Monthly Archives: April 2018

Bushes and Shrubs Looking a Bit Over Grown? Give Us a Call

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Regularly pruning and caring for your bushes and shrubs will keep them looking healthy for years. Bushes and shrubs are common additions to landscaping designs. They incorporate visual interest and texture to borders and hedges while also adding shade and habitat for animals.

Bushes and Shrubs

While bushes and shrubs are relatively easy to care for, they do require regular maintenance and pruning to keep them looking healthy and attractive. Many problems that appear in bushes, shrubs, and trees can be avoided with regular pruning during the plants early years.

Benefits of pruning bushes and shrubs

There are several benefits to pruning bushes and shrubs regularly. An ongoing maintenance plan can:

  • Promote plant health by removing damaged or dying branches
  • Maintain a plant’s desired shape
  • Encourage new growth
  • Improve plant appearance
  • Protect people and property

 

Bushes and shrubs that aren’t pruned regularly can quickly become overgrown and susceptible to disease and damage. It’s much better for the health of the plant to receive care on a regular basis.

Best time to prune

A plant’s dormant season is the best time for most pruning. Late winter or early spring pruning, before new growth begins, leaves fresh pruning wounds opening for only a short amount of time before new growth appears and seals the opening. Another advantage to pruning in late winter or early spring is that there are few leaves obscuring your view of branches, making it easier to make pruning decisions.

Mike and the team at Great Goats Landscaping have years of experience pruning and caring for bushes, trees, and shrubs. They know the how to encourage new growth and shape bushes and shrubs into desired shapes. They also take care of all the clean up after they’ve finished pruning, leaving your yard looking tidy and ready for the summer.

There’s still time to get your shrubs pruned this spring. Give Great Goats Landscaping a call today to schedule a consultation.

Got Drainage Problems?

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Unexpected and uncontrolled water can be a homeowner’s worst enemy. No one wants to find water in their basement as the snow is melting or have a pond appear in their backyard after a heavy rain. Water can slowly erode parts of your home and landscape to create problems that take a lot of time and resources to repair.

snow-melt-flooded-yard

Drainage problems can develop in areas where the land is flat, there is a high water table or the soil is very dense. In these areas, having a well-designed drainage system is a priority that can help prevent and mitigate problems down the road.

Without an effective drainage solution, water can collect and pool to undermine structures, drown plants, and create perpetually wet areas in your yard. The potential for damage can be very high and is best to address before problems arise.

Do you have a drainage problem?

drainage problems

There are three factors that have the most impact on the drainage of a yard: the grade, the groundwater levels, and rainfall.

Even slight changes in the level of your yard can cause water to collect and pool. A skilled landscape designer will be able to analyze the nature of your yard and determine if you have a drainage problem caused by sloping or grade.

Groundwater is another factor that can affect the drainage of a yard. In some areas in the southern parts of the United State, for example, the water table is just inches below the surface. If the water table is high in an area, it can prevent water from draining quickly during spring melts or heavy rain events.

Sudden and heavy rainfall is often the test of the drainage in a yard. In areas that have heavy downpours on a regular basis, yards can become flooded for short periods of time even with drainage systems in place.

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Fixing drainage problems

While some drainage problems can be fixed with a quick project, many drainage issues require a skilled landscaper to evaluate the problem and develop an effective plan.

Great Goats Landscaping has been working with homeowners for years to address drainage and water issues in yards. They can talk to you about the options that would work best in your yard and create a design that is both beautiful and functional.