Beautiful Backyard Water Features

Posted on June 22, 2016 by greatgoatslandscaping

As summer temperatures rise, you may be thinking about adding a refreshing (and functional) water feature to your home’s landscape design. Whether you’re envisioning a dramatic fountain centerpiece or a gently babbling brook, we at Great Goats can take your design dreams and bring them to life in your outdoor space.

Here are samples of some of our recent projects to get you started. Call us today to get started on a beautiful water feature of your own!

Koi Pond with Recirculating Fountain

Koi ponds are a classic landscape design feature, giving your space a focal point that delights both children and adults. While big box stores do sell DIY koi pond kits, this isn’t a job to tackle on your own. Creating an environment in which carp can thrive requires a top-notch draining and filtering system installed by an expert.

Drainage Stream Bed

More and more homes are sporting drought-tolerant and low-maintenance landscapes, but many homeowners are hesitant about replacing their beautiful lawn with a water-saving option. No Minnesotan wants to live in a desert! But a creek bed like this one, lined with river rocks and edged with redwood chips, creates a lush, woodsy landscape that also helps funnel rainwater away from the home. Bonus: less time spent mowing your lawn!

Natural Stone Waterfall

Can’t get to the lake this weekend? Kicking up your feet next to a burbling waterfall in your backyard is the next best way to relax. Waterfalls can range from sleek and modern to rustic and natural, and they’re the perfect complement to swimming pools and fire pits. We’ll customize a design that fits perfectly in your space.

Dramatic Retention Pond Fountain

If you’re lucky enough to own or manage a property with a pond, you likely know the potential pitfalls that come with them. While a retention pond limits flooding and brings wildlife to your outdoor space, it can become polluted and even breed mosquitoes without proper circulation. A fountain aerates the water and also creates a beautiful visual centerpiece.

Yard Care Vacation Checklist

Posted on June 13, 2016 by greatgoatslandscaping

Summer is here! As you’re packing suitcases and dreaming of sunny days at the lake, don’t forget to plan ahead for your landscaping needs while you’re gone. Follow this handy yard care vacation checklist to ensure that you come home to a healthy, tidy outdoor space.

Looking to lighten your load? Great Goats provides a full array of yard care services—with a level of expertise and reliability that you can’t get from your neighbor down the block! Give us a call today to schedule services during your upcoming vacations.

✔ Plan for lawn irrigation

Check the weather forecast for the days you’ll be gone, and adjust your sprinklers based on expected rainfall. If you have a timed system, just set it and forget it. If someone will be watering the lawn by hand, consider drawing out a map of the spaces you’d like watered, and how often.

(Don’t have an automated irrigation system? Call us today to learn about installing one, and save yourself hours of hassle and gallons of water each month.)

✔ Mow and edge your lawn

Sure it’s a pain now, but the last thing you want to do when you return from vacation is tussle with overgrown grass!

✔ Weed and harvest

Give your plants a thorough weeding, and bring in any fruits and vegetables that will ripen while you’re away. Also consider adding fresh mulch to flower beds.

✔ Move container plants

Container plants tend to dry out quickly. You may want to move them to shadier areas before hitting the road.

✔ Clean gas grill

Turn off the gas supply and use a wire brush to clean your grill. Double-check that your propane is stored safely. While you’re at it, discard any used charcoal or logs from fire pits.

✔ Clean off patios and decks

Clear the decks with a leaf-blower or broom.

✔ Bring in cushions and rugs

Store outdoor fabrics inside while you’re gone, and move rust-prone furniture under overhangs.

✔ Cover water features

Batten down the hatches on pools and hot tubs. (You may want to add an extra dose of chlorine as well.) Consider draining and turning off the power to running fountains and other water features.

Give Great Goats a call today so you can kick back and relax, knowing your outdoor space will be well cared-for in your absence. And here’s to a fantastic summer, wherever the season takes you!

Pro Tips for a Great Summer Lawn

Posted on June 1, 2016 by greatgoatslandscaping

Want a major league lawn this summer? Back when our Minnesota Twins moved to their state-of-the-art outdoor stadium, Target Field, a local TV station profiled the hardworking grounds crew who keep the field in top condition. While you may not have a whole outfield to care for, many of the groundskeepers’ best practices are also good lessons for homeowners. Here are our pro tips for a great-looking lawn.

Your lawn will be a home run if you take care of it like the pros.

1. Get a Fresh Start

The Twins had the advantage of starting with a blank slate at the new park, allowing the grounds crew to build a great field from the soil up. If you’ve moved into a new home or are simply trying to rejuvenate a lawn after years of haphazard care, you may find that a complete reseeding is the best way to get the yard you dream of. At Great Goats, we can help by doing a soil analysis, removing dead plants, and selecting a grass and fertilizer that will flourish in your particular space.

2. Drainage is Key

Minnesota lawns take a beating from ice, snow, and rain. Every year, we’re treated to a few pictures of the Twins’ grounds crew shoveling snow off the field in an attempt to get it ready for play that evening. Target Field is actually built on a unique combination of sand and silt that absorbs water quickly and reduces flooding of the grass. Homeowners, too, need to consider drainage in any landscape project—no one wants to find out in the winter that their new patio is pushing water into the basement. Worried about doing it yourself? Consider having a professional flatten or regrade your yard to ensure that water is funneled away from your house.

3. It Pays to Maintain

Even when the Twins are on the road, the grounds crew is at the stadium conditioning the field. Lawn care might not be your full-time job, but you can take a page out of their playbook and make regular maintenance a priority. A little work now will save you from major work later. Staying on top of a couple of daily tasks (removing objects from the grass so they don’t create dead spots; watering on a smart sprinkler system) and a few weekly chores (weeding, raking, mowing) will keep your lawn looking great all summer.

4. Put on the Finishing Touches

Major league groundskeepers make those arrow-straight stripes through the outfield by dragging a giant roller behind their mower, and the Twins’ crew says drawing the chalk foul lines is a nerve-wracking task. The lesson for homeowners is that it pays to sweat the small stuff. Consider edging your lawn with a decorative border of flowers or wood chips to create a nice visual transition between grass and concrete. Or