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The wall, rock wall and garden are exactly as we had hoped and we hope you will pass on our appreciation for a job very well done to Jose and his coworkers. They worked hard and did a fine job from start to finish. – Robert, Davidsonville
Thank you very much for all your help with the driveway project. It came out great and we are very pleased with it! – Brian and Sue
Everything looks beautiful! Matt really understood our needs and gave us a great design. We will definitely recommend your company to our friends. – The Lehman’s
Thank you very much to Ciminellis Landscape Services for repairing our fire pit; what a fabulous job. The fire pit has brought our family much enjoyment with many evenings fires. It’s so pleasing to receive a compliment on our retaining wall and to know that I can confidently refer my family and friends to Ciminellis Landscape Services for an exceptional product with service and support after the purchase. – Dave and Kathie
Do you want to set your landscape apart from the landscapes around it with unique and beautiful foliage that will give your yard a unique and inviting look? If so, you should be thinking about green roofs and walls. Right now, you might be thinking, “That’s crazy! Why would I paint my home walls and roof green — that would look absurd!” However green roofs and walls are not home structures that have simply been painted green. They’re also not just parts of a structure that are more environmentally friendly — though this does play a role — green roofs and walls are roofs and walls that are alive because they are composed almost entirely of plants.
A green roof or wall is part of a structure in your wall that has been incorporated into the surrounding foliage. When you choose a green roof or wall, you encourage plants to climb that wall or grow on that roof. This makes your yard’s structure look beautiful, covered with rich, green foliage — it is an exterior look that produces a welcoming, natural effect, an effect that can’t be mimicked by painting or other man-made devices.
Green roofs and walls are also — well — green, environmentally green, that is. When you encourage plants to grow along a building structure, those plants serve as additional insulation and also cool the building’s walls. This means that the building must use less energy for temperature control. Green roofs are also sustainable, since green roofs often last longer than other types of roofs. This means that using a green roof or walling system can decrease your energy bill, lower your bills, and make the outside of your home appear much more inviting, all by simply including this landscaping element in your yard.
To ensure a green roof or wall is implemented and cared for successfully, you must ensure you have a professional overseeing the project. Landscapers like Ciminellis Landscaping specialize in green roof and wall care and can help you add this feature to your home and landscape. Visit Ciminellis at https://www.ciminellislandscape.com/green-roofs-walls.
Just a short note to tell you how happy we are with our new front yard. Your crew were courteous and excellent workers. I was so impressed by their initiative. They all took pride in their work. Thank you so much!
– Carol and Arnie
If you have not been to the Meadows Farms Nursery on Central Avenue in Prince George’s County in a while, you’re in for a surprise. The nursery, located just a few miles west of the Patuxent River Bridge, is now home to Ecoasis Garden Center, a venture of Matt and Donna Ciminelli, owners of Ciminellis Landscape Services.
Meadows Farms Nursery on Central Avenue is now home to Ciminellis Ecoasis Garden Center.
The Lothian couple purchased the nursery in October of last year. After months of renovations, the garden center officially opened in March.
The Ciminellis’ have big plans for Ecoasis which they said is a “traditional garden center that offers eco-friendly alternatives and resources for the home gardener.”
To start, Matt and Donna are re-stocking the inventory with trees, shrubs, annuals and perennials. The Ciminellis’ source most of their plants from local growers such as Homestead Growers, TSB Enterprises and Hall Growers.
The couple is working to obtain a permit for a Farmer’s Market where local farmers can sell their fruits and vegetables.
In addition, Donna said the couple is planting a vegetable garden on the property and will sell the produce along with fresh-cut flowers.
Matt, who is an Anne Arundel County Beekeeper, plans to sell local honey. In fact, the beehive is due to arrive any day.
The nursery is stocked with earth-friendly products, rain barrels, composters, eco-mats, bio-logs and much more.
Matt said the garden center offers flower and vegetable plants in eco-friendly containers and encourages customers to drop off the plastic trays and pots at his garden center for recycling.
Ecoasis has a variety of locally-sourced annuals, perennials and vegetable plants.
“Just drop them off at the front gate and we will re-use them,” said Matt.
Matt is very active in the local environmental scene. He works with local riverkeepers and Master Gardeners and is a currently a candidate in the Watershed Stewards Academy class of 2012.
The couple plans to host educational seminars with conservation and environmental experts as well as hold family-friendly events such as S’mores nights.
Ciminellis Ecoasis Garden Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The nursery is located at 18301 Central Avenue.
Matt Ciminelli, President and owner of Ciminelli’s Landscape Services, Inc. is one of an inaugural group of professionals to achieve the Green Roof Professional Accreditation developed by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, a not for profit organization of the Green Roof experts. Their mission is to increase the awareness of the economic, social and environmental benefits of green roofs and green walls and other forms of architecture.
The GRP designation demonstrates that Matt has attained the level of interdisciplinary knowledge of the best practices associated with the successful design, installation and maintenance of green roof and green wall systems.
What are Green Roofs and Green Walls and why build them?
Green roofs and green walls are substantially covered with living plants. They offer significant long-term economical and environmental advantages.
How do Rain Gardens improve water quality?
Rain gardens allow rain to slowly penetrate the soil as opposed to quickly running off into storm drains, carrying pollutants and particles into our creeks, rivers and Bay. They are designed to use an existing low spot in the landscape.
How can we use Pervious Surfaces?
Pervious surfaces are used to reduce water runoff to improve and regenerate groundwater supplies and reduce pollutants in the waterways.
Spring is here and I’m sure you have been out in your yard surveying and planning for a beautiful season. The trees and bulbs are blooming…and the weed seeds are sprouting. Now is the best time to control weeds in your planting beds. All perennial and annual weeds should be removed – we recommend only mechanical removal – not the use of harsh weed killing herbicides. Most annual weeds are easily removed at this time of year before they have had a chance to develop strong root systems and most critically – create THOUSANDS of seeds. Perennial (returns every year), weeds need their entire root system to be removed or they will come back. Clean and rake your beds and then apply at least a two to three inch layer of mulch – preferably shredded hardwood, cedar or pine. These mulches stay in place and shade the ground to prevent weed seeds from sprouting.
Lawn weeds are a little tougher to control naturally, but there is a product called WOW made from corn gluten that is a natural pre-emergent weed control product for lawns. It will also stop any lawn seed from sprouting, so it should only be used if your lawn is established.
Emerging from the shadow of winter’s gloom, spring is the ideal time for taking stock of a home’s landscaping and flower beds. A homeowner or a professional landscaper should first walk around the garden and check for signs of winter damage, and decide what needs to be repaired, extended or created to neaten or improve the landscaping. It is also the time to plan for the planting of trees, shrubs and perennials.
Timely preparation and planning is vital for successful spring planting and a beautiful summer show. A reliable landscaping company can work with homeowners to provide advice, make suggestions and undertake the necessary work. Preparations might include:
– Soil Analysis: This will determine if soil amendments are needed to provide optimal growing conditions for perennials and annuals. Compost may need to be added to enrich the existing soil.
– Mulching: Early mulching conserves the moisture in the ground and suppresses weed growth. Depriving weed seeds of light inhibits their germination.
– Plant Division: Some plants may have reached a size that warrants division. This prevents overcrowding and opens up space for adding annual plants for summer-long color. Some plants may need to be removed altogether.
– Trimming Trees and Shrubs: Some trees and shrubs may need to be trimmed and to have dead wood removed. Providing structure to the garden, they should accentuate the flowers – not detract from them with untidy appearances.
– Landscaping Lights: A special tree or shrub could be up-lighted for a spectacular effect.
– Retaining Walls: Old walls might need replacing. Signs of soil erosion or water run-off could indicate the need for new retaining walls, some of which could be created to provide raised flower beds.
– Edgings: Flower beds are the canvasses upon which the garden will be painted with flowers, and edgings are the frames. undefined edgings will take away from the most-lovingly tended plants.
– Lawns: These should not be overlooked. Repairs and pest control should be undertaken before problems become worse.
For a beautiful landscape and successful gardening, a trusted landscaper is a gardener’s best friend.
Hardscaping is becoming increasingly popular because it is low maintenance and in times of water shortage, it does not require water at all. While most people use a combination of softscaping and hardscaping in their designs, it is not too uncommon, especially in desert areas, to see a landscape entirely made up of hardscaping elements.
A beautiful outdoor space can make all the difference in how a business or home is perceived. It is called curb appeal, and beautiful curb appeal usually means beautiful landscaping. What many people may not realize that landscaping is divided into two categories. Softscaping is all the living elements in the landscape, such as grass, trees, flowers, and other plants. Hardscaping is the other element of landscaping and includes everything that is not alive. Rock, pavers, waterfalls, driveways, walkways, and retaining walls are all hardscaping. Even wood, although it was once alive, is considered an element of hardscaping.
There are several benefits to hardscaping. One is that it is so low maintenance. It requires little time and effort on your part to keep it beautiful. It is not something you have to water every night, and on hot days when softscaping elements wilt, hardscaping features will not. Another benefit is that hardscaping, for the most part, is permanent.
When planning the layout of the area you will be landscaping, it may be easier to plan your hardscape features first, especially if there are things like large boulders or walls that are too big to move. Design your layout around features like these to compliment them. The next step would be planning where other hardscape elements will go, such as walls or pathways, so that you can arrange the softscape elements to compliment the layout.
Finding a balance between hardscaping and landscaping so that they work together and compliment each other is the key to having a beautiful landscape. For more information on hardscaping or if you are interested in an estimate, check out https://www.ciminellislandscape.com/services/hardscaping/.
Rain gardens do more than please the eye and delight the senses. They offer many environmental benefits for the sustainable gardener.
During a thunderstorm or even a gentle shower, rain falls from rooftops and gutters to paved surfaces, where it collects pollutants before running off into storm sewers and drains. The drains empty into our waterways, concentrating toxins in the water.
An ideal and easy way to filter those pollutants is to create a rain garden. A porous mixture of loam and sand allows the water to drain well without flooding, straining out toxins, metals and other pollution. The water leaches slowly into the ground, where it eventually rejoins and replenishes the water table. What remains is absorbed into the roots, stems and leaves of the rain garden’s plants.
Plant diversity is another important benefit of rain gardens. A well-designed rain garden includes a very wet, pond-like center, surrounded by a wet-dry area, and bordered by a dry area. These three “micro-climates” lend themselves to greater plant diversity than if the garden contained a single type of soil.
An incredible variety of plants can thrive in a rain garden. For the wetter and shadier areas, lily-of-the-valley and many types of fern, milkweed, mallow, sedge and jack-in-the-pulpit will do well. Medium to sunny areas can be planted with aster, marsh marigold, phlox and even river birch. Dry-sunny borders can sustain anything from bee balm to black-eyed Susan, coneflower, poppies and more.
Aside from the beauty of a rain garden, it also attracts wildlife. Salamanders, frogs, toads and garden snakes will all find their way into its special environment. Important pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds collect and spread pollen with their bodies as they forage for food.
After a rain garden is planned and planted, it will need adequate water in hot, dry weather, mulching and weeding for the first year. If a good mix of perennials is used, it will need very little work after that. All in all, a rain garden is a beautiful way to garden sustainably and to help the water supply replenish and cleanse itself locally.
