Are you satisfied with the appearance your property? Does it have unattractive areas you'd rather residents not see? Or does your property look sterile and harsh, lacking personality?
Perhaps it is time for a plant makeover. Your property can look more attractive, inviting and livable without expensive construction or adaptations. All you need are the right plants.
Plants bring life and beauty. They have the power to transform your property and can do the following:
Add personality and variety to large areas of concrete, such as parking lots.
Conceal flaws in an outside wall.
Block residents' views of necessary but unattractive objects such as air conditioning units.
Pull seemingly disparate elements of your property together, to add a sense of continuity and wholeness.
Soften the look of sharp corners on buildings and add visual appeal to bland buildings.
Basically, there are 4 categories of plants to consider -- Trees, shrubs, flowers and all other plants, including decorative grasses and vines. In general they are most effective when used in these ways.
Trees add shade to parking lots and other large areas of concrete; hide flaws (especially if they are evergreens); round out corners for a softer look to buildings; visually connect one area to another; and frame doorways.
Shrub's hide flaws or unattractive objects; round out building corners; and provide contrast and beauty when planted with flowers.
Flowers accent areas you want noticed and draw attention away from areas and objects you want ignored.
Other Plants include climbing vines and prairie grasses. Vines cover building and wall defects and give an impression of traditional, time-honored elegance. Ornamental grasses partially conceal unattractive elements and add beauty and interest to a landscape.
Remember that you'll want plants that can do the same job in the winter as well as the summer. Of course, flowers will not be blooming in January, but shrubs, vines and prairie grasses remain in the winter. For areas want to hide with trees, you may want an evergreen in place of a free that will be shedding its leaves in the fall.
Look for interesting characteristics in your accent plants, such as unusual leaf texture or leaf size, plants that produce colorful fruit (such as evergreens with berries), plants that grow very high for their type (such as sunflowers) or very low (such as dwarf trees), and trees that have singularly rougher colorful bark.
Color draws the eye toward it and adds drama to your landscape. Remember that color is not just in flowers, but can be found in leaves, vines, grasses, and fruit. Color can be bright or subdued and can be contrasted to add even more drama to the scene. Consider seasonal color changes in plants.
When it comes to variety remember not everything takes place on the ground. You can hang plants in entrance way or on porches, have a plant going over a trellis and vines climbing up a building.
The right plants can do wonders for your property's zeal and appearance. They give you dramatic results on a small budget -- a transformation that residents and prospective residents will notice and appreciate.
Why is it that so many lawns never look their best until mid-summer?
It is because the traditional lawn repair process takes time. Bare spots that become apparent with the first growth of grass are sown with new grass seed. However, the soil is not warm enough for grass seeds to germinate until May, which means by the time they take root and are fully grown we are well into June, if not July.
There is an alternative, however: Sod. Installing sod gives your lawn an immediate lush appearance and it can be placed very early in the spring.
When selecting sod for your site you can be particular. Sod producers sell a variety of sods, so you select the one that matches the soil in your landscape and the type and color of your existing grass.
With sod there is no waiting to repair damaged areas, and you can be the first on your block to have the beautiful consistency of a healthy lawn.
This spring and summer, why not recycle your lawn? It's easy. After mowing, instead of having the grass clippings removed, leave them. A thin layer of grass clippings will add nutrients back into the soil and will not detract from your lawn's appearance.
The key is to mow regularly and not allow the grass to get too high. When there is too much leftover grass the soil cannot use all of it, and it is no longer beneficial to your lawn.
Cut grass kept on your lawn is not garbage but a natural fertilizer that rejuvenates the soil. Recycling it not only reduces waste, but also prevents the waste of time and work that would otherwise go into unnecessary bagging and hauling.
"For winter's rains and ruins are over...
And in green underwood and cover
Blossom by blossom the spring begins.
Algernon Charles Swinburne
This information is provided as a public
service by Alan Horticultural Enterprises, a full-service landscape management company.
Although we've been in business 20 years and service over 80 multifamily properties, we
maintain personal, one-on-one relationships with all of our clients to ensure customer
satisfaction. We are an environmentally conscious company, using EPA-approved products to
maintain healthy lawns that are beneficial for humans, pets and wildlife. If we can help
you with your lawn needs or questions, please call us at 630-739-0205.
ALAN HORTICULTURAL ENTERPRISES, INC.