Shade Lawns

We get numerous requests to help out with troubled lawns under trees. This is something Schepers Property Maintenance is expert in, we are your Garden Coaches. There are several considerations that we coach people through and today we will write on a few.

The first thing that we ask all customers is what the lawn is used for in the area in question. Past reasoning for lawns will possibly have changed. Kids have moved out, the tree has grown, the expense of keeping a lawn weed free has risen and the cool resting place is sought after. Sometimes it is tough to envision a new space. It is especially tough to plan and set goals that take into account the changing nature of the yard. At Schepers Property Services we can help. We can coach you through the process with our consultants or, better do the work of making your yard maintenance free. Our gardens stand out.

What can you do prior to our coming. Well, think about what the lawn is there for. We have talked about this in other blogs (link?). Schepers Property Services has found that at the end of contemplating the space most people would prefer something more intimate and something that compliments the lawn and the house. They would like something relaxing as befits a shade garden. These gardens are what we are best at and they are less expensive than lawns in the first place

 

If in your review you still want the lawn then we can also help make this a success. Specialty grass mixtures and the right advice and soil additives all help. Our customers interest is ours.

Soil Nursery Bed

It is the same old story. I cannot emphasize it enough. Without chemicals a property owner has to be more aware of ways to deal with weeds. Weeds are still weeds; there is a reason they have been classified as such, they take away from the joy of your property. They increase your work load or else they take over you yard. Eventually they will have to be dealt with.

Weeds are likely in every potted plant you buy, every bag of soil or compost that you apply and in the wind that passes by.

Today's blog is about introducing practices to help alleviate future problems with weeds and prevent them from destroying your garden or lawn.

The main rule to remember is simple. Introduce soil as far away from established root systems as possible. The tighter and more established the roots the harder it will be to remove unwanted plants.
Soil added to ground cover or to the base of shrubs will mean any unwanted growth will have to be pulled from amongst the existing roots. This is quite a difficult task.
You want to avoid adding soil to your lawn, base of shrubs or perennial gardens. The best place to introduce more soil is an annual bed or in potted plants. The best advise to to introduce an annual bed to your home that is treated as a "soil nursery"

Create an annual bed or introduce a system of potted plants. Choose which soil and additives you would like to test out or use and add it to these pots or bed. You will have a whole year to manage and pull weeds from these areas. The benefits to this system is that the weeds are noticed and easily pulled out. Your annual bed is always loaded with the best soil so that your plants will always look phenomenal.
In the fall you just empty your "soil nurseries" into your established gardens so they can get the benefits of the great soil without the weeds. In the spring you get to choose your soil and additives again and try something new or stick to what worked.

Another note is that plants from neighbors and friends are never wise to introduce into established beds. These gifts destroy more gardens than the soil. If you do not want to, or cannot refuse the gifted plant just make sure you plant it in your annual garden for the first year. This will give you a chance to see if they are invasive or if they are infested with weeds.

Gardening takes time and patience. If you are stumped as to what to do with your gardens, we offer consultations.

Lawn Fertilizing

Hey Everyone!

Now is the time to start fertilizing your lawn!! If you want to have a nice green, thick grass this summer why not contact us about our Lawn maintenance programs?
Check out our website for more information!

www.guelphlandscapedesign.com

A Beautiful Shade Garden

Mellow yellow days of spring...

These photos are all taken at a beautiful shade garden in Guelph that we get the pleasure of maintaining. We created the rock path as well. Please contact us for your spring cleaning and landscaping needs.