Spring

red mushrooms

Ah, spring. The trees are blooming, the weather is getting warmer, and your lawn is waking up for the first time in several months. As the weather warms up, the humidity, especially here in the southeast, gets higher and rain and thunderstorms abound. These conditions are perfect for mushrooms to start popping up in your lawn, which can create a nuisance.

The Danger of Mushrooms

Having mushrooms in your yard can be problematic, especially when you have children or pets that may tend to put the funny little fungus in their mouths. As most people know, there are edible and non-edible mushrooms — non-edible mushrooms are toxic and can make your child or pet sick, or in some cases can be fatal if ingested. This is a great reason to remove them from your lawn. Better safe than sorry, as they say, and we couldn’t agree more. That’s why we’ve created a Premier Turf Care Program to help remove and prevent these little buggers before they have the chance to harm your family.

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landscaped yard
When you’re considering hiring a landscaper to install a landscape design on your property, it’s important to know the right questions to ask them to be sure they’ll do the job properly. But there are also questions the landscaper should be asking YOU. If you’re considering hiring a landscape design firm and they don’t ask you these three important questions, move on to someone who does.

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leaf rake

If you love getting outside with a rake in the fall and vigorously going to town on all those leaves, we’ve got some great news for you. You should also rake in the spring! Raking in the spring will get your lawn in good shape for the warmer months ahead so your landscape will stay lush and healthy.

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sprinkler system watering

If you’re tired of watering your lawn by hand or a portable sprinkler system, installing an irrigation system is a great way to save time and money and get a healthy, beautiful lawn. While you’re researching irrigation systems, you’ll find a range of pricing. It may be tempting to go with a lower bid, but beware — cheaper irrigations systems come with a cost. 

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patio furniture around firepit

No landscape design is complete without furniture! To make the most of your outdoor space, you'll need to arrange furniture in a way that will complement it and function the way you need it to. Here are seven easy tips for arranging outdoor furniture in your landscape design:

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blurred sprinkler

Irrigating your lawn during spring in the mountains of Western North Carolina can be daunting. In the course of just a few hours, our spring weather can go from hot to chilly, windy to calm, a torrential downpour to bright and sunny. With so much variation in spring weather conditions, it can be difficult to determine just when and how much you should water your lawn. We’re here to help with some irrigation tips.

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azalea covered hillside
When it comes to growing azaleas, there’s almost no better place than Western North Carolina. The WNC mountains provide the mild climate and acidic soil that azaleas thrive in. By learning what types grow best in our region and some simple tips to care for them, you can have a yard full of beautiful, healthy azaleas!

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bright green lawn

We’re all enjoying these first few weeks of spring, and your turf probably is as well! As it begins to grow and flourish, it’s important that you have a plan for keeping it healthy and vibrant as the weather continues to warm up. Successful turf care in Western North Carolina doesn’t have to be difficult, but there are specific steps you need to take to ensure that your turf continues to look its best.

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pergola and patio pavers

Keeping your home's exterior updated and looking its best is important for many reasons: it increases its curb appeal and value, and it provides you and your family with an enjoyable outdoor area to gather together in. Follow these 6 tips to make your home's exterior one you'll love coming home to!

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 before rough dirt slopeafter retaining landscaping

With the warm months rapidly approaching, it will soon be time for lawn maintenance and yard work to begin in earnest. If you plan to hire a professional landscaper to make your outdoor space beautiful, there are some important questions you should ask before the work is started.  

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dandelion in lawn

Here in Western North Carolina, we’re fortunate to have a relatively mild climate, which means that we can grow beautiful lawns that can be enjoyed most of the year. Unfortunately, our lawns are not immune to weeds. As our weather begins to warm up for spring, you’ll probably notice these common weeds sprouting up and making themselves at home. Here are a few of the ones you'll find in our region, and what you can do to eliminate them. 

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water drops on grass

Did you know that most people tend to overwater their lawn? The fear of a brown yard and tumbleweeds in the summer cause folks to get a little too liberal with the H2O during warm weather months, basically subjecting their lawns to mini flash-floods that drown the grass root system. An good irrigation system can provide the proper amount of water your lawn needs and help avoid overwatering. When irrigating, remember to give your lawn a refreshing drink either in the morning or evening hours; the evaporative effects of the wind and heat are at their lowest during these times. 

There are many types of irrigation systems available to fit your type of lawn and keep it looking its best throughout the year:  

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lawn with specimen trees

It would be great if we could just poke a small sapling into the ground and watch it grow into a majestic, shade-providing asset to our property. It takes a little more than that to make sure a tree grows up healthy and strong — but not much more! Check out these 7 simple steps to planting a healthy tree: 

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The art of a well-cut lawn can make all the difference to your landscaping. We’ve collected a few lawn-mowing tips for you, in case you are doing your own maintenance.

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Planting annuals in beds or pots marks the beginning of a season-long show of eye-catching flowers and leaves. Annuals race through the growing season, unfurling flowers and colorful foliage until frost arrives on the scene. Knowing when to plant annuals helps get the seasonal show off to a solid start. Understanding how to plant annual flowers is the other key to success. 



Some annuals thrive in cooler seasons of the year, while others need a little summer sizzle to strut their stuff. Typically garden centers sell the appropriate annuals for the season at hand—or soon to come. If in doubt, ask. This is especially important in early spring, when summer annuals have started their growing season in the cozy confines of a warm greenhouse. Once they enter the world of cool spring nights, they often stop growing. For these heat-loving annuals, planting too early can pronounce a death sentence as chilly air and cool soil causes plants to stall or even rot. 



The ideal time to plant is on a cloudy day. This protects newly planted annuals from having sun stress seedlings as they’re settling into their new digs. Another option is to tackle planting chores in the evening, which gives plants the overnight window to recover. If you must plant on a sunny day, consider erecting some sort of shade device to protect seedlings. A piece of cardboard or bedding plant flat propped up to cast shade works fine. 



Before planting annuals in a bed, it’s a good idea to arrange plants—in their pots—in the pattern you’ll follow when planting. If you’re planting a container, arrange pots on the work surface beside the pot. With in-ground beds, finesse the spacing based on mature plant size. Give plants enough room to spread and soar.

 

It’s not hard to master how to plant annuals. Water any annuals that are dry before removing them from cell packs or pots. Root balls should be moist at planting time. Never pull annuals from their containers—that’s a good way to break stems. Instead, remove plants from their containers by gently squeezing the pot and then flipping it over, cradling the annual stem with your hand. It should slip right out. 



Use your hand or a trowel to dig a shallow hole large enough to cradle an annual’s root ball. If you’re planting many annuals, try the method professional landscapers use: the stab-and-plant technique. Hold a trowel with the blade facing down and the concave side facing you. Stick the trowel into soil, and pull the handle forward, creating a hole behind the blade. Slip the annual from its container and drop it into the hole, firming soil around the plant. This method works best with loose soil. 



Always water annuals after planting. Use a watering can or hose-end sprayer or watering wand that delivers a gentle shower of water. Soak soil thoroughly. Add a mulch layer to slow water evaporation from soil and help reduce weeds.

-From HGTV.com

Proper mowing increases the density of the lawn, which in turn decreases weeds. Each type of grass has a recommended mowing height. Find out which type of grass is in your lawn (you may have more than one) and mow at the proper height.
Stick to the 1/3 rule — never remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade length at any one time. A healthy lawn can survive an occasional close cut. Repeated close mowing produces a brown lawn and has several harmful side effects, including:
• Injury to the crown, where new growth generates and nutrients are stored.
• Reduction of the surface area of the blade, making the blade surface insufficient to produce food through photosynthesis.
• Increased vulnerability to pests and disease.
• An increase in the sunlight reaching weed seeds, allowing them to germinate.
• Risk of soil compaction.
 
Also remember to:
• Mow when the grass is dry. The blades will be upright and less likely to clump when cut.
• Avoid mowing in the heat of the day to prevent heat stress on your grass and yourself.
• Keep mower blades sharp and balanced. Ragged cuts made by dull blades increase the chance of disease and pests.
• Change the mowing pattern each time you mow. Grass develops a grain based on your cutting direction, tending to lean towards the direction you mow. Alternating the pattern causes more upright growth and helps avoid producing ruts in the lawn.
• Mow moving forward, whether you're pushing a walk-behind mower or sitting behind the wheel of a lawn tractor.
• Discharge the clippings (unless you bag them) towards the area you have already cut.
• Leave clippings on the lawn unless they form clumps or rows. This technique (known as grass cycling) returns nutrients and nitrogen to the lawn.
• Consider using a mulching mower or mulching attachments.
• If you bag your clippings, consider composting them.
• Mow grass higher in shaded areas under trees. In these areas grass has to compete with tree roots for water and nutrients.
• Reduce mowing frequency and raise the mowing height of cool-season grasses when hot, dry weather slows their growth rate.
• Follow the proper fertilizing schedule for your type of turfgrass.
Here are some tips from the NC Cooperative Extension Center:
  •  Plant your small fruit plants, grape vines and fruit trees before the buds break.
  •  March is a good month to transplant trees and shrubs
  • New shrubs and ground covers can be planted the entire month of March. Be sure to follow your planting plan.
  • Plant seeds of the following perennials: columbine, hollyhock, coreopsis, daisy and phlox. Sweet William can also be planted this month.
  • New rose bushes can be planted this month.
  • Plants of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower should be set out in the garden in mid-March.
  • The following vegetables can be planted this month: beets, carrots, Chinese cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, Swiss chard, turnips, potatoes,cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.
  • Start any annual flowers or warm-season vegetables inside your home that are not commercially available in early March.

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In order to ensure that your lawn is ready for the warm weather to roll in, you need to make sure you’ve pruned, weeded, and cleaned out your garden appropriately.

You may have seen some sprigs coming up at this point. Now is the time to clean out winter debris from your garden. Dead branches or fallen leaves, twigs or branches that may have fallen during winter weather will stifle the growth of plants trying to thrive.

Pruning is a little more tricky.The plant and its needs will determine the type of pruning to be done. Many shrubs are going to benefit from heading and thinning, as it will give room for air circulation and light. The general rule is to not remove more than 1/3 of the plant. Again, it depends on the tree or bush. As always, you can contact us to do it for you.

weeding and pruning

Hopefully, you brought in your tender plants for the winter. Continue protecting container plants from cold temperatures, and don’t forget to water them! We are getting some warm days but that can be misleading. It is best to wait to purchase new plants for your outdoor areas, too. Spring is still a month away. You can, however, still shop for seeds!
Inspect your patio furniture and see what maintenance needs to be done. You can also start shopping for new cushions, as most stores are bringing out their outdoor items now. While you’re at it, Check for winter damage. Snow and rain may have created issues such as drainage problems or rotted wood that will need addressing at the start of the growing season.

Brown Patch is a disease mostly found effecting lawns and golf courses during the hot and humid summer months. In this post we will discuss the development factors, symptoms and treatment options for lawns suffering from this disease. 

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