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
Tag Archives: Landscape Services
Tips for April Planting
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.
Preparations for a Beautiful Landscape and Successful Spring Planting
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.
Add a Pool Deck to a Backyard
Pool decks are unparalleled in their ability to wow guests when they come over for a visit. Homeowners with concrete sidewalks or patios around their pools should consider adding a deck to all or a portion of the area around the pool. The spring is a great time to add a deck to a pool area and have it ready for use when the weather begins to warm in a few weeks.
There are several reasons why to add a wood or composite deck around the pool. The primary one is the boost for the overall aesthetics of the pool area. A well constructed deck that is either stained or left the natural color of the wood is beautiful and will easily blend into a natural setting around the pool. Concrete patios or sidewalks around a pool can be very hot and appear uninviting if they are not shaded or landscaped properly. A few well placed trees, an umbrella, or a few pots of plants are all that is typically need to make a deck fit right in and be comfortable.
Traditionally decks have been constructed with redwood, treated pine, or cedar. These are still great alternatives and will provide years of low maintenance service. However, new composite materials have become the go to material on decks for a lot of contractors. Composite deck boards are made from cement and will last for decades with little to no maintenance required. The composite boards are a little more costly to install, but in the long run pay for themselves because they will not likely require replacing.
A deck is a great addition to a back yard. This is especially true for yards with a pool. The typical deck construction time for a professional crew is a week to 10 days. Home owners that act quickly can get a contractor scheduled in enough time to ensure they will be enjoying their new pool deck this summer.
Hardscaping Explained
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/.
Ciminelli’s Green Roofs and Green Walls
A green wall or a green roof may have little to do with paint color but it has a lot to do with the aesthetics of your home. The green concept is derived from its integration of plants and living foliage into the design and structure of the wall and roof itself. In essence, nature becomes the wall and roof itself creating a living and growing part of your home.
Not only are they a beautiful living work of art, they provide tangible benefits to the home in which they thrive. The addition of natural greenery has a cooling effect on the area surrounding it because of the plants natural carbon dioxide exchange. This same exchange process also purifies the air inside of the home creating a safer and healthier place to breathe.
Green roofs and walls also provide a comprehensive benefit during the rainy fall and spring months by reducing water runoff. The living structure works to absorb the excess water around the home. The complex structure also serves as a highly efficient filtration system filtering out harmful pollutants.
Green roofs provide a unique variety of benefits to the home. Conventional roofs are traditionally the greatest source of heat loss due to inadequate insulation. A green roof is a natural insulator and can reduce the need for air conditioning by over 75% in some regions. For regions prone to fire, a green roof may provide the perfect solution due to its significantly lower burning heat load.
Choosing to integrate a green roof or green wall into your home can be a richly beneficial process especially when working with professionals who care about these benefits for homeowners. Matt Ciminelli of Ciminelli’s Landscape Services, Inc. specializes in green roofs and green walls for exactly this reason. One of the first professional groups to achieve the Green Roof Professional Accreditation, Matt utilizes his dedication to best practices, superior design, and quality installation to bring the best in green roofs and walls home to you. Contact Ciminelli’s Landscape to discover how green walls and a green roof can radically reshape the home you live in.
Landscape Lighting: Practical and Attractive Solutions
Landscape lighting makes a dramatic difference in the appearance of the lawn and garden, giving the home or business’ exterior space an inviting glow. Various lights placed strategically can make the outdoors magical or floodlight yard art or objects such as a patriotic flag. Then, the lighting is practical helping to provide the safety of light to lawns, walkways and other outdoor areas. Beautiful and practical, many home and business owners choose some type of lighting for their outdoor space.
Uses for Landscape Lighting
Here are some of the many uses for lights outdoors:
– To highlight a doorway
– To light a pathway
– To spotlight a fountain, flag or other object
– To outline the driveway
– To light up a garden
– To bring light to a gazebo
Enlightening Outdoor Entertaining
At home residences, people who like to entertain in the evenings often install lighting for their lawn, garden, patio or front porch. They want their guests to feel welcome even before they enter the home. Also, they do not want anyone to stumble around in the dark and hurt themselves. Lights help make the yard and driveway safe.
Then for warm nights, outdoors entertainment can be perfect. The evening can be spent on a patio, gazebo or walking about the garden. Cookouts and catered affairs, weddings and other celebrations are wonderful in a lighted yard and garden. The ideas for outdoor entertaining are endless.
Landscape Lighting Goes Green
Many lights for outdoors are energy efficient and environmentally friendly. LED lights use up to 90% less than electric lighting. Solar lights are powered by the sunshine, and battery lanterns use battery power to stay lit. These lighting solutions can be purchased inexpensively.
Enhancing the Landscape with Lighting
The outdoors environment is much more inviting when lit in the evenings, and the lights can be installed for safety and practical reasons. People enhance their landscape with creative lighting solutions that are reasonably priced and glowingly attractive.
Eco Friendly Landscaping
A dirty secret surrounding landscaping is that while the process can make a lawn look stunning, it also has a negative impact on the environment. A lot of landscapers use harsh chemicals and equipment that is anything but energy efficient. If you want to improve the appearance of your yard without harming Mother Nature, you need to find a landscaper that is devoted to minimizing environmental impact. Ciminelli’s Landscape Services uses the following techniques to ensure that all landscaping is eco friendly:
Pervious Surfaces
Although traditional pavement provide a hard surface for cars to drive on, they do not allow rainwater to seep into the ground. Instead, storm water drainage systems must be used to remove surface water. As excess runoff makes its way to the sewer system, it picks up fertilizer, oil, salt and other toxins. These increase pollution and decrease water quality. Pervious surfaces are capable of absorbing several gallons of rainwater every minute. While the concrete of traditional pavement is filled with sand, the space between concrete matter is left open in pervious driveways. This allows rainwater to seep through.
A lot of customers are initially put off by the higher upfront cost required for installing pervious driveways. Although the initial cost is somewhat higher than that of traditional driveways, pervious surfaces can actually save you money in the long run. Pervious driveways last much longer than traditional pavement, meaning that you will not have to have your driveway repaved as often.
Green Roofs and Walls
Not only are green roofs and walls environmentally friendly, they are absolutely stunning. This technique especially looks nice in an urban setting where there is little room for trees and shrubs. These living walls are also quite economical, as they naturally help to cool off the home during the summer months, while increasing a roof life by as much as 50 percent. Green roofs and walls help to filter out pollutants from runoff, while also reducing the overall level of runoff.
Through the use of pervious surfaces and green walls, your home and yard can help keep the environment pristine, while reducing your energy bill and the cost of maintenance.
Landscaping in Late Summer
If you want to make your home even more beautiful on the outside, you should consider landscaping your home. Landscaping can add a lot of appeal to even the smallest homes and in some cases can even add to the value of the property that your home is on. If you are considering landscaping, there are a few things to keep in mind. One of the most important things is that time of year that you want to do your landscaping in. Some plants can only be planted at certain times of the year and if you plant them at other times they have a less chance of surviving.
Last summer is a great time to landscape because there is a lot of different things that you can do to insure that when next spring comes, your yard will be blooming with beautiful arrangements to make everyone take a long look at your yard. Late August isn’t good for planing, but it is great for the maintenance on your yard so that you can be sure to have a beautiful yard next season.
Use the late summer months to do your weed control and trimming of branches and bushes. You can also use this time to plan out anything you may want to do in September or to start looking at your plans for next year. Don’t over fertilize your plants during this time. Many people think that since some of their plants are not looking very good that they should fertilize more, but this isn’t going to do much good. Make sure that your plants stay watered especially if you live in a place with a hot and dry climate during this time of the year.
It’s also a great time to recondition your yard. You can use a good stiff rake and add a fresh layer of topsoil to make sure that things will be nice and healthy for next season. You can add grass seeds now as well so that your lawn will grown in rich and thick next season. Try to stay away from planting flowers because the heat and upcoming cool weather will just kill them off and not give them a chance to get rooted well.
Native Plantings
For the gardnener who is willing to take a walk on the wild side, landscaping with native plants may be the perfect outlet. With so much emphasis being placed on having manicured lawns and hedges that are neat and well-defined, native plants and trees are often rejected in favor of popular non-natives.
Native Plants Have Staying Power
Indigenous plants adapt to changes in their environment and manage to hang in there from season to season. This means that native require less special treatment to maintain heartiness when used in landscaping and often require less water and fertilizer. Some plants present beautiful flowers in spring to attract pollinating insects then produce fruit in the fall to feed birds and small mammals.
Going Native Benefits The Environment
Because native plantings require less water, gardeners who choose this type of landscaping can expect to reduce water usage significantly. With many municipalities issuing water conservation mandates, using native plants is one way to comply and still enjoy beautiful landscaping.
Native Plantings and Wildlife
Real estate developments often misplace wildlife and when the native plants that they depend upon are destroyed, these animals often relocate. Getting rid of certain critters may be desirable in some ways but such migration often causes an imbalance in the number and type of other pests that are left behind. Birds often use native plants for food and shelter. Eastern Red Cedar trees, for example, are known to attract the Northern Mockingbird, Purple Finch, and the Downy Woodpecker. Many birds feed on specific types of insects which reproduce on certain types of plants. If the plants are destroyed, some insects will go missing and the birds who feed exclusively on them will as well. Also, such a population shift allows harmful insect populations to increase which then require pesticides to control.
Native Planting Adds Biodiversity
There are many native plants to choose from, including trees and flowering plants. Composites, or plants made up of many parts, are excellent for attracting beneficial insects. It is important to research what native plants are preferable before adding native plantings to any landscape.