Bring a Pond to Your Property

Want to make your backyard a relaxing, natural oasis? One of the most beautiful and natural water features you can add to your home is an ecosystem pond. An ecosystem pond is a water garden that functions together with its surrounding environment; where you work with Mother Nature, not against her.

Ponds are one of the most important ecosystems on the planet. They play host to a total interrelationship of all organisms in the environment such as birds, fish, frogs, plants, and many microscopic organisms. So ponds not only create a natural ecosystem in their defined environment, but they also fit into the community or life cycle of the entire ecological region. So you are helping your neighborhood as well.



Integrity's experience installing eco-ponds--or any ponds--ensures your pond serves both you and your community as a point of beauty and relaxation.

Football Season and Firepits

In less than two weeks we are past Labor Day and into September. The days will get shorter and the nights cooler. In addition to enjoying the Packer season, why not enjoy your backyard patio more completely with a fire pit? It is a wonderful upgrade for outdoor enjoyment, year round!

Here are six reasons to for you to turn to Integrity Landscape for a permanent fire pit upgrade.

1. Family and friends gathering. Nothing says gather your favorite friends and family together like a fire pit.
2. Improved use of your outdoor space. Fire pits are a great way to extend your party space to the outdoors.
3. Added option for food preparation. There is no more enjoyable and unique taste than kabobs or marshmallows cooked over a fire pit.
4. Heat and warmth to extend outdoor recreational use. It is enjoyable to gather and drink around a fire pit on a chilly autumn or early spring night.
5. Tranquil ambiance for quiet time. When you and your loved ones are spending quiet time together, nothing is more satisfying than cuddling by a fire and gazing at the stars.
6. Increased value to your home. Landscaping upgrades including a permanent brick fire pit add investment value and selling price to your home.

Call Integrity Landscape Services today for a free consultation about adding a permanent fire pit to your residence.

August Landscaping Tips

Amazing that a couple of drier weeks and your lawn, garden, and landscaped areas are sere. Water and weed your garden and lawn in August. Pull weeds immediately after a good, soaking rain. Did you notice the new weeds sprouting up the past week or so? Some varieties wait until August to return. There will be weeds after the rain.

Three Tips:

1. Water thoroughly and deeply when you water. 
2. Water in the morning or early afternoon to allow the soil to warm up before evening.
3. Improve the look and health of your garden by removing spent flowers and any dry, crinkly leaves from your perennials and annuals.

By removing spent flowers, the plants will not go into the seed-producing stage and may flower longer. Removing bad foliage can stop the spread of fungus and insects.

Spring-blooming perennials can be divided and transplanted this month and next. Keep fertilizing the annuals in your pots and hanging baskets. Frequent watering leaches the nutrients from the soil, so keep an eye out for insects or disease damage and control if necessary.

For a more formal, manicured look, summer-blooming shrubs can be given a light shearing after they finish flowering. Cut out dead, broken, and rubbing branches from your shrubs and small trees whenever you have your pruners out.

This is the month to improve your lawn. Never spray weed killer on a drought-stressed lawn. It only takes a couple dry weeks for your lawn to become stressed. It is best to kill weeds before they go to seed and become a problem for years to come. Later this month you can fertilize the lawn again and over-seed the thin spots. Do not fertilize a lawn that is drought-stressed or when temperatures exceed 90-degrees. Luckily, our mild summer temperatures make it ideal to fertilize this year. If you over-seed an area, make sure to consider the amount of sunlight, traffic, and salt the area will be exposed to. Choose the seed blend best suited to your conditions. Continue watering: grass needs 1" of water every week. If the temperature stays warm keep your mower set at 3" or higher.

Change the water in your bird bath regularly and keep it filled. Stagnant water may become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Remember mosquitoes, they could make a comeback after the recent rains. The best defense against flying insects on the deck and patio, is a strategically placed fan. For your ponds or water features, make sure they always have adequate water levels. They lose more moisture to evaporation and splashing than you might believe.

Enjoy the rest of the summer; spend some time enjoying your garden!

Time for Summer Flowers

What is more beautiful than your lovely landscaped home with all the flowers, shrubs, and trees in glorious bloom? This is the season to enjoy the fruits of those labors; the creative team at Integrity can custom design a remarkable visual awakening of your property so next summer produces a yard design that's the envy of the neighborhood.

Integrity Landscape stands ready to work with you to dramatically improve your outdoor look and feel. Call today for a free consultation.

Landscaping in July

Turn all this near-record rainfall into a plus: The wet ground makes pulling weeds an easy chore.

Cut your grass a little taller during the hot weather if your lawn is made up of Fescue, Bluegrass, or Ryegrass. These cool-season grasses will fight the effects of heat better if you cut them no lower than 3 inches during the hottest summer months. Low cutting puts too much stress on the grass during hot weather. Be sure to water deeply and frequently if there has been no rain for 4 or more straight days.

 

Avoid pruning shrubs and trees in July. Always trim in early spring or late autumn. Trimming done in cooler weather can actually kill the plant, shrub, or tree when done in the heat of July. Wait to shape up your shrubs and trees until this fall.

Do not seed grass in July, except for Bermuda, which will take with enough watering. Integrity Landscape stands ready to work with your to dramatically improve your outdoor look and feel.  Call today for a free consultation.

Cooking Al Fresco?

July 2nd and summer is in full bloom. What could make your summer--and future summers--far more enjoyable? How about an upgrade to a new patio featuring an outdoor kitchen. Why heat up your indoor kitchen and make your AC work harder? An outdoor cooking setup with grill, fridge, sink/wet bar, smoker, and other useful stations make dining and entertaining in your back yard an enjoyable endeavor. Call Integrity Landscape for a free consultation today.

Summer Heat Invites a Space to Chill

Summer heat has arrived. This warm weather makes the perfect time to enjoy your patio and spend pleasurable days and nights with family and friends. Thousands of your neighbors in Southeastern Wisconsin have turned to Integrity Landscape to transform an average yard into a magical sanctuary. Here are a few of their thoughts on the upgrade:

"Happy with the new deck/patio and lights. Our party was a good time and it was great that Integrity completed the job before the party. New patio by the lake looks good and numerous kids have been playing on the beach." -- Ron S., Muskego, WI

"My goal was to turn my small back yard into a beautifully landscaped sanctuary that I can also share with my family and friends. I now have exactly that. I love it! Everyone who has seen it loves it! My experience with Integrity from start to finish is one of the best I have ever had with a contractor. I would highly recommend them to others and would use them again." -- Randy H., Milwaukee, WI