Horticulturist Tips For February

Mark Burton is our head horticulturist here at Roanoke Landscapes. We talk often about landscaping issues that will be coming up and what to prepare for. This is tips for February from Mark.

Pruning:

Prune Liriope back to 2″, all ornamental grasses, Butterfly Bush, Abelia, Winged Euonymus, and many broadleaf evergreens (like Boxwoods and Japanese Hollies).

Crape Myrtles need selective pruning. DO NOT MURDER YOUR MYRTLES!!

Below you will find a video that shows you how to properly prune rather than murder your Crape Myrtles.

DO NOT prune spring flowering plants such as: Azaleas, Forsythia, Spirea, Lilacs, Quince, and Rhododendron. If you prune these you will be cutting off the new flower buds.

If some of these same flowering plants bloomed this fall with our unusually warm winter months of November and December, they will probably not bloom again this spring.

Have your lawn mower serviced NOW!!

Deadhead your Pansies and fertilize the with a good slow-release fertilizer like Plant-tone.

WHEN IN DOUBT CALL US HERE AT ROANOKE LANDSCAPES TO HANDLE ALL OF YOUR LANDSCAPING NEEDS LIKE PRUNING! 540-992-4845

Inman Family Before and After

I had the pleasure of meeting a client we did some recent work for this past summer 2015 when we did a testimonial interview. She was very pleased with the outcome and I do have to say I am always surprised at just how beautiful the work turns out when you put the before and after pictures side-by-side.

This was a relatively small project on her turn of the century beautiful historical home as far as projects go compared to some of our bigger ones. However, we enjoy any size project.

Below you will find her video testimonial about the project we completed for her.

A huge thank you to Mrs. Inman for doing this testimonial.  If any of our clients would like to do a video testimonial we would be more than happy and appreciate it greatly. We, as well as the Inman family, are more than pleased with how this project turned out.

Thank you!

If you are interested you can reach me at:

michelle@roanokelandscapes.com

 

BelGard Tandem Wall

As seen above the new Tandem Wall by Belgard.

Call us today to get an estimate for designing a new Tandem Wall for your landscape! 540-992-4845

Secrets To Landscape Success: Day 15

Contrast: a key component.

Our eyes are naturally drawn to contrasting colors. The way our mind and body work is how we create flow and line in our elements of design. A successful garden has an intricate fluidity that runs through it. To the outsider it just looks beautiful and they notice it flows so well. This, however, is created with careful thought by your landscape designer through texture, color, and shapes. These all provide contrast in your garden.

This is also another reason to hired a season landscape designer and specialist.  They will use their vast knowledge of the elements of design and also their expertise in the plants to create the perfect contrast in your garden to create a timeless and seamless oasis for you to enjoy.

Secrets To Landscape Success: Day 13

The Design is in the Details!

These small detailed touches can really set your landscape and garden design off. Create some focal points not only by line and movement in your garden but also think about landscape lighting. Lighting can draw your eye at dusk or at night to a focal water feature, or to a secluded bench at the end of a curvy path. It can also highlight your prized rose or a statue. The possibilities are really endless.

These focal points do not have to be grandiose or expensive. You can add handcrafted touches you, your children or a family member have made such as: tiles with your children’s feet and/or handprints, or hand designed tiles, a bird house you built or painted, a welcome sign or a sign with you family name. These small little touches is what sets your garden aside from anyone else’s. Your guests will love finding these small little touches throughout your garden.

 

Bright plantings around things like garden art, a fountain, bird bath, bench always draw the eye in. A lit garden path can lead to a secluded seating area or some other feature in your garden. Make your garden something more, make it an experience!!

Get Creative, Have Fun!

Secrets to Landscape Success: Day 12

Veggies: a welcome integration in your garden.

When you think of the word ‘garden’ most people in America would think of a garden of vegetables and fruits. In Europe, garden typically refers to your yard and landscaping.  It is totally ok to separate your vegetable garden from your landscaping, however, why not integrate your garden into your landscaping.

A vegetable garden co-mingling with your flowers or even disguised as a flowering plant can create borders and be just as aesthetically pleasing as any landscaping plants. It also beats the normal rectangular shaped gardens set off in the corner of some plot of your land or even your square or rectangular raised beds. Plant some beautiful flowers around your cucumber plants.  You can plant Borage and Marigolds around your tomato plants.

Allotment – Tomatoes (Mallorquin) Image: myfolia.com

You could plant Crocosmia and Cosmos next to your cucumber plants. The possibilities are endless. You landscape professional will have a companion planting guide if this is something you desire.