More Harbingers Of Spring

More Harbingers of Spring We know spring is just around the corner when we spot these two plants, both of which were spotted by our staff this week!    Witch Hazel - This beautiful shrub blooms yellow to red before leaves appear. A versatile plant that thrives in full sun to partial shade.       Crocus - This small bulb sure can add a splash of color to any garden. Yellows, purples and whites will bring a cheerfulness to your day!

Here Comes Spring!

Here Comes Spring!

Over the next few weeks you will see landscape truck after landscape truck carrying mulch, including of course, Allentuck Landscaping Co. trucks. Besides that fact that mulch makes our gardens look nice and is sort of a harbinger of spring, did you ever wonder why we put mulch down? What are the benefits? We have the answers:

·         Reduce surface evaporation from the soil

·         Improve water penetration and air movement

·         Moderate soil temperature fluctuations

·         Protect shallow-root plants from freeze damage and frost-heave

·         Discourage weed growth

·         Improve soil structure and nutrient availability as they decompose

The next question that you probably have on your mind is; "Must mulch be put down in the spring?" Great question. I am glad you asked. The truth is, mulch can be put down any time of the year. The fact that most mulch is installed in the spring has more to do with aesthetics than horticultural benefits. Of course, just making our gardens look great is good reason enough.

What A Team!

What A Team! 

Two of the best. Samuel and Jose have been with ALC for 19 and 16 years respectfully.

I was recently compiling some employee data and decided to run a query on the gang here at Allentuck Landscaping Co. I used hire dates to look closer at the average tenure of our staff. Landscaping is typically a high turnover industry, but amazingly the average tenure of our Crew Leader Corp and Management Team is 13 years! That average includes a number of folks who were hired within the last year or two! Now that tells us a few things; 1.) We have an extremely dedicated and loyal staff. 2.) There is a real atmosphere of family that pervades our culture and 3.) We have a lot of talented and experienced industry seasoned folks on board! It says a lot about our belief in our company values, as well as the current leadership team that has carried these values forward for so many years.

It is great to do what you love, to have passion, to get excited about your work, even in an extremely challenging economic environment. But for many of us here at Allentuck Landscaping Co., this is not the first time we have been challenged. We learn from our experiences on and off the job site. We bring that passion and skill set into all that we do. We treat every project as if it were our own and we never cut any corners in our workmanship nor the outcomes.

Now, I am not saying that every day is a walk through the park. We have the normal frustrations and hiccups that everyone has in their daily work life. But, we have a passion for landscaping and we love to share it with our clients, we like to call it the Allentuck Difference. That can only occur with a group of longstanding dedicated employees.

This is a wonderful career, we get to make the world a more beautiful place, we work with nature, and we get put our individual signatures on everything we do. You have to love what you do and we are fortunate to have so many people that do, each and every day.

BRRRRR!

BRRRRRRRR!!!!

Baby its cold out there!

In fact, these are the coldest temperatures we have seen in several years. You and I may be able to bundle up, but what about our plants? Is cold weather bad for plants?

Let's first assume that you have plants that are correct for our area. Obviously, plants that are normally found in southern regions will not do well in our coldest winters.

Interestingly enough, plants are very adept at preparing themselves for winter's cold.

During summer days, leaves make more glucose than the plant needs for energy and growth. The excess is turned into starch and stored until needed. As the daylight gets shorter in the autumn, plants begin to shut down their food production. As the amount of daylight gets too brief for the leaves to adequately produce food, the plant essentially cuts off the leaves from the rest of the plant. This is when we get the brilliant colors of fall. The leaves soon fall off and the tree rests for winter until the whole cycle begins again.

Evergreens, however, keep most of their leaves during the winter. They have special leaves, resistant to cold and moisture loss. Some, like pine and fir trees, have long thin needles. Others, like holly, have broad leaves with tough, waxy surfaces. On very cold, dry days, these leaves sometimes curl up to reduce their exposed surface. Evergreens may continue to photosynthesize during the winter as long as they get enough water, but the reactions occur more slowly at colder temperatures.

If only we could adapt as well to the cold!

Shades Of Green

Shades of Green

Who say winter needs to be all gray and dull? There are plenty of interesting evergreens to fill the space and add some life to the humdrum of the colder months.

We thought about making this email 50 Shades of Green but knew that no one would read such a long list. Truth be told, there are tons of plants with winter interest and color. Here are five of our favorites:

Gold Thread Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filifera Aurea') - Say that three times fast. Striking golden color and a floppy dog form, this is a terrific plant to use in mass or as an accent plant.

Skimmia (Skimmia japonica) - A plant for the shade. This plant has a deep olive leaf color, a white flower and red berries. No shade garden should be without it. Deer do not like to eat it!

Japanese Cedar (Caryopteria japonica 'Yoshino) - With its upright habit and interesting folliage, this is an excellent screening tree. Deer tend to leave it along so it is a wonderful alternative to Arborvitae and Leyland Cypress.

Japanese Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Prostrata') - Yes that is a mouth full but it is worth it. This low growing shrub has a very soft texture and a great year long emerald color. It can be used in sun of partial shade. Best of all, deer leave it alone!

Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica) - Do not let the name fool you, this plant is not in the bamboo family. It is a brilliant semi-evergreen, meaning that in most winters it keeps it leaves. With white flowers in the spring, red berries in the fall, and reddish leaves on new growth, this is a shrub not to be missed.

   

Be Ready For Snow & Ice

Not All Salts Are Created Equal 

We've got good news and bad news for you. The good news, there is no prediction of winter precipitation in the near future. The bad news, It will get here sooner or later. Like it or not, winter weather is coming and you need to be prepared.

  

One of the questions our customers ask us the most is "Which ice melting products should we use"? Some products melt ice better than others, some are safe on concrete and some are not, and which ones will not harm plants. To give you the answer, we took a trip to Home Depot to see which products are readily available.

Blizzard Wizard  - At the very least, this product wins the competition for catchy name. It is available in a 40 pound bag and in a smaller, more manageable shaker container. Blizzard Wizard Ice Melt is a traditional ice melter encapsulated with liquid magnesium and a proprietary formula to provide an environmentally friendly product with very little dilution. Cost is $8.97 for the 40 pound bag.

Halite Salt Crystals - This product is available in a 50 pound bag and is made up of Sodium Chloride. It may be harmful to plants and corrosive to concrete if used too heavily. Cost is $6.98 per bag.

Mortons Safe T Pet - This product is made from urea and has no salt of chloride. it is labeled safe for pets, people, plants and surfaces. Cost is $11.98 for an 8 pound container.

No matter which product you choose, here are a few precautions to follow:

De-icer Precautions

·         Do not over apply, follow instructions on the label.

·         Do not try to melt everything. Clear snow first.

·         Wear gloves. Ice melts are an irritant.

·         Do not use on new concrete that has not fully cured.

·         All products have some effect on the environment. Flush area with water if over-use is suspected or damage appears on plants.

Going For The Gold

Yeah, we know. It is a little cliché to use an Olympic theme but we are going to do it anyway. If you want to have a "gold medal" landscape, here are some simple rules to follow:

Start with a plan - You wouldn't build a house without a plan would you? The same holds true for the landscape. Going through the planning process helps prevent possible problems down the road, takes into
account the growth patterns of plants, and may bring to light some possibilities not previously considered.

Create fun - Life is hard, gardens should be for creating happy moments. Whether this means creating intimates places to spend time with loved ones, putting together an interesting combination of plants, appealing to the senses with fragrant plants or wind chimes, attracting birds, or hiding something whimsical (like a frog band) along a path, make your gardens come to life for yourself.

Make wise plant choices - If you have deer, accept the fact that you have deer and do not use plants that they are known to eat. Also, consider whether a plant has a lot of issues such as disease or insect problems. There is no point in fighting uphill battles. Use the right plants for our area. A southern plant will probably not survive our winters.

Consider maintenance - Hard fact here. There are no plants that require no maintenance. Sorry, it is the truth. There are, however, plants that require less maintenance than others. If you are going to hire a company to maintain your landscape (we have fantastic maintenance programs by the way) this may not be an issue. If you are going to maintain your landscape yourself and do not have a lot of time or knowledge, high maintenance plants such as roses may not be a good choice.

Following these guidelines may not guarantee you a gold medal, but they do assure a more successful landscape. After all, isn't that the real goal anyway?

If you are interested in having Allentuck Landscaping Co. create a gold medal landscape for you, please call us at 301-515-1900 or email us at info@allentucklandscaping.com, or simply click the link below: