Atlanta Wins! Its the worst city for turf problems!

Well it is nice to win… unless it is something like this! Atlanta has been given the distinction as the worst city for weeds this next growing season. Let me tell you, as a landscape guy in Atlanta, this is a bummer.

Click here for a link to the story from the NALP website

We have been noticing that over the last 8-10 years that managing turf in Atlanta has become more of a challenge. There are just so many issues that can come up given our climate and this spring looks to be as challenging as any we have seen.

Hopefully we disappoint NALP and this distinction does not fall upon Atlanta and all of our turf loving clients! Time will tell but we do have a great program set for this season and if you see anything that concerns you with your turf, don’t hesitate to give us a call.

HOUZZ 2018 LANDSCAPING SURVEY RESULTS

It can be very interesting to see information like this. Houzz just released their survey results from their most recent survey. The results don’t necessarily surprise us but it is interesting nonetheless. Let us know what you think, and if we can help you with your landscape project please let us know.

Houzz Landscape Survey Results – Click Here

Scapes March Update

It is already March 1st and it seems more like March 20th! The spring blooming plants together with the late blooming Winter plants have made the last 2 weeks beautiful! I don’t remember ever seeing Camellias blooming with Cherry trees or Bradford Pear Trees blooming in February. It looks like so far, we are at least 3 weeks ahead of normal bloom time. Those of us who have lived in Georgia for a long time know that most likely winter is not over for us. If we get temperatures close to 30 degrees we will see some damage. If the temperatures drop into the 20’s to teens after everything is leafed out, we could see some significant damage to plants.

With everything happening faster this year, we are very busy now with all the remaining Spring tasks to complete.

Starting next week, your property will be serviced every week through September.
Our intention with the schedule is to keep the same foreman and service day each week, unless there is some unforeseen circumstance like weather or illness.

The crews will finish up any remaining Spring pruning this month. You may see the crews doing some pocket pruning on your plants this time of year. This process is when we make some deep cuts to any dense shrubs to allow light and air into the interior of the plant promoting good plant health.

We have already begun spreading a balanced fertilizer around all ornamental trees and shrubs as well as treating all open bed areas with a pre-emergent weed control to control warm season weed seed germination. We are still in the process of applying systemic pest control to plants that are prone to attacks or ones that have had issues in the past.

Lowering all warm season turf will be done this month. Due to the recent warm temperatures, warm season grass has already started sending up new growth. The crew will be cutting to remove the top layer of dead grass from last year, exposing the new green grass underneath. Please let us know if you see any suspicious areas that look like fungus could be starting. Warm wet weather is the perfect condition for fungus to grow.

Irrigation audits and system startups have begun this week. We will be turning the water back on at the main line, running through each zone checking for leaks, malfunctions, and broken heads. Head adjustments will be made as needed for best plant coverage. The controller will be left in the off position due to the current excessive amount of rain. I will let you know when the controller needs to be turned on for the season. You will be notified when we will be in your area and need access to your controller. If there are any issues requiring further work at an additional cost, we will let you know and send a proposal for repair.

If you have not already, I would encourage you to install a layer of mulch or pinestraw in all planting beds to help with weed control and to help plants retain moisture going into the warm months.

Flower proposals will be sent next week. Spring seasonal color install begins in April. If you would like us to install flowers this year and you have not had them in the past, let us know and we would be happy to make some suggestions!

As always, we appreciate your business and I am always available to walk your property with you at your convenience.

Tammy McDowell
Scapes Landscape Management Client Care

Client Involvement in a Scapes Installation!

Good morning from Scapes!

Here is a picture of the crew at the Sabaj residence… including Abraham Sabaj with his new Scapes shirt on. He loved working with the crew and appreciated the shirt! He said he would give us and the crew a great recommendation.

We should tell him that he will be part of the reviewed if so!  Mr. Sabaj was involved in the day to day and seemed to love the process.  So much so that we gave him his own shirt!

Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Sabaj!  We really enjoy working with you.  Cant wait to see the finished product!

Interesting article on uninsured landscapers

This is an interesting audio clip from Lisa Fiore, president of the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association.  The discussion is about what they are doing in their area to combat the problem.  We see this in the Atlanta area also and wish there were better ways to protect potential clients and our community from these “businesses”.

We support a fair and competitive marketplace and support legitimate businesses as competition.  There are just too many contractors out there skirting the rules.

http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/video/ll-013118-dealing-with-the-uninsured-ilca/?isid=NDAwMzM5NA%3d%3d

Arbor Renovation in PVC and Cedar

Given an opportunity to renovate an arbor from one of our award winning projects from 2002, we jumped at the chance to update the materials.  The original arbor top was made out of pressure treated lumber.  It lasted for a long time and only needed occasional painting to keep looking new.  Eventually the wood was just too tired to freshen up so we decided to rebuild the top of the arbor.

Materials have changed a little in the past 16 years so we decided to rebuild the top in PVC.  The look would be almost exactly the same.  The durability and maintenance would be drastically different.

The original beam and rafters were removed and then replaced with a new PVC beam with a PVC cap.  The new rafters were replaced with dimensional cedar for a more unique look.  Pete Wilkerson with Scapes said, “We wanted a more durable product and an updated look from the original painted pressure treated arbor top.  This new version should long surpass the original designs lifespan.”

The original low voltage lighting and posts were able to be reused and look as good as ever.  If you have a renovation to a once beautiful garden structure, or a renovation to an existing landscape, give Scapes a call.

Scapes February Update

Just a quick update on what is happening in your landscape this month.

The leaves are cleaned up and we are ramping up for Spring!

If you have an event this month or would like a specific week, please let us know and we will do our best to rearrange the schedule as we want to make sure your property looks great!

 Right now we are continuing to focus on pruning. This time of year we will be cutting back roses, some crape myrtles, ornamental grasses, perennials, and liriope. This is the time of year to do any “hard pruning”. Things on your property getting too big? Maybe they need to be cut all the way back so they can rejuvenate? If there are any areas in your yard that you would like to rein back, let me know and we can meet and discuss options.

 We are noticing some winter cold damage. With the extremely low temperatures this winter, we have seen cold burn on some sensitive plants. A few plants that are more “cold sensitive” are Wax Myrtles, Indian Hawthorne, Tea Olives, Loropetelum, and Encore Azaleas. Most of these plants will recover naturally as the temperatures warm up in the Spring. Some may require extra pruning to help them recover. If you notice brown leaves on shrub or yellow blades of grass in your fescue, it is most likely cold burn. I would be happy to check any plants that you may be concerned about.

Speaking of cold damage, all the seasonal color this winter took an especially hard hit from the cold and snow. We will be maintaining your flower beds this month and are making a plan for replacements in the coming months.

 Fertilizer, pre-emergent weed control, and preventative systemic pest control will all start being applied this month.  Starting at the end of this month and heading into March, we will be applying fertilizer to all of your ornamental plant material. If we have noticed any plants that need a little extra fertilizer, we will also do that this time of year. We will also apply a pre-emergent weed control in beds to help control warm season weeds. Closer to the end on the month, we will be applying preventative systemic pest control to plants that are prone to attacks or that have had pest issues in the past.

 This in an excellent time of the year to put down a fresh layer of pine straw or mulch.  Both of these help control weeds, retain moisture around plant roots, and reduce plant stress from extreme temperatures. Please let me know if you would like a proposal!

We appreciate your business!

Tammy McDowell

Residential Client Care