Early Spring Gardening Checklist

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Hurray for May! Spring is here at last.

For those of us who love to dig in and get our hands dirty, there’s much to be done. Even though the weather is still a bit unpredictable, here’s an early spring checklist to help you organize.

  • Lawn Care
    Spring is the best time to prevent weed seeds from germinating in your lawn. A good crabgrass preventer should be applied when your forsythia bushes finish blooming. Or, if weeds are not as much a priority, it’s time to seed and fertilize. You might also want to do a soil test to see if it needs correcting.
  • Prune
    Now is an ideal time to prune shrubs that do not bloom in the spring. Prune away any deadwood and reshape its silhouette.
  • Structural Repairs
    Now’s a great time to repair raised beds, reinforce that trellis, and freshen up gravel or stone pathways.
  • Clean out Debris
    Clear out unwanted brush, rake remaining leaves, and clean out planting beds.
  • Feed & Protect your Beds
    As soon as your soil dries enough, add a top dressing of compost or your go-to organic mix. Then cover your beds with mulch.
  • Take Care of the Birds
    Birds add so much to any garden environment. Now’s the time to fill your bird feeders and clean out birdhouses.
  • Check your Equipment
    Time to open up those sheds and check on equipment and supplies. Clean and organize your garden tools & pots. Check on hoses and hook them up for the season. Sharpen cutting tools.

Planting & Caring for Evergreen Trees

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Evergreen trees are great for property barriers and screening. Most of the evergreen trees in our nursery are grown in our own fields and have shown to be capable of surviving the winter months. Learn how to plant and care for your trees.

  1. Measure the depth of the root ball so that the top of it will sit 1-inch higher than ground level, but never lower.
  2. Dig a hole that is 1–1½ times larger than the ball.
  3. Center the root ball in the hole and untie or cut away the top ⅓ of burlap by either folding it back or trimming it off. If a wire basket is present, cut it open and either fold it down or discard.
  4. Clean the excavated soil of rocks and other debris.
  5. Make a mixture (enough to back-fill the hole) of 50% cleaned, excavated soil and 50% compost (peat moss/fertilizer/compost).
  6. Back-fill the plant half way with the soil mixture, then water thoroughly. Continue to back-fill with the remaining excavated soil while leaving room for an approximately 3-inch deep saucer of mulch to completely surround the plant.  Make a mound of soil around the outer edge of the hole and tamp it firmly to create a moat.
  7. Water thoroughly.

Optional: 
Tree wrap and staking are optional based on actual location conditions, i.e. wind & grade changes.

 

GENERAL MAINTENANCE TIPS

Watering Trees and Shrubs
After planting, water trees and shrubs 2–3 times per week 
for the rest of the growing season. Each tree or shrub should receive 1–10 gallons of water depending on its size.
Note: In times of stress or extreme heat, increase amount of water.

Root Feeding/By June 30th
For acid loving plants use Holly-tone®. All other plants should 
be fed with specially designed fertilizer stakes.
Foliage Feeding/As Early As April 30th. For acid loving plants, apply Miracid® every 7–10 days until mid-August. All others apply Miracle-Gro® every 7–10 days until mid-August.

General Pruning and Trimming
For flowering trees and shrubs, the rule of thumb is to cut them back after they have flowered.
For evergreens, pruning should be done after the new growth hardens, which is usually mid-July up to November.

Anti-desiccant
As a treatment to reduce moisture loss due to winterkill, windburn, drought, etc. all plants should be treated with an anti-desiccant or anti-transpirant. Suggested applications:
 All newly planted material
s, Annual fall application

Insect Infestation
A watchful eye should be kept for any signs of an infestation. If an infestation seems to be occurring the problem should be identified and addressed immediately.

Tree Stakes
Stake deciduous trees that are 2–2½ inch in diameter and larger. Stake evergreen trees 5–6 feet tall and larger. Tree stakes, wire and hose should be removed after 1 year.

How to Winterize Your Landscaping

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Whether you live in the Hudson Valley year round or have a weekend place that gets closed up until spring returns, there are tasks you can accomplish in autumn to ensure your lawn and landscaping gets off to a great start once the warm, sunny weather returns.

Lawn Care

  • Remove Weeds & Broadleaf – By doing this task now, you take away some of the competition for available nutrients and water needed by your lawn.
  • Have a soil test – If you soil is too alkaline, apply sulphur. If it’s acidic, apply lime.
  • Rake the leaves – While most people use blowers, raking also provides another benefit. A vigorous raking helps to dethatch your lawn.
  • If you seeded your lawn, now is the perfect time to fertilize with something like Scotts’ WinterGuard Turf Builder.

Shrubs and Tree Care

  • Small shrubs can be protected from winter damage with a lean-to or teepee that keeps heavy snow off their limbs. Delicate shrubs should be wrapped with a breathable fabric like burlap.
  • Once larger deciduous trees and shrubs lose their leaves and before the ground freezes, give them a final and deep watering.
  • Evergreens require the same deep watering as deciduous trees and shrubs.

Garden Bed Care

  • For annual and vegetable garden beds, plant a cover crop or apply mulch. The leaves you rake are a good and readily available source of mulch.
  • Remove old stalks and leaves from perennial beds.
  • Clear any fruits and vegetables left in the garden as they provide the perfect environment for rodents.

Equipment Care

  • Drain gas out of equipment like mowers and rototillers.
  • Bring in the garden hoses and turn off its water source.
  • Change the oil in your snowblower, install a new spark plug and do a general inspection. Then add fresh gas so you’ll be in top shape when that first snowfall arrives.

Outdoor Living Area Care

  • Clean and store garden pots.
  • Bring in outdoor furniture or cover them with specially designed covers.
  • Winterize pipes to outdoor kitchens.

An Evergreen Winter

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In our northern climate, evergreens play such an important role in our home landscapes. As the leaves turn yellow and orange and drop from our deciduous trees, integrating evergreens into our yards help keep the winter from turning quite as bleak.

If you don’t have an array of evergreens to round out your plantings and add cheer to your winter months, you may have to wait six months before seeing an emerging leaf. In addition to adding color, evergreens provide excellent privacy, screen out unwanted views, add structure to your landscape, and add shelter for birds.

There are basically two types of evergreens – conifers and broadleafs. Most people picture conifers when imagining an evergreen.

boxwood and snow plantBroadleaf Evergreens

  • Andromeda
  • Boxwood
  • Rhododendron
  • Holly
  • Inkberry

 

 

yew branch with berryConifer Evergreen Shrubs

  • Juniper
  • Cypress
  • Yew
  • Arborvitae

 

 

cedar branchConifer Evergreen Trees

  • Cedar
  • Hemlock
  • Pine
  • Spruce

 

 

The best gardens use an imaginative mix of tree and shrub species, and evergreens have a place in that mix. The best time to plant evergreens is in the fall. The threat of drought or getting scorched by the sun is past and the cooler temperature helps encourage new root growth.

evergreen trees in tree nurseryDon’t accept the monotony of a typical winter landscape. Augustine Nursery carries an impressive array of evergreens in all shapes and sizes for homeowners and landscapers. Ask us how you can best add evergreens to your yard. We can even plant them for you. No winter landscape is complete without that touch of snow on green.

And don’t forget to consider how paths, walls, and even weather-proof garden art such as obelisks and potter further add to the beauty and walkability of your yard. Without all the color of spring and summer, these elements become more important than ever.

Pathways to Landscape Perfection

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Every property has pathways, whether planned and created or cut by the continual foot traffic to get from point A to B.

Pathways have both practical and aesthetic purposes. They keep your feet dry and provide safe and easy access to your home, garage, playset, and sidewalk. They define the different areas of your landscape and unify them. They help make a good first impression of your property. They provide a romantic or tranquil walkway to your garden, pool area or outdoor fire pit. In other words, they not only connect your home physically to other areas of your property, but provide a visual and emotional journey along the way.

Pathways can be made of many materials, each with their own benefits and aesthetics. From formal or classic to natural or meandering, the choices depend upon function and style.

A path that is used often, such as the one from your driveway to the front door needs to be made of materials that will hold up over time while a secondary path – perhaps to a garden area can be made of less heavy-duty materials. Concrete, bricks, and pavers provide durability, while mulch, gravel, pavers, and bluestone or fieldstone can mark the way to a secluded bench. A well-designed pathway keeps in mind not only use, but the material and design that will blend with the style of your home.

Also of consideration is lighting. If your pathway will be used at night, you’ll want to add lighting so you and your guests can see the path in front of them.

Now that the gardening season is winding down, September might be the perfect time to think about your pathways and the plantings that will help guide you. Visit Augustine Nursery’s stoneyard to take a look at the materials we stock and talk to us about whether you want to carve your own pathway or have us help.

Late Summer Landscaping To-Do List

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For most enthusiastic homeowners, the month of August signals the downhill slide into colder seasons. While there’s still plenty of time to simply sit back and enjoy the greenery and blooms you’ve put so much hard work into, it’s not a bad time to plan your fall to-do list. After all, much of the work you put in to fall landscaping will pay off when spring comes round once more.

Here are some to-dos we recommend to protect your curb appeal:

  • Prune summer flowering shrubs as their flowers fade. By doing this, you put the plant’s energy back into the leaves and roots instead of into setting seed.
  • Take inventory of any perennials you want to divide. You want to get these divisions in the ground well before the ground freezes so they have time to root well.
  • September is a great time to plant new shrubs and trees so they can establish roots.
  • Mulching adds a layer of insulation to your soil which helps protect roots. Three to four inches is a good depth.
  • Fall is the time to shop for and plant new bulbs.
  • Weed and eliminate flowers on weeds you may not get around to pulling out to minimize their spread.
  • Deadhead some spent flowers, but allow some to go to seed if you like to feed the birds.
  • Purchase asters and mums for fall color.
  • September and October are good months to fertilize and seed your lawn. A winterizing fertilizer high in potassium is better than regular food to make your grass hardier in the winter. Fall seeding has less competition with the weeds.
  • If you have areas of your yard that are too shady or moist, fall is a good time to plant perennial ground covers.

While no gardener welcomes the ‘off’ season, it does allow for some chores to get done in cooler, more pleasant temperatures. And, if you’re not the do-it-yourself kind, Augustine Nursery stands ready to get those landscaping projects done for you.

late summer garden

Best Summertime Plant Watering Tips

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Watering the shrubs, trees, and plants in your yard is a judgement call that depends on your yard’s soil, the weather, and the drainage on your property. Getting watering right also depends on observation and experience. So when watering, it’s important to take mental notes.

That said, there is only one hard and fast rule that applies to all plants: focus on the roots. It’s the roots that need access to water, not the leaves. You need to go beyond the quick dribble from a hose. Lawns and annuals have shallower roots – in the top 6” of soil. For perennials, shrubs, and trees, water needs to penetrate down to as deep as 12”.

Here are a few other tips:

  • Mulch – Two to three inches of mulch provides an effective layer of protection for your plants and shrubs. It reduces water runoff and slows evaporation from the soil so your plants stay moist longer.
  • Potted plants – Water your potted plants until you see water flowing freely from the pot’s drainage holes. As plants mature and summer heat rises place saucers beneath pots to catch runoff so plants can ‘sip’ water throughout the day.
  • Use the right tools – Use a soaker hose instead of a sprinkler to help you get down to the root zone. They deliver water directly to the soil while sprinklers leave much of their water on the leaves. Wet leaves can promote disease.
  • Seasons & time of day counts – When the weather is cooler, plants need less water. During summer’s dog days, it might seem like you can’t water enough, especially with potted plants. Water plants in the morning so leaves have time to get dried off by the sun.
  • Saving water from rain – Rain barrels are an excellent way to collect rain from downspouts, especially when located close to your garden beds. Just make sure the barrel overflow drains away from your home to avoid water in your basement.
  • Weeds – Weeds are annoying and unsightly. While weeding is never fun, it’s important as they steal moisture away from your plantings.

 

Patio Planning – Your Outdoor Living Space

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Spanish style patio

Patio de Cordoba *

Building a patio will help you take full advantage of the warm weather and beautiful landscape of your yard. Going back centuries in early architecture, a space to enjoy the outdoors was a regular home feature. Called patios in Spanish architecture or atriums in Roman architecture, these important out door spaces allow both privacy and a place to enjoy the company of others.

Still an inviting home feature today, there are many advantages patios offer homeowners that contribute to both the quality of your home and the quality of your life there. Long gone are the days of simply sitting on the patio. Outdoor kitchens, bars, fire pits, hot tubs, and cozy furniture are the extras that can work to make your outdoor living space into a fully functional room for lounging, entertaining, cooking, and more.

A Place to Unwind

Patios add comfort to your home. It’s peaceful to step out the back door to relax on the patio. Comfortable furniture or a hammock is all you might need to enjoy a good book with a glass of wine.

A Space for Entertaining

Whether having a simple family BBQ or an outdoor summer bash, your patio has great entertaining potential. The entertainment factor is one of the most defining reasons why most people build patios. With a bit of lighting, your patio is set to go in daytime and after the sun goes down.

Adding Value to Your Home

This is one of the fringe benefits to adding a patio. Whether your home is your primary residence or a weekend getaway, the allure of an outdoor living space is strong when people come to look at a home for purchase.

There are advantages to building a patio instead of a porch or deck. Whether you choose stone, concrete, pavers, or brick, there’s minimal maintenance required to keep up your patio’s beauty. And the durability of these materials mean your patio will stand up to changing weather, lots of use, and time.

Channel your inner creativity into planning a patio with versatility and character with Augustine. Come take a walk through our stoneyard. Whether you want to build it yourself or have us build it for you, we stand ready to help.

Poolside landscape

Poolside patio, stonework and landscaping by Augustine Nursery.

Photo credits: Patio de Cordoba by Dolores María Macías Naranjo, Poolside Patio by John Halperin

7 Smart Sloping Yard Solutions

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Most people think of the sloping part of their yard as a problem. Hard to mow- impossible to enjoy, it often suffers from neglect. If your front or back yard includes a hill or slope, you need a plan that gives you maximum beauty with minimal maintenance. Lucky for you, that is totally achievable.

Solutions for Your Slope

  1. Plant on it. There are many varieties of flowers, shrubs, and ground covers that thrive on slopes. The plant roots will efficiently act as an anchor for any loose soil, holding the slope securely in place. This is a good place to plant perennials and ground covers that need minimal care.
  2. Rise above it. Construct a deck over your slope. It can provide you with a great entertaining area up top while giving you storage space underneath. Or make a multilevel deck that leads to more level areas of your yard.
  3. Retain it. A retaining wall is a good idea if you want to make a level place area out of your slope, thus providing your yard with more usable space.
  4. Terrace it. If one big retaining wall isn’t for you, try several low walls with level terraces in-between. One level could be patio overlooking several other levels of garden.
  5. Add a water feature to it. Creating a waterfall is the ultimate solution for using your slope. It creates drama and can manage any wet areas nicely. Everyone loves the sound of water while relaxing in the yard.
  6. Step it up. Steps create a pathway to stroll through your sloping garden, whether you decide on a formal stairway or meandering stone steps.
  7. Make it Boulder. Add a cluster or two of boulders. It will add natural beauty to your sloped garden and a natural focal point.

Many of us in the Hudson Valley live in hilly areas. Instead of wishing you had one of those open, flat landscapes, embrace the slope and make it work for you.

Lawn Care Basics

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While buying a home might be the American dream, keeping up with one’s lawn just might be every homeowner’s nightmare. A beautiful lawn begins and ends with proper annual care and each yard comes with its own set of unique characteristics that make lawn care decisions seem like a guessing game.

You can order a home test kit or send a soil sample to the local Cooperative Extension for testing. The results will let you know what needs to be added to soil, if anything, to make it ideal for the grass you seed to grow.

The best times to work on your lawn is in the spring between the end of April through mid-June and then again in the fall between the end of August through mid-October.
Grass Seeds: A few cool season grasses that do well here are bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, and fine fescue.

Seed Amount: Often, people buy more seed than they actually need. An average amount is one pound of grass seed for 750 square feet, when starting a new lawn. Seed in spring and fall. If you can only seed one time per year, do it in the fall when your seed has less competition from weeds.

Soil Additives: In general, the soil in our region is acidic. You can regulate this with the addition of lime, which is organic, natural, and very inexpensive.

Fertilizer: Feed your lawn in spring and fall. It needs to be fed while it’s actively growing. Again, if you can only do it once per year, choose the fall when the growth has slowed but the grass is still green.

Aerating: All lawns benefit from aerating. To get good penetration, aerate when the grass is actively growing and the soil is moist. Either water your lawn before aerating or wait until after a good rain.

Watering: If you need to water from time to time, do so in the early morning so the sun can dry the grass. This helps discourage prolonged moisture which can bring disease. You are better off watering thoroughly less often than short spurts more often. The better soaking will encourage deeps roots and will make your lawn more drought-tolerant.

Popular cool-season grasses:

  • Bluegrass
  • Perennial ryegrass
  • Tall fescue
  • Fine fescue

The Beauty of Hydrangeas

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Hydrangeas are classic. Their appeal is clear – it’s all about the delicate flowers and how they cluster to form big showy globes. Native to southern and eastern Asia, there are about 75 different species. Their colors range from snowball white, purplish blue, to pink and even green. And, one of their most interesting characteristics is that certain hydrangeas can vary their color according to the make-up of the soil in which it’s planted. Soils containing more iron will produce blue hydrangea, while soils with a higher ph will produce pinker flowers. Alter the soil and you can change the color of hydrangeas.

Hydrangeas have much to tout. They are:

  • An affordable addition to your plantings,
  • They make wonderful cut flowers and even dry nicely,
  • They are hardy and resistant to disease,
  • Some varieties bloom from spring to early fall, &
  • They are pretty easy to care for.

Planting time is spring. Choose from varieties such as Elite Shocking Blue, Edgy Hearts, Everlasting Green Cloud, and Little Lime. They do best with morning sun and afternoon shade in soil with good drainage. Fertilize to give it a strong start. Keep them moist, but not wet. They require minimal care, except for pruning. It’s important to know what type of hydrangeas you have because pruning times vary. All hydrangeas though, benefit from the annual removal of dead stems and spent blooms.

Hydrangeas can be used in a variety of ways in your landscape – as a specimen plant, as a border or hedge, as a vine or even in pots. There are so many reasons to love hydrangeas. Stop by Augustine Nursery to add one or two to your yard.

 

Planting & Caring for Deciduous Trees

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Deciduous trees are great if you’re looking to create shade on your property. They are also capable of helping to deal with erosion and rain water run-off by being planted on embankments. Learn how to plant and care for deciduous trees with complete instructions and helpful tips.

  1. Measure the depth of the root ball so that the top of it will sit 1-inch higher than ground level, but never lower.
  2. Dig a hole that is 1–1½ times larger than the ball.
  3. Center the root ball in the hole and untie or cut away the top ⅓ of burlap by either folding it back or trimming it off. If a wire basket is present, cut it open and either fold it down or discard.
  4. Clean the excavated soil of rocks and other debris.
  5. Make a mixture (enough to back-fill the hole) of 50% cleaned, excavated soil and 50% compost (peat moss/fertilizer/compost).
  6. Back-fill the plant half way with the soil mixture, then water thoroughly. Continue to back-fill with the remaining excavated soil while leaving room for an approximately 3-inch deep saucer of mulch to completely surround the plant.  Make a mound of soil around the outer edge of the hole and tamp it firmly to create a moat.
  7. Water thoroughly.

Optional: 
Tree wrap and staking are optional based on actual location conditions, i.e. wind & grade changes.

 

GENERAL MAINTENANCE TIPS

Watering Trees and Shrubs
After planting, water trees and shrubs 2–3 times per week 
for the rest of the growing season. Each tree or shrub should receive 1–10 gallons of water depending on its size.
Note: In times of stress or extreme heat, increase amount of water.

Root Feeding/By June 30th
For acid loving plants use Holly-tone®. All other plants should 
be fed with specially designed fertilizer stakes.
Foliage Feeding/As Early As April 30th. For acid loving plants, apply Miracid® every 7–10 days until mid-August. All others apply Miracle-Gro® every 7–10 days until mid-August.

General Pruning and Trimming
For flowering trees and shrubs, the rule of thumb is to cut them back after they have flowered.
For evergreens, pruning should be done after the new growth hardens, which is usually mid-July up to November.

Anti-desiccant
As a treatment to reduce moisture loss due to winterkill, windburn, drought, etc. all plants should be treated with an anti-desiccant or anti-transpirant. Suggested applications:
 All newly planted material
s, Annual fall application

Insect Infestation
A watchful eye should be kept for any signs of an infestation. If an infestation seems to be occurring the problem should be identified and addressed immediately.

Tree Stakes
Stake deciduous trees that are 2–2½ inch in diameter and larger. Stake evergreen trees 5–6 feet tall and larger. Tree stakes, wire and hose should be removed after 1 year.