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Avoiding Common Landscaping Mistakes: Expert Tips from Giovine Landscaping

Posted on by Giovine

When it comes to landscaping, everyone dreams of a lush, inviting outdoor space. However, even seasoned homeowners can fall into common pitfalls that could compromise these dreams. At Giovine Landscaping, we’ve seen it all, and we’re here to help you avoid these common landscaping mistakes, everyone knows not to make, but might still fall victim to.

Neglecting Proper Planning

One of the biggest mistakes in landscaping is diving in without a solid plan. Many homeowners skip crucial steps like measuring their space, understanding sun exposure, or accounting for seasonal changes. Without a detailed design, your yard can end up looking disjointed and cluttered. A professional landscaping plan ensures every element works harmoniously to achieve the desired aesthetic and functionality.

Choosing the Wrong Plants

Plant selection is critical, yet many people pick species based on looks alone. Exotic or high-maintenance plants might seem appealing, but if they’re not suited to your climate or soil type, they’ll struggle to thrive. Stick to native or climate-appropriate plants that require less water, fertilizer, and effort to maintain. Giovine Landscaping can help you choose the perfect greenery for your yard’s unique conditions. Check out our previous blog post for more seasonal landscaping tips.

Improper Mulching

Mulch is a landscaping staple, but it’s often misused. Over-mulching (also known as “volcano mulching”) suffocates tree roots and fosters disease while under-mulching can leave plants exposed to weeds and temperature fluctuations. Apply a 2-3 inch layer evenly around plants and trees, keeping mulch slightly away from trunks and stems for optimal results.

Ignoring Soil Health

Healthy soil is the foundation of any thriving landscape, yet it’s often overlooked. It is a lively and rich material brimming with its ecosystem. Simply planting in compacted or nutrient-depleted soil will lead to disappointing results. Test your soil’s pH and nutrient levels before planting, and consider aerating the ground and adding compost or organic matter to boost fertility.

Improper Irrigation

Watering mistakes are another frequent problem. Overwatering drowns plants and encourages fungal diseases, while underwatering stresses them. Investing in a smart irrigation system or drip lines can ensure consistent and efficient hydration. Proper irrigation not only protects your plants but also conserves water and saves on utility bills.

Overlooking Hardscape Elements

Hardscaping features like patios, walkways, and retaining walls are essential for both aesthetics and functionality. However, poor installation or mismatched materials can detract from your yard’s overall look. Trusting experts to design and install hardscapes ensures durable and visually appealing results. Read up on our blog post about functional landscaping to learn more about how your garden features can serve a dual purpose.

Flawless Results with Giovine Landscaping

Avoiding these common landscaping mistakes is easier said than done. That’s where the expertise of Giovine Landscaping comes in. From designing your dream landscape to maintaining it, our team ensures your outdoor space stays beautiful and functional for years to come. Contact Giovine Landscaping today at (724) 316-3064 to schedule a consultation and see how we can bring your vision to life.

Creating a Fall-Themed Garden: Tips for a Harvest-Inspired Backyard

Posted on by Giovine

As the leaves begin to change and the air turns crisp, it’s the perfect time to transform your garden into a fall-themed paradise. Many helpful tips can allow you to enjoy a harvest-inspired backyard this season and at Giovine Landscaping, we believe that autumn offers a unique opportunity to celebrate the beauty of nature through vibrant colors and harvest-inspired decorations. Here’s how you can create a stunning fall-themed garden that reflects the season’s charm.

Choose the Right Plants

Start by selecting the right plants to embody the spirit of fall. Opt for colorful foliage and seasonal flowers. Chrysanthemums, also known as mums, come in various hues of orange, yellow, and red, making them ideal for a harvest-themed garden. Pansies and ornamental cabbage add rich textures and additional colors. Don’t forget about autumn perennials like sedum and aster that bloom well into the fall.

Incorporate Harvest Elements

To enhance the autumn aesthetic, incorporate elements that celebrate the harvest season. Pumpkins and gourds are quintessential fall decorations that can be arranged in various sizes and colors. Create an inviting display by grouping them in clusters along pathways or near flower beds.

You can also add corn stalks or hay bales as decorative accents. They not only serve as excellent fall decorations but can also function as seating for outdoor gatherings. For a rustic touch, consider using wooden crates to hold seasonal fruits like apples or pears, adding a natural element to your garden decor.

Incorporating seasonal accents is key to achieving a harvest theme. Consider hanging a wreath made of dried leaves, berries, or pinecones on your front door to welcome guests. You can also place lanterns filled with candles or LED lights around your garden to create a warm glow as the sun sets.

Utilize Fall Colors

When decorating your garden, focus on the rich color palette of fall. A scientific study has shown a correlation between the fall season and our psychological affinity for fall colors, so incorporating these shades in your gardenscape is a scientifically backed decision. Use decorative outdoor pillows, blankets, or even tablecloths in shades of burgundy, mustard yellow, and deep green. Consider painting flower pots or planters in these colors to tie the theme together. String lights with warm hues can create a cozy atmosphere, making your garden a perfect spot for evening gatherings.

Maintenance Tips

To keep your fall-themed garden looking its best, regular maintenance is essential. Rake leaves regularly, deadhead spent flowers, and ensure that plants receive adequate water. Mulching can help retain moisture and add a neat appearance to your garden beds. Discover a comprehensive fall garden maintenance guide in our previous blog post here.

Transforming your garden into a fall-themed retreat is a delightful way to celebrate the season. With the right plants, harvest decorations, and cozy spaces, you can create an inviting atmosphere that brings warmth and charm to your home. At Giovine Landscaping, we’re here to help you design and maintain your ideal autumn garden. Embrace the beauty of fall and let your garden shine! For more landscaping tips and services, contact us today at (724) 316-3064.

How to Grow a Topiary in Your Garden

Posted on by Giovine

Topiaries are wonderful additions to a garden that can bring it creativity and an eye-catching appeal. They are known to ornament the most luxurious of green scapes as their unique geometric shapes add a level of splendor to a property. Purchasing ready-made topiaries is an option, though an often costly one, but creating them on your own involves some basic skills that most garden owners are already familiar with. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll discuss all there is to know about growing a topiary in your backyard. 

Shrubs

Shrubs are one of two options for your topiary. It is important to select an evergreen species that is dense, resistant to pruning, and slow-growing for the best results. Choosing a plant in and of itself is an involved task, more of which you can read about in one of our previous blog posts. After making an adequate selection, you can take the first step in building your topiary.

Find a Sunny Location

To achieve the dense growth needed to create the eye-appealing geometries of your topiary, it must be getting even sunlight on all of its sides. Ensure your plant is located away from objects that could obstruct light, which is why it is not ideal to place it directly next to your home. The more specific light conditions required for your shrub should be identified by consulting its nursery tag. 

Keep Your Shrub Hydrated

A shrub’s growth consumes a decent amount of water, so don’t forget to check routinely for dry soil and hydrate it accordingly. Shrubs can turn brown at the tips, which could get in the way of the aesthetic desired by the garden owner. If that happens, apply fertilizer to your plant.

Choose A Main Stem

To get started on molding your soon-to-be leafy artistic creation, you must select one upright shooting stem to keep while the rest are removed. This selected root should be well-positioned for the intended shape of your design. Use a stake to tie down the main root and chop off the others using pruners. As the shrub develops, the main stems will continue to grow from the base. These should be removed to maintain the shrub’s intended shape. 

Clipping New Foliage

The process of forming your own topiary will require patience— remember, small changes will make a significant difference over an extended period. During the spring season, you should begin shaving down the new growth into the desired shape. New foliage will appear in a lighter shade of green, and when trimming it, the shear blades should be parallel with mature growth and the longest branches dealt with first. Pruning will be done during the other seasons as the shrub first takes it shape but can be reduced down to once or twice a year once it has matured. 

Vine Topiary 

To kick off your project, select a perennial vine of your choice. When first starting, it is good to select a vine that is low-maintenance and will grow at a rapid pace. As such, English Ivy is a popular option. Once this is done, you can now begin setting up your topiary structure.

Wire For Your Structure

A circular-shaped wire can be purchased from most home improvement retailers, where you will then place it in your soiled pot and plant one or two plants at the base where each wire leg touches the soil. The goal is that the vines grow upwards as you guide them around the wire or inch them in the direction of intended growth for the design you have in mind. 

Pruning As You Go

It is important that leaves and stems growing out in undesirable directions, be trimmed. The vines that will grow to wrap around the wire structure will serve as the foundation for your topiary and short, thin vines should be clipped. Along with this, pinching off the stems that intersect with the main stem will stimulate growth in that direction, and the resulting growth can be wrapped around the wire to further fill out the frame. 

Taking Care of Your Plants

As with shrubs, it is of great importance to remain knowledgeable about the water, soil pH, and sunlight requirements of the plant in your care. A healthy plant allows for it to be in its best state of beauty, something especially important when developing these visually attractive creations. Even with the knowledge provided in this detailed guide, it is normal for garden owners to have lingering questions about how to care for these growing artworks. At Giovine Landscaping, not only can we answer any and all of your topiary inquiries, but we can also provide assistance to help you attain the foliage design you desire. Contact us at (724) 316-3064 for any of your gardening needs!

Winter Landscaping Design Tips

Posted on by Giovine
Winter landscaping design is an overlooked but important part of building a beautiful yard. Giovine Landscaping is here to help with this guide.

Many backyards look dull, dead, and even downright ugly during winter despite looking beautiful during spring, summer, and fall. Unfortunately, the designs of many yards fail to stay aesthetically pleasing during the cold time of the year when most plants are dormant, but this failure is not inevitable. The landscape design experts here at Giovine Landscaping are sharing nine tips to build a beautiful winter landscape for your home.

Getting Started With Winter Landscaping Design

Every homeowner landscape design journey has to start with figuring out what exactly you want to change about your property and our first tip reflects that reality.

  1. Evaluate your current winter landscaping design: The first step to improving your winter landscape is to explore it in its current state. Go take a walk around your property and examine your plantings, hardscaping, wildlife presence, and other aspects of your yard. Take note of what aspects are already beautiful and what needs improvement. 
  2. Focus on your hardscapes: Winter is a good time of year to assess your hardscape (ie your patio, outdoor furniture, sculptures, and other non-plant-based landscape features). Look at your winter yard and decide if you need more or better hardscape features. Perhaps a new fire pit, barbecue area, path, or bench will really tie your yard together. Winter brings your yard back to basics so it is a good time to consider these questions.

Winter Landscaping Design Plant Selection

Plants are the backbone of any good backyard landscape design and this fact does not change during winter. Selecting plants that will keep your backyard beautiful even during the winter months is one of the most important aspects of designing a beautiful winter landscape.

  1. Consider adding evergreen trees and shrubs to your yard: Evergreen trees and shrubs do not lose their leaves during winter so utilizing these species in your yard is a great way to maintain color and texture in your winter landscaping design plan. Contrary to popular belief, evergreen trees and shrubs come in both needled and broadleaf varieties, giving homeowners more aesthetic choices in the plants they want to use.
  2. Utilize trees and shrubs with beautiful bark: While deciduous trees and shrubs lose their leaves in winter, they do not lose their bark, and landscape designers can use this to beautify winter landscapes. Tree and shrub species with particularly colorful or distinctive bark, like dogwood shrubs and birch trees, can be even more beautiful after they have lost their leaves. 
  3. Introduce plants that flower during winter: It may be surprising to learn that not all plants flower during the spring and summer, but it’s true some plants bloom during winter. Utilizing winter flowering plants, obviously makes any winter backyard more beautiful. Homeowners who do the proper planning and research can enjoy something in their yard that will bloom for most of the winter, since some plants bloom during early winter and others during late winter. Witch hazel is a particularly beautiful genus of winter-flowing plant with several species native to North America.
  4. Utilize winter berry and fruit-bearing plants: Incorporating plants that produce berries and other fruits during winter makes your yard more beautiful for two reasons. First of all these fruits provide a pop of bright color that will contrast with white snow, grey skies, and brown dormant plants that dominate winter landscapes. Secondly, these fruits provide food that attracts birds and other wildlife bringing beautiful and interesting life to your winter yard.

Winter Landscaping Design For Wildlife

Attracting wildlife to your yard is one of the best ways to maintain its beauty through winter. Wildlife-friendly yards allow us to stay connected with nature even when it is too cold to venture outside by allowing you and your family to watch birds and other wildlife through your windows. Building wildlife-friendly winter landscaping designs on your property also helps animals survive during the winter when food, water, and shelter are scarce, this is especially important in our current age of habitat loss and mass extinction. 

  1. Provide a food source for wildlife: Wild animals often struggle to find food during the lean months of winter. Creating food sources in your yard will both help wildlife and bring beauty to your yard through the presence of that wildlife. The exact sort of food sources you should add to your yard depends on the type of animals you wish to attract, but birdfeeders and fruit/berry-bearing plants are the best way to feed wildlife. If you do install a birdfeeder, be sure to clean it weekly to prevent the spread of diseases. You should also avoid hand-feeding wild animals because this can lead them to associate humans with food which can put both wildlife and people at risk. Let your landscape do the feeding.
  2. Provide a water source for wildlife: Water, like food, is harder for wildlife to find during winter so providing water sources for wildlife in your yard will attract animals. Water sources like bird baths, ponds, and fountains can also double as beautifying water features in their own right. Water sources do not need to be that complicated to attract wildlife through a shallow bucket, plate saucer, or even a trash can lid can also be good winter water sources for backyard wildlife. 
  3. Provide shelter for wildlife: Wild animals need shelter from the cold weather just like people so providing shelter is a great way to attract them to your property. Different types of shelter will benefit/attract different types of animals. Some bird species will happily move into nestboxes while other species may need specific plants or brush piles. Research the types of birds and animals you want to see on your property so you can create the right types of winter shelter for those species. 

Giovine Landscaping Can Help

Giovine Landscaping can help you design a yard that will be beautiful during winter and all year round. Call us today so we can help redesign your yard!

How To Prepare Your Lawn For The Winter

Posted on by Giovine

Winter is coming quick with weather already dropping into the 20’s and your lawn can actually become damaged due to this severe weather.  Cold weather damage leaves nasty dead spots, unhealthy soil, and weak growing grass.  While you may want to do nothing more than hibernate and sit by the fire this winter, there is some work that needs to be done first to care for your lawn in order to prevent dead lawn spots from forming.  Doing this little bit of work up front will create a lush green lawn built upon healthy soil this spring.  By simply protecting your grass and following a strategy to promote lush spring growth, you can almost guarantee a healthy lawn this spring.    

Protect Your Grass This Winter

Firstly, clear your yard of leaves because just keeping your yard clear will protect your lawn.  A pile of leaves sitting on your lawn is one way the grass underneath gets killed since this pile blocks water, sunlight and air from reaching your grass.  Next, put down a layer of mulch surrounding your plants, trees, and shrubs to give them extra protection this winter.  Putting down mulch helps maintain a uniform temperature in the soil around your plants.  You can use your lawnmower to mulch a small amount of leftover leaves on your property, which creates a layer of nutrients for your grass to absorb.  Another way to protect young trees is to wrap a wire mesh around them protecting them from animals gnawing on the bark during winter. 

Usually during winter, it is much easier to walk across the grass then to use the sidewalk, especially if the sidewalk is slippery with ice but by cutting this path across your grass, the grass will have a difficult time re-growing in the spring.  Try not to continually walk across your grass and keep sidewalks clean and walkable during the winter.  Rock salt can damage your lawn as well.  When applying rock salt to your driveway and sidewalk, make sure to avoid the lawn and the plants.  You can also wash away any salt with a hose or bucket of water if you get rock salt on your lawn and plants.  These above strategies prevent damage to your grass so that dead spots won’t form during the spring.    

Promote A Healthy and Lush Spring Growth

Fertilizing your lawn during the fall is one of the best ways to add nutrients to your lawn that will make it full and lush during spring.  During the hot summer months, nutrients are lost and by fertilizing in the fall, nutrients will get trapped in the soil during the cold and freezing winter months.  These trapped nutrients will be released in the spring causing a lush lawn to grow.  Also, clean up any items left on your lawn whether that’s toys, lawn furniture or stray logs before the first snow comes.  You can clean your lawn of these objects before the last mow of the season and do occasional sweeps during the winter months as well.  If an object gets frozen to the lawn, it can create dead spots and, in the spring, those areas will appear stunted and thinner.

It is a good idea to aerate your lawn in the fall as well.  Aerating your lawn will give your grass the chance to breathe before it becomes dormant for the winter and relieve any soil compaction that has developed during the warmer summer months.  You can purchase an aerator at your local home depot.  An aerator removes plugs of soil from your lawn loosening compacted soil and allowing vital air, water, and nutrients to reach the roots of your grass.  Doing so, gives your grass the ability to grow fuller in the springtime. 

Conclusion

Strategies like clearing your lawn, mulching leaves, keeping it free of rock salts, and adding fertilizer are all ways you can prevent damage to your lawn this winter and provide your lawn nutrients that help it flourish in the spring.  It is a small amount of work to complete these tasks but having a lush lawn free of dead spots will be well worth it.  For your landscaping needs, call Giovine Landscaping at (973) 325-1758. 

Best Fall Fertilization Treatment

Posted on by Giovine

Too often, we see landscapes go neglected during colder months and then get doused in fertilizer come early spring, right when the grass is already blooming. In reality, prepping your lawn during fall is one of the wisest steps you can take to have a lush and healthy spring and summertime bloom. After a long season of nutrient depletion and intense summer sun, fertilization can help restore the ground, making it less vulnerable to winter frost and better rooting any new seeds you may have planted during this time. The best time to fertilize your soil is after mowing season but before your ground freezes over. While this may vary depending on your location, oftentimes this falls between October and November. Here are some of the tips we recommend for the best fall fertilization treatment.

How Much Fertilizer?

Too often we see companies promoting the use of way too much fertilizer simply for more sales. However, too much fertilizer can harm your garden. As a rule of thumb, according to the University of Illinois, for every 1000 square feet, we suggest you either go with one pound of soluble nitrogen or two pounds of slow-release nitrogen. Many fertilizer packages at your gardening store will have a chart to help you figure out how much you need.

What Type of Fertilizer?

Fertilizer should have a nitrogen to phosphorus to potassium ratio of 24-4-12 or something similar since this ratio extends the release time of the nitrogen, allowing it to slowly nourish the ground for longer. Extended-release nitrogen is important, especially in times of winter dormancy. As always, fertilizer with too much phosphorus can lead to poisonous water run-off.

Also, the amount of nitrogen you’ll need differs depending on the type of turf. Cool-season grasses, such as Kentucky Bluegrass, which are more popular in northern states, have different fall fertilization needs than more southern warm-season turf. The pH of your soil is important to know too. Many homeowners don’t know this off the tops of their heads, so we recommend visiting a plant store that offers a soil testing kit so you can adjust the type of fertilizer – based on what nutrients your soil needs most — accordingly.

When to Schedule Your Fall Fertilization

Many fertilizer companies recommend four feedings for each season, but we see that your lawn may benefit from a single summer feeding and then a lighter fall feeding. For most of our customers who have cool-season grasses, October to November is the best time to fertilize. To get even more specific, we recommend six weeks before the first frost of the season, since any time afterward, the fertilizer is unable to penetrate the soil.

Aerate and Water!

Aerate your lawn before you fertilize so that it’s able to better penetrate the soil. Depending on the size of your property, you can rent an aerator for a small fee or hire a company to do it for you. Also, make sure to water your grass before applying fertilizer so that you don’t accidentally wash off all the valuable nutrients into run-off.

Get Rid of Weeds

Fertilization benefits can get derailed if your lawn is overrun with weeds that are soaking up all those nutrients. Fall is a great time to properly remove them so that they’re less likely to spring up during the warmer seasons.

As with most things, lawns see the best results with some thoughtful preparation. Instead of waiting until next year to begin taking care of your lawn, fall is a great time to implement some of the tips we recommended so that you can have a dream turf during the spring. If you have any questions about fall fertilization, be sure to contact Giovine Landscaping. We’ll take care of your landscaping with our years of expertise and professionalism!

Top Five Ways to Keep Your Lawn Healthy in the Fall (and Beyond)

Posted on by Giovine

The end of summer doesn’t mean that you should just let your beautiful lawn and garden wither away until Spring. Fall is a wonderful opportunity to do some much-needed maintenance on your property so that it will continue to look well kept year-round. Preparing your lawn for winter helps lay down a good foundation for a solid spring bloom. Here are some recommendations we’ve compiled from our expert landscaping team to keep your lawn healthy in the fall.

Remove Decaying Items

Fall leaves are one of the best things about the season – they’re lovely to look at and fun for the kids to stomp around in, but they’re hazardous to the health of your grass. As you leave them sitting in piles or just scattered around your lawn, they will trap moisture underneath and make your grass more likely to wither. Not only that, dead leaves are a breeding ground for fungi, pests, and even small animals.

Mow, Mow, Mow!

One of the most common mistakes we see when fall comes around is that property owners may stop mowing their lawns, believing that the colder weather will immediately cause the grass to stop growing. That’s not the case! If you let your grass overgrow, snow mold is more likely to take up residence. However, if you cut it too short, you may hurt the root system and make it more susceptible to the winter weather. In accordance with Colorado State University, we recommend a length of about three inches, which tends to be the lowest setting on traditional mowers.

Also, mowing will give you the added benefit of helping turn fallen leaves into nutritious mulch!

Aerate Your Soil

A good glass of wine isn’t the only thing that should be aerated in the fall! Aerating creates beneficial holes in the ground while also removing dirt plugs. This important step keeps the soil loose, making it easier to absorb water, oxygen, and nutrients – all key elements in having a lush and vibrant springtime lawn. Without this step, all the fertilizer and mulch you use may not be getting to the roots and might be wasted entirely.

To aerate your lawn, you can rent or purchase a lawn aerator that will operate similarly to a mower. For smaller landscapes, there are shoes with sharp tacks underneath that will get a similar effect when you walk around. It’s often easier to hire a landscaping contractor to do it for larger pieces of property.

Fertilize

Any landscaper worth his salt will tell you that fertilizer should be applied in late fall to have the best effect. Any earlier and the grass will grow just in time for the winter frost. Any later, the root system won’t have time to properly absorb all the nutrients. Trust us, if you fertilize properly at the right time, you’ll keep your lawn healthy in the fall, all the way until spring.

Lay Down Seed

Fall weather tends to be damper and more temperate throughout the day, which are great conditions for seed germination. By laying down new turf, you can help give your lawn the extra boost it needs before spring so that there aren’t any unsightly bare areas.

Keep Your Lawn Healthy in the Fall to Enjoy It in the Spring

A great lawn is a thing of beauty! But most beautiful things don’t come easy. Maintaining your grounds during the fall may seem tedious, but it’s a worthwhile investment for how much greener and healthier they’ll appear in the spring. We’ve often noticed that when homeowners try to cut corners on these steps or fall behind schedule, their grass suffers noticeably next year. If you want a professional to help you with the process, contact Giovine Landscaping! We can get the job done properly for you!

Landscaping Design Style Ideas for Fall

Posted on by Giovine

After a long summer of barbecues and soaking up the sun while reading or enjoying a tall glass of water, you may not want to go inside just yet. One way to keep the outdoor space fresh is a change of scenery for your backyard. According to the University of Minnesota, being in nature can have a positive impact on our health and improve our overall well-being. Whether you want to spruce up your entire lawn or simply add a touch of interest in an unused section, here is a list of design style ideas from trusted landscaping professionals to help give you some inspiration! 

1. Create an inviting outdoor space 

It’s important that you are able to use your outdoor spaces even as the season gets a bit colder and the long days of sunlight dwindle. One easy way to make it cozier for your family and guests is to introduce more light. If you want warmth to be the central focus of your backyard, an outdoor fireplace or firepit can easily create both an awe-inspiring design element as well as a functional piece that will allow you to use your backyard well into the fall. Similarly, more homeowners have been deciding to upgrade their grill with a full outdoor kitchen. This can easily carve out a section of your lawn that feels homier and allows guests to gather around. 

Even more subtle lighting, such as lining walkways with lanterns, can make a backyard more pleasing and usable.

2. Rethink your walkways 

As mentioned earlier, you can line walkways with more lighting elements. This can create a warm ambient glow to your home that isn’t as harsh as other forms of artificial light but it also prevents guests from tripping over rocks or plants at night. 

In addition, make sure that your walkways are paved with a very sturdy material that won’t wear down as easily with frequent use so that it can be smooth to walk on. Furthermore, think about the route that your walkway has across your landscape. What good is having a beautiful bird fountain or a flower garden if it isn’t easy to see from your walkway? Consider the features that you want your walkway to access and design the path you imagine. Having a very tailored and well thought out walkway will make you want to use your outdoor spaces more, since they’ll be easier to access, but also it elevates the entire appearance of your home. 

3. Introduce another garden 

Herb gardens have been rising in popularity and for good reason. Having a small herb garden can create a nice touch in your landscape as well as flavor in the kitchen. They are easy to maintain and create since they are relatively simple in design and size. For example, a wooden box can function as a rustic herb garden easily. We recommend having it close to the entrance to your kitchen for easy access. 
If flowers are more your style, you can introduce a berm. A berm is a raised patch of land, often created by a mound of dirt, that you can build flowers or a young tree on. These niche flower gardens don’t take as much work as maintaining a much larger garden but they can add some vibrancy and warmth to an otherwise bland and unused corner of your home.

Whether you have a fully shaped vision for your home or business or just an inkling, our experts at Giovine Landscape can help make it a reality. We offer expert advice accumulated both over years of designing and maintaining other beautiful landscapes as well as the care we have for our clients and our hope that they are proud of the homes they live in. Contact us today to schedule a consultation!

How GreenScaping Makes Your Lawn Healthier

Posted on by Giovine

A healthy lawn is also a pretty lawn! Healthy lawns increase the curb appeal of your home, which actually raises your home’s value. Not only that, but when your lawn is in good health, other greenery and vegetation can grow, giving you more use out of your yard. Read on for tips on how to keep your lawn healthy this summer!

What is GreenScaping?

Greenscaping is the process of using particular landscaping methods to improve the health and “greenness” of your lawn, while simultaneously preserving and stimulating natural resources. Planting specific types of plants that require less care not only saves you time but also eliminates unnecessary water and chemical use. Additionally, you can reduce yard waste by recycling yard trimmings into fertilizer. 

Compost and Mulch

According to the EPA, a single teaspoon of “healthy” soil contains as many as four billion organisms. These organisms build a healthier environment by creating a structure conducive to root growth and the recycling of nutrients. Additionally, you can take steps to ensure that your soil contains the right ingredients needed for proper growth. One such action is to get a soil test done, informing you which nutrients are lacking in your soil. 

Another thing you can do is add compost to your top soil. By digging six to twelve inches deep and inserting one to three inches of compost, you are introducing crucial growing material needed by the plants. Furthermore, you can add mulch, a layer of organic material, around the plant. Mulch serves to balance soil temperature, prevent weeds, provide vital resources for plants, and reduce the amount of water consumed by the plant. 

Know Your Yard

Each lawn and garden is unique and best suits different sets of plants. Do some research on the type of plants that are conducive to the weather and soil available in your geographic region. For example, if you live in a colder area with poorer soil, it would be in your best interest to grow a plant such as the Blue Spruce. On the other hand, if you live in a warmer area, it would be better to grow a plant that requires less water such as the Agave. 

It would also benefit your garden to use plants that have defenses against pests and diseases. Additionally, compost and mulch will help provide key nutrients to your yard.

Comprehensive Pest Prevention Process

One of the most prominent and popular ways to prevent pests is by using pesticides, which are often full of chemicals. Luckily, there are some natural strategies you can try to keep pests away. For example, if you use a myriad of plants, you will have enough variety that many will survive even if a pest attacks. Another strategy is to mow higher off the ground so as to increase the strength of your plants’ roots. And, of course, make sure to regularly remove weeds and diseased plants.

It’s important to first identify the problem before attacking it and looking for ways to solve it. Some plants may be damaged because of improper watering and mowing practices. Additionally, you can use long handled pullers, mulching, and crop rotation techniques to protect your plants.

Healthy Watering

Many people tend to continuously and thoroughly overwater their plants which can actually be quite harmful. Most plants will do better if their soil dries partially between waterings. Look for clues that your lawn and plants need more water, such as lost shine on your grass. Your lawn should be getting about 1-1.5 inches of water a week, and it doesn’t need water every day.

Concluding AdviceThe tips in this article are not the only ways you can improve your lawn’s health. Don’t hesitate to add your own styles and techniques to these maneuvers. Giovine Landscaping uses many of these as well as other methods to keep your lawn looking as healthy and lively as possible!  

Top Tips for Summer Pest Control

Posted on by Giovine

During the summer, people love to flock outdoors and soak in the warm sun and relaxing breeze.  However, so do pests and they can wreak havoc on your lawn and landscapes without proper maintenance and attention. Not only that, without pest control, they are more likely to threaten the health of your home by invading the indoors. In order to help your landscapes thrive, we at Giovine Landscaping have compiled this list of helpful pest control tips. 

Keep Your Landscape Trimmed and Pruned

Pests flourish best in lawns, gardens, and greenery that is allowed to run wild because there is more space for them to hide out from predators. That’s why it’s recommended to make sure that your grass is kept at a maximum length of 3 inches, which is long enough for kids to enjoy and run around on but short enough to deter pests from setting up shop. Trimming trees to a recommended two to three feet distance from your roof and pruning shrubs are not only a great way to maintain a neat and refreshing look for your lawn, but it can also make it more difficult for pests to thrive or enter your home. 

Remove Unwanted Yard Waste

If you’ve pulled the weeds in your lawn or recently ground down an unsightly tree stump, we commend you for the hard work! But if you don’t discard those yard scraps soon, it can detract from your attempt to keep your landscape in order. Instead of letting the pile of unwanted scraps mull in a corner of your yard until you have time to get around to it, try to remove them as soon as possible. The longer it sits there, the more time pests have to use it for shelter and food. This also applies to any fruit that drops from your trees! Also, according to The Lawn Institute, most landscape damage occurs when larger animals tear up grass and flower beds to scavenge for insects to eat. 

Consider Additions for Long-Term Prevention

There are several different options that serve both to beautify your home and ward off pests. For example, there are many types of plants that deter pests, such as marigolds and nasturtiums. Contact a trust landscaping company to learn more about your options! 

Adding crushed rocks, such as gravel, around your home is highly effective at keeping slugs, beetles, flies, and other pests at bay. Also, many landowners have mulch on their premises but the warmth and moisture make it a hotbed for crickets, ants, and spiders. Instead, adding gravel around your home instead of having mulch directly against your walls will prevent pests from having easy access to your indoors.

Inspect Your Water Sources 

A clogged gutter with leaves and other plant waste is just like that pile of yard scraps mentioned earlier, in that pests love to make their home in it. Make sure that you get your gutters cleaned regularly and also check that your downspouts don’t lead rainwater back towards your home. In addition, an empty flower pot or bird bath may seem like a bright decorative feature of your landscape. However, if rainwater is allowed to collect there, mosquitoes will collect in the stagnant water, making your lawn an unpleasant place for you and your family. Avoid the pesky mosquitoes by refreshing the water regularly or eliminating the fixture entirely. 

Avoid Overfertilizing Your Lawn 
Everyone wants a lawn that looks vibrant and fresh and adding fertilizer seem like an easy way to accomplish just that. However, too much fertilizer won’t help your plants grow. Instead, it’ll attract nasty clover mites and millipedes, and can make mold and moss blossom.

A beautiful landscape can add joy to a home or commercial property. However, it can also take a lot of labor and investment. If you are interested in having professionals maintain your landscape and prevent unwanted pests from taking over, contact Giovine Landscape today! We have years of experience in caring for many satisfied customers and offer free estimates.