Pool waterfalls add a wonderful and relaxing focal point to your property. Many of our pool waterfall designs have added an element of resort style living that is enjoyed throughout the summer. Our experienced design, and build team design every pool waterfall with each individual homeowners needs in mind. Please browse through our portfolio of pool waterfalls, and schedule your FREE consultation at 631-424-5544.
Landscape improvements will make a tremendous difference in the look, usefulness and value of your home. And what better time than now spring to consider these types of improvements! No matter what the style or size of your project or your budget, a good landscape designer will offer quality ideas to fit your lifestyle and needs.
Visualizing your landscape is easier today through the rapid advancement of 3D and CAD technology. Your project needs usually involves either a partial site plan for smaller projects or a master plan for entire back yards or front yards. Either way, they are presented in the 3D format.
Although both types can work well in different situations, creating a master landscape plan offers you several advantages. Your landscape is not just the plants, it’s made up of all parts – dining areas, pool areas, lawn areas, cooking areas and storage areas. A master plan considers all the parts of your property as a single “site” and ensures all of your landscape projects will work and fit smoothly together including the technical details such as drainage, electrical and plumbing.
Even if you only plan to complete a few improvements immediately, creating a strong overall plan early will save you significant time and money over the long term. With a master plan, you’re able to complete parts of the plan in stages over several seasons, as you are ready. You will find that with an overall plan, it is easier to set priorities, and individual projects or sections of your landscape can be done more quickly because they’re already laid out in the plan.
Improving your landscaping will dramatically affect your quality of life. Even small projects now can make a difference. And with a master plan, you have the option of tackling the later, larger improvements at your own pace.
Contact us for more information on how Autumn Leaf can create a master plan for you landscape. 631-424-5544
Although fall is right around the corner, it’s still possible to maintain your gardens color well into the early winter.
Here are a few tips to prepare for Mum season.
When it comes time to plant mums, consider these factors:
Pick The Right Location.
Find a spot that gets at least six hours of sun a day. Plants that don’t get enough sunlight will be tall and leggy and produce fewer, smaller flowers.
Prepare Your Soil.
Mums thrive in well-drained soil. Heavy clay soil should be amended. If your yard is soggy after the slightest rain, grow mums in raised beds with friable soil for good root growth. If the soil is too dense, add compost and prepare to a depth of 8-12 inches for best performance. Mums’ roots are shallow, and they don’t like competition. Plant mums about 1 inch deeper than they were in the nursery pot, being careful with the roots as you spread them.
Water Thoroughly.
Water newly planted mums thoroughly, and never let them wilt. After they are established, give mums about an inch of water per week. When bottom leaves look limp or start to turn brown, water more often. Avoid soaking the foliage, which encourages disease.
Don’t Forget to fertilize.
Plants set out in spring should get a 5-10-10 fertilizer once or twice a month until cooler weather sets in. Don’t fertilize plants set out in fall as annuals, but plants you hope to overwinter should get high-phosphorus fertilizer to stimulate root growth.
Did You Know?
Four inches of shredded bark mulch will help your mums survive the cold of winter.
Get Your Mum’s Ready For Winter.
Prepare mums for winter after the first hard frost. Mulch up to 4 inches with straw or shredded hardwood. Fill in around the entire plant, spreading well between branches. Pinch off dead blooms to clean up the plant, but leave branches intact. Mums have a better chance of surviving if you wait to prune old stems until spring. As soon as the weather warms, pull away mulch to allow new shoots to pop up.
Give Them Their Own Space.
Mums grown as perennials need to be divided every couple of years. Divide in the spring after the last hard frost and after you see new growth starting. Dig up the plant in one piece and separate outer pieces from the center with a clean sharp spade or large knife. Replant the outer portions into a rejuvenated bed, and discard the original center of the plant.
If you are interested in planting Mums in your garden, or have questions about fall plantings contact us at 631-424-5544
or post a message through our form. http://www.autumnleaflandscape.com/contact/
article from BH&G – http://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/perennials/all-about-mums/
Even while we are in the midst of winter on Long Island, it’s important to plan ahead for your spring landscape design project. The winter off season is the perfect time for pre-planning your project because it’s gives a homeowner the opportunity to list all the current features they enjoy about their current landscape, and any they would like to improve upon. Many homeowners enhance the look of an area within their current
landscaping, for example a pool area. Enhancing a pool area with a stone patio or water feature will dramatically improve the overall look of an outdoor space, and how it’s enjoyed during the summer season.
Maybe you want to improve your outdoor space with plants, and shrubs. Autumn Leaf’s design team will help choose plants that will best compliment your landscape and exiting architecture. Our 3D design software will help you visualize how specific plantings will complement the style of your home and the overall outdoor space you will enjoy them in this summer.
What about hardscapes? In your spring pre-planning you can decide on what type of hardscapes you want to add to the front or rear areas of your home. There are a few important items you will need to plan for, including permits, and any specific town zoning laws. It’s best if you consult with Autumn Leaf’s landscape architect, and cover the many options that will safely integrate with your existing architecture, while meeting the
specific laws, and guideline of your area.
With a bit of proper planning with one of our design consultants during the off season, you and your family will be able to enjoy a resort style space for years to come. To get started on your project contact your friends at Autumn Leaf Landscape and design 631-424-5544.
While deicing salts can effectively eliminate slippery conditions, they also may adversely affect interlocking concrete pavers, often used in the landscape and walkways, by causing visual and structural damage. However, properly manufactured and maintained pavers can resist the degradation caused by the salts. The whitepaper, prepared by outdoor living expert Belgard Hardscapes, educates homeowners on why damage occurs and how it can be managed.
“I’ve seen salt damage pavers in as little as three years,” said Lou Mangiaracina, vice president of sales in the Northeast for Belgard Hardscapes, which makes pavers for patios, walkways and driveways. “After a while, salt buildup can disintegrate pavers if they are not properly manufactured and maintained. Care is critical during the wintery seasons to ensure your driveways, walkways and patios maintain their beauty for years to come.”
According to the whitepaper, resistance to salts is related directly to a low absorption rate and a high compressive strength, and pavers generally outperform solid concrete and asphalt in both areas. While no paver is truly deicing salt proof, most are deicing salt resistant.
Properly manufactured pavers, such asBelgard’s innovative range of paver and wall products, can resist the effects of deicing salt because Belgard uses aggregate materials that are high strength with low absorption rates with no deleterious material that may contaminate the finished product. Belgard pavers exceed the American Society for Testing Materials’ (ASTM) industry standard for solid concrete interlocking pavers.
Routine maintenance, as with any exterior surface, can also help minimize the effects of deicing salts. The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) Technical Committee recommends these guidelines to limit the exposure to deicing:
The full whitepaper is availablefree at http://www.belgard.biz/docs/hardscapes_in_cold_climates.pdf.
Atlanta, GA (December 12, 2011) – Belgard® Hardscapes provides homeowners with tips for maintaining pavers during freeze season in a new whitepaper on the effects of deicing salt, Caring for Hardscapes in Cold Climates.
