Annual Color Beds for Sunny Properties

           

Imagine having your favorite color combination come to life with annual flower beds created for your properties by Crabapple LandscapExperts. Now is the time to plant annual color beds to enjoy ALL season long! 

Annual flower beds provide brilliant eye-catching color that adds curb appeal to a property, draws attention to a focal point or directs the flow of foot traffic. Crabapple LandscapExperts know how to select, plant and maintain resident-pleasing annual color beds.Crabapple LandscapExperts choose specially selected heat- and drought- tolerant flower cultivars that thrive in carefully prepared flower beds.

+ Quality soil preparation with good drainage may include raised beds or berms that provide a quality growing medium that produces great root systems and supports colorful blooming annuals to their maximum potential.

+The widest choice of annuals is possible with a sunny exposure (eight+ hours of sun daily)

+Sunny Color Borders can be designed with the color palette of your choice. For good design, Crabapple experts know how tall the plants get, whether they are upright or trailing, and what color choices are available so we can determine how your plantings will harmonize, time of bloom, scale, form, texture and foliage. We do the work and the property manager gets the compliments.

+Crabapple LandscapExperts carefully inspect young plants to make sure they are healthy, with large root systems and excellent budding. We trade exclusively with vendors that provide high quality plant material. 

+The LandscapExperts know the flowering habits of every type of plant, including requirements for sun exposure, moisture, spacing and removal of dead flowers and can guide you to a terrific selection. 

+For summertime maintenance throughout the season, rely on Crabapple LandscapExperts for best practices of fertilization including bloom boosters, accurate irrigation, meticulous weeding and proactive scouting to eliminate the possibility of pests.

Call your Crabapple LandscapExperts Rep to discuss the installation of a color bed on your property.

Berms and Raised Beds for Flowers

Is there a berm in your future? 

Crabapple LandscapExperts sometimes installs raised beds, also known as berms, in the properties they maintain to provide excellent growing conditions for annual color and for an optimum display of summer flower beds. Berms are simply mounded hills of soil created to enhance the overall landscape design.

Advantages of Berms, a.k.a. raised garden beds

Emphasizes a focal point (like the sales office, or pool)

Easy way to add interest and height to the landscape

Re-directs foot traffic or drainage

Creates subtle privacy by blocking unwanted views

Warms more quickly in spring

Improves drainage for plants

Prevents soil compaction

Crabapple LandscapExperts can prepare rich, amended soil tailored to the type of plants that will grow on the berm. After the initial construction, berms require less maintenance than conventional garden beds.

Crabapple LandscapExperts' Guidelines for Berms

Consider drainage in the area surrounding the proposed berm, which may redirect runoff to other areas after heavy rains

Berms are generally 18-24 inches high and typically 4 to 5 times as long as they are high

Shape mimics the natural flow or curves of the landscape

Curved berms look more natural

Slope gradually trails or spreads out onto the lawn

Berms may be created with more than one peak or ridge; off-center peaks are best –near one end rather than symmetrically in the middle

Varying height, slope and length make berms look more natural and informal

Edging can be added to stop the soil from eroding into the lawn

Microclimates on the berm: south and west facing berms are warmer; north and east facing berms are cooler

Water drains most quickly from top of berm, therefore Crabapple LandscapExperts use drought-tolerant plants at ridge; moisture-loving plants at the base of the berm

Taller plants down the backside of the berm, shorter ones at the top

Trees and shrubs may be planted on the berm

Overall mulch layer slows erosion and insulates soil temperatures

Photo credits, thanks to: Nature By Design, PCMG-Texas, Prime.PETA

Potting Soils for Container Gardens

Whether you’re an apartment dweller with a balcony or a homeowner with a deck, it’s the time of year to begin thinking about planting a container garden to enjoy all summer.

If you enjoy flowers, you might be thinking sun or shade annuals, now available in riotous abundance at the local garden centers. If you like fresh veggies, maybe try some of the dwarf-growing tomatoes or cukes with full sized fruit and plant them in a large tub. If you are a good cook, a container filled with growing herbs is an attractive and useful addition to any outdoor living area.

The larger the container, the easier it is to care for. Plants growing in a larger volume of potting will stay moist and cool longer, contributing to better plant health. Choose a container that suits your architecture and taste, but be sure it is at least 14 inches in diameter and has a drainage hole at the bottom.

What type of potting soil should you choose?

Pick the one with a slow release fertilizer already added to the mix; some last for six months, which will be perfect to last through the summer. Other potting soils have “water grabber” additives that reduce the need for watering up to 75%. A non-toxic polymer plumps up when first watered and slowly releases the moisture to the plants. And some soil-less potting mixes have both.

If in doubt, ask Crabapple LandscapExperts for info on how to set up container gardens, or for a few tips on what plants to choose.

Tomato container photo courtesy ContainerVegetableGarden.org 

Annuals and Perennials

Heard the terms “annuals” and “perennials” and wondering about plants for containers or flower beds this summer?  

Annual Flowers: Annuals are plants that zip through a complete life cycle, from seed to seed, in one growing season, and then they die. During this brief lifespan, they must produce abundant showy blossoms for an extended time (all summer). Popular annuals include marigolds and zinnias. In gardening, some plants called “annuals” are actually tender perennials that die when cold weather arrives, like petunias and begonias. Still other annuals re-seed (a.k.a. “self-sow”) in place, giving the illusion that successive generations are actually long-lived plants.

Annuals are easy to use in containers planted for summer decks and patios, and easy to replace with pansies next fall, for winter color.

Perennials/Herbaceous Perennials:  Perennials are ornamental plants that do not die after one season of growth, but continue blooming and growing larger for a number of years. The root system and crown (level with the soil line) of the plant lasts through the winter, and fresh shoots re-appear each spring, returning like old friends. The term perennial is generally reserved for plants with showy flowers, but ornamental grasses and foliage plants such as hostas are also perennial. Perennials bloom at the same time each year (hellebore in winter, thrift in spring, mums in fall) rather than blooming continuously. Favorite perennials that are both tough and easy to grow include black-eyed Susan, purple coneflower, Siberian iris and ferns.  

The term herbaceous perennial refers to plants with soft, green stems that die back to the ground in winter. This excludes woody ornamentals like trees and shrubs, despite the fact that they live for many years.  

Although they are called ‘perennial’, this does not mean that plants live forever. In fact, some plants are recognized for a short lifespan lasting only 2-3 years and are called short-lived perennials. Examples include columbine, delphinium, rose campion and tulip. Adventuresome gardeners prone to trying new and untested perennials joke that “A perennial is a plant that, had it lived, would have bloomed for a number of years”. 

On the other hand, some plants such as peonies, verbena and daffodil are known as long-lived perennials and last for decades.

Ask Crabapple LandscapExperts what is best for your property and try a few of each this season.

Top 10 Benefits of Core Aeration to Lawns

There are many ways that Core Aeration benefits lawns. 

Watch a quick video demonstration of Core Aeration on the new CrabappleLandscape YouTube Channel. 

1. Core Aeration loosens up compacted lawns, improving resiliency and cushioning

2.  Increases soil pore space and oxygen needed for good growth of turf, improving air exchange between the soil and  atmosphere

3. Removes thatch, a physical barrier to nutrient uptake and water infiltration  

4.  Improves root growth, creating stronger turfgrass roots

5. Limits run-off or puddling of rain and irrigation water, with up to 25% water savings

6. Provides better fertilizer penetration, delivering it right to the rootzone 

7.  Increases effectiveness and distribution of lime and gypsum 

8. Stimulates new root development 

9.   Provides evenly spaced seeding holes for reseeding 

10. Enhances tolerance of the lawn to heat and drought stress

What is Core Aeration anyway?

Core aeration is the removal of small cylinders of soil called "cores" from compacted lawns to control thatch buildup, allowing the rain and fertilizer to soak in and the roots of the turf to breathe and expand. An aeration machine pops out ½ inch tubes of soil and deposits them on the lawn where they soon dissolve.

What is thatch?

Thatch is a build up layer of cut grass clippings, dead roots and miscellaneous debris that settles at the soil level  of the  individual grass plants that make up a lawn, and is most common with warm-weather creeping turf varieties such as Bermuda and Zoysia. 

When should I aerate? 

Crabapple LandscapExperts can evaluate your turf and recommend this procedure if needed:

1. If turf is only shallowly rooted

2. If the lawn is heavily used, causing thin areas

3. If the thatch layer is thicker than ½ inch   

4. If the soil is heavy clay

5. It is best not to aerate newly-seeded lawns

When is the best time to aerate warm season lawns?

Right now (March) and through June or July, when warm season grasses are coming out of winter dormancy and beginning a vigorous period of growth as the soils warm up. Lawns will recover quickly from aeration at this time.

What are the best practices for Core Aeration?

1. Soil is moist but not wet

2. The aeration machine is run in two different directions over the lawn for good coverage

3. Lawns can be aerated once a year, especially under heavy use

4. Soil cores are are best left on the lawn surface; they typically work back into the

      grass in 2-4 weeks

5. Lawns may be fertilized and seeded immediately following aeration with or  

      without further soil top dressing 

6. Crabapple LandscapExperts will mark sprinkler heads, shallow lines from

      sprinkler, underground utilities, cable, and septic lines before aerating to make sure

      they will not be damaged.

To get the lawns on your properties looking lush and green without shelling out a lot of money, the answer is core aeration. It only takes a day or two to complete and the results can be staggering! 

Don't miss any of the new  short landscaping demos and best practices on the CrabappleLandscape YouTube Channel. Subscribe now to be notified when a new video comes online!

.

.

Pansies and Colorful Landscapes

People have an emotional response to color, and while this is recognized in fashion and interior design, color in the landscape also beneficially affects residents’ moods. An interesting post explores color meanings and perceptions around the world. 


For example, it's well known that pansies and violas are the perfect choice to add color to the winter lanscape, because they survive cold temperatures, laughing at sleet and snow. Now that Spring is here, clients that had color beds installed last fall are enjoying riotous color from mature pansy plants. 

Because pansies are greedy feeders, Crabapple LandscapExperts have fertilized the color beds to produce the maximum display. For example, the entrance flower bed at Fox Creek (managed by Tammy Weniger of Douglas Properties) demonstrates the bonus of color. LandscapExpert Crescensio Hernandez ensures this landscape is in top form 24/7. 

  

To add color to the properties you manage and then harvest bushels of complements from your residents, Crabapple LandscapExperts can recommend appropriate plants for each season of the year, taking into account the conditions on the specific property and the effect you want to achieve. We analyze conditions of sun or shade, wet or dry soils and season of the year and help you choose the best flowers for the situation. 

Colorful plants like the ones at left and below photographed at the InterContinental Hotel, Buckhead, can function to direct inhabitants through the property or to attract them to a specific  destination such as the main hotel entrance, the sales office, community meetinghouse or pool. 


Additionally, LandscapExperts can also create colorful containers for landscape emphasis.  

It’s not too late to contact your Rep at Crabapple LandscapExperts to discuss the costs and benefits of adding color to produce happier residents this summer. Pansies will be changed-out for heat-loving annual flowers for the summer in mid-April, so call 770.740.9739 to set up a review of how colorful flower beds can enhance your properties and earn welcome recognition. 

Photo credits: Fox Creek, Bond Morgan and InterContinental Hotel, Buckhead, Tim Loveday

Crabapple Trees Bloom Pink and White in Metro-Atlanta

You may not be surprised to learn that Crabapple LandscapExperts are partial to flowering Crabapples!

Puzzling over the clouds of beauty you are seeing throughout the greater Atlanta area right now? This springtime display is provided by blooming Pear trees, Cherries and flowering Crabapples. These are all members of the botanical Rose Family of plants, with five petals and a cluster of yellow stamens in the center. They generally begin blooming on bare branches before the leaves appear in early March. In particular, Crabapples usually have pink or rose buds that open to white and paler shades, creating beautiful pink and white billows of apple blossoms that last several weeks.

Few ornamental trees offer the variety of tree shapes, sizes, flower colors and ornamental fruit in autumn as flowering crabapples. With more than 35 species and 700+ named varieties of crabapples there’s a lot to choose from! Ask Crabapple LandscapExperts to guide you in choosing a flowering ornamental tree for your landscape. Asian crab apple specimens are usually preferred because their fruits are more colorful and last into the winter, providing food for over-wintering birds.

With that much variation, tree height can vary from 6 to 50 feet, however, the majority are small ornamental trees in the 15 to 25 foot range. Habits include vase-shaped, weeping, spreading, columnar or pyramidal, providing many opportunities for use in landscapes maintained by Crabapple LandscapExperts. Some cultivars are better suited to our hot, humid Georgia climate, and withstand disease and insect attack better than others. Extensive breeding programs have resulted in numerous tree selections that are resistant to these problems, providing carefree beauty.

Photo Credits: Tammy Parker