'Springing'

It's here!
Spring is in full bloom here in Richmond, Virginia and we landscapers are LOVING it!

Photo taken at the Ciliberto home

We appreciate this time of year the most for many reasons:

1. Color combinations and plant pairings really start to look great!

(Photos taken at the Perkins' home)


2. Spring showcases a whole year's worth of hard work and planning when it comes to tending a lawn!

This photo taken at the Lawrence's home

This photo taken at the Thomson home


3. Our clients can spend time outdoors enjoying their beautiful homes

This photo taken at the Ciliberto's home

This photo taken at the Spitzer's home


4. It is MUCH more enjoyable to work on a property in April's 70 degree sunny afternoons than February's biting winter mornings!

This photo taken at the Spitzer's home


5. When we make site visits to our clients' homes, this is what we get to see:

This photo taken at the Pearson's home

This photo taken at the Dicks' home

This photo taken at the Spitzer's home


Here's to a happy Spring!

Do any of you have favorite areas of your landscapes that really pop in the Spring?

Pst: Check out some other great spring photos on our Facebook page:

Wadin'

We decided to take advantage of today's balmy mid-50's temps and clean out our pond!

Ponds are fabulous design elements that add so much beauty and entertainment to a landscape without adding too much extra work! A healthy pond functions as a miniature ecosystem, all life forms contributing to the upkeep of the whole, and as such, a pond requires little outside 'help.' In fact, a typical pond simply requires a few quick, regular skimming sessions in the fall when leaves are dropping and a winter clean up in order to look its best!

Most pond owners would say that the relaxation and enjoyment they get from their pond far outweighs the minimal upkeep tasks!

Why Clean Your Pond?

Debris from leaf drop, plant material, and even animal bi-products can build up in a pond over the course of a year and become a great breeding ground for bacteria and algae. (Check out the muck on those waterfall rocks!) While this build up is not such a bad thing for the health of the pond, it does detract from the appearance of the water and rock materials. Cleaning your pond can help to improve the aesthetics of your investment!

It is best to wait to clean your pond until most of the season's spent plant material has dropped, but you do want it to be clean before plants begin their spring growth flush. Therefore, February is a great time of year to give your pond a thorough cleaning! (Unless, of course, February is like last year and remains snowy and icy for the majority of its 28 days!)

So, with the weather on our side, we donned our waders, jumped in (literally!) and started scrubbing!

The first step to cleaning a pond is to empty the old water. We used an electric pump with a pretty sizable hose get the water out of the pond and into the surrounding landscape.

Next is the 'scrubbing.' Once the pond was empty, we used a power washer to blast tough scummy growth off the rocks and boulders that make up the pond's structure.

We also removed the filter and cleared out all of the debris that had built up inside...

While the pond was empty, we decided it was a great time to re-pot our aquatic plants! Tom stopped by The Great Big Greenhouse and snagged some great fabric sacks in which to plant; apparently the sacks are better suited for aquatic plant vigor as they allow for more flexible root growth. He also stopped by Boulevard Flowers down the street and picked up some pebbly material to spread on the top inch or so of the potted sacks to prevent the potting soil around the roots of the plants from being pulled into the pond by nibbling fish and creating a mess. Rigo and Juan got to work nestling the plant roots in their new habitat.

With these tasks finished, the hard part was done! We grabbed the hose and a bottle of de-chlorinating solution and set to work filling the pond with fish-friendly water so as not to disturb our only 2 scaly chums that survived the blue herons and the neighbor's cat this summer!

Once the water has a day or two to settle, our pond will be prepped and ready to be looking its best as winter melts into a beautiful spring!

We can't wait until the pond looks like this again!

Pete Rose Shopping Spree!

With a particularly exciting upcoming project in mind, Tom and I set off to one of our most respected stone vendors, Pete Rose, to visit our buddy, Ben and get inspired!

A little background on the project at hand:

One of our long-time clients has a beautiful home nestled at the edge of a fairly mature, yet shallow forest. She and her husband love to spend time enjoying their landscape (even if their busy schedule only permits a few minutes here and there!) Their home is a haven to all sorts of wildlife including a multitude of bird species, deer (perhaps the deer are more annoying than enjoyable...) rabbits, and their own dogs, Sadie and Shadow.

The landscape is a shady one that slopes from the front yard to a dry creek bed at the forest edge in the backyard. We recently installed a pond-less waterfall just off the covered patio in the backyard to add a relaxing element to outdoor family gatherings. Here's a process photo of the waterfall installation:

Now that the waterfall is complete (just waiting for the plants to grow in!) we are turning our attention to the creation of a woodland path to provide a lush, soothing transition from the front of the home to the waterfall in the backyard. Oh la la!

So that leads us to yesterday's trip to Pete Rose:

We started our 'inspiration visit' by following Ben to the stone yard. Let me just say that despite the utilitarian feel, a stone yard can be one of the best places to start brainstorming some of your most beautiful projects! Who knew rock could be so breath-taking!

That's Tom on the left (in the Robbins gear) and Ben from Pete Rose on the right.

After admiring quite a few options for large, flat stone slabs, we came across these beauties:

(I'm sitting on the stone to remind us of the scale of the pieces when we're back at the drawing board fleshing out the design in a few weeks.)

I was really drawn to this stone for its color variation and textured edges; I think that this stone would be an excellent option to compliment the stone of the waterfall which is, after all, the destination of the path! Tom liked the stone for its shape and weight; he is confident that it will be a great candidate for the construction we have in mind!

After deciding on these path pieces, we struck out in search of some boulder pieces to help create a retaining area...

Too short...

Too narrow...

Juuuust Right!

We really liked this boulder for it's ability to serve as a retaining structure but also a fairly comfortable seat for a quick respite along the woodland path. I can just see our client sitting to sip her coffee and admire the birds for a few minutes on a Saturday morning!

Now that we've seen the material, it's back to the drawing board to plan some details! We'll keep you posted!


Has anyone else ever experienced an inspiring trip to a stone yard? What was the source of your inspiration?

Frosty Fountains

Many of our clients' landscapes showcase a water feature or two (mostly designed and installed by us) and many of our water-loving friends wonder what will happen to their lush, summertime fountains/waterfalls/ponds when winter comes?

(Photo courtesy of David Beam)

Our answer: all sorts of enjoyment!

Even the smallest of water features typically move enough water to prevent a complete freezing of the water here in balmy Richmond.

And last year's snowy February couldn't stop our pond's waterfall from flowing!

So when old man winter comes to Virginia, he brings with him the opportunity to enjoy some really beautiful ice effects without damaging the water features:

No ice-skating here!

So for those of you who are so lucky as to host one of those bubbliny beauts, spend the next few weeks enjoying the view of your winter waterscape!

Meeting 2011 With Our Sleeves Rolled Up!

Despite some of the challenges we (along with most other small businesses) faced in 2010, we are determined that in 2011 we will improve our business systems, further educate our team members, serve our clients better than ever, and grow our company!

For starters, we thought the best way to welcome 2011 was to GET ORGANIZED!

Jake, Luke, Chris, Kathryn and I spent the better part of a day last week cleaning and organizing our Production System. (Look at the dust on that table! Kathryn and I were sure to dust, sweep, Windex, repeat, many, MANY times while the guys hung countless boards on the walls and partitions.)

Though the project is not quite finished, the progress we have made has already helped us to streamline our Production efforts, and that feels great!

Bear in mind the Production System headquarters is located in our warehouse, so the space is much more functional than it is aesthetic. (The landscapes we design and install are much more beautiful than this warehouse corner!) The space does, however, accommodate the needs of the System better than ever before!

The new arrangement also allows for an official training corner where we can educate our team members on the many aspects of the Landscape Contracting Industry. How convenient!

There are many more exciting projects to cross off our To-Do List, and I'll post the progress as we tackle them!

Happy New Year!

New Year, New Landscape!

After spending some much appreciated time with family and friends this Christmas season, I've decided it's time to start evaluating my 2010 accomplishments, giving thanks for what I was blessed with this past year, and turning my focus to 2011.

Among other things, 2010 has given me the opportunity to spend time getting to know some of our clients. I have really enjoyed listening to some pretty creative ideas and helping to make these inspirations a reality. Here are just a few of the ideas I was able to help develop this year:

What a year for beautiful design!

In the coming year I am resolving myself to be a better blogger! I thoroughly enjoy the time I can spend exploring the inspirations of others through their own blogs, and I'm determined to provide you with the same exciting, inspiring blogging dedication right here on this site!

Here's to a very happy and prosperous 2011!

Cheers!

Got Mulch?

As this week's weather has made abundantly clear, WINTER HAS COME!

What does that mean for your landscape? It's time to mulch!

Winter is the time of year during which mulch can serve both an aesthetic and a functional purpose in your landscape. When trees have lost their leaves and flowers have died back, mulch can really make your slightly-less-exciting winter landscape look fresh and tidy.

More importantly, though, mulch serves a few important purposes in your landscape during the winter and early spring months.

Insulation: Laying a fresh dressing of mulch around your plants in early winter can help to protect their roots from winter cold and increase the chance of winter survival.

Erosion control: Winter weather often leaves areas covered in herbaceous plant material barren for a few months. This exposure of bare topsoil to winter's often windy and wet conditions increases the probability of erosion. Laying mulch in these areas can help mitigate the loss of topsoil.

Weed suppression: An annually applied layer of mulch can help to prevent the germination of weed seeds as temperatures rise in the early spring. Who doesn't welcome help with weed control?


Protect your plants and spruce up your 'scape; Spread some mulch!