Author: Shelley Iverson

Enjoying a nice lawn is one of the best things you can do. Taking pride in your surroundings will boost your mood and lower your stress. There are a few things to consider if you want a vibrant lawn. Much like upkeep and regular maintenance, there are other things to incorporate and decisions to make. Below are some easy tips for a vibrant lawn. 

A Quick Walkthrough: 

• Consider what kind of grass to grow 
• Water your grass deeply 
• Nutrients 
• Aeration 
• Seeding when needed 

If you don’t know what is going wrong with your lawn, it might be a specific problem you might deal with, like pests, weeds, or improper pH. You might notice areas that have more wear and tear from pets, children, and traffic. If you notice any of these issues, it is wise to contact a landscaping expert for the best solution.

 Types of Grass 

If you want to have a vibrant lawn, some research and a routine will be required. The first step to a vibrant lawn is picking the proper grass. Different grasses have different needs to reach their full potential.  

There are several types of drought-resistant grasses that require low maintenance if you are looking for something that requires less work. In the northern climate zones with four seasons, choosing a cool grass season is vital to having your lawn survive winter, rainy springs, hot sunny summers, and cool fall seasons. 

Luckily, there are resources where you can enter your climate zone and learn about the best grass for your area. By doing a small amount of research, you can achieve a vibrant lawn by giving your grass an advantage in its climate. 

Vibrant Lawn

A lawn care routine is required for vibrant grass. Having a schedule with proper aeration, watering, fertilization, and pesticide are crucial to having a great lawn. There are certain times of the year to treat your yard. On top of treatments, adding more grass seed to your lawn can make your lawn more vibrant. 

As for when to do these tasks, before winter or late fall and early spring are important times to keep note of.  

• Aeration should occur in the grasses’ best growing times in the spring and fall.  
• Fertilizing should occur during early spring.  

• Pesticide can be applied all year but shouldn’t be treated too often.  
• Watering deeply can be done daily during cooler temperatures up to a few inches weekly.   

When you start giving your grass the treatment it deserves, it will be more vibrant than ever. Contact A+ Lawncare for more tips on how to make your lawn more vibrant! 

Shade trees are great for more than a few reasons. There are many reasons to plant one tree, from environmental to enjoyment. They provide us with oxygen and filter harmful pollution out of the air. They provide a habitat for animals, birds, and all things in nature. Many added benefits to us are that they provide shade, provide food, and can save you money on your heating and cooling costs when planted around your house. Planting trees around your house is inspiring to adults and children of all ages. If you want to plant a beautiful shade tree for all generations to enjoy, consider these shade trees below. 

Aspen Trees 

The Aspen tree is a fast-growing, popular tree planted for shade. They are beautiful, have a range of colors, and move beautifully in the breeze. In the fall, they change to vibrant shades of yellow. They are very hardy and thrive in almost any kind of environment. Due to this, they are low maintenance, and you can plant one and let it grow with minimal work. 

Oak Trees 

Oak trees are very popular among shade trees. There are many different kinds of oak trees, but most grow very tall and have large trunks. They grow to about 80 to 150 feet tall and provide ample shade. Depending on what you are looking for, there is sure to be an oak tree to match your needs. A common choice is a White Oak. 

Birch Trees 

A great shade tree is a birch tree. They are popular for landscaping, shade, and adding new levels to your yard. They range from 40 to 70 feet tall and are thin. Birch trees have beautiful color changes in the fall.  They stay very cool and are a great addition to your yard if you are trying to reduce air conditioning costs in the summer.  

Maple Trees 

Another common shade tree is any variation of maple. The Red Maple is the most common and grows to about 50 feet. This is a gorgeous shade tree that will be enjoyed all year long. There are many types, so there will be many options for you to choose from based on color, size, and other factors. Maple trees do very well in any climate and are very hardy. They make great shade trees. 

Some other notable Shade trees: 

• Sweetgum Trees 
• Northern Catalpa 
• Tulip tree 
• Hackberry 

Many trees not noted on this list would look beautiful in your landscape or yard. Trees add a special effect to your yard, making your lawn more beautiful and enjoyable! 

Contact A+ Lawncare for more shade tree advice! 

Gardening might seem like a never-ending chore, yet it does not have to be. With a few simple steps, you can grow your green thumb. Before you read any quick garden hacks and ways to grow successfully, you should know that gardening takes time for amateurs and professionals alike. Gardening takes time and hard work but the benefits really outweigh the costs. Gardeners don’t need superpowers to grow anything though. Enjoy these tips, beneficial to expanding your green thumb, below! 

 

Green Thumb Tips 

Creating a routine is important. A consistent routine will aid plant growth and make your gardening more upkeep than big chore. Another great tip is to research your plants, grass, and flowers to make sure you are caring for them correctly and they are in the right climate zone. This can make a big difference when you tweak the care of your plants. 

Enjoy your time! 

Gardening and yard work don’t have to be viewed as chores. It is a time when you get to grow and create a space that you enjoy. This can be enjoying the sounds of nature, some music, or time with friends and family. If you don’t like mowing or weeding or any specific aspect of your green thumb, why not change it up? It doesn’t have to be a terrible task. If you hate mowing, you can try anything from doing a new pattern to getting a lawn mower you are excited about. When you enjoy gardening, it shows in your yard’s appearance. 

Benefits 

Other than enjoying gardening, there are other benefits. When you plant a garden, you get to enjoy fruits, vegetables, and flowers. It will look amazing and your food will taste amazing. That’s not all, when you are outside you’ll get fresh air, vitamin D, and other benefits.  

 

Yardwork 

When you want to work on your green thumb, yard work is a good place to start. Mowing, fertilizing, watering, aerating, and seeding are all important steps to a healthy lawn. Depending on your yard and landscaping, each step might need tending to multiple times in specific seasons. With this routine, your yard will look amazing and you can enjoy what you’ve created with your green thumb. 

 

If you are unsure of where to start, contact A+ Lawn Care. If you want to sit back and enjoy a great yard without all of the hassles, A+ Lawncare has a great green thumb! 

Have you ever been on a walk and noticed homes, businesses, and landscaping areas that you thought, “Wow I love that!” You might not notice the small details that collectively make that place stand out. A classic look that has recently been on the rise is pavers. Everywhere you go there are beautiful pavers upgrading city sidewalks, patios, driveways, and landscaping. Many people even use pavers for their outdoor pool areas, gardens, and more! Below is some paver inspiration to make your lawn great. 

Fire Pits 

If you are looking for a minimal way to make a difference in your yard, pavers around a fire pit are an inexpensive yet impactful addition. A small detail with pavers will make your backyard look amazing. Firepits create a great focal point and help with the flow of your landscaping designs.  

Patio Pavers 

Over the years, maintaining a deck and dull cement goes from a chore to a big task. Redoing your deck, patching up cement, and trying to revamp your patio area are tedious hard tasks that take time and effort. With pavers, the possibilities are endless. They are great for change because the effect is instant. If you don’t like what you are looking at, change it! If a paver becomes damaged, simply remove it and pop a new one in. When you think about pavers, your patio’s potential becomes so much more and adds a subtle wow effect that cement and a deck can’t do. Your patio can become an outdoor oasis using pavers. 

Paver Paths 

If you have beautiful landscaping but feel it’s missing something you can’t quite put your finger on, you might be missing a beautiful path. There are many ways to do this but pavers are a quick way to outline or cut through your landscaping. They can take any effect you are going for whether it is quaint, cozy, or dreamy. Your gardens, landscaping, and paths can be made exactly how you want them in an array of colors. If you feel like adding on, taking away, or redesigning, pavers are an easy choice. They aren’t as permanent as concrete and add beauty to something that you can take pride in. 

 

If you are ready to have that “wow” effect when you look at your property, consider pavers. There are so many ways to get creative and add little details in your landscaping to make people see your house and wish it was theirs! Contact A+ Lawn Care to learn more! 

Summertime is a perfect time to keep your lawn healthy to enjoy it. It might take some work, but it can be made easy. When you know the right summer lawn care tips to keep your lawn looking healthy, it makes it easy to really enjoy your lawn. 

There are a few steps below that can make a difference in how your summer lawn care turns out. These are tasks like fertilizing, mowing patterns, treating your lawn for pests, watering, aerating, and planting more grass seed. Below you can find tips on each summer lawn care step. 

Fertilizing 

Depending on what kind of grass you have, fertilizing will help your grass kick off summer looking thick, green, and healthy. It can help your grass stay healthy through drought months and keep its green look without thinning or browning out. If you need more tips on what grass to fertilize or how to fertilize, click here. 

Mowing 

Mowing is something everyone has to do for their lawns in the summer. There are some tricks to doing this right. In the summer, make sure to mow your grass a little longer. This will help its roots grow stronger and help the grass protect itself from heat damage. Ensure that your lawnmower is ready by sharpening the blades, raising the wheels, and doing maintenance like oil changes. 

Pesticide and Herbicide 

Pesticides and herbicides are necessary when you want to have a perfect summer lawn. Some pests and weeds affect your lawn by leaving it spotty, brown, and wilting. If you apply pesticides and herbicides preventatively, you can prevent pest and weed problems. If you don’t apply chemicals, you might notice your grass looking rough and have to treat it, doing more work to make your lawn look good again. 

Watering 

During the dead of summer, your grass might be thirsty for watering. Water your grass weekly in the morning. This will prevent your grass from getting stressed from drought. Water your lawn deeply and soak it once or twice a week to help your grass in your summer lawn care routine. 

Aerating 

Aeration is a vital part of lawn care that gets overlooked. Aeration is the process of poking holes in your lawn. By doing this you will allow more nutrients, water, and air to reach the roots of your grass. Do this as part of your summer lawn care routine for great results.  

Seeding 

As a late summer lawn care step, seeding can be important for next year’s summer lawn. Overseed your lawn to make it look thick, green, and luscious and to repair any damage from this summer! 

A great idea for summer lawn care is leaving it all to professionals, like A+ Lawn Care. We know how to make your summer lawn perfect, while you get to relax and enjoy it! 

 

When you are landscaping, do you ever consider what you can do to help bees and other beneficial pollinators? We might not think about them first and foremost, but considering them makes our environment better. It helps one with the beauty of our surroundings and helps plants grow. When we consider them, it helps us out too! 

 To consider them we have to think of a few things. What chemicals do we use on our lawns that might hurt them? What plants are beneficial? How are we harming them? Below are a few ideas to kickstart some landscaping areas that might make a difference in helping pollinators. Pollinators help grow our food supply and make our landscaping beautiful. Without them, our food and ecosystem would change drastically. If you aren’t sure where to start, there are a few small steps you can do to help them out. 

Smart garden: 

A simple solution for landscaping to help pollinators is adding flowers with plenty of pollen and nectar that pollinators can supply to other areas. Native plants, flowers, and trees to a smart garden in your landscaping can make a big difference even if it is one plant. You might not consider anything beyond providing pollen, but you can create a home base for the pollinators as well. You can control a place for pollinators to have a safe spot from pesticides and a place for them to live! 

Bee Lawn: 

If you want to help pollinators, some ways would be to keep clover on your lawn. There are many ways to have a bee garden by incorporating low-growing flowering plants, plants that grow back, and plants that mesh well with grass. If you want to keep your perfect lawn look, you can plant pollinator-friendly trees, shrubs, and other brush in hard-to-mow areas to help keep an area for pollinators in your landscaping. 

Pollinators to attract: 

Although when people hear pollinators they think of bees, there are so many different kinds you can attract besides bees. Birds, bees, and butterflies are all very common! If you want to still help out pollinators but you arent sure where to start with your landscaping, you could do something as simple as buying a hanging planter, a birdbath, or a hummingbird feeder. This way, your landscaping still has added beauty but you can do minimal work. 

 

Cut back on pesticides 

If you want your landscaping to help pollinators, consider if pesticides and chemicals are necessary. It is understandable that you want to enjoy and love your landscaping, so there are options if you do need to consider the pros and cons. For special advice on this, talk to your lawn care experts. 

 

Contact A+ Lawn Care for all of your landscaping needs! 

May is prime time to get your lawn in order. There is plenty to do now that spring is in full swing. Between school letting out, summer sports, activities, and vacations, you could have a jam-packed schedule that has many priorities. Summer is also a great time to sit back and relax and enjoy the nice weather and green scenery. Life gets busy but it’s important to prioritize your lawn care and landscaping. Your landscaping and lawn care should have the right planning and upkeep. Regarding your grass, trees, shrubs, and landscaping, there are certain steps you should take to maintain them all. Here are a few things to keep in mind for your May landscaping checklist. 

Grass 

There are a few things you can do to get your grass to the next level. Grass is one of the most important aspects of your lawn care because if you do not take the proper steps now, your lawn might not grow correctly later, especially in the summer sun, heat, and drought. There are many things you can do with your grass routine now that can help your grass thrive. 

A few things for your May landscaping checklist are: 

• Proper fertilization routine 
• Correct mowing schedule 
• Aeration  
• Watering your grass 

Trees and Shrubs 

May is a great time to evaluate your plants to see if they need any care. Make sure to trim dead parts, prune, or even remove them if unsalvageable. During the fall and winter months, damage and other factors can change the way they look and grow so it is important to inspect your trees and shrubs as part of your May landscaping checklist. Pruning is an easy way to direct growth, effect new growth, or increase new blooms. Make sure to read about your specific plants before pruning to see how pruning may affect them. Now that you are done with trees and shrubs, let’s move on to the next thing on your May landscaping checklist. 

 

Landscaping 

Early spring is the best time to plan your summer landscaping goals, browse plants and flowers, and change your landscaping materials. This is an important project that will increase your curb appeal. Planting new flowers, adding new mulch or rocks, and fixing your borders are great ways to make instant and beautiful changes to your landscape. This is also one of the most creative projects to accomplish because you can pick new colors, plants, and add dimension to your landscape, changing it up to something new.  

 

If you want to sit back and relax, you can leave it to the experts. Contact A+ Lawncare to have a beautiful summer lawn and let them check off your May landscaping checklist!