"Maintenance-Free" Landscaping

To dispel the myth: There is no such thing as maintenance-free landscaping!

In fact, sometimes in their quest for maintenance-free landscaping, people create unmanageable yards that can end up far worse than imagined.

We can definitely identify with ideal of the "no-maintenance landscape" because we understand how time is precious, and no one wants to waste it on something they'll might only see on the weekend or the odd summer evening.

Even so, we believe that what you get from your landscape depends on what you put into it. We are not implying that you need an overflowing flower garden, weeded thrice a day, but we are saying that the effort of planning and executing a beautifully formed landscape will make you feel better, allow you to spend more time in it, and be more enticing to maintain.

In the following paragraphs we will go over some of the main elements of landscaping, how they can work for you, ways to maintain them, and tips on things to avoid.

Trees, Shrubs, & Perennials


Any living thing in  your landscape will need some love and attention. Luckily, half of this battle can be won by choosing the appropriate plants based on mature size, site-location, and hardiness zone. When these factors are well considered, much of the special care that would otherwise be needed can be eliminated. Furthermore, healthy plants, growing where they should, can provide you with fragrance, colour, and sense of stability and well-being.



Sod


AKA: turf, grass, lawn, pelouse. Whether you know it or not, one mowing and inch of water per week is the formula for maintaining healthy sod. This is one of the easiest ways to keep an area beautiful and free of weeds while creating a usable, resilient, kid friendly space. But remember that consistency is the key, and it will pay big dividends when it comes to your lawn.

We would recommend that you think twice before completely eliminating sod from your yard. Mowing the lawn is a much easier pill to swallow than painstakingly picking weeds from the yard you filled entirely with river rock.

Decorative Rock

Whether river rock, some other regional mountain stone, or anything in between, decorative rock has become a staple in the landscaping industry. It can add colour, style, and drastically affect the feel of a landscape all while lasting a very long time.

In order to use it effectively, rock should be laid on the proper base of high-grade weed barrier. We see too many instances where cheap, almost see-through, fabric has succumbed to the power of nature and her many plants and weeds. But don't fall into a false sense of security once the weed barrier goes down, it is only as effective as far as it provides seamless coverage, and only as long as it is kept clean.

Make sure that each fall and spring the rock has leaves and debris blown out so as to eliminate a place for weeds to grow. If sand, dirt, or leaves accumulate on top of the fabric, there is little you can do to stop weeds from finding this fertile spot and sprouting up.

Maintainable Landscapes

Instead of limiting your search to maintenance-free landscaping options, a more appropriate approach may be to examine how much care and effort you can give, and then effectively plan a way to maximize the features you choose.

You may need help in making these decisions, and you may need help in maintaining what you choose for your landscape, but that's what you your local landscaping experts are for. We believe that when you succeed at striking a balance between beauty and maintainability, you will feel at home in your landscaped space.

New Sod - Care Instructions

There is nothing like coming home from work to a new green lawn instead of a dry and dusty lot! One of the things we love about landscaping is seeing the look on your face at that instant.

A new lawn is great, but once the sod has been installed there is more to the story if you want to keep that green feeling and look. There are primarily just 3 steps:

1. Water
2. Don't Water
3. Mow

The most crucial time for new sod is the first few hours after it is laid. Where possible, we try to purchase and lay the sod all in the same day. In most cases, this means the sod was growing in a field mere hours before it is installed. Naturally, getting water to the new sod is crucial within the first few hours of being unrolled. Since we use Manderly Sod, we recommend that you follow their lawn-care instructions when watering your new lawn.

Basically it boils down to this 7 day schedule for the first week in the life of your new sod:

1. Water
2. Water
3. Water
4. Water
5. Don't Water
6. Don't Water
7. Mow then Water

Manderley suggests that starting in the third week you reduce watering to 25mm or 1inch of water per week, but what about the first couple of weeks? From our experience it is hard to over-water sod when it is first down. In fact, we'd rather see that excessive water than have it shrink and expose the seams.

As a rule of thumb we prefer that the first day of watering soaks the sod well enough that the soil underneath gets completely wet. To quickly check this, grab the corner of one of the pieces of sod and peel it back to see. Once the soil under the sod is nice and moist, it will stay that way for a long time, this will draw the roots down into the ground. One of the drawbacks of this initial period is how soft it makes the soil; so, we encourage you to tread lightly on fresh new sod by using plywood, or some other method of weight dispersal, so as not to leave unsightly and annoying depressions from walking on the soft lawn.

NOTE: Once you are satisfied that the soil beneath the sod is completely wet, there is no need to keep pulling the sod back to check, this will just prevent the roots from taking hold where you peel it back. Simply sticking to the schedule will ensure your success.

 A healthy and happy lawn doesn't require much more than water, don't water, mow; but it does require all these things. It would be good to understand that day five and six are also important steps in the process of creating your healthy lawn. In taking two days off, after the roots have just started to set, you are encouraging the roots to chase the water downward. This promotes deeper root growth and a healthier lawn.

Happy lawn care!