Next Year’s Landscape Success Begins NOW!
Next Year’s Landscape Success Begins NOW!
As the weather turns cool and crisp, you might be tempted to think that your lawn and garden don’t need you anymore. But now is the best time to condition your landscape for a strong start to next spring. Your lawn and ornamentals will also reward you next spring if you give them a hand in making the most of the cooler months.
Don’t abandon the lawn!
During the fall, don’t be fooled as the top growth of your lawn slows. The real action is happening be
low ground, because this is the time of year when root growth goes into high gear. Fall fertility promotes healthy root growth especially when the soil has been opened through aeration. Roots that have nutrients, adequate moisture and room to expand can store more nutrients for better winter color and earlier spring green-up. Aerate and feed your lawn this fall!
Fortify your trees and shrubs with a good solid meal this fall
Trees and most all other ornamental plants need care in the fall be it pruning, cutting back, mulching or feeding. Fertilization is extremely 
important in the fall where root growth is building reserves for growth and flower production during the fall and winter. Investing in your landscape now will pay you back many times over next year. Be sure to call us with any questions or requests for quotations. Fall feeding of woody ornamentals has been proven as the optimal time of year to feed these ornamentals.
Spring spectacles begin now – Set yourself off from the crowd with spring flowering bulbs
The only game in town, as far as spectacular spring blooming displays are concerned, remains to be in fall planted bulbs. Of course we are talking about the ever popular spring bloomers such as tulip, daffodil, hyacinth, lily, iris etc. To most of us though that want instant gratification, bulb planting in the fall seems like 
such a waste of money, time and back-breaking effort. But after about four long cold months, your investment “springs” to life and rewards your efforts with beautiful and unsurpassed colorful displays. The good news too is that bulbs such as daffodils reward you year after year and there are hundreds of varieties and types of bulbs from which to choose. Don’t miss your fall opportunity to spring some life into your
landscape investment. For bulb ideas, we have provided you with a link to one of our spring flowering bulb suppliers. SpringDisplays. If prompted for a password, enter ‘bulbs’.
Be sure to use our exclusive and completely free online calculator to determine exactly how many bulbs that you will need here
Quality Landscape Reflects Pride Inside Home & Office
First impressions of you or your business begins before anyone sets one foot inside of your door. The quality of your landscape, or lack thereof, will set the tone and opinion of you based upon outside appearances. This is simply human nature. If your home or office appears neat and well maintained, visitors will make an initial assessment that you are a person that takes pride in his or her home or business. Personal opinions might even translate into that you are a successful person and hard-working from this first outdoor impression.
Studies have shown that morale increases in office environments where the outward appearances look attractive, implying pride and success. An unkempt and dingy outside appearance could actually turn away potential customers and highly motivated workers.
Have a landscape design professional evaluate your home or office. Many times simple landscape maintenance techniques will spring new life into an existing landscape. At times, however, some minor changes in plant placement or the removal of an overgrown shrub or tree with be necessary to give a home or office an updated and appealing new look.
Landscapes that have some age, and especially those that have not received proper maintenance over the years may require complete landscape renovation. If you find yourself in this predicament, this is a great opportunity to hire a competent landscape design professional to make the absolute best that your structure and site have to offer. Be the envy of your community with that all important first impression!
Save Green with a Well Planned Landscape
On a cold winter day, nothing feels better than coming home to a toasty warm house. Who doesn’t enjoy that peaceful feeling as you sit down to watch the snow fall outside your window from the comfort of a reclining chair in a pleasant 70 degree environment? Life is good…then the utility bills arrive! With the recent cold snap, you have no doubt noticed a spike in your gas and/or electric bills. You probably also notice the same thing when that dread piece of mail arrives in July and August! You may be willing to move the thermostat a degree or two one way or the other, but comfort is still important and maybe the kids just don’t want to wear their winter coats at the kitchen table for dinner. You grit your teeth, reset the thermostat, and prepare to purchase ink by the barrel for writing checks to the utility company. If this sounds familiar, you may be surprised to know that some simple changes to your landscape can make a big difference in your energy bills.
There are 3 primary ways that your home may gain or lose heat: 1) air infiltration, 2) heat conduction, and 3) solar radiation. A carefully designed landscape that takes these things into account can help reduce home heating and cooling costs by 25%. This could mean hundreds of dollars in energy savings each year! In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy recently released a study showing that with even as few as 3 well positioned trees, you could see savings of $100 to $250 annually. Following some additional simple guidelines, you can make changes to your landscape that will leave you with even more green in your pocket.
In the winter, your home may be losing 20% to 30% of its heat due to air infiltration. One way to reduce that heat loss is by setting up windbreaks in your landscaping. By positioning evergreen trees and shrubs along the north and northwest sides of your property (the direction of Ohio’s prevailing winter winds), you may be able to reduce heating costs anywhere from 25% to 40%. Ideally your windbreak should be located 2 to 5 times as
evergreen windbreak
far away from your house as the mature height of your trees. For example, if you are planting a double row of spruce trees that will reach a mature height of 30’, you should try to locate them 60’ to 150’ away from your house. While this is the optimal range, the size of your property may require you to plant a little bit closer than that. On the other hand, if you have a very large property, studies have shown that windbreaks are able to achieve noticeable results even when they are located as far away as 30 times the mature height of the plantings!
Unfortunately, the end of winter does not mean the end of utility bills! During summer, when you are trying to cool your home, you may be fighting the effects of solar radiation and heat conduction though your windows and walls. The best way to help keep your house cool is by shading it. In the same way that you seek out shade to cool off on a hot summer day, your home can be kept cooler by shading the roof and sun facing walls (primarily south and west) with trees and shrubs. The shade from your trees and shrubs can actually cool the surrounding air by as much as 9 degrees. This can dramatically reduce your air conditioning costs; possibly by as much as 50%. Just think of how many ice-cold lemonades that would buy! By planting deciduous shade trees on the south and west sides of your house, you can cool your home in the summer and still allow sunlight to shine through in the winter when you actually want to take advantage of the
Summer shield from Sun
solar radiation heating your home. Well positioned shrubs can also “insulate” your walls without inhibiting air flow. And don’t forget to shade your air conditioning unit. In addition to the aesthetic benefits of screening the air conditioner, a shaded unit can operate 10% more efficiently than one exposed to the hot summer sun.
When it comes to reducing your energy bills, landscaping can do more than just slow the wind and provide shade. Areas of lawn or groundcover can be up to 25 degrees cooler than asphalt in the summer so maximize the amount of planted area on your property and minimize pavement. While structures such as pergolas and trellises are helpful in providing shade to your home, you will not get the added cooling benefits of plant transpiration and
Directing cooling winds
evaporation. Tree filled neighborhoods have been shown to have air temperatures that are 3 to 6 degrees cooler than surrounding open neighborhoods due to the combination of shade and the cooling effects of evaporation. If your home is not air conditioned, you can actually use plant material to direct summer winds toward your windows. (If you do have central air conditioning however you are actually better off not directing summer winds toward your home. Studies have shown that directing these warm winds toward your house is actually a detriment to keeping energy bills low when you are using air conditioning.)
There are numerous possibilities for how to use your landscape to reduce energy costs. The savings you could achieve may even pay for the landscape renovations within just 8 years! Contact Buck & Sons today to consult with a landscape designer and find out how you can use your landscaping to make your home more energy efficient. Don’t spend another winter lamenting huge utility bills! This year go green and save some green in the process! by Pete Marsh, Lead Designer – Buck & Sons Landscape
Plan Your Summer Fun Now!
Early Planning provides for Full Summer Fun
The daylight hours are short, the temperatures are cold, and the winter snows are upon us. For most people, spring seems like a long way off and landscaping is just about the last thing on their mind! You can chase away those winter blues by beginning to think ahead about springtime patio and landscape projects. Winter is a great time to begin the planning and design process, or maybe just dusting off that set of plans in the closet that took a back seat to other home improvement projects last year.
Patios and Gardens
A well designed landscape can help you create privacy, improve your home’s security, reduce your energy bills, increase your home value, and most importantly, enhance the beauty of your property. Your home is your sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and your landscaping should be a part of that. Your landscaping can bring you a sense of peace and tranquility…a place to relax and “get away from it all”. Best of all, a well designed and installed landscape can help you accomplish all of your goals without creating future maintenance headaches!
As with any renovation project, it is important to begin by consulting a landscape professional. Soil type, sun and wind exposure, and water availability can vary greatly within aresidential development and even between neighboring houses. Each site is unique, and an experienced professional will take all of these factors into consideration. A landscape designer will listen intently to your goals and use his or her plant knowledge to help you develop a plan that fits your personal taste in style, color, and preferences for future maintenance (or lack thereof!).
So, put down that snow shovel, take off your hat and scarf, and call Buck & Sons today to get started on your new landscape plan. There is no better way to get out of the winter doldrums and when the weather finally breaks, you’ll you ready to enjoy summer with your newly enhanced great outdoors!
