Your Lawn: Love it or Lose It?

Leaves of the Thornless Honey Locust (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s been a soggy spring so far, no surprise for us Oregonians, and your lawn may be worse for wear thanks to the incessant rain.

It’s hard to believe that in just a few months many of us will be scrambling to keep the grass from baking in the summer heat. If you’re lucky enough to have an irrigation system, you’ll hope that it’s still functioning properly. 

If you don’t, you’ll spend time moving the sprinkler, wishing you had an irrigation system. Or some may decide to let the grass go brown and dry out, especially if vacation beckons.

Here in the Pacific Northwest we love our lawns, but let’s face it, the upkeep of watering, mowing, and fertilizing during the spring and summer months can become a drag. Are you ready to set yourself up for a carefree sunny season? Now’s the time to give your yard a fresh facelift. Start your own spring awakening and ditch the lawn. 

Here are five alternatives:

1. Build some raised beds. Raised beds and planter boxes are wonderful for growing edibles and adding bold splashes of color. For vegetables and flowers to thrive, fill 4 by 8 foot raised beds with a well-draining potting soil or mix. Mushroom compost works well, too.
2. Add some hardscape. Incorporating walkways and paths with gravel, stone, or pavers enhances any yard and makes yard maintainance easier. Either as a focal point or connector, paths and walkways add function and aesthetics. If you have a large space, consider constructing a courtyard or patio to extend your outdoor living space.
3. Plant for impact. Find some attractive ceramic, oversized containers and plant 2-3 varieties for a dramatic and sculptural affect. For example, Echeveria subrigada ‘Fire and Ice’, Aeonium arborescens ‘Tip Top’, and Sedum rupestre ‘Blue Spruce’ make a brilliant trifecta of texture and color. Arrange containers as focal points in your yard.
4. Choose shapely trees. Trees soften, offer shade, and add contrast to hardscape. Those with open, airy canopies create dappled shape. Good varieties for the cooler Northwest climate include Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis), honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), paperbark maple (Acer griseum), or silk tree (Albizia julibrissin).
5. Eat your borders. Line a garden path by using herbs and veggies as ornamentals. Garden “artists” can even pick a color scheme! Love purple hues? Go for Japanese eggplant, ‘Purpurascens’ sage, artichokes (their unharvested buds open into violet flowers), and ‘Purple Ruffles’ basil. Others edibles to include are mint, beans, and peppers.

Whatever your landscape dreams and goals may be, Aspen Creek Landscaping is here to help. We’d love to hear your ideas! Give us a call or come visit us soon: (503) 625-6888

Got a case of spring fever? Give it to your yard!

By March, our drizzly gray days start to wear on even the heartiest Oregonians and the hardiest of yards. It’s time to pull on the old boots or tennies, inhale the rain-rinsed air, and do some yard work. Here are some tasks to take care of this month:

• Renovate your lawn. March’s mild weather, lengthening days, spring rains, and fertilizer make grass grow quickly, so now’s the time to spruce up your existing lawn or start new turf.
• Take care of weeds. It’s not a glamorous job, but it’s good exercise and the weeds extract easily thanks to March’s damp soil. It’s not too late to mulch, either. Spread a layer of newspaper on your weediest patch, then wet it down with a garden hose. 

• Plant some pansies. These popular annuals offer a burst of cheer with their brightly colored petals and stand up well to cool weather. They’re easy to plant and affordable. Look for Mammoth pansies - their extra large, vibrant petals add pizazz and their beefy stems support the flowers in rain and wind.
• Sow summer veggies inside. Start cucumbers, eggplant, melons, peppers, pumpkins, squash, and tomatoes in flats or tiny pots.  Not a gardener? Hey, just pick one “crop” to experiment with this year, buy your packet of seeds, and see how easy it is. Plant outside after the last frost, usually in early to mid May.

• Stop slugs in their tracks. There are multiple methods: Use a shovel to remove these pests; surround your beds with copper wire and then bait with iron phosphate. Or try this method: cut an empty 2 liter plastic bottle in half. Put the slug bait tray inside the bottom half (lay it down sideways, not upright.) Then position the top half in reverse. The slugs will crawl in the wide opening, eat the bait, and then stay trapped, unable to escape through the small neck of the bottle.

If tackling these spring yard projects inspires you to do more, don’t hesitate to give  Aspen Creek Landscaping a call, connect with us on Facebook, visit our website, or stop in. We offer a full range of services and helpful professionals to meet all your yard and landscaping needs.

Outdoor Landscaping Lighting for Safety and Security

Lighting is often overlooked by people when they are thinking about their landscaping needs. While lighting finishes off a nice landscape and allows you to enjoy your outdoor living space after the sun has gone down, it has many two other key benefits beyond that.

Namely: Safety and security.

At our Sherwood, Oregon based landscaping company, we are always educating our customers that landscape lighting plays an important part in accenting pathways, stairs, or any other potential hazards within your yard.

With smartly placed landscape lighting, you can avoid tripping on pathways, stairs and decks at night as you navigate safely around your property while enjoying its the beauty at the same time.

Although lighting cannot prevent crime, statistics show that a well lit home is much more likely to deter potential criminals. You can provide safety and security to your loved ones with landscape lighting.

Lighting professionals agree that a well-lit landscape can increase the safety and security of your home by eliminating accidents and vandalism. Low-voltage landscape lighting is easy and safe to install, is safe for kids and pets, and it consumes less power than line voltage lighting.

What Should You Light?

Take a walk around your property during the day, evening and night and make a quick sketch of the property, existing buildings, and any power sources and note down the following:

• Areas that can cause trips and falls in the dark.
• Areas where you want to deter unwanted persons or animals at night.
• A part of your home or landscaping that you would like to highlight or dramatize.
• Outdoor “rooms” that would be used for entertainment in the evening or late at night.
• Existing lighting (patios, porches, street, doors, garage).

Style and Design Considerations

Take a drive around at night viewing both commercial and residential properties. Notice how different lighting techniques can create different moods use light to highlight the building and landscaping.

Add any styles or lighting techniques that catch your eye to your sketch.

Conclusion

While many homeowners opt to go the DIY route, working with a professional landscaper can help you reduce shadowing when downlighting, use fixtures with proper shielding to reduce glare and fixture visibility, and prevent other common challenges that can pop up.

If you're looking for landscape lighting design ideas, give us a call today at 503.625.6888 or visit our website: http://aspencreeklandscaping.com/

Do you have lighting in your garden or on your property? How have you found it useful? Like, Comment, or Share below to let us know!

Winter Landscaping = Stronger Springtime Growth

Image from lowesforpros.com

It's no secret that landscaping companies tend to see less business in the winter months. However, it would be a mistake to think that means no maintenance is needed to keep your yard space healthy and prepared for strong spring growth.

Here are three tips to ensure your yard's needs are met during the winter so you can see a bountiful spring landscape.

Continue to Water Evergreens and other Year-Round Specimens

There's a reason Oregon's version of sunshine is call "liquid sunshine." In spite of that, there are many plants that still don't get enough water because the presence of eaves and other overhanging structures, as well as some areas of your yard that may be sheltered from winter moisture, are keeping much-needed water from making its way to the roots.

It’s a good idea to periodically check all of your plants to see if they are getting the water they need. If the soil around a certain plant is chronically dry, you may need to move it to a better spot. If that's not possible, then make sure to provide a source of water regularly for those thirsty evergreens.

A good landscaping company can provide more information on the best growing conditions for different species.

Remove Dead Foliage

Dead grasses, branches, vines and leaves should be cleared away from your winter landscaping and mulched or composted.

Mulch is also great for protecting plants growing in exposed soil from winter’s chill.

Protect Delicate Plants from Winter Weather

Many plants do not fair well in freezing tempuraturs. Fortunately, we don't see drastic drops in temps here in the Sherwood or Portland area. However, many broadleaf evergreens require protection if the temperature drops below 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Other tender plants, such as fragrant daphne, require protection if the temperature dips below 25 degrees Fahrenheit. To protect plants during cold spells, cover them with tarps. Just remember to remove the tarps if the sun appears, otherwise the plants can get overheated.

A small time investment in these winter landscaping tasks will result in gorgeous, thriving spring growth. What landscaping tasks do you find to be the most helpful? Comment below to let us know!

Related articles

• The magic of mulch (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Water Feature Ideas For Landscape Design

Water features are a terrific way to turn a boring landscape into something interesting and special. Offering a place of serenity as well as an attraction to local wildlife.

Refresh your thinking tool box with some of these ideas and dive into a world of new possibilities.

Small In Scale - Yet Big On Impact:

Outdoor Living Space:

Aerial Display:

Whatever your desired purpose, a few design tips to keep in mind when planning your water features are:

1. What is the overall purpose of the water feature?
   Do you intend to use it for outdoor living space, or to have a quiet place of reflection or to attract wildlife? Decide what it will be used for first.
2. How large is the space?
   If you have a small amount of space to work with, there are many ideas for the best use of that space, but designing the appropriate water feature for the space is key. On the flip side, you wouldn't want a tiny water feature in large space. It would look silly and dwarfed by the rest of the landscape.
3. What is your budget?
   Again, there are many options for different budgets. Decide what your budget is and choose appropriately based on that.

Most importantly, designing and building a water feature that meets your expectations and desires can liven up any backyard or commercial space and add another level of design to your outdoor living space.