Mulch About Fall
Did you know that mulching in the fall is just as important as it is in the spring and summer months? We mulch in the spring and summer months to suppress weeds, retain moisture and feed and warm the soil. However, when the temperatures begin to drop and the ground freezes, root systems can be exposed. The primary reason for winter mulching is to protect our plants from the harsh conditions of winter freezes, thaws and winds. Mulch acts as an insulator to balance the temperature creating a warm, heavy blanket of protection.
Neglecting to mulch in the fall can be damaging to your plants in the spring season. And the cost of mulching is nothing compared to the cost of replacing some of your favorite trees and shrubs. It also adds a beautiful aesthetic to your landscape in the winter months.
Using fall leaves as organic mulch is a great benefit to your landscape. They will break down over the course of the wintertime and create a layer of nutrients for your plants to draw from. Adding a layer of leaves over your perennials will help regulate soil temperature of the wintertime, as well as give new shoots a protective blanket as they enter the world in the spring.
DK Landscaping offers mulching installation in Sonoma County. Contact us for more information on the benefits of fall mulching (707) 280-3632.
Boys and Girls Club
DK Landscaping received a call from the Rotary Club called asking if we were interested in assisting them with selecting the proper mulch for the Boys and Girls Club of Rohnert Park’s vegetable garden. Kathy Lee then met with the club’s director, Micki Jones.
While meeting with Micki Jones, Kathy looked around noticed everything was overgrown and looked like a jungle. Upon learning that no one was caring for their landscape due the City of Rohnert Park’s budget cuts, Kathy asked if DK Landscaping can be a corporate sponsor and donate our services.
DK Landscaping is now a proud corporate sponsor and official landscaper of the Boys and Girls Club of Rohnert Park. We donated 20 man hours and cleaned up their jungle. We also spread a bunch of mulch on their flower beds. We are performing maintenance on a weekly basis– 100% donated.
We are also donating an additional $25 to the club with each new maintenance account that we sign up. The minimum we will donate for 2012 is $500 regardless of how many new maintenance accounts we get. If the amount is more than $500 they will get the larger amount.
Cotati Police K-9 Dog Fundraiser
The Cotati Police department’s newest police K-9 is Koda, a 2 ½ year old German Shepherd from the Czech Republic. Koda was acquired by the police department in October 2008 after the unexpected death of police K-9, “D’JANGO” who died on July 22, 2008 from an allergic reaction to a bee sting. In an outpouring of generous support, individuals and businesses throughout Sonoma and Marin Counties donated the funding necessary to purchase Koda and sent him to 10 weeks of training with his handler, Officer Christopher Kaupe.
DK Landscaping contributed the following:Corporate sponsor
- Corporate Sponsor
- Printed, mailed and emailed out hundreds of letters and flyers to neighborhoods and sphere of influence.
- Team of four volunteered for the day of the event.
To read more on this story, go to: http://www.ci.cotati.ca.us/sections/police/k9.cfm
Battle of the Brews
For 16 years, the Active 20-30 Club of Santa Rosa has held the Battle of the Brews fundraiser. This annual event draws an estimated 1,800 attendees each year, and represents a unique opportunity to enjoy one of the largest beer tastings in Northern California while at the same time helping to change the lives of needy children in Sonoma County. All proceeds of this event are placed into Active 20-30’s Youth Benevolent Fund.
The Active 20-30 called upon DK Landscaping for plants to soften up the venue located at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. DK Landscaping teamed up with The Urban Tree Farm and donated plants for this annual event.
Senior Citizen Assistance
Santa Rosa senior, Barbara who was fighting skin cancer needed assistance due to a storm that damaged her tree. Barbara was on a fixed income and could only afford 1/4 of the service. DK Landscaping donated the full service.
Mike Desmond, manager of Horizon supplied material to DK Landscaping at cost.
A Holiday Concert for Sara
The community of Rohnert Park came together in a festive celebration of the holidays at Sonoma Mountain Village. The concert raised money for the family of Sara Baker who was a young woman involved in a horrific Highway 101 traffic accident on October 24, 2007.
David and Kathy Lee of DK Landscaping donated the following:
- $250.00 in cash
- Three Christmas Trees and decorations
- Volunteered their time for the event
- Printed and mailed over 200 flyers with a cover letter to promote the event
- Emailed and distributed flyers within our sphere of influence and the neighborhoods
- Lined up Rohnert Park Public Safety to provide Santa Claus & Sled combination
- Lined up volunteers for cleanup duty
- Provided free landscaping service to Sara’s mom.
Gail’s Story
David and Kathy Lee of DK Landscaping donated their services to a widow, named Gail as she fought cancer and who was faced a financial hardship. Gail had to move out of her Rohnert Park home, rent it out and relocate to a low income housing unit.
During her time of need, DK Landscaping cleaned, fixed and upgraded the irrigation system and maintained her landscaping for 1.5 years until her passing.
Tamar’s Story
Tamar moved with her partner from Colorado to California to pursue new careers. They rented a nice place in Santa Rosa. After some time, her partner went in a different direction and Tamar did not have the financial resources to remain at the rental. Tamar had to downsize and move to a lower cost rental.
The old place was weed free when they started renting it and the property manager expected it to be weed free upon the end of their lease. Her partner left the entire gardening chore to Tamar. Prior to moving out, Tamar worked her fingers to the bone to get the yard back to an an acceptable level. After Tamar has already settled in her new rental, the old property manager informed Tamar that the landscape was not acceptable and must be corrected within a few days. That is when Tamar contacted DK Landscaping.
Tamar was stressed out over her move from Colorado, a new career, her partner going in a different direction, moving out of the old place, moving in to the new place, and the pressure from the old property manager as well as, financial constraints — the landlord will not return her deposit.
After hearing Tamar’s story from her sister in-law, Misty, DK Landscaping decided to perform the job as a community service event. We cleaned up the rental to satisfy the landlord so that Tamar’s security deposit would be refunded.
The Flare of Fall
Fall is officially here. For some, it means crisp clean air that gives us a break from the summer heat. For others, the first thing that comes to mind is bare trees and dull and colorless landscape. DK Landscaping shows you that fall doesn’t need to mark the end of beautiful landscaping and that it’s actually the optimal time to highlight colors in your landscape.
If you’re looking to put a little spice in your fall, consider these trees and shrubs (as well as the one’s pictured):
SUGAR MAPLE TREES: A great, extra-reliable tree that makes an impressive statement in fall. Sugar maple are known for their distinctive flower and bark characteristics and offers gorgeous red, burnt-orange, or yellow end-of-the-season leaves.
SOURWOOD TREES: Has summer blooms that look like lily-of-the-valley flowers. The drooping panicles hang on the tree until it turns color in late autumn, giving the effect of white flowers set against brilliant red foliage.
MUMS: Gives your garden a splash of cheerful color well into the cooler months at a time when the rest of your flowers are winding down.
DOUBLEFILE VIBURNUM
This beautifully tiered branching gives a layered look with reddish/purplish leaves
Finally, there are a number of accessories, centered around the season that can further enhance your fall look without the long term commitment. Adding bales of hay and cornstalks to the landscaping — these can often be picked up at local farms or even craft stores. Pumpkins and gourds also make wonderful additions to the bright colors of the fall landscaping. These can be added to a porch or front entrance, or can even be placed on the ground among your other plants. Last, a fall wreath on the door adds the perfect touch to the fall landscaping outside of any home.
BURNING BUSH
Known for their brilliant red fall foliage. With dark green leaves through spring, in late summer the leaves turn a beautiful burgundy red.
With the proper preparation, any yard can easily be transformed for the season of fall. Any local nursery or home improvement store will have a large selection of items available to purchase so that the added touches of shrubs, fall flowers and trees can give your home an elegant and seasonal look with little effort.
For more information and tips on your landscaping needs, please contact DK Landscaping (707) 280-3632 or by email, davidmunlee@aol.com.
Pitfalls of Unlicensed Contractors
Let’s face it! Economic times are still tough and everyone is looking for a bargain. But the one area a homeowner should avoid taking shortcuts with is hiring an unlicensed contractor. There are plenty of them out there and most often, they come in at lower bids. And what seems like a “great deal” could end up winding you a lot more than you bargained for in the end.
Take for example a recent case of an older Santa Rosa couple who wanted to save themselves $1,500 on a job by hiring an unlicensed contractor (this technically made the homeowner the contractor and liable for any and all mistakes and injury). During the job, one of the workers fell off a ladder and was seriously injured. He in turn sued the couple for over a $100,000 and was successful!
An unlicensed contractor lacks the necessary permits and the liability and workers compensation insurance that’s required. Failing to check for a license or overlooking the lack of one, can backfire if the contractor simply disappears without doing the work or if the work is shoddy. Not only can homeowners be subject to a rude awakening, but the homeowner’s insurance policy might not pay the claim if it was connected to an unlicensed activity.
DK Landscaping provides you key things to look for when hiring a prospective contractor to ensure they meet certain qualifications and make your landscaping experience a positive and professional one:
- Contact your Contractors State License Board (CSLB) or go visit http://www.cslb.ca.gov: A contractor’s license offers the homeowner some degree of protection during and after the project. An active license indicates that someone in the company attended classes for their trade, passed a state exam and can legally work in the State of California. Here you can look up the status, bankruptcy, years in business, fines and disciplinary actions. You can also make sure the contractor is not currently involved in any disputes.
- Get Proof of Insurance: Call the contractors insurance company and confirm insurance is current and will cover your type of project. Liability insurance covers property and bodily injury losses caused by the contractor. Surety bonds pay damages to the homeowner if the contractor fails in his or her duties. Finally, workers’ compensation covers employees who are injured on the job and ensures that those injury claims don’t come back to you, which they could if your contractor doesn’t have workers’ compensation insurance.
- Check References: Get a list of references and call to find out about the quality of the work. Did the contractor stick to the original budget numbers and timeliness? Were they happy with the contractors work? Did the homeowner have any issues with problems after the project was over?
If your unlicensed contractor goes missing in action or phone calls aren’t returned after the job completion, be prepared to pay for someone else to do the repairs. If disputes arise with your licensed contractor, the CLSB has a dispute resolution process including mediation. You can make a claim against the contractor and get the work completed or obtain a judgment for the contractor’s surety payment.
Most importantly, know who you are letting into your home. Once they are able to satisfy the legal requirements to perform your work, make sure they perform the work to YOUR satisfaction.
DK Landscaping is a fully licensed and bonded landscape contractor. For more information on our services please call us at (707) 280-3632 or contact us by email, davidmunlee@aol.com.
