Late Winter Early Spring Landscape Maintenance Projects

Snow Snow Snow.  Almost gone right?  Not quite.  I still have several inches of snow in my front yard and mounds along the street and driveway.  But it soon will be gone.  For those of you just itching to get outside and start working on your yards, there are things that you can do now to prepare your gardens for Spring.

Pruning Trees and Shrubs:

Today, I pruned a severely over-grown Crab apple tree for a client.  Dead branches, from previous hard pruning, had fallen in among the living branches.  The previous pruning had focused exclusively on the outer portions of the tree, leaving many dead branches still clinging to live ones.  The majority of dead branches were the result of years of insufficient light, water, and air reaching the leaves.  I pruned out and removed all the dead branches, along with excessively dense live branches, to allow air, rain, and sunlight to penetrate deep into the tree. 

Most likely, you can handle pruning small trees.  When you prune your trees, remove all dead branches along with any crossing or touching branches.  Branches growing vertically without secondary branching should also be removed.  These are suckers if they emerge from the roots or base of the tree trunk, or water sprouts if they grow from the trunk or branches.  Water sprouts are usually caused by previous pruned or broken branches.  Both suckers and water sprouts suck energy from the tree and cause it to grow weakly and irregularly.  Suckers can grow from any point along roots near the soil surface.  Crabapple, Aspen, Beech, Birch and Dogwood are particularly susceptible to suckering.

Now that the harsh winter weather is almost behind us, it is possible to start pruning the shrubs too.  One of the first chores in my own yard this year, will be inspecting the shrubs close to my house.  Usually, I get small amounts of snow falling from the roof over the full length of the winter. Not this year.  The constant extreme cold allowed snow and ice to build precipitously on my roof.  Guess what.  When we had a few warm days, all that ice and snow slid from my roof and landed on my shrubs.  I have never had this problem before.  I had one chunk of ice crash down on top of half a dozen Burning Bushes.  Crushed most of them in one foul swoop. 

So, I will be headed out once that snow and ice has melted, to cut most of those to the ground or close to it.  If you have the same issue, don't worry, most shrubs actually benefit from a hard pruning.  If you are in doubt, feel free to message me or send me a text with a picture of your plants.  I will be glad to advise you on an individual basis and help you identify the shrub and the best solution to your unique situation.

Cleaning Up Debris:

I don't know if you are seeing the same thing, but I have noticed an unusual amount of debris in my yard and on the streets this year.  Now that the snow is melting, all the garbage that blew out of the garbage trucks over this long harsh winter, all the leaves that waited to fall from the trees until the snow started falling, all those branches broken by ice storms and heavy snow falls and fierce winds, all the dog leavings abandoned by people too cold to stop to pick up the mess (mostly me and my kids), is being exposed by the slow melt.

Well, it's not too cold to do the clean up now.  If you do, as I am doing, a little at a time as it is exposed, this unpleasant chore won't feel so overwhelming.  And when the enjoyable part of Spring garden chores is possible, you will be ready.  The leaves may have to wait a bit. 

Live in the West Michigan Area and have some Spring Landscape Maintenance that needs doing but don't have the time, energy or inclination to do it, give Brent a call at (616) 328-3258.  I'll be happy to give you a quote on getting your landscape in shape for the season.

Building a Raised Paver Patio

Creating a landscape design with a raised paver patio, built against a wooden deck, requires careful consideration to ensure long-term success, stability of the project. The first detail to tackle is the question of how raise the paver patio.

 

 In this project, we chose to use large (800-1500 pounds each) Michigan boulders.

Landscape fabric was attached to the deck using 2x1's and draped against additional 2x12 treated boards to retain the crushed stone we used as a base for the patio.  Landscape fabric was also used to retain the stone behind the boulders. 

When choosing a landscape fabric for use in hardscape projects, be sure to find a product that has a 25-30 year guarantee.  You don't want the landscape fabric breaking down and ruining your patio or wall prematurely.  Landscape ideas need to be executed with care and quality products.

Polymeric Sand: Controlling Weeds Between Pavers

Over the last fifteen years or so, I have installed numerous brick and stone patios, walkways and driveways. Here in Michigan, most paving is dry-laid, that is, there is no concrete or mortar involved in the installation process. Because concrete and mortar tend to break up over time due to the freeze thaw cycles in this cold climate, it makes sense to use a flexible base and joint filler. Until a few years ago, I used either baby sand, which tends to washed out too easily, or rough-graded sand to fill between concrete or clay pavers. I used chips n dust or stone dust or slag sand to fill between natural flagstone. Rough sand and the fillers I used between flagstones worked fairly well for keeping the joints filled and the pavers from shifting. (Of course aluminum or plastic edging is necessary to keep the edges of each project from shifting outward, but that is another subject). The real downside of these joint-filling materials is that they don't keep weeds down. And yes, there is some washout over time.

Then, a few years ago, I started using a fairly new product: polymeric sand. This type of sand can be purchased pre-mixed for small projects, or added to dry sand and thoroughly mixed for larger projects. Polymeric sand creates flexible, porous joints. The polymer binders in the mixture keep the sand particle continuously adhered one another. Though this product is significantly more expensive than straight sand or stone products like those purchased at sand/gravel pits, there are two major benefits. First, polymeric sand remains where it is placed. There is no washout of this product. Second, polymeric sand creates a barrier to burrowing insects that tend to loosen and expel sand from between joints, and weeds that would otherwise germinate and grow between joints. It is most efficient to use polymeric sand between joints when initially installing a brick or stone paving project. However, it is also possible to replace other joint-filling products with polymeric sand if your product is already in place. "Simply" sweep, blow, scrap, or power wash the sand or stone from between the joints of your pavers. Remove the old sand/ stone. If you have used water to clean out the joints, make sure the pavers have dried completely before putting down polymeric sand. Most of these products tend to stain surrounding pavers if they come in contact water. For this reason, it is necessary to sweep or blow off excess sand before moving on to the next step. Once the final paver compaction is completed, finely mist the entire paved area. This will moisten the top layer of the polymeric sand, thus adhering those grains to each other. Subsequent rain or irrigation will filter down into the joints further joining the particles to each other, ensuring proper adhesion. The joints will look like they have been mortared if they are fairly wide. To the touch, they will even feel mortared. However, scraping or otherwise manually agitating the polymeric sand would loosen it without damage. Once wetted again, the sand will settle back into place and adhere as before. No more weeds or washout.

Warning!  Not all polymeric sands are made equal.  Though I have not used all types, I have kept up on professional forum and have found complaints of hazing from Alliance polymeric sand, excessive splashing from Envirobond polymeric sand which is a very fine powder, and blowouts from Techniseal/Unilock polymeric sand.  I will be doing some investigating and comparisons and talking to other professionals and further fill you in on these issues.  Ultimately, you need to closely follow manufacturers recommendations.  Best practices seem to be to ensure proper compaction of pavers when they are dry; sweep sand into joints; sweep off and blow all excess sand from paver surface; mist the pavers lightly to settle the sand; wait an hour; mist again; wait another hour and mist a final time.

Need some help with project or other paving/hardscape project design, installation or maintenance?
Give Brent a Call @ 616 328-3258.

Michigan: Fall Gardens

Fall is in full swing and quickly moving toward winter. I thought now would be a good time to get out and view some local gardens and show everyone some ways of keeping the garden interesting even during these days of dormancy. So, over the next few weeks, I will be posting pictures with descriptions and explanations of the various ideas behind the use of the feature shown. Hopefully, you will get some ideas on how to make your landscape and gardens shine in the coming months.

Among the ideas I will try to touch on, is the use of structural plants like the variegated grass to the right. Even through winter, this grass can add interest. When other plants have died back and withered away, strong ornamental grasses can hold their shape and give the garden some height. In addition, the swaying and swishing of the grass as the wind blows through it can be mesmerizing and calming in the middle of a bleak winter. Look at the way the light filters through the blades. Beautiful.

Hint: Sometimes large grasses can become unruly. If needed, you can always use tan twine to help keep the grasses from collapsing under the weight of excessive snow/rain or wildly whipping winds.

Disciplines of Landscape Design

Landscape Design encompasses several disciplines necessary to achieve a satisfactory result (end product). Landscape Design requires some measure of insight into each of these. Among these disciplines are Aesthetics, Horticulture, Architecture and Psychology.

A practical understanding of Aesthetics or art, when combined with the other disciplines, will enable you to envision the overall layout of your landscape. Additionally, an eye for art allows you to combine various elements of the landscape into a cohesive and flowing design.

Great landscape designers take much of their sense of garden aesthetic from natural landscapes. I encourage you to find and explore areas untouched by the ever encroaching hand of man. God is the greatest landscape architect. Let His creation guide your design. Combinations of color and texture, the mix of beauty that touch your various senses in the wild can be included in a smaller scale in your own landscape.

Horticultural knowledge encompasses a wide range of disciplines but in short it is the science of plants. What plants go where and what conditions each plant requires for optimum growth. How are plants affected by pests, soil conditions, light and water and temperature? How do plants react to pruning and fertilizers? And so on.

Additionally, a basic knowledge of architecture helps us frame the landscape. It helps us determine what hardscapes such as walkways, patios, gazebos, outbuildings, etc., need to be included in our landscape to make it habitable and useful for our defined purposes. Keep in mind, how the landscape will be used. Who will be using the area? How will it be accessed? What is topography of the land? What kind of walls or slopes will be included in the landscape?
How will various areas interconnect and interact?

A general knowledge of psychology is within the grasp of most people. While designing your landscape, you should think about how you would like to use the area(s)? Everything you include in the landscape should contribute to your usage goals. Will the area be used for meetings or family gatherings? Are you trying to create an atmosphere of action or relaxation, an aura of anticipation or peacefulness? Do you intend to exude intimacy or openness with your landscape? As with the interior of your home or business, how the various elements combine and contrast affects the mood and ambiance of your landscape.

Once you have determined what your landscape is meant to accomplish in your life, a knowledge of psychology will help you frame and fill your gardens and landscape with elements that will enhance your intended experiences. How does a particular choice of paving material affect the speed at which you move through your gardens? Do certain elements draw you in? How do certain plants or arrangements affect our mood or the moods of those who experience our landscape? Will a certain water feature distract from or enhance the purposes you envision?

Brickwork: Making a Lasting Impression

I cannot tell you how many times I've been called to a home to consult a client on repairing their brick walkway or patio. It is not unusual to see brick pavers that have shifted away from their original position by one, two, even three inches. Multiply that by the number of joints in a project, and you can see how dangerous, and down right ugly this could get.

Shifting patios inevitably result from two major mistakes with the initial installation. First, the project was probably laid without a proper base. It is not uncommon for pavers to be laid on a one or two inch sand base. That's probably OK of the first few months, but come winter up here in Michigan, the ground starts freezing and thawing and heaving. The problem is that sand doesn't retain its original position, so when the sand shifts, so do the bricks. Never lay a brick/paver walkway or patio only on sand!

The second problem: no edging. Without some type of edging, the bricks can shift outward. When this happens, the bond between the bricks loosens and causes the general structure of the walkway or patio to fail.

In areas prone to harsh/cold winters, it is essential to start your project with a proper foundation. This means digging approximately seven inches deep for areas receiving only pedestrian traffic or ten to twelve inches deep for areas receiving vehicular traffic. In addition, you must dig approximately four to six inches beyond the area of what will be your finished patio. Thus, if you intend to make a patio that is twelve feet wide, you will dig the hole thirteen feet wide, six inches wider on either side of the patio.

Next, order crushed concrete or gravel to fill four inches deep for a pedestrian area, and six inches deep for a vehicular area. To figure out how much crushed concrete or gravel you need to order, use this formula:

Crushed Concrete

Pedestrian Area:
Area square feet/27 cubic feet/3 * 1.10 * 1.4 tons = total tons of gravel/crushed concrete

Vehicular Area:
Area square feet/27 cubic feet / 2 * 1.10 * 1.4 tons = total tons of gravel/crushed concrete

Dump and spread the gravel/crushed concrete to half of its final depth, two inches for pedestrian area, three inches for vehicular area. Spread as evenly as possible. Don't worry about leveling perfectly.

21AA Road Gravel

Compact using a tamper or plate compactor. I would advise you to use a plate compactor whenever possible. Plate compactors compact more thoroughly and more quickly. They also save you a lot of labor. Believe me, after using a tamper for half an hour, you will feel sore for days. If you do use a plate compactor, you will still have to tamp some edges by hand. You can never get into every nook and cranny with a plate compactor. Failure to compact all of the base will result in eventual collapse of the improperly compacted area.

Once you have finished compacting the first layer, add the remaining crushed concrete or gravel, this time take your time to get the area leveled. If the paver patio or walkway will be against a structure, you will want to ensure proper drainage by sloping the gravel away from the structure.
Half an inch slope for every four feet of distance is plenty.

Once level, compact again. Don't forget to get into those corners. You will probably have to rake and shovel to get the proper slope/level. Get this level as close to perfect as possible.

Now you have your completed base.

Take a can of spray paint and mark out where you would like the edge of your finished patio/walkway. Don't forget, you need to leave four to six inches of compacted crushed concrete/gravel around the outside of your patio. Step back. Take a look from several different places. Try to envision how the patio will look once it is finished. Make sure your lines mesh with your vision. Cross out the lines if you don't like the look. Try again until it looks just right.

Now, time to install that edging. I generally use a plastic or aluminum edging, staked in place with ten or twelve inch spikes. I prefer to be on the safe side and use approximately five spikes for every eight linear feet of edging. This way, the edging tends to shift less. Run the edging along the outside of the line you just made. Brick restraint edging is generally "L" shaped. Face the horizontal part of the edging outward, away from where the bricks will go. Spike the edging in as you go. Remember, you don't need to put edging along any hard edges such as a structure, concrete or asphalt driveways, or sideways.

I have occasionally used landscape ties as edging. However, this only works for straight-edged areas, and the wood tends to rot rather quickly, usually within five to ten years. That means, you have to replace the edging eventually, thus disturbing the brickwork. Not really worth it in my opinion.

I have seen poured concrete curbs used as edging. Again, I think you are looking at a lot more work than its worth. Like most poured concrete, a concrete curb is inflexible. Therefore, if you do not put in a proper base and pour deep enough (i.e. below the frost line which could be 18" or more), you will eventually end up with cracked concrete. Just like those driveways you see all over Michigan. You don't want to replace that and mess up your brickwork. Stick with aluminum or plastic brick restraint. It will last as long as your brickwork so you won't have to replace it.

Sustainable Lawn Care: Stewardship

Sometimes, grass is not the answer. Here in West Michigan, many homes are located on heavily wooded lots. Little sun ever filters down to the ground. This means it is always a struggle in some areas to keep that grass growing. Most lawns need a minimum of three hours of direct sunlight to remain lush and sustainable. If you don't get enough light, there really are only two remedies: prune the trees to allow enough light to get down to the lawn, or forget about your traditional lawn.

It is not always feasible or desirable to prune those shade trees. Get rid of the shade, and you lose

some of the character of the lot you loved so much in the first place. Also, remember, even if you raise the tree canopy, you might have to deal with tree roots. Trees are very thirsty. Lawns that must compete with trees for water and nutrients require extra watering and nutrients to keep them healthy.

If you don't mind getting rid of some of those trees, (they are not always desirable), keep in mind, there tends to be a considerable amount of cost, either in labor or dollars. If you decide you can stand to lose some of those trees and you can afford the expense, make sure you choose a tree service company with the necessary experience to safely remove your trees. Not everyone with a chainsaw is skilled enough to remove trees located near your home or electrical/phone wires around your home.

If you decide, "this lawn is not worth the effort", there are several alternatives to be explored. I will briefly mention them here and expound later.

First, and perhaps most obvious: groundcovers such as Myrtle or Pachysandra. These are very low maintenance plants that can grow densely in both sun and shade. Once they mature, they tend to choke out most weeds, and so keep a very nice carpet like appearance. Downside: you can't really walk through the area anymore. These plants grow six to twelve inches high and make traversing somewhat difficult. Certainly, not desirable on a regular basis.

Second, there are lower growing groundcovers, sometimes called "Steppables". Among these are Irish and Scotch Moss as well as low-growing sedums. These also give a carpet like appearance to your former lawn areas, and allow a bit more access to the area than do Myrtle and Pachysandra. Keep in mind: the "Steppables" have their limits. If you expect significant foot traffic through these areas, stepping stones will be necessary to keep feet off the plants and directed through the area to limit plant disturbance or damage. In addition, not all of these groundcovers can be grown in the shade. Carefully research the various groundcovers before choosing the one for you particular needs. For a fairly exhaustive list of low-growing ground covers go to www.stepables.com

Third, you may want to consider installing mixed gardens. Mixed gardens combine various types of plants, i.e. perennials, shrubs, groundcovers, trees and annuals. Again, if there tends to be significant foot traffic through the areas, install paths to keep those feet off the plants.

 

Fourth, consider putting in a brick or stone patio. Though a project like this is significantly more expensive and/or time consuming, it does add to the enjoyment of the outdoors by creating a space in which to enjoy your gardens and woodland. In addition, properly installed patios add value to your property that lawns, gardens and groundcovers never can.