Landscape Roses

Crabapple LandscapExperts joke, “The difference between landscape roses and florist roses is 60 mph”.  While fragrant hybrid teas are meant to be individually pampered in rose gardens or enjoyed in bouquets, the goal for Landscape Roses is low maintenance with high impact. Individual flowers are less important than the overall color effect from a distance and continual reblooming throughout the season. 

Roses, known as the “Queen of Flowers,” have been beloved for millennia. Originally the wild, tough, thorny yet fragrant European plants bloomed once a year. Rose History is fascinating. A revolution in rose breeding and growing took place in Europe in the 1700s and 1800s when increased trade with the Orient brought Rosa chinensis, and Rosa x odorata to the West. Their impact in Europe was phenomenal because their most remarkable quality - continual repeat blooming – had been completely unknown in Europe at the time and made them an instant sensation. We now call the resulting plants “heirloom” or “old fashioned roses” such as Gallicas, Bourbons and Hybrid Perpetuals. 

Moving to the mid-twentieth century, beautiful but fussy Hybrid Tea roses came into fashion in the 1940s and 50s when “better living through chemistry” was the mantra. Breeders were focused on developing exquisite blooms to the detriment of horticultural characteristics, so grafted roses became high-maintenance, susceptible to diseases, needing fungicides, insecticides and lots of chemicals, along with deadheading and pruning to keep them performing well. 

Today’s Landscape Roses are impressive for many reasons: a natural disease-resistance, ability to grow in a variety of climates with a minimum of attention, compact growth requiring little pruning, and continuous bloom with flowers borne consistently over a very long season. There are growth habits to suit every landscape niche, whether tiny miniatures, low growing groundcover roses with widely spreading habits, large climbers, hedge roses that can be closely planted and sheared, or carefree shrub roses. Furthermore, Landscape Roses come in a rainbow of colors (except, of course, the mythic blue rose)

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Excellent Qualities of Landscape Roses:

● work well in the landscape because of similar cultural requirements as other plants growing there

● non-stop blooms throughout the season, producing fast, repeat flushes

● large colorful flowers or flower clusters that show up well across a distance

● little to no pruning required

● self-cleaning blooms, with petals that fade attractively, then fall off after flower is past without turning brown

● Extremely disease resistant or disease-free, entirely eliminating the need for spraying for historic rose diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew

● heat tolerant, without developing leaf drop when under stress in climates with hot, muggy temperatures; hardy without the need for winter protection in cold-winter climates

● grow on own-roots

● huge selection of colors sizes and habits

Crabapple LandscapExperts can advise you on the best landscape roses for your particular property.

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Lawn Edging

The difference between a good lawn and a great lawn is only an edging away! Crabapple LandscapExperts provide edging along walkways, entrances, drives, curb lines, shrub and flower beds and tree rings when providing our expert service to our maintenance customers. Although the typical resident may not realize just why a Crabapple landscape looks so great, a tailored, “English garden” look results from this added care.

The simplest type of garden edging is a shallow trench cut at a lawn’s edge. Edging refers to a vertical (or 45-degree) slice between the lawn and adjacent hardscapes or beds. Defining this interface helps in mowing and makes the landscape look well-groomed. Additionally, neatly-edged tree wells provide protection for trees in the lawn against string trimmers that can damage the bark. Once defined, this edge requires periodic maintenance to keep it looking crisp.

The vertical cut along the grass boundaries is made by well-trained LandscapExperts with specialized equipment. Using a power edger between the pavement and the grass, Crabapple LandscapExperts place the wheel on the pavement with the vertical blade over the edge, and push the tool along the edge. With a proper length blade and an established half-inch cut, the power edger is an accurate and efficient method of edging, producing fewer divots than other options. LandscapExperts take care not to run the edger blade up against the concrete, which causes undue wear to the blade.

Our LandscapExperts wear protective footwear and eye protection, are familiar with the tools and follow the manufacturers’ safety instructions. Crabapple LandscapExperts has a great safety record of working smart and efficiently, not hard.

Photo credits and thanks to 
Greensboro Gardens, Home Depot, Marshall Brothers

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Success with Container Gardens for Newbies & Folks Without Gardens

“Eat local.” “Organic is best.” We hear these admonitions regularly. Crabapple LandscapExperts suggest that potting up a few herbs and a vegetable or two is a great way for non-gardeners, brown thumbers, or those who don’t have a yard to do a little gardening and harvest their own crops. It’s also a great way to involve children in the planting and eating of veggies.

All you need is a little spot outdoors and some sun,. A large container is a manageable space that won’t overwhelm even the newest beginner. As far as containers go, choose a large one (16 inches, round or square, is a good rule of thumb), to minimize fluctuations in moisture and temperature that occur when a smaller pot is used. Make sure the container has at least one drainage hole at the bottom.

Choose a commercial potting mix with both water-holder granules and long-term nutrients to take your veggies through the summer. Fill the container to the brim, using plenty of potting soil. Don’t worry about packing it down because after watering the soil will soon settle to an inch or two below the rim. 

Instead of putting pot shards or rocks at bottom, use a piece of old screen (it can be cut with utility scissors) over the drainage hole to prevent the soil mix from seeping out. 

The idea for containers is to use a single tall plant in the middle (Thriller), then two or three kinds of colorful or fragrant plants of medium-height (Fillers) in the container, and finally add a few trailing plants around the edge to cascade over the sides (Spiller).

To help you decide what to plant, a few “container recipes” follow. Please modify as you like.

Container Recipe 1- Full Sun

Plant in the center: 1 tomato plant such as “Cherry” or “Sweet 100”, and insert 1 tomato cage for support (small, 3-hoops)

Plant your fillers around the tomato, alternating: 2 oregano and 2 colorful annual flowers such as marigold or nasturtium

Allow to trail over the edge: 2 creeping golden lemon thyme

Container Recipe 2 – Full Sun

Plant in center: 1 upright rosemary

Plant around the rosemary, alternating: 2 Spicy Globe mini-Basil, 2 parsley

Allow to trail over the edge (trailing annuals like petunias or Fan Flower)

Container Recipe 3 –Part Shade

Plant in center: upright ornamental shrub such as: elephants ears,  hibiscus, gardenia, nandina, bouganvilla, boxwood, etc.

Plant around the edge, alternating 2 Coleus and 2 begonias

Plant over the edge 2 trailers such as variegated jasmine or sweet potato vine 

Thoroughly water the newly-planted container garden. During the first week or two, keep an eye on the moisture level until the plants become established and roots grow into the soil in the container.

If you wish, you may also add a whirly-gig, a rain gauge, or a decorative butterfly or hummingbird on a stake to complete your ensemble. Keep Crabapple LandscapExperts updated on your container garden. We would love to see your photos posted on the Crabapple LandscapExperts Facebook Page. Become a Fan today!

Middle photo credit: ContainerVegetableGarden.org

Top and bottom credit: Geri Laufer

Annual Color Beds for Shady Properties

Crabapple LandscapExperts know, although twice as many bedding plants thrive in sun, there are many shade-loving annual bedding plants that can add vibrant splashes of color to shady or partially shaded areas of your landscape. Shade is welcome during the hot summer months, whether provided naturally by trees or by man made structures such as gazebos and arbors. Shade can be dappled or dense, and sometimes sunny mornings are followed by shady afternoons.

Shade-loving annuals are a joy because they provide many interesting textures as well as foliage and flower colors. Crabapple LandscapExperts take best advantage of a large pallet of bedding annuals for shade.

Perhaps the most familiar annual for shady spots is Impatiens, perfect for providing season-long drifts of color beneath trees or among shrubs. White, coral or bright or pale pinks bring light and color into dark areas of the property, adding the “wow factor’. 

The colorful "marbled" or "painted" leaves of Coleus are a great old standby that is ideal for shade. This attractive foliage plant, with ever-new introductions, is great for containers and underplanting. Because the leaves provide the color, there is no need to depend on flowers that may come and go, and that are actually small and insignificant in this member of the Mint Family. (New Sun Coleus are also available.)

The large, arrow-shaped leaves of Caladiums are a delightful addition to brighten up shady areas or bring a tropical look to the garden with their outstanding foliage color and texture. Beautifully veined white or pink leaves, sometimes enlivened with green, pink or red, light up the garden.  

Wax Begonias add a cheery note to shady spots, with bronze or green leaves and myriad small white, pink or red flowers.  Light colors show up especially well in shade. 

Ask the Floriculture Team at Crabapple LandscapExperts to evaluate your location and suggest  the plants that will do the best for your property, yielding a beautiful, colorful landscape and many appreciative residents.

Impatiens- Wiki Commons

Coleus- Garden Amateur

Caladium- 

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