Winter is a great time to admire your landscape, without the worry of upkeep. Simply look out and enjoy the look of the snow blankets covering all your trees, shrubs, and bushes. No need to worry about cutting grass or trimming trees now. Just site back with a cup of coffee and enjoy the view from inside. See you in the spring! 
An basic definition of an annual is any plant which must be replaced each year and which flowers only once in its life. Annuals generally are grown from seeds. The main advantage of annuals over perennials is their low cost. Hundreds of plants can be grown from a single packet of seeds.
Annuals are also very decorative, and provide a great source of flowers for cutting. Their season of bloom is relatively long, as well. The disadvantage is the late date at which they bloom. If annuals are used alone in a bed or border, a good part of the season will pass with little to show in the way of color.
Annuals can also of used as filler between shrubs. This permits the shrub to grow, yet prevents too stark an appearance. The hardier flowers, such as larkspur, poppies and cornflowers, can be planted in late fall. The ground preparation must be just as careful as for spring planting.
Planting in fall is advantageous since it permits the flowers to get an early start the following spring. Certain other hardy annuals can be planted early in spring as soon as the ground is workable. It is a good idea to start some of the less hardy annuals in seed pots, or in coldframes, as early as March. Otherwise, these plants cannot be set out until all danger of frost is gone. Outdoor planting of annuals in the spring follows thorough soil preparation.
Once the seedbed has been prepared with all lumps removed, it must be carefully pulverized with a rake prior to planting. You can calculate the area of the seedbed with a landscape calculator. The seeds are sown broadcast in the patch selected, and then are just lightly covered with soil. The soil may be gently tamped after the covering is completed. The patch should be identified with a stake and some sort of sign. Flower seeds are best planted near the surface of the soil.
Sow the seeds no more than 1 inch deep. The seeds of larger plants which have a strong growth, such as sunflowers, can be planted in hills spaced from 2 to 4 feet apart. Often, annuals are planted in rows. This method is used when a cutting garden is being grown. To do this, dig a shallow trench not more than 1 inch deep with a trowel, or your fingers, and then place the seed in the trench.
Sow more seed than appears necessary, and then trim out after the plants appear above ground. Thinning is required, in any event, for a good crop of annuals, if only to insure sufficient room for each plant. Transplanting is a considerable shock in the life of a plant, and unless it is carefully done, the plant will die.
All the soil in the frame or pot should be used when transplanting. Transplanting should be done on a cloudy, damp day, if possible. If the soil is dry, it should be watered before transplanting, and then thoroughly after the plants are in the ground. If the day is sunny, some sort of shade should be provided for the newly transferred plants. As soon as the plants are established, these protective coverings can be removed.
The garden should be located close to your home and away from trees. The main reason is the easier it is to see and to tend, the better off your garden will be. Also, vegetables grown near trees cannot get full sunshine; sometimes, the tree roots will use water and fertilizer meant for the plants.
The soil should be well drained. A sandy loam with a clay subsoil is best. Heavy clay soils may be made quite suitable by adding lots of stable manure or compost, or by turning under cover crops, preferably legumes such as vetch, clover soybeans.
Planning is very important to get the most out of your vegetable garden. Keep a record of wheather you had too much or too little of certain vegetables at any time during the season for a continuous supply. This will help you to plan better for the next year.
This is VERY important, and will depend on where you live. But generally in Michigan or any area that freezes or has a full winter season, 12 inches should be the standard. This may vary from 8-12, but should never be less than 8 inches. Many contractors may come in with lower bids and try to skimp on the depth of your system. Your system may work fine for a few years, but the excessive freeze wear on the system will cause it to break down quicker.
Is it a brand you have heard of? If not, call some hardware or home improvement stores and ask if they carry the product and if they would recommend it. If you cannot find a local retailer that stocks that brand, you may not want to have that product used because it may be difficult to find replacement parts fast, and retailers tend to carry bigger higher quality brands.
You should find out if you will receive a detailed layout of where all the water lines and sprinkling heads are located. This will be very valuable when planning out other landscape features or later on if you need to troubleshoot the system.
Never pay in full before the job is started, a reasonable deposit shouldn’t exceed 50% of the project quote. Be sure and use a check or credit card (if accepted). Try also to get written receipt from the deposit. A cashed check can serve as a backup receipt also.
When will you start, and when will you finish. This is also extremely important. With most items mentioned here, get this written into your final quote/contract. If they need a deposit, I would only give a token up front and then give the full deposit once any real work has started.
Be sure and ask for detailed references of work they have done in the past that is similar to your project. If you can, talk to a few, and try to drive past some of the previous customers and view the work for yourself.
Visit some natural waterfalls or at least look at photos. Observe the water, and look at the way in which it flows over the rocks and terrain naturally.
The design of your falls will depend on the layout of your terrain, pump and pipe size, length of water flow from pump to falls, and pond size. It’s important to keep the elements of your water feature in scale. If you have a small pond, have an appropriate sized falls and vice-versa.
One of the most common mistakes results from the desire for a tall waterfall at a level building site. Large amounts of soil are imported to build the falls up to a three or four foot height. Yes, you will achieve a dramatic waterfall, but the total effect will not look natural. Try not to let any part be overly dominate. A falls of just two feet will produce a very satisfactory effect both visually and audibly.
On a level site, with an “average” size pond of say 11 by 16 feet, the amount of soil needed to surround the biological filter and create the berm is just about equal to the amount of soil excavated from the pond, so it works out quite well. To further enhance or enlarge the berm, you may want to import a little more soil, large boulders or other features.
Be sure to use a wide liner under the falls and/or stream, this will allow for twists and turns in the course of the water and also contain splashing. A ten foot wide liner is recommended. Under-layment under the falls and stream liners is usually not required.
When your excavation is complete for the falls, and the liner is in place. Then begin to add your stone. This is the fun part, so try out several combinations and visualize how the water will flow.
When satisfied with your arrangement, use black waterfall foam to direct the water over the stone instead of under it. That is, stone that is directly in contact with the liner should sit on a bed of foam so the water goes around or over the stone instead of underneath it. Caution - the foam expands greatly…don’t use too much!
Building a waterfall can be extremely satisfying. Though you should give some time to preliminary research, you’ll learn most by actually building your water feature.
A good garden loam with organic matter is important when planting roses. It should contain some peat moss, leaf mold, compost, rotted or commercial manure, and the bed should be prepared as far ahead of planting as possible to allow for the soil to settle. GreatGrass
Autumn is the best time for planting out roses, but you can also plant in spring. When they arrive from the nursery, plant at once. If they have dried en route, soak the roots and put the tops in a bucket of water before planting. Trim back any roots that are weak, long or broken. Dig a hole that is wide enough to allow the roots to spread without crowding.
The rose is properly placed when the bud (the point where the top joins the roots) is just under the ground surface. Space hybrid teas about 18 inches apart in any direction. Prune the branches 6 to 10 inches from the soil.
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To grow good roses it is necessary to cultivate, to prune and to spray. If you have a well-cultivated bed you need not worry about watering. But if you start to water in hot weather, you must keep it up, soaking the roots thoroughly about once a week. Spraying every 10 days will guard against diseases and insects that attack roses. Nicotine sulphate wipes out the green lice; arsenate of lead is used against chewing insects; or sulphur and arsenate of lead may be used in a dust, as may DDT dust.
Winterize your roses by mounding sod around them after the first frost, or mulch with straw and evergreens. In colder parts of the country, (like Michigan) remove the supports from the climbing roses and place the canes on the ground, peg them, and cover with soil mounds.
In spring, cut back your roses to within 6 inches of the ground. Lop off all but three to five canes on hybrid teas. This pruning will give you strong plants. When your plants grow out from spring pruning, you will have to disbud, cutting off all the buds except the top ones on the cane. This is the way to grow large blossoms.
Remember to enjoy your roses! Cut some nice stems from time to time and place them in a vase inside your home. Share them with friends and neighbors. After all, what good is growing a beautiful plant if you cannot enjoy it and share it.
We have all read articles similar to this one before and they all say the same thing. They encourage you to get three estimates, check references, and consult the BBB for each contractor you are considering.
First, you want to choose the contractor that’s right for you. One popular theory says that there are three aspects to consider. Those are timely service, quality work, and pricing. This theory states that you can’t get all three aspects with the same company. That is you can’t get great quality work, fast, at a competative price. There is some truth to this theory. That being the case you should decide what’s most important to you.
Do you need the job done fast or is it alright if the contractor takes a few weeks to complete? Are you only interested in top quality work or it it ok if it’s a little imprefect in places? And are you willing to pay top dollar or are you looking to get more for less? You should consider these aspects thoroughly and then follow your instinct.
Once you have chosen the contractor you want to work with you should handle your payments very carefully. After all that’s really all that’s motivating the contractor to come to your house and do the work. Most contractors will demand a deposit of 1/3 or 1/2 of the total job cost to put you on his schedule. You can go ahead and put down this deposit, but you need the agreement in writing which includes all specifications of work to be done and the time frame in which he will start and finish.
Even if the contractor mentioned some work he could do during consultations you had with him, if it’s not in the contract then don’t expect it to get done. Even something as small as pruning some shrubs or clearing an area. Get everything in writing.
Also make sure the contract has real time frames. If he says he can start in a week and complete within two weeks, again get it in writing. Ask for a penalty clause that says for every day that goes by outside of the time frame set he will deduct $100 from total job cost. Contractors are familiar with this clause and should agree to it.
Once a job is halfway completed, some contractors will ask for another payment. If the payment schedule was broken into thirds and the work is going well then go ahead and pay the contractor so he can complete the work. If things have gone very badly to this point then don’t pay and excuse the contractor from the job.
When the job is almost completed the contractor will ask for the final payment. This is where you have to be strong. Make a list of all the details that have not been finished and tell the contractor he must finish the list before you will pay him the final payment. If you are comfortable you can pay him the majority of the final payment, but withhold 10% or so until the finishing list is completed. I’d suggest even waiting a few more days or a week to make sure no other problems come up. It will be difficult to get them back to work on it if they’ve already been paid in full.
My yard was finally ready and prepped for grass seed. So I went to our local lawn supply store to get some seed, I was told they stocked a special West Michigan seed blend. They suggested this Manhattan 4 instead, saying it should perform well in my sandy and very sunny lawn. (well, dirt at this point)
The seed germinated within the 5-7 days as promised. In fact I planted it Friday night, and by Tuesday I could see some grass seed growing! Very exciting to see something happening after waiting so long and working so hard. The grass continues to grow, but at a slow rate. I am hoping this is the nature of the grass seed. A slow growing but strong grass would be great. I would love to spend less time pushing the mower and more time with other things. After 3 weeks, most of it is still only 1-2 inches high, but seems to be doing okay.
Your garden and land around your house is very important to the overall look of your house, and by employing a good landscaping company you can not only add value to your property but massively improve the overall appearance. If you select the right landscaping company they will be able to offer you advice on your best options, they can provide you with the walls, paths, patios, driveways, large plantings and even irrigation systems that you want. It is important, however, that you pick the right design and materials for your garden and that are in keeping with your house. There are a number of important factors to consider when you are selecting which landscaping company to choose.
Obviously the cost the landscaping is important, and if you intend to have a lot of work done around your property the bill can rise to quite a large amount. Do remember though that a well-designed, good-looking garden can add 10% onto the value of your house, so it is an investment. The cost you pay your landscaping company will undoubtedly be an important determining factor but it shouldn’t be the only factor that determines which company you choose.
The portfolio is the best way to check the standard of their work. Looking at their portfolio is especially important if they are offering a very low price. It could be that they are offering a low price because you are their first or one of their first clients. If this is the case there is no reason why you can’t still use them, the low price will usually be combined with an exceptionally high standard because they will want to use the work they do for you to start building their portfolio. Break the work you want doing down into smaller sections and hire them to complete the first part; they shouldn’t mind if they have nothing to hide. If they do a good job you can use them for the rest of your requirements.
If you want decking built at the end of your garden, you should be looking at companies who have experience in building decking. Look at their portfolio or ask them for details of their experience. They may be the best company there is at building walls but if they’ve never built decking you should tread very carefully.
By taking all these factors into account you will be able to make an informed decision regarding your choice of landscaping company. If you do pick the right company for you, you will be able to rest easy knowing that they are creating exactly the effect you want at a price that you deem reasonable.
In order to create and maintain a perfect looking garden with healthy, vibrant planting you need to ensure that your garden gets the right level of watering. To ensure that your plants get good watering you may need to create an irrigation system that gives a steady, accurate and uniform level of watering as required.
An irrigation system can be as complicated as a couple of strategically placed sprinklers or as complex as a full underground irrigation sprinkler system. To make sure that you are giving your planting exactly the right levels of watering you can either consult an irrigation system company or a landscaping system, or if you have the required knowledge you could build your own irrigation system.
The first and most obvious factor is how much water your plants need, but there are many different things that determine this. Some plants require more water than others and the surroundings of each plant will also play an important part. You need to ensure a uniformity of water spread that is right for your plants and for your soil type.
Different soil types have a different infiltration rate. An infiltration rate is the amount of water that a soil type can take per hour without creating run off. You should consider exactly how to manage the water run off, and at very least your beds should slope forwards so that any excess water can run off to the front of the beds avoiding over watering of your plants.
You need to consider the time of day that you are watering your plants. For instance, watering in the mid day sun will lead to scorching your plants; the water dries on the leaves and the rays if the sun are magnified through the water burning the leaves and depleting the nutrients they need to grow healthily.
Your irrigation is best set to water immediately after sunrise, when the wind is typically at it’s lowest although you should manage your irrigation system so it will perform just as well in the highest wind conditions you expect.
Set the pressure of your irrigation system so that it isn’t too high. High water pressure leads to small droplets of water being created which are easily blown by the wind; this adversely affects the uniformity of your watering leaving some areas with too much watering and other areas lacking the water they require to remain healthy.
Regular maintenance of your irrigation system is vital to continued growth and health in your garden. By running simple tests you can ascertain whether your system is still running at its very best. Alternatively, you can arrange with the company that installed your irrigation system to come out and do routine annual checks.
In order to check your irrigation system is running properly and efficiently, get hold of several flat-bottomed containers of the same size. Place each container evenly around the area you are testing, usually ten foot apart will suffice, but you can shorten this distance for a more accurate test. Now run your irrigation system for approximately 15 minutes and then measure the amount of water in each container using a plastic ruler. Each of the containers should have the same amount of water in, and if they have then everything is fine.
If one of your containers has an unequal amount of water when compared to the other containers then you should move the rest of your containers in to this area, shortening the distance between them considerably. Again run your system for 15 minutes; if necessary wait until the next day so as not to over water your plants. By using this process you should be able to tell exactly where is receiving more water and you will be able to amend your watering system accordingly.
west michigan landscaping » creating an irrigation system for your garden