April 8, 2009Mulch Madness This time of year I hear a lot about mulch. I think it is worth the time to clear something up. A fresh new mulch
job when used to dress up and highlight a plant bed, block out weeds or stop wash outs etc., looks neat and pretty. It goes
a long way toward your satisfaction with your landscape. However; this is mulches dirty little secret. Mulch is a product
made to rot. Yes I can see the TV commercial now; “Get it now! Before it’s too late! Our mulch “Rots
Twice as Fast”! The ironic fact is that rotting is a good thing. We want the mulch to rot. Decomposing organic
matter feeds the plants. However; there is a little bit of science involved, it takes the same fertilizer elements, basically
nitrogen, for mulch to rot as it takes for plants to grow. This means mulch can rob the plants of food. Great! Now what? The
answer is proper installation. For more details drop an email to inquire@nelanddesign.com
March 9, 2009It’s Pruning Time Again
People underestimate the value of plants.
Time flies, and by having such a close relationship with trees and shrubs I am regularly amazed at how much, and how fast,
they grow. After 20 years, I find shrubs on client’s property that were once 18" tall in a pot, now towering
20' over my head. Well, that shrub that cost $15 in 1989 would now cost $300.00. It is truly an appreciating asset,
and being alive it does need care. Proper pruning this time of year goes a long way toward protecting the value of these mature
plants. If you wants some tips, a lesson or a quote on helping plants reach their potential give me a call. inquire@nelanddesign.com
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February 23, 2009I can’t believe the deer ate the whole thing
Well, its banquet season again, the deer are all dressed up to visit and eat landscaping.
There are more deer around now than at any time in history and they gobble up tasty Arborvitae like popcorn. Also landscape
plants are vitamin packed, so there will never be a steroid controversy. Suburban living has created the perfect environment
for deer. Their lifestyle is OK in the forest, but these uninvited dinner guests should be asked to leave. Eating the decorations
is just rude. Call for some advice or service -- we can help keep the deer out. inquire@nelanddesign.com
11:31 am edt
January 10, 2009Winter, So far so good
The consistent snow cover and temperatures “so far” this winter should reduce winter injury
to plants, though with nature one can never really be certain. Wide fluctuation in temperature causes harm more often than
consistently subfreezing temperatures. A really cold night or two followed by a couple of warm days wreak havoc. Rhododendrons
tend to be an indicator species. You will notice dead leaves in June and July and not realize that it is a delayed reaction
from winter. With many plants it is possible to help minimize winter damage, most of the time winter damage is simply caused
by improper planting or a plant is trying to survive in the wrong place. This season the primary concern will be with the
ice damage taken in December. We can help with any type winter damage. inquire@nelanddesign.com
11:29 am edt
December 14, 2008Ice Damage Cometh
Wow! Now that my power is back on, it is time to clean up the yard. The landscape in my back yard rearranged
itself with a loud bang-snap-crackle. I’m lucky the tree just missed the house though it flattened the picnic table.
Next day it turns out it was not the whole tree just the branches of a white pine. Our yard was strafed by mini pine trees;
I never realized how big they are up there. Two dump trucks of branches later and the lawn is uncovered
for winter. I’m not too worried about the pine with the “Mohawk” hair cut, pines will leak sap to bandage
the wounds and it should be fine. But local damage to other more venerable, and valuable focal trees will be significant. Let me know if I can help repair, prune or replace any of your valuable
trees and shrubs. inquire@nelanddesign.com
11:23 am edt
November, 6, 2008Foot Prints
I am finding a lot of talk
about footprints in the global warming debate. It seems the amount of carbon you produce can be accounted for and the total
is your personal carbon footprint. Thats cool, but then it occurs to me if you can count carbon molecules you can count landscaping's
impact on the ecology also. One of the benefits of being in the landscape Green industry is that we are in one of the few
endeavors that reduces your carbon footprint. Plants consume carbon, and lots of it. inquire@nelanddesign.com
October 19, 2008Brown Leaves to Greener
Future Even though I do not look forward to raking leaves,
I do look forward to the reward they bring. Dried crunch leaves are full of carbon so this makes them the perfect ingredient
to compost with nitrogen. Luckily grass clippings are full of nitrogen. So when I mix together 1 part leaves to 3 parts grass
I am creating the perfect environment for aerobic decomposition. It’s “Wally World” for bacteria. They will
party converting this mixture into a pile of plant growing, fertilizer rich compost in about a year. You can solve two problem
piles at once. inquire@nelanddesign.com
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September 5, 2008Water, Water ,Everywhere
We love working outdoors. If you do not like working in the rain we are the people for you. However the
challenge of 2008 season has had an unusual amount of rain." Rain compounds installation and our schedule goes awry.
The reason, "MUD", it stays long after the rain has gone. It gets everywhere, machines sink, piles of soil
become big blobs. It washes away. You could plant things inside our trucks and I am not allowed in my home until
completely stripped during mud season. Good thing we like making mud pies. inquire@nelanddesign.com
August 27, 2008Fall is for Planting
Fall is the best time
for planting. As we near the end of August the fall planting season is fast approaching. We love to plant in the fall as days
get shorter, there is less heat stress on plants and landscapers, while the ground remains warm encouraging
roots to grow. inquire@nelanddesign.com
12:13 pm edt
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