Tag Archives: Maryland

What are Ecoscaping Services

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.

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.

 

https://www.ciminellislandscape.com/

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.

Get Ready– Winter is Coming

Bulbs Out, Bulbs In – Winterize A Flower Garden
Remove flowering bulb plants like gladiola and cannas from flower beds before the first frost. Store them indoors in brown paper bags in a moderately warm spot. Plant flowering bulb plants like tulips, belles of the snow, hyacinth and daffodils in autumn.

Pruning Trees And Shrubs With Care
Prune rose bushes and other shrubs with overgrowth before a first frost. Remove all dead limbs and branches from trees and flowering trees in autumn. This is a safety feature during wind storms and heavy snows and also encourages new growth when spring arrives. If trees or shrubs need transplanting to another location, this is the best time of the year to do that. Be sure to ball the roots with native soil before replanting.

Moderate Maintenance Protects Plants And Trees
Mulching plants with a lower tolerance for sub-zero temperatures is the best way to protect them. Mulch can be purchased at most local garden shops. Dried autumn leaves are a natural mulch that nature provides as a covering for soil and plants. Pine needles also help to retain sufficient soil temperatures. Many gardeners find this an economical way to protect their flower gardens.

Winterize The Lawn
Part of the winterizing process should include the lawn. In late summer, make certain the lawn bed has been sufficiently cleared of matted grass. When the first signs of cooler temperatures arrive, it’s time to finish the season with a last layer of fertilizer. Fertilizing lawns in mid-autumn allows the soil to absorb nutrients until the first frost when the lawn begins to lay dormant. This is also a good time to keep weeds in check with an end-of-season weed retardant.

Storing Garden Tools and Other Outdoor Maintenance
Before storing garden tools and watering hose make sure they have been wiped free of debris. Some tools may require a little oil at this time. Remove gasoline from lawn mowers and make sure the underside is free of dead grass and debris. Don’t forget to shut off the exterior water faucet to protect it from ice buildup.

Why Good Drainage is Important for Every Landscape

While it may not be as apparent or beautiful as garden pathways and blooming trees, good drainage is just as important to make any landscape attractive and functional. In fact, without proper drainage, all of the funds spent on beautifying the landscape could be wasted when it erodes or drowns due to improper drainage.

The greatest danger of not having good drainage installed in the landscape is erosion. Throughout the year, rainfall and other precipitation will cause soil runoff in the yard which will literally carry landscaping away with it. Besides wasting money spent on beautiful yards and gardens, erosion can actually decrease the value of the property by lessening yard area and creating sloping ground. Over time, this is especially dangerous near houses or other buildings as it can cause foundations to shift or sink, making the building unsafe to inhabit and leading to expensive home repairs.

If improper drainage is not causing unwanted erosion and runoff, it can still ruin property by collecting in soil and creating standing water puddles. Too much standing water will easily drown grass and other plants, killing vegetation that was intended to make the property more beautiful. Even worse, these puddles of still water can easily become a breeding ground for unwanted insects like mosquitoes. These pests are not only annoying to humans, but they can also transmit harmful diseases to people, pets, and plants nearby. Too much moisture in the soil will cause plant roots to become susceptible to fungus and mold as well.

Good drainage in a landscape will prevent all of these dangers, and also ensure the health and longevity of landscaping. Best of all, professional landscapers have many options for installing drainage solutions that will add to the overall attractiveness of the landscape. Effective drainage is a subtle but crucial way to keep that landscaping looking beautiful for years to come.

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.

Beneficial Garden Insects

When planning your eco-friendly garden it is important to consider the essential role insects play in protecting your plants. While all gardens have insects, it is important to remember that not all insects are harmful predators looking to eat your plants and flowers and that many insects serve as garden protectors by feasting on the insects looking to destroy your plants. Gardeners and landscapers who indiscriminately use harmful insecticides will kill both the beneficial insects as well as the harmful ones. A good landscaper or gardner knows how to cultivate and use insects to create a natural environment where helpful insects are fostered and encouraged to take on the job of ridding the garden of harmful insects themselves rather than relying on caustic chemicals to do so. An experienced landscaper knows how to recognize and foster the following beneficial insects in his or her garden.

Green Lacewings. Many gardens have aphid problems. However, a landscaper can fend off a potential aphid infestation by making sure that his or her garden has plenty of these little predators. While the adult Lacewing does not eat aphids the larvae do, and do so voraciously. They are so adept at hunting and eating aphids they have been given the nickname “aphid lions.”

Lady Bugs. This common and beloved insect is quite the predator. It regularly feasts on mites, aphids, mealybugs and more. While Lady Bugs are commonly found in many gardens, if you have recently begun experimenting with eco-friendly landscaping and find your garden lacking then they can easily be purchased through mail-order or through a gardening or landscaping supply store.

Praying Mantis. This unusual looking predator feasts on some of the larger garden pests including caterpillars and beetles, making them a nice garden addition. However, they will also eat helpful insects such as Lady Bugs.

With the addition of these beneficial garden insects and more, soon you will be able to enjoy a garden where those buggy little plant and vegetable garden predators are kept in check without having to resort to toxic chemicals.

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.