Saturday, May 1, 2010
Seeds of Change
Have you ever seen the difference between a farm fresh egg, and a regular store egg? I had the opportunity to do so the other day. Caroline, one of our clients who is fast becoming a local celebrate, showed me the difference. She was in the middle of filming one of her segments on healthy eating and living, when I popped in delivering her weekly eggs. She also held a sliced carrot up next to the egg to show us all how my eggs match the color of the yolk. It really made me stop and think about my flock. They are happy, zanny, wild running chickens. The difference in an all natural fed,running around all over the place chick, and one raise the way you know they are massed produced, literaly shows in the end product. That definitely translates into the healthy value of that egg in our body. A stressed egg is not going to do for us what a healthy, farm fresh egg does.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Photo Album: Before & After
Hello Syracuse and surrounding areas! Happy Saturday! If specials and good deals make your weekend even better, make sure you see our spring specials offered below.
If you would like to get a better feel for who we are and what we have been doing in your neighbors back yards for the past 18 years, send us an e-mail with a brief discription of what you are thinking of doing to creat your paradise. As long as you include a phone # and an address, we will return attach a BEFORE & AFTER portfolio of our work to you.
Have a great weekend!
Julia
If you would like to get a better feel for who we are and what we have been doing in your neighbors back yards for the past 18 years, send us an e-mail with a brief discription of what you are thinking of doing to creat your paradise. As long as you include a phone # and an address, we will return attach a BEFORE & AFTER portfolio of our work to you.
Have a great weekend!
Julia
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Spring Shrubs:
So many beautiful shrubs and trees appearing in the nurseries right now. I get a little plant nerdy this time of the year. Many an afternoon I have found myself standing on the edge of someones property taking a picture of a beautiful specimen.
If you find yourself looking around to put in a few of those spring blooming beauties here are three standards for the CNY area.
Rhododendrons: Beautiful large petal spring flowers. Shrub that will last for many, many years offering flowers, and a pretty shape if pruned selectively right after flowering. It tolerates most conditions, but likes shade. Make a great border plant.
Azaleas: A sub genera of the rhododendron, but smaller, more delicate. Some varieties can withstand zone 4, but most are zone 5. They make beautiful spring focal plants, and will grow well in that difficult area next to, and sometimes underneath larger trees. Just make sure they get enough water.
Forsythias: My favorite. Especially when they are let go, and grow like crazy along a border. They can be controlled and shaped though. Selectively trim, right after flowering. They tolerate most any planting area, and are hardy and cold tolerant.
Well thats all for now, there is a beautiful flowering pear down the street I must go get a picture of!
Julia
So many beautiful shrubs and trees appearing in the nurseries right now. I get a little plant nerdy this time of the year. Many an afternoon I have found myself standing on the edge of someones property taking a picture of a beautiful specimen.
If you find yourself looking around to put in a few of those spring blooming beauties here are three standards for the CNY area.
Rhododendrons: Beautiful large petal spring flowers. Shrub that will last for many, many years offering flowers, and a pretty shape if pruned selectively right after flowering. It tolerates most conditions, but likes shade. Make a great border plant.
Azaleas: A sub genera of the rhododendron, but smaller, more delicate. Some varieties can withstand zone 4, but most are zone 5. They make beautiful spring focal plants, and will grow well in that difficult area next to, and sometimes underneath larger trees. Just make sure they get enough water.
Forsythias: My favorite. Especially when they are let go, and grow like crazy along a border. They can be controlled and shaped though. Selectively trim, right after flowering. They tolerate most any planting area, and are hardy and cold tolerant.
Well thats all for now, there is a beautiful flowering pear down the street I must go get a picture of!
Julia
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Dividing Perennials
A client asked me about this today, and I thought what a great blogging subject. Because yes, in zone 4 & 5, now is the time to start thinking about what you want to divide. First, how do you know if you should divide? The obvious is of course, the plant that is a lot larger than you ever wanted it to be. The more subtle tell tale is to look at the inside center of the plant, is it still vigerous with strong growth?
Most experts will tell you fall really is the BEST time to divide, but a proper spring division should lend good results.
For a rule of thumb, let daffodils tell you when to transplant. About a week after they go to full bloom is when you should look at the perennials you want to transplant, when you see the first signs of growth, low to the ground, it is time.
You will need: garden shovel, spade, compost, bucket of luke warm water.
To start designate where the drip line is on the plant. That is the circle the roots tend to lie within. Mark it with a a shovel all the way around, then dig down. 18" should be good for most mid size plants, 12" for small low to the ground perennials.
Sedum, dianthus, and many others can be easily pulled apart or loosened into sections and pulled with your spade. Aim for clumps that are 20-25% of the plant. Example, one overgrown plant, should yield 4-5 sections to replant. If you find division difficult, setting the roots of the plant into the bucket of water and gently working the roots should help ease them apart.
When it comes to plants like day lilys and ornamental grasses, I have to be honest. I normally end up using an edging shovel and just chopping off sections. These plants are incredibly hardy, and gentle separation of those roots is usually out of the question.
Where ever you are planning to replant, make sure you dig the hole twice as deep as the length of the roots, and 2-3 times as wide. loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole so new root growth can get through. Now, add compost to fill half the depth of the hole. Plant your plant, add a good topsoil the rest of the way. Make sure the root ball is not buried, keep your plant base at the top of the new bed, just as it was before you dug the original up. Add 2-3" mulch, water well, water daily, and you are done! Let me know how it goes. And don't forget, if you have a question you can always contact us directly though our web page at www.paradisegrounds.com
Julia
Most experts will tell you fall really is the BEST time to divide, but a proper spring division should lend good results.
For a rule of thumb, let daffodils tell you when to transplant. About a week after they go to full bloom is when you should look at the perennials you want to transplant, when you see the first signs of growth, low to the ground, it is time.
You will need: garden shovel, spade, compost, bucket of luke warm water.
To start designate where the drip line is on the plant. That is the circle the roots tend to lie within. Mark it with a a shovel all the way around, then dig down. 18" should be good for most mid size plants, 12" for small low to the ground perennials.
Sedum, dianthus, and many others can be easily pulled apart or loosened into sections and pulled with your spade. Aim for clumps that are 20-25% of the plant. Example, one overgrown plant, should yield 4-5 sections to replant. If you find division difficult, setting the roots of the plant into the bucket of water and gently working the roots should help ease them apart.
When it comes to plants like day lilys and ornamental grasses, I have to be honest. I normally end up using an edging shovel and just chopping off sections. These plants are incredibly hardy, and gentle separation of those roots is usually out of the question.
Where ever you are planning to replant, make sure you dig the hole twice as deep as the length of the roots, and 2-3 times as wide. loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole so new root growth can get through. Now, add compost to fill half the depth of the hole. Plant your plant, add a good topsoil the rest of the way. Make sure the root ball is not buried, keep your plant base at the top of the new bed, just as it was before you dug the original up. Add 2-3" mulch, water well, water daily, and you are done! Let me know how it goes. And don't forget, if you have a question you can always contact us directly though our web page at www.paradisegrounds.com
Julia
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Spring Glorious Spring
Hello and welcome to our new Paradise Grounds Blog!
Our goal is to provide you, the consumer, with tips and insight from the landscaping industry to help you with your lawn, and landscape care, needs, and development.
Our first tip, how to get your lawn in shape for spring.
Mowing, make the first one a short one. Let the sun get down near the base of the blade early on, and you will see any snow mold issues disappear.
Bare spots. If you have bare spots that are bothering you, now is the time to rake them with a metal rake, apply a good fertilizer that your local hardware store recommend, and rake that in as well. Top with quality seed, and water gently any morning when rain is not in the forecast.
Aeration. This is a procedure that should be done once a year. Core aeration, plug type is the best. Spring or fall works, but if you haven't had it done in a long time, spring is the time to start. It is a bit odd looking, but after a couple of rainy days you will not notice anything. The aeration not only allow roots to stretch and grow, it eleviates the pressure and stress of soil compaction, and allows both rain and nutrients to get down to the roots easier.
Well, again welcome, and for now, that's all from Paradise!
Our goal is to provide you, the consumer, with tips and insight from the landscaping industry to help you with your lawn, and landscape care, needs, and development.
Our first tip, how to get your lawn in shape for spring.
Mowing, make the first one a short one. Let the sun get down near the base of the blade early on, and you will see any snow mold issues disappear.
Bare spots. If you have bare spots that are bothering you, now is the time to rake them with a metal rake, apply a good fertilizer that your local hardware store recommend, and rake that in as well. Top with quality seed, and water gently any morning when rain is not in the forecast.
Aeration. This is a procedure that should be done once a year. Core aeration, plug type is the best. Spring or fall works, but if you haven't had it done in a long time, spring is the time to start. It is a bit odd looking, but after a couple of rainy days you will not notice anything. The aeration not only allow roots to stretch and grow, it eleviates the pressure and stress of soil compaction, and allows both rain and nutrients to get down to the roots easier.
Well, again welcome, and for now, that's all from Paradise!
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