Give mom black petunias for Mother's Day?

This year, give mom a new twist on Garden Favorites!

You can never go wrong with traditional containers with pink and white or red and white flowers to delight mom on Mother's Day. But this year, you could step beyond the conventional container.

Finally . . . basic black is in with flowers!

It's taken awhile for growers to develop the black petunia, but this year you can find them at retailers. If mom has a flair for drama, she might appreciate the Black-tie Combo available at many garden centers. You can create your own combo, too, using just black and white petunias. Or add some red or yellow petunias for a bright spot of color.

Did you know you can now grow impatiens in the sun?

Also new in 2011 is the sun-patiens. Unlike the impatiens plants we've enjoyed for years on shaded porches and patios, this one grows in the sun! If mom has a south or west-facing porch or patio, now she can enjoy a container of impatiens that won't die of sunstroke.

What's else is new in outdoor color? Everything!

Trendy décor finally moved beyond forest green, so there are now many colors in outdoor furnishings. Think about matching a patio planter to mom's color scheme.

Take a lesson from the monochromatic, pre-made hanging baskets, like Purple Cleopatra now at garden centers, that give bold one-color accents. This one features purple vein petunias combined with verbena and calibrachoa in other shades of purple. Your mom's fave may not be purple, but you get the idea. Working around one color is easy to do.

Adding accents of white flowers, like white geraniums and petunias, as well as green foliage will bring different interest to a one-color pot or basket.

Think practical, too

• If mom loves to cook, give her a container or two with herbs and veggies.
• If she's a tea drinker, plant some tasty mint in a teapot for a fun gift that also lets her pick and brew her own fresh tea. Besides traditional flavors of spearmint or peppermint, other flavor sensations can be found in orange mint and even chocolate mint. Not only is mint good tea, it's also a great garnish for fruit.
• Balance out showy containers with some down-to-earth useful items. Tuck a new trowel, package of fertilizer, gardening gloves or some seed packets among the plants.
• Or get even more practical with the gift of help for her yard. Provide a service for pruning her plants, creating a raised veggie garden or mowing the lawn all season.

In the realm of growing and giving, there are many lovely and useful options.

Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC

Heading out this weekend?

Weather this week reminds us that we're at the jumping off point for another glorious season outdoors. We're deciding what to plant-more veggies, splashier annuals, more perennials for longer lived color.


Before we get busy and just go plant something, we need to pull back. Think big picture.

What do you want your landscape, your balcony, your front porch, your patio, your curb appeal to do for YOU? Where does your landscape meet your life and how can you make it better?

If your outdoor space is where you want to live (or want to live more) in the warm months, do everything you can to make it friendly for you, your family, your guests.

• Do you need an expanded lawn area for little soccer players to kick the ball around?
• Has the dog worn trails across the grass that need to be remedied?
• Would an outdoor food prep area make entertaining easier?
• If you added some color and greenery to your patio, would that draw you outdoors more?
• Could a real fire pit create a gathering place for the teenagers you'd like to keep closer to home?

Answering these questions is all about having a plan and in the landscaping world, we call that plan a landscape design. The design relates to how we want to live in our landscape in a very pragmatic way. It incorporates the details that make the pet happy, cater to the kids, create privacy and drive the outdoor ambiance we want to enjoy.

On the practical side, a new design can be a problem-solver. Creating the big picture perspective for your space (even a very small one) will also point out problem areas that could be solved. Screening off the AC unit or solving a drainage problem by the downspouts isn't as much fun as adding a fire pit. But solving those problems along the way will help your state of mind and safeguard your property.

This weekend, if you're out planting carrot seeds or pushing petunias into pots, get a fresh take on how you want your landscape to meet up with your life.




Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC

Ready to plant something?

Carrots can be planted now.

Countdown to growing season!


This weekend the weather was warm. Daylight savings time began. And it's just 7 days until spring. Must be about time to plant something--and it is!
Right about mid-March is when we can plant those cool season veggies. Here are some choices you can start planting now:

• Early lettuce, like bibb
• Radishes
• Spinach
• Carrots
• Sugar snap peas or other peas that mature early.

Once these veggies are harvested in about mid-May, the garden can be re-planted with warm season crops--like broccoli, cauliflower, small cabbage and peas. When that crop is harvested around mid-July, that garden plot can again be planted with a repeat of the cool-season varieties. At that time, you can also add green onions and early-maturing snap beans. These plants should mature and be ready to harvest before the early fall frost.

When planting three successive crops, the key to pulling it all off in about six months is in counting the days to maturity--in other words, the time it takes for the seed to mature and yield vegetables ripe enough to pick.

Iceberg lettuce is generally 60 days from planting to harvest. Bibb lettuce matures in about 46 days--but the crop can be thinned out as early as 28 days. In Colorado's growing season, selecting varieties that mature more quickly, like bibb over iceberg, is what makes those three successive crops possible.

How do you know days to maturity? Check the back of the seed packet. The label will have valuable planting information and that includes days to maturity for the seeds inside.

And don't forget to plant some color! We're still about two months out for planting petunias and all the other annuals. But pansies can be planted as long as they have been hardened off to be accustomed to being outdoors. If you cover them with fabric when temps get below freezing, pansies can be planted either in pots or in the ground.

Pansies are Mother Nature's gift of early spring here in Colorado. They are the early flowers of the season that help us survive until we can go wild planting all those wonderful annuals!




Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC

Ambiance after Dark

The love of being outdoors lures us to drift from afternoon to evening to night-time enjoyment of our patios and backyards. That's partly because outdoor living resonates with our primal needs to connect with nature that get thwarted as we fight for space on the freeway and work in hermitically sealed offices.


At the end of the day, that lounge chair on the patio by the pot of petunias is ever so inviting. And when we can stretch late-day relaxation into the night-time hours, it's all the better.

But if your patio or deck is well lit and the rest of your yard is pitch dark, you know that uncomfortable feeling of sitting in light while being surrounded by darkness. The cozy ambiance of soft lighting and candles where you relax is simply undone by the darkness that stretches beyond. That can feel a little creepy.

The solution, of course, is to add more light--but not too much and not too bright. Adding light to outdoor living areas has to be done strategically and with subtlety.

Lighting up interesting areas of the yard makes the whole landscape more enjoyable after dark--and it cures that uneasy feeling of being surrounded by total darkness. Adding better light to the area by the grill means more food prep can be done outdoors and that's also a convenience factor with fewer steps back and forth to the kitchen.

Outdoor lighting is one of the more recent bells and whistles for landscaped areas--but it's also one of the most affordable options. It can be installed cost-effectively in a new yard and it can also be retrofitted later for not much more expense.

If you're thinking about lighting up the night around your home this season, think about security and safety as well as atmosphere. Notice whether people can see your address clearly at night, whether the sidewalk--and especially steps--are well lit. Outdoor lighting increases home security and it's one of the top items on the list for curb appeal to consider if your home is about to go on the market.




Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC

Need fresh ideas for your landscape?

Find inspiration for your landscape

Whether it's more Zen or more zing your landscape needs, you can find fresh ideas from ALCC's Excellence in Landscape Awards. This year's awards competition showcases the best designs, installations and maintenance projects throughout Colorado--and the photo gallery of recent recipients can inspire you for the outdoor season that's just weeks ahead.

Here are five fresh ideas from these award-winning landscapes that you might want to consider:


• Small spaces can be amazing places for outdoor living. A high-rise balcony or townhome backyard offer great possibilities. Or for an expansive yard, tucking a small living area into an inconspicuous space can make a cozy retreat.

• Outdoor lighting adds security, curb appeal and evening drama around a home.

• There's nothing like annual flowers for outdoor pizzazz. From new spins on traditional designs to exotic flower combos, annuals remain the number one outdoor fashion statement.

• Edibles are in and should not be segregated from the rest of the yard. Carefully placed combos of flowers and veggies not only ward off pests, but bring new visual interest to planting beds.

• Perennials are the newest trend for landscape value. Because they keep coming back year after year, perennial plants are the sought-after landscape investment for the long term. Seasoned gardeners know this--and others are catching on fast to this great outdoor value.


Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC

Why should you just add water?

The entire landscape is thirsty!

Mother Nature has not supported her plant life well this fall. There's been little more than one inch of natural rainfall since early September and an unseasonably warm fall. This one-two punch has left both trees and lawns parched. They have been losing the moisture that needs to be replaced for the plants to remain healthy. Property owners need to step in and help.

Lawns. Drag out the hoses and run the sprinklers to water the grass. Pay special attention to lawns on south-facing and southwest facing areas and on slopes as they receive more drying sun than other areas and that makes them more prone to winter kill.

Water trees with a deep-root
watering device attached to a hose.



Trees. Next, move on to water the trees. Watering them is not as easy as watering the lawn. But remember that trees were one of the most costly investments when the landscape was installed and as they grow, trees become even more valuable. Caring for them properly is an investment in your ongoing property value.

The key to watering trees effectively involves understanding what the "drip line" is and how to water around it. To picture the drip line, envision a circle around the outer rim of the tree where rainfall will "drip" off and hit the ground. That imaginary circle is the drip line.

Next, do a little math to create another imaginary circle that is beyond the drip line. Calculate the new circle by multiplying the distance from the tree trunk to the drip line by 1.5. For example, if the drip line runs in a circle 10 feet from the tree trunk and you multiply 10 x 1.5, that outer circle will be 15 feet beyond the tree.

The donut area between the drip line circle and the outer circle is the most critical area for watering your tree. This is where the feeder roots live and grow and where you need to add the moisture.

Use a hose connected to a deep-root watering tool that you push well into the soil. This device gets water closer to the roots than watering the surface of the ground. Insert the watering tool in a zigzag pattern at regular intervals a few feet apart throughout the donut area outside the drip line. This process will take a little time and energy--but might be a good excuse to get out to enjoy the balmy weather.


Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC

Artificial or real--which one is the greener Christmas tree?

Cutting down a perfectly shaped, growing tree to deck it in lights for two weeks and then send it to the trash heap sounds like a desecration of nature akin to Aztec sacrifice.

Doesn't basic logic suggest that using the same tree year in and year out would be much more sustainable than cutting down a new tree and disposing of it every year? While the logic seems plausible, the reality just isn't so.

An artificial tree must be used and re-used for 20 years to have a lower carbon footprint than a real tree. Grown trees, on the other hand, support Planet Earth the whole time they are growing by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. One acre of Christmas trees creates enough oxygen to support 18 people.

Trees grown on Christmas tree farms are also managed sustainably. For every tree that is harvested at the holidays, two to three more seedlings are planted. The cycle of life continues.

What about all those discarded trees the first week in January? Sending them to the landfill is not a sustainable option. Since most cities have tree recycling programs, however, you can extend the value of your tree through local recycling which will likely turn it into mulch for gardens, hiking trails and animal stalls.

How to select and care for a real tree:

• Do the freshness test by pinching a needle. A rich fragrance indicates a fresh tree. Remove a needle and bend it. If it snaps like a carrot, that's another sign of a fresh tree.
• Maintain freshness by cutting an inch off the base and setting the trunk in a stand that holds at least one gallon of water.
• Avoid the increased fire hazard of a real tree by adding water daily and switching to LED lights. They don't heat up to become a fire hazard. LEDs also use 90% less energy than traditional lights which adds even more to the tree's sustainability factor.

Want to cut your own tree?
The U.S. Forest Service manages 17 national forests throughout the Rocky Mountain region and issues permits for residents to cut down trees within the forests. Learn more.
Consider a "greener" tree this season and enjoy what an artificial tree will never give you--the tell-tale evergreen aroma that emotes the holiday season.

Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC

Water by the thermometer, not the calendar

The calendar says it's officially fall, but the last two weeks in September have been more like the first two weeks in August in terms of precip and daily high temps.

This September has been about the sixth hottest and driest on record, so the standard operating procedures for watering Kentucky bluegrass lawns do not apply.

September and early October are critical times for lawn care and moisture. The absolute worst thing you can do for a lawn is to allow it to become drought stressed just prior to going into winter. Drought stress will push the lawn into early dormancy causing it to shut down its energy before the grass plants have had time to store up nutrients needed to survive the winter months.

Think of bears that need to stoke up on food and fatten up before hibernating. It's similar with turfgrass. It needs to be in optimal health before taking its long winter nap.

Turfgrass is a perennial plant that moves through an annual cycle that involves spring/summer growth, storing energy to prepare for winter, winter dormancy and re-emergence in spring. So, what's the plan for right now?

Water. If your lawn is moving into dormancy and drying out, make sure it gets sufficient water. Keep watering about twice per week. Push a screwdriver into the soil to see how hard the soil is. It should go down several inches and easily.

Winterize the sprinkler system by blowing out the lines with compressed air. Remember it was a hard freeze the first week in October last year that damaged many non-winterized sprinkler systems along the Front Range.

Keep watering even after the system is winterized. Haul out the hose and keep watering as long as temps are warm.

Water all winter long--usually about once per month. Winter is when lawns lose their density due to lack of moisture and it takes far more water in spring to bring a lawn back than if you do winter watering. Check south and west facing lawns as they dry out faster due to more sun.

Fertilize one more time in the last half of October. Ironically, it's the two fall-ish fertilizations--the one around Labor Day and the one in late October--that are two of the three most important times to fertilize the lawn. Remember those bears.

Aerate if you can. Spring aeration is most beneficial, but if you can aerate in the fall it's another healthy step for your lawn.

Finally, mow the last couple of times to tuck your lawn in neatly for the winter.

Lawn under control, settle into fall. Plant some bulbs. Carve the pumpkin. And enjoy the down time 'til spring.


Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC

Fall is for loving your lawn

The calendar may still say summer. But in Colorado, the thermometer is already saying fall-ish.

We've noticed daily highs getting cooler and the daylight hours getting shorter. But did you notice the much cooler nights?

Right now, average night-time low temps are more than 10 degrees cooler than they were on August 1st. Cooler night-time lows mean fall is in the air and especially so, for the lawn. Cooler nights combined with fewer hours of daylight slows lawn growth considerably. And that means it's really time to crank down the water and soon, slow down the mowing.

Grass in fall mode needs less water and less mowing the closer we get to the official start date of fall in just a couple weeks.

Even with the grass slowing down, you still need to love your lawn a little longer this growing season with a bit more TLC. Do these fall lawn activities and you will build a hardier lawn for the winter and see a stronger come-back next spring.

• Apply a final application of fertilizer timed around the first day of fall, September 23rd. Using the same fertilizer you used earlier this season is fine. But if you need to buy more, look for a formulation high in Nitrogen and Potassium because these minerals are good for the roots.
• Core aerate the lawn before winterizing the sprinkler system. Aeration pulls plugs of soil and sod out of the lawn and these holes open up the soil so that the roots can take in maximum moisture during the winter.
• Zap turf weeds. Here's your last chance for this year to get after turf weeds. Giving one last round of control will really pay off next spring in terms of fewer weeds at the start of the season.
• Get expert help if you have had fungus or other turf disease or insect problems this summer.

Cultural practices like fertilization and aeration go a long way to reduce disease. But it's still a good idea to get problems properly diagnosed so you know what to do now and maybe next spring to get problems under control for good.

Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC

When it's hot there are weeds

When we get to July and the temperatures are hot, the summer crop of weeds shows up en mass in flower beds and shrub beds in particular.
Anytime you're dealing with weeds, the best defense is the proverbial offense. Being proactive right from the start gets weeds under control and keeps your landscape looking neat and trim.

What IS a weed?
We think of the common weeds like dandelions and thistle when we hear the W-word. But a weed can be any plant that is growing in the wrong place. An acorn that falls and starts to sprout an oak tree that will grow under the eaves of your house is really a weed. Any plant that is misplaced for aesthetic or practical reasons needs to be treated like the standard weed and removed.

Hot season weeds
Typical weeds in the hottest part of the growing season include spurge, purslane, mallow, bindweed and thistle. With the exception of bindweed and thistle, one of the best controls is simply using mechanical means to eradicate them-namely, pulling them out or hoeing, if the area permits.

But don't pull that thistle or bindweed!
If you've ever noticed that some weeds seem to proliferate after you pull them, you're right! This actually happens with certain weeds that have regenerative root systems. Literally, the more you pull them, the more weeds you'll get back.
When it comes to thistle and field bindweed, stop before you pull! Both of these weeds have amazingly long root systems. When you pull these weeds, most of the root system remains underground and will simply grow more weeds to replace the one you pulled.

The best control for these weeds is applying a treatment that will kill the above-ground plant and the root system so that they will be dealt with for good. If these weeds are in the lawn, be sure to select a product that will not harm the grass.
Some herbicides used to zap the designated weed may be harmful to other plants due to drift. Be very careful what you spray and when, as even a slight breeze can take the product where you don't want it.


Need help getting your weeds under control?
Call FLM at (970) 472-0690 or email us at foothillslanscape@comcast.net




Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC

Pet Friendly Landscape Tips

When it comes to pets and the yard, it will be easier to keep pets out of the proverbial dog house if you do a few things to accommodate their needs and to eradicate ongoing problems.  

Even a small water feature will cool pets on hot days.

Cool pets with a water feature.

• Most people think that water features are anything but pet-friendly and worry about having both pets and a water feature in their yard. In reality, water features are good for dogs.
• Water features provide an ongoing source of drinking water, but you need to use non-toxic cleaners in the water. Even a pond-less (stream like) feature will provide the water a pet needs.
• They also allow dogs to cool their feet. Since dogs perspire through their feet, keeping their feet cool helps them cope with the heat of summer.
• Making sure dogs stay hydrated on hot days when you are away from home is a major challenge solved by a water feature. A pet-friendly feature requires a few design and maintenance considerations, but little to no more expense than any other water feature.

Deal with puddles.

• Sporting breeds instinctively dig when they see water, so the best solution is to eradicate low spots that become puddles and lead to muddy paw prints across the floor.
• Short term fixes are as easy as placing rocks or bricks in holes and depressions. Swampy and puddle areas due to low spots in the yard or drainage problems should be dealt with by re-grading for the long-term solution.

Create shade.

• Female dogs, especially, like to nest and will dig a nest in cool places next to foundations. In wet weather, the nesting area holds water that can lead to foundation problems. This is one reason why dogs need to be encouraged to find shade in the right places.
• If there are few tree-shaded areas encourage dogs to seek shade by giving access to the north and east sides of the house or by making other shaded areas like the space underneath a trampoline accessible.

Beware of dangers on decks.

• Sadly, many dog owners have learned what dangerous places decks can be for their pets who have suffered heat strokes and other mishaps by being confined to the deck in hot weather. Dark wood decking gets extremely hot and wood decking often has painful splinters if not sanded regularly.
• If you are building or replacing a deck, consider a more pet-friendly choice if your pets will spend any time on the deck. One made of recycled products like Trex in a light, reflective color will be cooler and less maintenance than wood. Decks from recycled products are also splinter-free.

Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC

Sustainable lawncare is as easy as mowing the lawn!

Reduce, reuse, recycle is the sustainability mantra and it pays off for your lawn when you cut the grass with a mulching mower.

Here are some facts about grass clippings:

• 1,000 square feet of bluegrass lawn generates about 200 pounds of clippings each year.  
• Yard waste makes up 20 percent of all debris sent to land fills.  
• Hauling yard waste to landfills is labor, energy and emissions intensive.
• A mulching mower solves these problems by cutting up all the clippings as you mow and depositing them on top of the lawn.

Not only does mulching stop waste, it turns clippings into a green by-product that makes the lawn healthier.

Clippings left on the grass provide additional shade and green matter that helps keep moisture in the soil. Clippings are actually about 75 percent water.

Mulching is a water-saving process. If you change to a mulching mower, be sure to decrease the amount of water from what you've usually applied to the lawn. In some cases, this can be as much as half the amount. Monitor soil moisture and the weather and adjust accordingly.

Clippings are nitrogen-rich and will provide 25-30 percent of the nitrogen needs for the lawn. Since nitrogen is the primary ingredient in fertilizer, that means you will need less fertilizer to achieve the same results.

Clippings break down rather quickly and that process encourages beneficial microorganisms and earthworms which also promote lawn health.

  

Mowing tip: Unfortunately, many people sharpen their mower blade in the spring and forget about it the rest of the mowing season. Be good to your grass and sharpen the blade about once a month. A dull blade actually tears the blades of grass and can open the way to disease and other health issues. Keep the blade sharp--and keep mulching!
 
 
 
Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC