2015 Specials

Starting on March 1st, Integrity Landscape Services will be offering monthly specials on Facebook throughout our 2015 season.  Go to our Facebook page, "like" us, mention the posting and we will apply the special for that month!  We are looking forward to a great season this year. 

A Winter Garden

A winter garden can provide food and shelter for birds and other wildlife in the cold months.  A good-looking, inviting winter yard could include Cypress trees, Maiden Grass, and Boxwoods.  All varieties offer a lovely shot of green or burgundy in the dreary winter months.  Winterberry offers a vibrant red proving you can have a beautiful and colorful yard in winter too!

 

Merry Christmas to All!

Integrity Landscape Services wishes everybody a very, Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year!

We've enjoyed a busy 2014 and look forward to the beautiful landscaping to be done in 2015!

Calcium Chloride Is Our Choice

Calcium chloride is excellent for melting ice and snow and is better for your surfaces than rock salt.  It is more expensive, but delivers several advantages over rock salt.  Calcium chloride can be effective at temperatures as low as -25 F, while rock salt works loses its effectiveness at temperatures below 15 F.

Rock salt can poison soil and can also be damaging to trees and other vegetation. 

Rock salt can damage concrete. 

Rock salt can also be harmful to pets.  Pets will lick their the irritated paws to remove salt, possibly ingesting the salt.

For the reasons above, Integrity Landscape Services always recommends calcium chloride to reduce slippery driveways and walkways.

Pruning in Winter

The best time for pruning varies with the type of tree but it is generally accepted that early winter is a good time to prune deciduous trees, as long as it is not frozen!  If there is no freezing yet, the leaves are gone and you can easily inspect the branches and tree structure for any signs of weakness.

For Evergreen trees and shrubs, you should wait until after the last winter freeze before pruning.  Early Spring is best.

After a heavy snow, your trees and bushes might be icy and covered with snow.  It is best to wait until everything thaws before trying to assess damage.  Shaking snow or ice off a plant can cause even more damage to it. 

Protecting Arborvitae Through Winter

Although Arborvitae are frost-tolerant, they are easily damaged by snow and wind storms.  This can leave frustrating bare spots.  Some people cover their shrubs in burlap, but that isn’t very visually appealing.  Some experts recommend using thick rope or rubber straps.  Don't use wire as it can scar the plant.

The best approach is to wrap the twine around the outside of the plant like the stripes on a candy cane, starting at the bottom and working your way up.  Pull it snug but not so tight that it breaks branches and deforms the shape of the plant.

Remember to remove the rope or straps early in the spring so the tree will grow and move naturally.

Fall Aeration

To aerate your lawn means to remove small plugs of thatch and soil to improve the soil aeration.  This process helps to improve the health and vigor of your established lawn. 

Lawns can become compacted by traffic and mowing.  Rain and other watering can also compact the soil, reducing air to the roots, preventing proper growth.

The benefits of aeration are improved water and fertilizer uptake, air exchange into the soil, turf grass rooting, and thatch breakdown.  It also reduces soil compaction, damage from a heavy thatch, water runoff, puddling and soil layering.

Look for the holes to be filled with white, actively growing roots after about 7-10 days.  This is an indication of a successful aeration.

Though Integrity Landscape Services does not provide this service, we highly recommend it for the healthy longevity of lawns we've installed over the years.