home’s architectural features.
  • Increase privacy: Evergreen trees with dense foliage will add both privacy and a noise buffer to your property. 

Investing in your landscape puts your home in its best light and gives you and your family an outdoor space in which to have summer fun. Don’t let spring creep up on you and leave you unprepared. Plan that landscape project now and give yourself something to look forward to when the cold winter comes to an end.

Landscaping From the Couch—A Winter Guide for Garden Owners

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Winter can be a frustrating time for yard enthusiasts who have a hard time waiting for spring to return. Winter is an ideal time to imagine all your yard can be and to map out a plan. While you can’t actually get your hands dirty in December, you can do so virtually.

There are a number of landscape design apps for homeowners that let you create a digital layout of your landscape so you can see what a new flowerbed might look like, fencing, pathways, and more. And even if you plan to hire a professional to help you do the work, the designs you create will help any pro better understand what you want to accomplish. Use the winter months to book a landscape design consultation with Ronnie Augustine to get his expert advice.

Landscape Design Apps for Homeowners

PRO Landscape Home

PRO Landscape HOme

With a very high App Store rating, this tool allows you to redesign your entire landscape. You start with a photo of your yard, then add plants, trees, and man-made features like paths and patios. You can search for plants by climate zone and even add furniture. Once your design is complete, you can share it on social media and get feedback from friends. The app is free, but there is an extensive image library that is an add-on for $14.99 that gives you nearly infinite choices.

Garden Designer

This app is better for simpler designs. It allows you to place the plan you create directly onto your photos of the space. It has an extensive library, allows you to drag and drop items, and also lets you resize things like fences and paving.

iscape

Iscape also has a free and paid for version. And, you can test out the full version before you buy it. This tool has a texture tool that lets you see a more realistic rendition of grass, mulch, pavers and stones. They have an elite version that is targeted to professional landscapers.

So don’t fret those gray skies and chilly temperatures. Light a fire in your fireplace and let these apps inspire your spring spruce-up projects now.

Leaving Your Falling Leaves Alone

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We are in full leaf falling season and the perennial question of “To rake or not to rake” is once again upon us. Leaf clean up is a big deal in our neck of the woods. And, there are a growing number of people who believe leaves are better left where they lie. Most people rake their leaves because they were taught that leaves suffocate the lawn. They also don’t want to put up with the upset of their neighbors who do keep their lawns completely free of leaves. Yet, the activity of raking leaves make most people feel like Sisyphus with his boulder. Which faction is correct?

The Reasons to Leave Your Leaves on the Lawn

  • By removing the leaves year after year, you are removing vital nutrients from your lawn. Most people are unaware that there are beneficial fungi that thrive from decomposing leaf matter in the lawn. One of these fungi call Mycorrhizal fungi thrive on decomposing plant matter, helping to exchange nutrients and fight off other harmful fungi and bacteria.
  • Leaves form a natural mulch that helps suppress weeds.
  • The gas-powered leaf blowers that most homeowners user are not only noisy, but their emissions are terrible for the environment.
  • Some animal species in our area such as turtles, chipmunks, and earthworms rely on leaf layers for insulation against the winter weather.

The Reasons to Rake Your Leaves Up

  • If you leave lots of leaves on your lawn over winter, in spring the decomposing leaves will block the light, making it harder for the new grass to grow.
  • Bugs like gnats will flourish in wet decomposing leaves. As will many molds and fungi, some of which may be harmful to your lawn or the plants in your landscape.
  • When you go to clean up leaves in spring, they are no longer easily raked up.
  • Your neighbors will appreciate your tidy lawn.

The Best of Both Worlds

Instead of raking the leaves, here are two alternatives to please both nature and neighbor lovers.

  • Mow leaves in place. When the leaves become dry and crunchy do your last mow of the season. This both makes them less conspicuous on your lawn and ensures that you won’t have deep leaf areas that will harm your lawn in the spring. It’s an environmentally friendlier way to leave leaves on the lawn for healthier spring growth.
  • If you have an abundance of leaves and want to look less unkempt for the neighbors, spread those mulched leaves over your flower and vegetable beds or around trees to build soil fertility and inhibit spring weeds.

Fall: The Best Time to Fix Drainage Problems

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The Hudson Valley had a particularly wet spring. If you had water collecting in your yard, fall is the best time to act. Aside from the aesthetics of standing water in your yard and the inability to utilize your yard the way you’d like, drainage issues can lead to some serious and costly problems. 

Here are some signs that you have drainage problems:

  • Cracks in your foundation can be caused by water that collects right around your house. 
  • Water that has exposed roots, gutted out areas of your lawn, or created swampy sections. This erosion washes away many of the nutrients that your lawn and plantings need to thrive.
  • Water leaking into your basement or garage means water is pooling up around your foundation.
  • A constantly running sump pump means that water from poor drainage is consistently entering your home.
  • Plants and shrubs that have fungus or mold in wetter areas of your yard.

poor drainage conditions

Poor Drainage Conditions

Causes of Poor Drainage

  • Poor Yard pitch or slope either toward or away from your home will result in water running to the downslope.
  • A depression in your landscape will cause rainwater to collect, causing puddles or soggy areas that take forever to dry up. 
  • Impacted soil makes it difficult for rain or snow to be absorbed, so it just sits on top.
  • Pathways around your house and yard can act like a dam, retaining water. 
  • Lack of or improperly installed downspouts make it hard to divert rainwater away from your house.

DRY CREEK and OTHER FIXES

Dry creek landscaping

The good news is that these are problems Augustine Nursery can fix by:

  • Grading the soil incrementally away from your house, patios, walkways, and driveway
  • Installing a dry creek that is both beautiful and functional to redirect water
  • Building French drains – an underground drainage system – to move water to a designated area
  • Permeable pavers for pathways can alleviate water build up in walkways.
  • Add a water feature to give your yard a place for excess water to collect.

Dry creek landscaping

Dry Creek Landscaping

French Drain

French Drain

Right now, before the winter snow accumulation and the spring thaw, is the perfect time to put your drainage problems to bed. Just remember, the Grand Canyon was created by a small flow of water, so don’t underestimate its power of erosion. Ask Augustine how to channel your drainage problems away. 

Poison Ivy Panic

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Today we write about a plant you’ll never find at Augustine Nursery – poison ivy. 

It is one of Mother nature’s worst plagues. It lurks everywhere in our region and is the bane of every gardener. It seems to exist solely to irritate anyone who enjoys the outdoors. In the height of summer when all you want to do is enjoy the yard, brushing up against poison ivy is the last thing you need. 

For those who aren’t experienced with poison ivy, it bears a nasty oily resin called urushiol which can penetrate clothes and can also pass on its oil by sticking to your pet’s fur. 

Poison Ivy

If you feel like you’re growing a poison ivy farm on your property it’s because poison ivy loves climate change and is one of the few species that has a positive response to rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The added carbon dioxide encourages it to grow faster and more rampantly.

Here are a few facts:

  • Less than a millionth of an ounce of urushiol can cause a blistering rash that lasts for about two weeks.
  • You have about 15 minutes after coming in contact with poison ivy to wash with soap and cool water before the urushiol binds to your skin. Tecnu scrub works well as a wash.
  • Only 15% of the population is not allergic to poison ivy. And, if you think you are in that group – beware, because it can change.
  • Poison ivy is toxic year round and even when dead, the urushiol can remain potent for a year or more.
  • Never burn poison ivy because the smoke is dangerous to eyes and lungs. 

The bottom line is that poison ivy can stop you from enjoying outdoor activities like tending to your flower beds or hanging out on the patio. Left unchecked, it will continue to spread. There are two ways to effectively handle poison ivy eradication safely and both involve calling a specialist. A poison ivy control specialist will eradicate your poison ivy with chemicals. A newer, greener type of control is by contracting with a company that will bring goats to your property to eat the poison ivy. Poison ivy seems to taste as good to goats and a fresh garden tomatoes taste to gardeners. They love it. And you and your family might like the idea of having some cute goats around for a bit.

Rent a goat

Goat Grazing, RentAGoat 2010, Mjrichmo from Wikipedia

 

Best Ways to Water

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You’d think watering your lawn and landscape plantings would be a no-brainer – just point the hose and squeeze. But, there are issues to consider such as the health of your landscape, water bills, and conservation of resources.

Best Time to Water

The absolute best time to water your lawn, shrubs, flowers, and vegetables in in the early morning, before 10 am. Cooler temperatures help keep evaporation to a minimum, keeps plantings cooler during the hotter parts of the day, and allows plants to dry slowly, minimizing the risk of fungus. When watering shrubs, flowers, and vegetables, aim for the roots.

Best Amount to Water

Water your plantings long enough to moisten the soil six inches down. Six inches is a depth that encourages good root growth. Water deeply, less often. If it rained recently, you can water less.

Best Sprinklers

For watering grass, built-in irrigation systems make the most sense but are an investment. For those who choose sprinklers, a pulsating, not oscillating sprinkler is best as they shoot water out horizontally at a high velocity making the spray less vulnerable to wind and evaporation. The only exception is when you’ve newly seeded your lawn. At this time, the strength of pulsating sprinklers can push your seed around.

If watering shrubs and flowers, soaker or weeping hoses (any kind of drip irrigation system) is ideal as it puts water directly at the roots and saves water.

Best Practices

The U.S. EPA reports that as much as 50% of the water we use outdoors is wasted because of inefficient watering methods and systems. If you have questions on the amount and type of watering the different plants in your yard need, you can count on Augustine to answer your questions. Here are a few general rules:

Trees and Native Plants – Many do well with only rainwater. This does not apply, however, to newly planted items.

Grass – Grass does not necessarily need watering. If you choose not to water your grass, it might become brown for several months buy will green up again in cooler temperatures.

Non-Native Flower & Vegetable Beds – These should be watered in the hottest driest months. Water one inch per week, minus rainfall. A layer of mulch will help reduce evaporation, keeping your plants moister longer.

Collecting rain water in rain barrels or cisterns is a great way to harvest rain water for irrigation. Many allow you to attach a soaker hose.

To learn more about caring for your landscape during the hot, summer months, read Preparing Your Lawn for the Dog Days of Summer.

The Flowers of July

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Summertime brings with it much sunshine and heat. It also brings an array of show-stopping summer flowers that thrive in heat. They come in every color of the rainbow and many are care-free. Here are a baker’s dozen of favorite July blooms.

Black Eyed Susans
This sunflower-like plant prefers full sun, can grow over 3 feet tall, attracting birds and butterflies. Native to North America and one of the most popular wildflowers grown, they tend to blanket open fields, often surprising the passerby with their golden-yellow beauty.

Blanket Flowers
Gaillardia looks like a miniature sunset, fading between yellow, orange, red, and sometimes burgundy. They are a short-lived perennial with richly colored, daisy-like flowers that slowly spread to blanket an area.

Cleome
Cleome, also called spider flower, grows to be about 3 to 5 feet in rose, pink, purple, and white. Cleomes are sometimes overlooked at the nursery as they look weedy as seedlings. But once the flower clusters emerge, they will become a easy-to-care-for favorite in your yard.

Coneflowers

Coneflowers
This is a favorite flower of birds, butterflies and humans. A native American plant indigenous to the central plains, it is virtually indestructible. These large daisy-like, rosy purple petals surrounding a copper-colored, dome-shaped central seed head are a perfect cutting flower.

 

Cosmos
Cosmos are annuals with colorful daisy-like flowers that sit atop long slender stems. Blooming throughout the summer months, they attract birds, bees, and butterflies to your garden. This full-sun perennial grows to 2 to 5 feet high with blooms in crimson, pink, and white.

Dahlias
Spanish Hidalgos observed dahlias growing in Mexico as early as the 16th century, where they were cultivated and eaten by the Aztecs.  These colorful, spiky flowers bloom from midsummer right through first frost, when many other plants are past their best. Plant bulbs in the springtime if you want to add Wow to your garden.

Daisies
Always cheerful, these perennials grow in mounds of tall stems bloom for months on end, and almost never fail to reappear next spring. They will bloom all summer long.

 

 

Delphinium
Delphinium, also called Larkspur are the birth flower for the month of July.  It blooms from late spring to late summer, and are said to symbolize ‘an open heart’. They are perennials grown for their showy spikes of colorful flowers in shades of blue, pink, white, and purple. They are popular in cottage-style gardens and cutting gardens.

Hydrangeas 
The name for these summer-flowering plants comes from the Greek “hydor.” Unlike many July flowers, hydrangeas need plenty of water and bloom from early spring to late autumn. The color of the hydrangea flower depends on the pH of the soil in which they are grown and can be white, blue, red, pink, light purple, or dark purple.

Lilies
Lilies have large, showy blooms, adding striking elegance to your yard from early to midsummer. Grown from bulbs, lilies are perennial flowers that will return year after year and require minimal care.

Peonies
Peonies signal the beginning of summer each year. Some bushes can thrive for half a century or more! One of the most magnificent mainstays of any garden, peonies are virtually pest-free; deer and rabbits don’t like its bitter taste.

Sunflowers 
Sunflowers grow best with full sun in fertile, moist soil, and are readily available throughout the late summer. They are sure to brighten up even the gloomiest of days, whether planted in a long row along a fence or massed in a sunny border.

Zinnias
A traditional plant for pollinator gardens, zinnias are easy to grow and require full sun. Great in borders and container gardens, the flowers are great for cutting. They can grow anywhere from 4 inches to 4 feet high and comes in almost every color except for blue.

Make Your Outdoor Space Ready for Company!

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With Graduation, Fourth of July, and plain old – Yay it’s Summertime! parties on the horizon, the best place to start planning is with the space. Outdoors on the patio makes the most sense for fun and sun. Is your patio up to the event? Now’s the time to spruce that patio up with landscaping to make your outdoor space lush and inviting. Refresh your memory with our Patio Planning article and then head on over to Augustine so we can help you find the right mix of plantings.

See what you can find for your patio at Augustine Nursery

Preparing your Lawn for the Dog Days of Summer

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The spring weather is beautiful right now. But before long we’ll find ourselves in the dog days of summer. Scorching heat without end and long periods without rain. Even the best cared-for lawns suffer under these conditions.

The key to maintaining a healthy lawn in the peak of summer heat comes down to two things – water and mowing. Here are a few tips for lawn mavens and newbies alike:

water hose and grassWatering Your lawn

Many people think the answer to summer heat is watering, watering, watering. However when soil is constantly wet, it causes diseases. Grass only needs one inch of water per week, including rainfall. Less frequent, thorough waterings are better than more frequent, shallow ones. Giving your lawn a deep watering promotes deeper root growth resulting in greater drought tolerance. Water your lawn in the morning when cooler. This allows more of the water to soak into the ground instead of evaporating. And, once you start watering your lawn for the season, don’t stop. Keep to a habit of watering once a week unless there’s been a good rain.

lawn mower and lawnMowing Your Lawn

When mowing your summer lawn, keep two things in mind – height of the cut and mower blades.

Your lawn does not have to be cut short to look neat and trim. Set your blades as high as possible. Your grass has a crown from which the new growth emerges. If your lawn is cut too short it reduces its ability to grow well. A longer blade of grass shades the crown and protects it from burning. In addition tall blades of grass are able to get more light during peak sun hours and therefore more nutrients. And, the taller grass helps maintain moisture in the soil. If you know what type of grass you have, ask us at Augustine Nursery what the proper cutting height is for your lawn.

Make sure the blades of your mower are kept sharp. When grass is cut with a dull blade, it tears the plant tissue making it more susceptible to stress and disease. A sharp blade will keep your lawn greener as the cut edge will heal instead of turning brown.

One last mowing tip – Do not bag your clippings. Use a mulch mower that returns clippings to the lawn. Clippings act as a slow-release fertilizer as they decompose and shades the soil, keeping moisture from evaporating.

 

 

 

Choosing A Flowering Tree

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A flowering tree can bring beauty and diversity into your yard. Planted next to your doorway, along the driveway, next to your patio or even in a large pot on your deck, it will provide delicacy, a habitat for birds, and foliage throughout the year. Best of all, it will accomplish something annuals cannot – bloom every year.

Dogwood

white dogwood treeDogwoods are one of the most popular flowering trees and are beautiful to look at all year round. Dogwoods typically have white flowers, but some varieties have pink. They are quick-growing trees whose leaves turn a beautiful purplish-red in fall. If you love birds, this is the tree to plant as they love the Dogwood’s red berries.

 

 

Flowering Cherry

This is an ornamental cherry tree that explodes in a pink bouquet in late March through April. They require minimal care and add a big impact to any landscape. These are the beautiful blossoming trees of Washington DC in early spring. The Brooklyn Botanical Garden also has a section of these trees in their Japanese Hill and Pond Garden.

Redbud

red bud leafSeeing a redbud tree in full bloom is memorable. Magenta buds swell into bright pink flowers before any of the leaves appear. They are one of the longest blooming trees – with flowers lasting for two to three weeks. The leaves are heart-shaped and turn bright yellow in autumn.

 

 

 

 

Plum Newport

If you’re looking to add a blast of color to your summer landscape, the plum Newport is a hardy choice. With plum-colored leaves and delicate light pink flowers, this tree requires no accompanying shrubs or plantings to make a statement.

 

 

Magnolia

Magnolias have large glossy foliage and sweet fragrant blooms. Mostly found in the south, there are a few that thrive in our zone. Sweetbay and Magnolia Butterfly are two great options that bloom for about two weeks in spring/summer.

Any of these trees will add value to your yard as they grow, adding fragrance, shade, and attracting wildlife and pollinators to your country living.

New Trends in Eco-Friendly Yards

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Keeping your yard green at the same time you’re trying to be green can be a challenge. Most homeowners want to have the perfect yard filled with shrubs and trees arranged in an aesthetically pleasing array. Unfortunately, many of the tenets of home landscaping are no longer based on what’s good for the environment.

Obvious culprits include many of the chemicals used to help lawns grow or keep weeds under control. But, other things to take into consideration include the conservation of water and the gas used in our equipment. The good news is that there are eco-friendly ways to create and maintain the yard of your dreams.

Large Trees Save Energy & Reduce your Carbon Footprint

Many people don’t realize that strategically placed large trees can shade your home in summer and protect it from the northern winds of winter. This can significantly lower your energy use.

Trees and shrubs make their own food from carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, water, sunlight, and a small amount of soil elements. In the process, they release oxygen (O2) for us to breathe.

According to the Energy Information Administration, a red mulberry or laurel oak, two trees classified as speedy growers, will sequester an average of 69.5 pounds of carbon per year.

Augustine maintains its own tree farm and can help you choose a tree of the right kind and size for your location.

Watering

Did you know that about half of the typical residential water use goes towards landscaping? Cutting back on watering will help conservation. For instance, annuals require more water than perennials. Tall ornamental grasses are also good water-saving plants. And, use mulch generously. It helps retain moisture in your flower and shrub beds.

Lawns

Lawns not only require watering to stay green during the hottest summer months, they also require mowing – most often by a gas-powered mower.

  • Save water by leaving your grass 3” tall in summer. The ground will retain a bit more moisture. Higher grass also blocks weeds from getting the sunlight they need to thrive.
  • Consider replacing gas equipment with battery-powered lawn and yard equipment.
  • Replace parts of your lawn with ground cover and or a patio.

Augustine Nursery can help you plan and plant a landscape that is beautiful, easy to maintain, and eco-friendly. We’re here to answer all of your landscaping questions.

 

 

March is the Time to Plan Your Landscaping

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The best way to pass this last leg of winter is begin planning for the spring and summer outdoor living that lies ahead. We know there is snow and ice outside, but the geese are starting to fly north again and soon we move our clocks ahead. So now is the best time to put together your wish list and price it out.

What’s on your Wish List?

Does your front yard need a large tree? Would a retaining wall and walkway add to your curb appeal? Is your back patio too small for entertaining? Every project starts with a vision of how your landscape will add to the enjoyment you derive from your home – much of which will also add monetary value.

Large Trees

When you need a shade tree or a large tree to add curb appeal to your landscape, you don’t want to wait a decade for that tree to grow into its role. Planting a large tree is a bit more costly, but the benefits of having it to enjoy right away far outweigh the cost. We grow our own, we deliver, and we plant it for you. All you do is enjoy.

Outdoor Cooking

You may not need an entire outdoor kitchen on your patio, buy enclosing your grill with stonework and adding a simple prep space can give you tremendous functionality and beauty. If you love to entertain, this added feature will not only make you look like a pro, but will allow you to spend more time with your guests, especially if you tack on a patio bar. Or, how about a stone pizza oven?

Lighting

As the days get longer, the idea of adding lighting to your patio can extend the amount of time you get to enjoy the outdoors. In addition to adding style, good lighting always adds a layer of safety and security. Lighting also sets a wonderful mood as evening approaches.

Planning Early

Planning early means you can start enjoying sooner in the season. And, if you need the advice and physical labor of Augustine, contacting us now will get you on our work schedule early too. Give us a call or come on in and share your vision with us. We’re just the guys to help make your vision reality.