Lawn Care

As you’re well aware, caring for your yard and garden means there is always something to do! Kids are natural helpers and gardening is a great opportunity to give them responsibilities while encouraging them to learn about the natural world.

Instill a sense of fun for kids in the garden with rewarding jobs, new ways to learn, and tasks they can call their own. By working with you in the yard, your kids will gain valuable hands-on learning and feel a sense of pride in the results!

Now’s the Time

Almost any age and ability of child can help out in the yard! If you’ve got a toddler or a preschooler, it’s time to simply get them accustomed to being outdoors, the feel of the grass, and joining you as you undertake simple gardening tasks. For school-age children, get them involved! They can take on basic chores like weeding and water or harvesting from the vegetable garden. Older kids can take on more responsibilities including raking or managing a compost pile. No matter the age, now’s the time to get your kid excited about the outdoors!

Tailor the Task

To keep your child interested in gardening or yard work, try to assign a task that can be completed in 30 minutes. Or consider splitting up jobs into 15-minute cycles where your kids rotate between activities. Keeping a job manageable and in line with ability helps them succeed by doing the job completely and correctly.

Perfect Projects

Be creative when you think of specific projects your kids can do in the garden! Consider giving your kid their own space in the yard or pots to grow plants, flowers or vegetables from seeds. Assign them a row in the vegetable garden that they get to plant, grow, and eat their results! Do you have wildlife in your areas? Think about projects that grow plants that provide shade or food for nearby birds or animals. Even having your child make a wind chime or decoration are ways to enjoy the outdoor world!

Garden Cycles

Talk to your children about the many cycles in the garden while you’re working together. Sharing how the garden and lawn grows, what stage it’s at in the particular season, when we feed and water plus why, and tips on how we care for our landscapes keeps them interested and engaged! Talk about how plants grow from seeds, the different environments they thrive in, watering and feeding, and options to compost them are fascinating concepts to kids and helps them understand the natural cycles.

No matter what ideas you come up with to encourage hands-on learning in your yard, your kids will be delighted to be part of the action and to help! If you think this is the year for a landscape upgrade, contact us! We are happy to discuss ideas and even get your children’s input on how best design your new, outdoor living space!

What’s good for your yard, protection for your garden, and easy to create yourself? You got it – both compost and mulch! But what is the difference between these two landscaping staples and how can they be used effectively in your Colorado garden? Let’s have a look.

What’s the Difference Between Compost and Mulch:

Compost is an organic matter that has decomposed and turned into a rich, dark brown color that has only a mild odor. Many items can be composted including vegetables and food scraps, paper napkins, hay and grasses, eggshells, dried up old spices, pet hair, lawn clippings, and paper towels to name a few!

You can create compost at your home (check your city ordinances for any wildlife concerns) by creating a pile, using a composter in the backyard, or a container in your kitchen. Many Colorado waste collection services will allow you to separate compostable items into a bin that they will collect to create community-available compost.

Mulch is also an organic matter that requires no aging or decomposing before it is used. There’s a wide range of materials that can be used as mulch including grass clippings, straw, shredded leaves, and cedar chips.

Because mulch is a ready-made material, there’s very little prep you need to do to have it available to use in your yard. Grass clippings, for example, can be used immediately and leaves just need to be put through a shredder to use effectively.

Where in My Yard do I Use Compost vs Mulch?

So now we know what compost and mulch are, how do you use them in your landscape?

Compost has many uses: As an amendment to Colorado’s challenging soil, you can add or dig compost into garden beds, add compost to the soil when you are adding new plants, and turn it into your vegetable garden for extra food for your plants. Compost is full of great nutrients to kick-start your landscape.

Where compost is used inside your soil, mulch is applied on top of your landscape.

Mulch helps to keep weeds from germinating, insulate the ground from extreme temperatures and intense sun, reduce erosion, and helps our dry Colorado gardens retain moisture. Mulch will gradually break down over time and, when this happens, also adds some nutrients to the soil.

Go Organic with BOTH Compost and Mulch

From within the soil and on top of the soil, compost and mulch are the dynamic duo for successful Colorado landscapes.

Get in the habit of adding high-quality compost to your soil when:

• You are planting, transplanting, starting new beds, caring for established plants, and getting your vegetable garden ready for a new season.
• Compost is a natural way to apply a slow-release fertilizer for plants.

Mulch also provides many benefits for your Colorado soil:

• A natural way to help the soil keep precious moisture, mulch holds in water and minimizes evaporation from rainfall, snowfall, and watering. This protection allows plants to flourish.
• Likewise, mulch will fight weeds and regulator soil temperatures during temperamental Colorado weather. Mulches also come in nice, natural colors to help define areas of your landscape and add further beauty.

Are you planning your home landscaping projects for the upcoming season? Contact us! The Landscaping Company are experts in creating, installing, and maintaining the most beautiful landscapes in the Denver metro area – we are here to help your landscape look its best!

If you’re anything like us, you’re itching to get back out into the garden! Colorado gardeners can get a little stir crazy in the winter months wanting to start pruning, preparing, and planning for the coming outdoor season. While it’s still some weeks away until we can get going on this year’s gardening activities, there are things you can do to help get your lawn ready for spring!

Look for days when it’s warm enough to bundle up and work outside, there’s no snow on the ground, and any ice has melted. Once this kind of weather arrives, follow the following tips to get your yard in the best possible shape to thrive this spring.

Careful Clean-Up

While you may have cleaned up leaves on your lawn in the fall, chances are that the winter Colorado winds and snowfall have turned up more debris on your grass. Too many leaves lying on the grass create an environment for disease to grow during the fluctuating warm and cold days. Leaves can also smooth down the grass and make flat patches.

Work to get your lawn as clean and tidy as possible. Gently rake up leaves or, if there aren’t that many, take the time to walk around and pick them up. Also, collect any small twigs or branches that have landed in your yard. Help your lawn stay healthy in the home stretch of winter!

Your grass is only just beginning to awaken from its winter slumber. Try to avoid walking on dormant grass, letting kids play too hard on the turf, and watch dogs or pets that are making repetitive patterns or trails in the yard. Too much wear-and-tear while grass is dormant can cause long-term damage and inhibit the greening of grass as we enter springtime.

Prepare for Pests

You might have areas of your lawn that are free and clear from snow while other areas still have a protective patch of snow. These dry areas, usually south and west facing, can create an ideal environment for mites. This breeding ground for Colorado mites can cause severe damage to lawns and can cause dead patches and turf damage.

Mites can’t tolerate moist conditions so, when the temperature rises 40 degrees, plan on giving it water. Don’t water, however, in below freezing temperatures. This winter watering can help prevent and control mites and enable a lush lawn for spring.

Mower Maintenance

A sharp mower blade is important to keep your lawn healthy and green as it begins to grow in spring and during the height of the growing season in summer. If your lawnmower blades are dull, they don’t cut the grass but tear it instead. Ouch! Torn grass blades are more prone to disease, which, in turn, can cause more problems.

Remember the edging you may have run over last summer? Or the rock you mowed because it couldn’t be seen? Now is a great time to inspect your mower parts, replace anything that is worn, and get new mower blades if yours are worn.

Aeration and Fertilization

Before you know it, you are going to find days are warming up and your lawn is coming to life. Keep an eye on the upcoming weather patterns to identify when the time is right to schedule aeration and fertilization. In Colorado, this optimal window can be anywhere between early March and mid-April, and you want to be ready!

Core aeration and seasonal fertilizing are one of the best things you can do for a beautiful spring lawn! Turf soil gets compacted and needs to be aerated to allow the lawn to get oxygen and needed nutrients. Following up with fertilizer ensure the right nutrients get down deep in the lawn.

Not sure when to start or how to undertake your preparation for a beautiful Colorado lawn? Call us at (303) 922-9889 or contact us! We are your full-service landscaping company from lawn maintenance to custom landscaping, we deliver it all with incredible value and outstanding service. We’d love to get your lawn looking great this season!

Caring for Colorado lawns can be a challenge! A higher elevation means a hotter sun and a drier climate. Grass gets thirsty and needs attention to stay healthy and green. Treat your lawn right with some top tips, and you’ll have a beautiful yard you can enjoy for years to come!

Mowing Matters

Raise your lawnmower blades! Leaving grass height at 2 to 3 inches will keep roots shaded and help retain water. Have your mower serviced once a year and keep lawnmower blades sharp. Sharp blades provide a clean cut and avoid tearing the tips of the grass that will then turn brown.

Let the Air In

Lawn aeration should be a regular part of your spring and fall lawn care programs. Aerating, or cultivating, the yard helps grass accept and retain water more effectively. Give your garden a helping hand to get the water to the roots!

Watch Your Watering

Plan on less frequent, deep watering to promote stronger roots and a green, healthy lawn. It may seem counterintuitive but watering your grass less often, but for a longer period, actually increases drought intolerance.

Set your irrigation system to water in the early morning to avoid evaporation and allow it to soak in during the hot day. Never water midday when the water will evaporate almost immediately and waste money!

Feed it Right

Fertilize your lawn in the spring, before it gets too hot. If you do choose to feed the grass in the summer, select a fertilizer that offers both slow-release and fast-release nitrogen. These blends work well and have a lower risk of damaging stressed grass. Fertilize right before your scheduled lawn watering!

Ditch the Bag

Scrap the mower bag and allow the cut grass clippings to fall back onto the lawn. They will act as a mulch to retain moisture and become a fertilizer as the clippings decompose. The exception? Remove cut grass clippings from areas near storm drains and any water streams to avoid contaminating water sources with grass fertilizer or pesticides.

To help your lawn looks its best, plant the right grasses for the Colorado climate. Proper grass selection and the correct irrigation system can reduce the need for fertilizers, lower water costs, and keep your lawn happy year round!

Not sure where to begin? Contact us! We are experts in Colorado landscape and lawn design, installation, and maintenance.

Summertime can take a toll on your Colorado garden. Lawns get stressed, plants can wilt, trees drop leaves too early. How can you stay on top of the watering needs of your Colorado landscape? Let’s have a look.

Waterwise Garden

When you plan out your Colorado garden, consider using plants native to the area and those with lower water needs. Xeriscape options create beautiful, natural results! Your garden will be less thirsty and produce color and interest year-round.

Drip irrigation systems are also a good option for vegetable gardens, sloped gardens, and odd shaped or difficult to reach areas in your yard. No more over-reaching to hand water the back corner of your tomato patch! Because drip systems are efficient, in some cases they are exempt from watering restrictions during a drought. A well-designed drip irrigation system can be modified over time as plants grow or you change your vegetable plot layout.

Training Roots

Did you know you could train your trees, plants, and grass to use water more efficiently? By watering as deeply and infrequently as possible, you allow plants to establish roots, receive nourishment, and avoid water waste. Shallow watering forces roots to stay near the surface where it can be hot and dry!

One exception: for new plants in your garden, water thoroughly and check the moisture every day. All new plants, including drought-tolerant and xeric plants, need regular watering for the first couple of years to help those roots become established.

Early Morning Water

Water lawns in the early morning to avoid evaporation and minimize stress during a hot, summer day. Watering lawns in the middle of the day will waste money (and water) as the water evaporates quickly and the soil is too hard to absorb the moisture.

Keep an eye on the weather! If it’s cloudy or rains you may be able to skip watering entirely for that day.

Test the Soil in Your Flower Beds

To check if your flower beds are too dry, get a handful of soil and make it into a ball. Does it crumble immediately? It’s too dry and needs watering. When you push your finger into the soil ball, does it break apart? It’s probably just the right moisture. Is it muddy? It’s too wet.

Like lawns, water flower gardens early in the morning. You can also water them in the evening, as plants aren’t usually as susceptible to the fungus that can grow overnight. Let the water run through the house before you water, however. Hot water is not what your flowers are looking for! Commit to a year-round fertilizing program for your plants, too. Healthy plants can handle the heat better when they’re not compromised by lack of food.

Mulch the Moisture

To conserve moisture and avoid evaporation, add up to 3” inches of mulch around plants and in flower beds. Bark nuggets or shredded bark work to shade the soil and keep it cooler in the summer. Pea gravel as a mulch can also work, and add a decorative element, for xeric plants that require shading all the way up to the plant crown where the plant emerges from the ground.

For vegetable gardens, use pesticide-free grass clippings from the lawn or straw to keep the soil moist between watering. Tender vegetables, like lettuce, will retain their taste with a ground cover and these organic mulches can simply be turned back into the soil when the season is over.

Bonus Tips!

Water is precious. Brush away grass clippings and dirt instead of using water to wash your driveway or sidewalk. Check outdoor sprinklers and hoses for leaks. Do the kids want to run around in the sprinkler? Set it up or turn it on in the zone where your lawn needs it most!

Consider buying a rain barrel and setting it up to collect rainwater off roofs. Rainwater is an excellent resource for watering plants! Don’t let it go down the gutter and into the drain – use if for your thirsty potted plants, flowers, and vegetables!