Archive for Real Estate
How and When to use Fertilizer in Your Lawn and Garden
Time for our annual reminder that fall is one of the best times to apply fertilizer to your lawn. Why? Because a proper application of fertilizer before the first frost will help it survive a harsh winter. Certain plants such as pansies, Iceland poppies, and calendula, usually need to be fertilized now, too, because most soil doesn’t provide the essential nutrients they need for optimum growth.
Guide to Healthy Lawns
Sonoma County is home to more than a dozen grass species. These cool-season grasses actively grow in the spring and fall. That’s why it’s important to fertilizer during those times of years. Experts recommend that at least one fertilizer treatment be a “complete” one that includes all three primary nutrients a healthy lawn needs: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Otherwise, most established lawns need only a nitrogen rich treatment on a regular basis.
Some signs that your lawn needs fertilization include:
- Discoloration
- Slow growth
- Weed or other pest invasion
The key to a health lawn is making sure just the right amount of fertilizer is applied over the course of a year. Too little and you have the problems listed above; too much and root growth slows down, leaving your lawn vulnerable to problems like insect infestation.
Fertilizer as Part of Regular Landscape Maintenance
A lush, green lawn depends on more than watering and mowing. It’s the result of regular, strategic maintenance throughout the year. DK Landscaping’s innovative lawn maintenance plan helps your yard stand out in the neighborhood.
From streetscapes and business complexes to condos and single-family homes, DK Landscaping delivers consistent, reliable landscape maintenance services to local properties. Any business or homeowner who wants to protect their investment should consider using a service like ours that gets a landscape on a regular maintenance schedule.
Helping our commercial and residential customers enhance their landscape is a vital part of what we do. We know the best time to fertilize, what spot treatments are needed, and when it’s the best time to uproot weeds, aerate, mow, and mulch. We want to help you get and keep a healthy and beautiful lawn!
As professional landscapers we also provide monthly irrigation inspections to help you manage your water use and save money while doing it. Other maintenance services include:
- pH test to check for proper nourishment
- Tree care including trimming, planting, moving, disease control, and removal
- Seasonal color plantings
- Garden bed care including pruning, weeding, fertilizing, and mulching
Learn More
Want to learn more about keeping your lawn in prime condition through the use of fertilizer? Contact us today. We look forward to discussing with you all the benefits of getting on a regular landscape maintenance schedule!
Backyard Ideas: 5 Easy Tips for Creating a Beautiful Drought-Resistant Back Yard
Earlier this year California made permanent the water restrictions that had been in place throughout the drought. While many people re-landscaped their front yards during the dry years, many more let their back yard lawns wither away, or removed them completely. But efficient, non-wasteful irrigation doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a beautiful back yard retreat.
Xeriscaping, or water-wise, climate appropriate gardening, can allow you to have all the color, blooms, and lushness you desire while significantly reducing water use and maintenance. Try one or more of these 5 backyard ideas that are ideal for the dry summers and wet winter Mediterranean climate of Sonoma County.
Low-maintenance backyard ideas
Landscaping your back yard with waterwise techniques is not only environmentally friendly, it can be downright gorgeous. Here’s how.
Native plants
Always a good choice for xeriscape principles, climate-appropriate plantings are those that are suited to your local water availability. Here in Sonoma, good native choices include
- Perennials like lavender, rosemary, Santa Barbara daisy, Mexican sage, verbena, catmint, and dusty miller.
- Annuals and bulbs that are well-adapted to drought-tolerant gardens. Think daffodils, irises, California poppies, larkspur, and alyssum.
- Vines that include climbers like wisteria, honeysuckle, grape, and potato vine.
- Drought-tolerant grasses such as fountain, blue oat, blue fescue, sedge, and deer grass.
- Aloe, agave, echeverias, and sedums are good succulent choices that cover a wide spectrum of the green palette.
Groundcovers
Groundcovers are a great replacement for lawns, help to prevent soil erosion, and add a lovely splash of color. Is your Sonoma back yard mostly sunny? Rockrose is a hardy choice that requires almost no care. More shade than sun? Try creeping barberry. It’s bright yellow flowers in mid spring and blue berries in early summer make this a real show-stopper.
Don’t forget the mulch. It helps to moderate soil temperature, curtail evaporative water loss, and keep the weeds out of sight. The most common mulches are chipped or shredded bark, but gravel and stone can also be used.
Hardscape
There’s nothing more low-maintenance than hardscape. Paved areas, retaining walls, and stone and brick pathways create a clean minimalist look that can be enhanced and added to depending on what style back yard you prefer. Try a walkway of pea gravel with stepping stones that leads from the deck to the garden. A stone patio or composite deck are ideal for backyard barbecues.
Decorative stone
Use a mix of different gravels throughout the backyard landscape for more visual appeal. Decorative stone like river rock comes in many different sizes, shapes, and colors. Together with decomposed granite, it’s a great choice for surrounding a water feature or filling a raised or flat bed.
Create multiple outdoor living spaces
A nice balance of plantings and outdoor living areas lets you extend your home’s footprint while having less grassy areas to maintain. Even less expansive back yards can have several smaller areas that offer lots of options for entertaining. One area can feature the grill, another the bar setup, and another can hold seating and dining options.
Just keep in mind that regular maintenance isn’t eliminated by xeriscaping. Fertilizing, pruning, and occasional weeding are all still required. Irrigation systems should be tested and adjusted according to the season. And pest management is a core practice of xeriscape ideology.
Learn More
If you’d rather spend less time taking care of your back yard and more time relaxing in it, or just want some more terrific backyard ideas for your own home, contact us today. We’d love to show you all the ways a water-smart backyard can be a beautiful one, too.
Landscaping Guide: How to Create a Beautiful and Functional Garden Design
There is no perfect garden design for all properties. Therefore, if you are interested in improving your landscape by establishing a garden, you must create a custom design that matches your needs. We at DK Landscaping know that an ideal design should complement the unique aspects of your property. Each piece of land has idiosyncrasies which can be used in landscaping. In addition, you must think about your goals for your new garden. Here are some simple guidelines to help you get started.
Choose Your Plants Wisely
The best garden begins with the selection of the right plants to complement your landscape design and practical needs. In general, the first issue that you should consider when choosing your flora is the purpose of the garden. This space can be used to grow ornamental plants for aesthetic appeal. Alternatively, you can choose to grow edibles such as herbs and vegetables. If you are interested in both edibles and visual impact, it is possible to combine both types of plants.
The climate and environment is also an important consideration during the selection of plants for your garden. If you choose flowers, herbs or vegetables which cannot withstand growth in your local conditions, your garden will fail prematurely. It is advisable to choose indigenous plants because they grow naturally without the need for constant care. You can conduct research on the flora that grows in California for the best decisions.
Define the Boundaries
Boundaries are essential elements in garden design. If your garden does not have clear edges, your landscape will look like a wild land with plants growing haphazardly. Therefore, you must create distinct borders to define the perimeter of your garden and create order. If you would like to have a completely green landscape, consider using a hedge around your garden. For a more formal look, build a fence to isolate the space. It is also possible to edge the garden with stones. The stones will create a boundary without interfering with the visual effect of the garden.
Paths for Your Garden Design
Pathways are essential for a garden, especially one that experiences considerable foot traffic. The paths will allow smooth navigation around the space while protecting the landscape from the dangers of human carelessness. When designing your garden, you should think about the ideal places to form paths. You must also ensure that the path is wide enough for convenient use. To prevent the growth of plants on your pathways, consider installing a pavement or at least pouring gravel.
Borrow the Scenery
Gardens can be made more interesting by borrowing the scene from the surroundings. This borrowed scenery technique involves incorporating the view of a special feature into your garden. Simply speaking, this practice is about capturing the view beyond your own garden. For instance, you can trim the trees in your garden to reveal a distant building, your neighbor’s orchard or a mountain. Though these elements will not be on your property, they will have an impact on the aesthetics.
Enjoy Your Garden
Finally, you should create a comfort zone in your garden to allow you and your guests to enjoy the natural appeal of the space. For instance, a garden bench in a secluded spot might be perfect for settling and reading. A patio bordering the garden might be what you need for entertaining guests.
If you are interested in learning more about garden design, consult our landscaping experts for customized advice and guidance.
Lawn Treatment Tips
Proper maintenance of your lawn is crucial for a perfect residential landscape. If the right upkeep practices are not upheld, the lawn will deteriorate. Invasive weeds will grow on the land, the plants will lose their lushness and the grass might begin to wither. On the other hand, if you make time for lawn care, you will preserve the natural appeal of your yard. Here are simple lawn treatment tips to help you keep your residential landscape beautiful and healthy.
Aerate the Lawn Soil
Compacted soil does not support the efficient growth of grass. If the ground is too compact, the roots of the grass will not grow deep. Moreover, water, air and nutrients will not be mobile and readily available in the soil. Fortunately, you can relieve compaction and aerate the lawn soil by creating holes in the ground at intervals. There are specialized tools for aeration, but a simple garden fork will also be effective. You will only need to push the prongs into the ground at short intervals.
Apply Suitable Fertilizer
Feeding the lawn with fertilizer can improve the appearance and health of the grass. The treatment will provide the nutrients which might be absent from the soil. If your landscape is large, it is advisable to acquire specialized equipment for nutrients feeding. However, if the lawn is relatively small, you can manually apply the fertilizer to the grass. Ideally, the material should be used during the rainy season. Fertilizer will burn the grass if it stays on the blades. If it does not rain, you should irrigate the yard thoroughly to allow the nutrients to sink to the soil.
Plan on Over-seeding
Over-seeding is a beneficial practice for old and tired lawns. It is advisable to consider this process if your lawn is showing signs of thinning out, or there are bare patches on the land. In general, over-seeding involves covering the entire loan with a mixture of grass seeds and fertilizer. When these seeds grow, they will fill in the gaps between the thinning areas of the lawn, creating a lush and uniform landscape. If you decide to carry out this process, remember to keep the lawn moist to facilitate germination.
Mow the Lawn Correctly
Mowing is an important part of keeping your lawn in good condition. However, if you do not perform this maintenance process correctly, you could cause more harm to your landscape. Where possible, it is prudent to have your grass mowed by a skilled professional. If you must handle the work, you must remember to only cut about a third of the total grass length. Cutting more will compromise the growth of the grass. You must also avoid mowing wet grass because moisture causes clumping. Mowing the lawn in this condition increases the risk of patching.
Going Beyond Lawn Treatment Tips
Maintaining a beautiful landscape is not only as simple as upholding simple lawn treatment tips. The best upkeep and care practices require effort, time, skill and experience. Therefore, if you are interested in improving your residential lawn for long-term health and aesthetics, consider consulting our experts at DK Landscaping Inc. Whether you need mowing and edging or fertilization and weed management, you will receive the best services for a beautiful home.
Finally…Here are the Elements of Amazing Garden Design!
Garden design is about getting the most out of your outdoor space and creating an inviting backdrop for family, friends, and neighbors.
You obviously want to get to the point of enjoying your outdoor landscape as soon as possible, but a lot of work goes in to getting things just right.
Garden design revolves around having the right location, soil conditions, boundaries, and surfaces to work around. That said, the elements of garden design can’t be overstated.
The Elements and Location of Your Garden
There are two basic elements of great garden design – something known as hard elements (i.e., relatively immovable design details like paths, walls, lounge chairs, and decks) and the actual plants and flowers that adorn your garden.
Hard landscape elements can include beautiful additions to your outdoor landscape like a koi pond stocked with fish or a stone path that gradually opens up to a breathtaking garden rich with flowers and color.
These two basic elements of garden design – the hard elements and the actual plants you use – dynamically work together to bring out the best in your garden.
Creating a Powerful Effect
The kind of paving that you use leading up to your garden can have a dramatic effect on the overall impact of your garden. Grey stone with purple lilac, for instance, can create a captivating French country look that really inspires.
On the other hand, working with a professional landscaping company to curate a manicured lawn and lush garden around black paving can create a modern look that’s both classy and inviting.
A professional landscaper can cut through all of the guesswork and help you determine what the best garden design for your home would be.
The best garden design for you is determined by your design preferences, of course, but also strongly suggested by your climate zone and any microclimates in your area.
Your particular climate can affect whether you’re able to plant annuals or whether hardier perennials would be a better choice. Your climate also impacts things like seeding, blooming, aeration, irrigation, and the soil foundation that fundamentally make a great garden.
The Soil, Boundaries, and Surfaces of Garden Design
A lot of homeowners want to fast forward ahead to enjoying a garden lush with roses, lilacs, tulips, and dahlias…and those are all beautiful. The foundation for all of those, though, is your garden’s soil.
There’s a process that a professional landscaping company can help you with known as amendment, which is where nutrients are added to your subsoil and topsoil to ensure that it provides a foundation for healthy plant and flower growth.
A landscaping company can use the right soil structure – whether that’s loam, silt, or some amount of clay – for your garden’s flowers, acidity levels, and your particular climate.
Boundaries and Surfaces for Framing
Having the right boundaries (e.g., a line of hedges and nice, white fence) and surfaces directly bordering your garden (e.g., woodchips, straw, or pebbles) can open up the possibilities with your garden design.
Using structural plants to frame the sides of your garden is a staple of good garden design as well. Boxwood and bay laurel can be planted year round and are relatively easy to maintain.
Evergreen shrubs are another popular border. The most popular border for most gardens is your lawn.
Having your lawn maintained or shaped and maintained around your new garden (lawns can be square, circle, or oblong-shaped) gets everything off on the right foot.
Professional landscapers can walk you through your options when it comes to garden design and picking the best aesthetic and practical features for your new garden. Contact us for more information.
Kinds and Uses of Fertilizer
Are you a gardening enthusiast or local farmer? Well if you are you most likely do all in your power to create and maintain a healthy environment for your blooms or crops. There are some cases though that crops or plants don’t grow to their full potential and one of the main reasons for this is poor soil quality. There are a few techniques that can be applied to rectify the issue of poor soil quality one of which is the use of fertilizer.
Fertilizers In Detail
Fertilizer can come in several forms and is an excellent way to enrich your soil and promote plant growth. Before using fertilizer with your plants or crops it would be a good idea to educate yourself on the different types of fertilizers and why they are used. It would also be best to read labels to ensure that applications are accurately made when using fertilizer. Here is a list of some of the most commonly used fertilizers in gardens or on farms. These include:
- Organic Fertilizer – These consist of naturally bio-degradable materials and mostly come in the form of animal manure but others can also contain compost, seaweed, peat moss, mineral deposits and other ingredients from nature. This type of fertilizer is great for gardens and crops as it not only restores the overall soil quality but improves the long term health of soil.
- Inorganic Fertilizer – Again this type of fertilizer can come in several forms including liquid, powdered or granular form. These fertilizers are generally used to treat industrial fields as they are cheaper and produced on a large scale. They also allow plants to carry nutrients from the soil easily since they are not as bulky as organic fertilizers.
- Chemical Nitrogenous Fertilizer – This type of fertilizer usually comes in granular form and has a high content of nitrogen. Once applied to the soil it is converted to ammonia and dissolves when it rains where the nutrients then travel through the ground and into the plant’s roots.
- Phosphate Fertilizer – This is mainly applied to soils that are acidic and is contained in both organic and synthetic forms. This type is usually applied during the sowing season.
- Potassium fertilizer – This is normally utilized to help improve plants thriving in sandy soil. It works to increase the potassium content where it’s inadequate. Potassium fertilizer can come in the form of sulfate of potash and muriate of potash. Sulfate of potash is made by treating potassium chloride with magnesium sulfate and muriate of potash uses a crystallized form of potash to fertilize plants which is absorbed at the surface level of the ground.
Now that persons are a bit more educated on the different types of fertilizers and their uses they should easily be able to determine how and what type of fertilizer they should use to achieve the best results with their plants or crops. Contact us for more information.
Inexpensive & Easy Backyard Ideas
Spring is just around the corner, and what better time than now to give your backyard a makeover? Whether you have a cozy yard or a sprawling retreat, there are a host of inexpensive and easy backyard ideas you can try that will enhance your lawn, garden and outdoor living areas.
Easy Backyard Ideas
- Create a living fence by decorating a wall with an espaliered tree. You don’t have to be a master gardener to do it, and it gives your yard a high-end look without the high-end expense. Espaliered trees are a great way to make a small yard look like it’s filled with greenery.
- Here’s one of the best money-saving backyard ideas. For an inexpensive way to add hardscaping – walkways, edging and retaining walls – ask your landscaping company if they have stone leftovers. Stacked together, the different shapes, sizes and colors make a beautiful elevated garden section that looks incredibly natural. Use low-growing groundcovers and other perennials to present a gorgeous burst of color.
- Sometimes, the simpler the better backyard ideas win the day. Create low-cost nooks by rearranging garden furniture in separate areas of the yard; perhaps one area for eating and another for relaxing. The idea is to create conversation zones where family and guests can gather to catch up and enjoy themselves. No need to buy new furniture – but coordinated pillows and chair pads are great for giving each area its own distinct look.
- One of the easiest backyard ideas for adding color is by using containers that are filled with annuals. Annuals are less expensive than perennials and shrubs but really pack a punch when arranged in containers. For a calm, retreat-like feel, use vessels of one color, though the shapes and sizes can differ.
- If you’re in need of a new piece of furniture, but it’s just not in the budget this year, try this fun DIY seating area constructed from low-cost concrete blocks that are fitted with wood beams and then a foam cushion. True sophistication for little money!
- Outdoor lights are one of everyone’s favorite backyard ideas. They’re fun, they say celebration and their sparkle adds a warm glow to backyard gatherings. Use different color string lights or LED cords to wrap a tree or line a pathway. You can even run a set down the length of the table for a lovely light to dine by.
- If you want to cut back on how much water-hungry lawn you have, check out interesting, less-expensive paving materials such as crushed rock and gravel. They’re perfect for placing underfoot at outdoor seating and dining areas. If you’re in love with the look of traditional, larger pavers, use fewer of them interspersed in your grass in order to cut down on your total outlay.
- Many hardscape elements, such as trellises, can be found at flea markets or garage sales. You may even have enough scrap materials around the house to construct one. Who doesn’t have a bunch of old frames packed in boxes just waiting to be used “one day?” Take some inspiration from this beautiful piece and put those frames to good use. If you love the rustic look, there’s no need to varnish or paint them. Trellis are one of the best backyard ideas for adding height and defining backyard traffic flow.
There’s always a way to get the beautiful backyard you’ve always wanted without having to break the bank. These fun and beautiful backyard ideas are the perfect way to get started!
Got Curb Appeal?
First impressions are everything! The same concept holds true when speaking about your landscape. From a real estate perspective, a good first impression, aka “curb appeal” is about using your landscape to enhance the appearance of your home. Whether you want to boost your curb appeal, market the value of your home or simply want to transform your space to make your lawn & garden look pristine, DK Landscaping helps you come up with the inspiration for the look you desire and making your property the talk of the neighborhood:
Here are a few simple ways to enhance and maintain your landscape:
General maintenance: Mowing your lawn, pruning back trees/shrubs weeding, fertilizing, mulching, leaf and debris-free to watering will keep your yard looking beautiful and eye-catching throughout the entire growing season.
Visually inviting entryway: There are a lot of little things you can do to spruce up your front entryway including keeping it debris free. If you have an old, dull concrete stoop with cracks? Update to a beautiful stone stoop or porch.
Providing a focal point: Plantings, landscape lighting like lamp posts, and decorative pieces like a small water fountain are good ideas.
Colorscape: Adding a splash of vibrant annuals and perennials flowers and plants will make a big statement.
Landscaping lighting: A small yet impactful solution, outdoor accent lighting can not only enhance your yard aesthetically but also eliminate any dark, shadowy areas at night and prevent any safety hazards.
Updated driveway and/or walkway: If your driveway is old and outdated or starting to crack, updating it can have a big impact. There are pavers that imitate any stone for driveway landscaping—brick, travertine, limestone, etc. Same goes for any walkway in your yard. A new stone or paver walkway is a great front landscaping idea.
Stairways: Like retaining walls, stairs are ideal for hilly yards. Adding a staircase walkway to your sloped yard is a great way to add curb appeal—and give your visitors easier access to your door.
It is pretty easy to do many of these things yourself, but perhaps your front yard is devoid of plants and eye-catching features. You may consider planting a tree as a focal point, installing a trickling fountain, or even building a patio. In addition to these memorable details, it is important to use color to attract and focus attention on positive attributes of the landscape. This not only requires planning, but you may need a landscaping company to see some of these designs through.
Having good curb appeal makes selling your house easier, as potential buyers are looking for an aesthetically pleasing home. But don’t brush off having curb appeal even if you are not putting your house on the market. An attractive landscape design is always important!
/http:/assets.curbly.com/photos/0000/0016/5318/5.png){kind=link}
