If you live in a house with a fenced-in yard, particularly if it's board-on-board fencing, you should inspect it for a small problem that could become a big one. This is something that I've noticed a lot this summer in a few of the communities we service: trees germinate in the small space between the inside and outside rows of boards of the board-on-on board fences commonly used for privacy … [Read more...] about Inspect Your Fence for Dangerous Volunteer Trees
Tips for Caring for Young Trees
Spring is a popular time to plant trees in Loudoun County and the surrounding region, and conditions have been favorable for the most part so far this year. Adding trees to the landscape or replacing old ones that died last year can have an instant impact on your property's appearance and value. It's critical, however, to care for new trees properly from the moment they leave the nursery to … [Read more...] about Tips for Caring for Young Trees
March is Mulching Season
It's March, and that means it's time to freshen up the mulch in planting beds and especially around trees. Mulch - when properly applied - has many benefits for trees and other landscape plants. Among those listed in the 2010 International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Arborist Study Guide are: Moderation of temperature extremes; Reduction of competition from weeds and grasses; … [Read more...] about March is Mulching Season
Enhance Your Landscape and Eat Better With Foodscaping
We all love a beautiful landscape, and more and more people are seeking out locally grown healthy food. Brie Arthur, author of The Foodscape Revolution is out to teach the world that the two things can go hand-in-hand. "Imagine the suburban landscape transformed into a source for affordable, sustainable local food," Arthur said during her presentation at last week's Mid Atlantic Horticulture … [Read more...] about Enhance Your Landscape and Eat Better With Foodscaping
The Best Time to Make Improvements to Your Lawn
Fall is the best time to build a healthy green lawn, and the ideal time for turf renovation is now less than a month away! Work you do on your lawn or commercial turf areas in September will have a great impact on the turf's health throughout the year. Here are the basics you should do every year, regardless of your lawn's overall health: Aerate Overseed Fall fertilizer If your lawn is … [Read more...] about The Best Time to Make Improvements to Your Lawn
Foot Traffic Takes a Toll on Lawns
It's an unfortunate paradox: the people who use a lawn are often its biggest enemies. Just one season of heavy foot traffic can turn a healthy green lawn into a patch of dirt. When a Leesburg-area property manager asked me to inspect the area in the photo above, the soccer goal was a clear indication of the problem. Kids are taking advantage of the common area behind their homes to get some … [Read more...] about Foot Traffic Takes a Toll on Lawns
Consider the Benefits of Fall Mulching
The rainy days of last week have given way to splendid fall weather. The days are still relatively long - with the sun setting around 7 - and there's no better time than now to work on your landscape. If you're looking for something to do outside this week, consider one of the simplest and most beneficial gardening tasks: fall mulching. Here are a few of the benefits of mulching your … [Read more...] about Consider the Benefits of Fall Mulching
Tips to Protect Your Garden from Deer Damage
Deer present a constant problem for Northern Virginia gardeners, and that is especially true here in Loudoun County, which has long had one of the highest whitetail deer densities in the state. Cold temperatures and snow on the ground this time of year make it harder for deer to find food in their natural habitat. As a result, nicely landscaped homes become more and more attractive to … [Read more...] about Tips to Protect Your Garden from Deer Damage
An Easy Way to Make Your Trees Happier and Healthier
Ideally, the mulch rings around trees should extend to the tree's drip line. When landscape contractors plant trees properly, the mulched tree ring is usually just the right size immediately after installation. Problem is, the tree grows and in many cases the mulch ring doesn't. Trees that are surrounded by grass face stiff competition for water and nutrients. Mulch rings around trees … [Read more...] about An Easy Way to Make Your Trees Happier and Healthier
Dead Trees? Not So Fast!
Many species of trees in the Northern Virginia landscape are dropping their leaves early this year, and it's easy to get the mistaken impression that they're dead. The cherry trees pictured above, for example, dropped their leaves in late summer as the result of a fungal issue that had impacted them earlier in the season. The trees are alive, however, and we expect them to bloom and be fine in … [Read more...] about Dead Trees? Not So Fast!
