Posts

Trees/Mulch Mounds

By Mike Smull / December 14, 2012 /

Do you have a tree with a mound of mulch around the trunk?  Don’t get me wrong, putting mulch around your tree trunks so the lawn mower does not hurt their bark is a good thing but only when it is 2″ or less of mulch.   Many people loose trees and they don’t know why. …

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Holiday and Winter Containers

By Mike Smull / December 7, 2012 /

Why leave your outdoor containers that held your annuals this past summer empty?  Fill them with all kinds of greens from your landscape.  If you have any holly, great!  If you have hydrangeas, seed heads of Autumn Joy Sedum, use them for interest.  They can be spray painted for color as well as ornamental grass

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Winter Planning

By Mike Smull / November 29, 2012 /

If you are one of those people that mourn the end of the gardening season, here’s some good news.  Just because plants go dormant in winter, doesn’t mean that people have to do the same.   Planning is such a very important part of winter.  With the bones of the landscape exposed, you can see…

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Suggestions for Updating Your Curb Appeal

By Mike Smull / November 21, 2012 /

You can see the difference new plants and path can make in the curb appeal of a home. * Create an entry path that’s wide enough for two people to walk side by side to get to the door.  Four feet is a good target dimension. *Choose evergreen plants for your foundation because our winters…

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How to Go From Outdated to WOW!

By Mike Smull / November 13, 2012 /

What makes a landscape look outdated?  The number one reason is plants sheared in various shapes to prevent them from growing over windows or eating your house.  Many new homeowners install plants along their foundation when they initially move iinto their home.  They haven’t studied varieties,k cultivars, and selections enough to understand how big some…

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Every Window is a Picture

By Mike Smull / November 2, 2012 /

When you look out your windows, do you have beautiful views to enjoy? Can you watch the birds getting their seeds and berries, the butterflies flitting around? If not, you are not taking full advantage of the property where you live and either pay taxes or rent to be there. In order to create beautiful…

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Bulbs Mixed in Wheelbarrow and Tossed in Garden

By Mike Smull / October 26, 2012 /

For this rather unique look in bulbs, we mixed various varieties of tulips, allium, and lilies and threw them about around the perennials in this outdoor living room. In spring it will look very naturalistic with green mounds of perennials around them. Check back in spring to see what it all looks like!

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A Mini Retreat on Your Own Property

By Mike Smull / May 16, 2012 /

When you look out  your windows, do you see a place that invites you to come out and relax or do you look at your property line with a shrub or two, perhaps a tree.  We took this border and made it a destination, a place to view all season.  Some place to enjoy without…

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A Lush and Full Outdoor Living Room with Continuous Bloom

By Mike Smull / April 4, 2012 /

  This ordinary back yard was on a bank so it was not very usable.  We cut the soil 4′ from the foundation of the house to give a sitting wall and a planter.  This gave us more level space to create the patio.  A landing was created with stairs to get to the concrete…

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Texture and Shape as Design Elements in the Landscape

By Mike Smull / March 30, 2012 /

There are so many subtle elements that make a landscape beautiful.  Two of the ones that I pay particular attention to is texture and shape.  What do I mean by that?  Some leaves are fuzzy, some are shiny, some are dull, some are delicate looking, some are evergreen and very thick and look like they could…

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