So, your thinking about hiring a professional installer this year to decorate your house with Christmas lights for the holidays. 

Some people love the challenge and creativity of installing their own lights. If that’s you, great! But, if the idea of climbing on your roof with strings of lights fills you with dread, keep reading. We’ll give you some tips on hiring a great installer that will have your house looking like a Christmas card for the holiday season. 

1. Don’t settle for the lowest bid

I know it’s tempting to save a couple of dollars and go with the lowest bid. However, we all know the trisum “you get what you pay for.” The cheapest installers are probably cheap for a reason, maybe multiple reasons. You will most likely be compromising on design and installation experience. You also might run into some reliability issues, possibly with the lights and with the service. Avoid hiring people whose prices are too good to be true – they usually are. 

2. Make sure they are insured

Installing Christmas lights inherently comes with risk, both to the installer and to your property. Don’t be shy about asking if your installer carries insurance and the extent of the insurance carried. Asking isn’t insulting to the installer – it shows that you are a careful customer who wants to be sure that there is protection if there is any damage or injury. 

3. Ask about where they source their lights

Knowing where your installer buys their lights will give you a clear idea about the quality that you’ll be getting. Professional grade Christmas lights are a higher quality than what you will find in most stores. Installers that buy their lights a box store might not be as experienced and you might be the one to stuck with quality problems that pop up. 

4. Pay only a reasonable amount upfront

It’s common to pay a portion of the project upfront, but if your installer needs more then half, consider going elsewhere. If the installer is requiring more before starting, it’s a red flag that should warn you away.

5. Ask for references

Anyone who’s good at their job should have happy customers, lots of them, and they should be more than willing to share those references with you. There is no plausible reason an installer would be unwilling to send you a list of references.

6. Ask about problem resolution policies

No matter how professional and experienced the installer is, sometimes things come up and there are problems after installation. An experienced installer will recognize that and have policies in place to resolve those issues. The most important thing to know upfront is if the installer is willing to come back for any lights that go out or similar issues and how much they charge.

8. Avoid solo installers

Obviously Christmas installation is seasonal and most installers do other forms of work during the rest of the year. What you want to avoid is the person installing lights out of the back of his pickup just to make a little holiday cash. Go with a professional that is established and has a team ready to handle your job in a professional and timely manner. 

Beautiful Christmas lights take planning

No matter who you hire to install your holiday lights this year, planning will be involved. Most quality, professional installers quickly fill up and you want to make sure they have time to create a Christmas lighting plan for your home. 

Choosing Great Goats Landscaping to install your Christmas lights

Great Goats Landscaping has been helping decorate homes and businesses for the Christmas season for years. We are an insured, locally owned team that has the design experience to make your home look it’s best this year. 

We offer free consultations and would love to talk with you about giving you the holiday house you’ve been dreaming about. 

Even though we’re professional landscapers who love fancy and eye-catching plants and flowers, we understand that sometimes you need some low-maintenance perennials in your yard to add color and life without requiring a lot of attention. 

Our favorite perennials

There are countless low-maintenance perennials that will thrive in our area and enough variety for any landscaping project. We especially like the ones that produce wonderful blooms and stand-out foliage. Here are some of our favorites.

Coneflowers

A native to the midwest, coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) bloom most of the summer. They are between 16 inches to 4 feet and come in multiple colors and varieties. They are also pollinator flowers that will attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.

Lenten rose

Lenten rose loves the shade and often blooms before the snow has melted. Flowers are purple, red, almost black, white, pink and green. Plants grow to about a foot tall and 18 inches wide and are easy to enjoy when planted along a walkway.

Virginia bluebells

Another spring flower, Virginia bluebells have pink buds that blossom into pink-purple blooms. They thrive in sun or in shade and easily reseed themselves. Plant them behind a summer bloomer to hide their foliage that turns brown and fades by June.

Black-eyed Susans

Another pollinator, black-eyed Susans bloom in August. They are bright yellow flowers with a black center, love full sun and reach about 3 feet tall.

Phlox

Tall with large clusters of flowers, phlox is a stand-out pollinator that flowers in late summer. It comes in a variety of colors from white to purple and prefers well-drained soil and full sun. 

Butterfly weed

Don’t be put off by the name – butterfly weed is easy to grow and is another flower that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. It has orange, yellow, pink or vermillion flowers in mid- to late summer.

Looking to add some low-maintenance perennials to your yard? Give Great Goats Landscaping a call today to talk with one of our experts about how low-maintenance perennials can be incorporated into your landscaping. 

Get started with your autumn lawn and landscaping clean-up with our top-five checklist.

Summer is coming to a close and that means it’s the perfect time to do a little bit of landscaping clean-up before things get too cold outside. 

A bit of care and maintenance now can lead to a healthy, lush lawn next spring.

Getting your yard ready for autumn

Not sure where to start? Follow our lawn and landscaping checklist to make sure you have everything taken care of before the snow starts falling. 

1. Remove any leftover debris

As the leaves continue to fall, you’ll want to regularly remove them from your lawn. A layer of leaves and weeds can smother your grass and provide a perfect home for mice and other pests. 

2. Remove dead shrubs and trees

Now that things are past their peak growing season, you’ll know which trees and shrubs didn’t do well this year and need to be removed. If your unsure, you can check for signs of life by scratching at the bark near the base of a tree to see if there is any green there. If there isn’t, the tree might be dead and should probably be removed. Autumn is also a great time to plant new trees and perennials if there are any you need to replace.

3. Keep mowing

Part of fall lawn care is making sure your grass ends the season strong and healthy. It’s important to continue mowing and watering as needed. Set your lawnmower blades to the lowest setting for the final two cuts of the season. This allows more sunlight to reach the crown of the grass and will dry the soil out faster in the spring. Once temperatures drop below 50, it’s best to put the lawnmower away and let the grass rest for the winter.

4. Mulch plants and trees

Depending on the conditions where you live, many trees and bushes can benefit from mulching to help them stay strong through the winter months. Mulching also reduces erosion and helps suppress weeds. Perennials and cool-weather annuals often need from two to three- inches of mulch.

5. Don’t forget about your garden

Cleaning up your garden in the fall makes spring planting so much more enjoyable. Before the ground freezes, remove weeds and other plant debris. Trim any perennials plants or herbs and mulch as needed.

Need a little help getting your yard cleanup and ready for winter? Give Great Goats Landscaping a call and we’ll get the job done for you.

Starting to work on the landscaping around your house can feel like an overwhelming project. Whether your yard just needs some new plants or needs a completely fresh start, redesigning the landscape can seem overwhelming.

If you’ve never worked on a landscape design project before, it can be hard to know where to start. For beginners, it might be easiest to think of your yard as an extension of your home. Many of the principles used in interior design can apply to your outdoor space too. You already know how to put a room together – working outside should be no different!

Here are seven tips for people who are ready to give their yard a fresh look.

Determine what you want from your yard and landscaping

Start by making a list of what you want and need. Do you have children that will need a space to play? Do you want vegetable or flowerbeds? Would you like to gather on a patio or deck? Start sketching out some of your ideas. It doesn’t have to be perfect or permanent. By just using pen and paper and getting down some general ideas, you an easy play around with things until you find something that feels like it might work.

Consider location

Take some time to study the sun and wind patterns of your yard. You may be thinking about a west facing patio, for example, but in that location, it will probably get a lot of sun. Instead of being relaxing in the afternoon, it will probably just be hot. If you will be adding flower and vegetable beds, you will also need to know how much sun those areas get and if it will be enough to grow the plants you want.

Pause and enjoy your yard as it is

Spend some time in your yard as it is now. Jumping to quick conclusions about your yard can lead to choices that you might regret and don’t work longterm. After spending time in your yard, you might learn things about your yard that influence the final design.

Be realistic

TV shows make it seems like the yard of your dreams can be achieved overnight. In reality, they often have huge crews to pull-off the transformation. Even working with a professional landscaper will take time to create your vision.

Choose a focal point

Just like interior design, having a focal point or a series of focal points can be an easy principle to implement in your landscaping design. Whether it’s a flowering plant, a tree, fire pit or deck, a focal point draws your eye and pulls the whole landscape together.

Use Scale and pacing

Scale and pacing will give your landscaping a cohesive look. Use a variety of size, shape, and color with tall plants towards the back and shorter plants towards the front helps keep things interesting. Try to find a balance of repetition and new elements in the design. You don’t want your yard to feel monotonous, but repetition also gives a feeling of cohesion.

Great Goats Landscaping can create the yard of your dreams

Designing and implementing eye-catching, functional yards is something Great Goats Landscaping has done for years. We work with clients to design elements that meet their needs. If you’ve been thinking about changing or refreshing your landscaping, give us a call today to learn how we can help create the yard you’ve been dreaming of.

Designing and maintaining a yard that you love and enjoy can be a trick, long process. But hiring a landscaper to help with your yard doesn’t have to be.

A ground-level deck with integrated plantings.

The majority of Americans agree that having professional landscape work done would allow them to have a nicer yard that they can use more often.

Hiring the right landscaper can make the process much smoother, and you can feel confident knowing you’ve hired a landscaper you can trust.

Here are 5 questions to get you started.

Where do you source the trees, shrubs, and plants that you use?

While there isn’t a rule limiting you to only using native plants, it is helpful to be aware of where the plants used in your landscaping are coming from. Locally sourced plants will likely cost less, be more likely to thrive and require less maintenance.

What level of ongoing maintenance should I expect?

Each company’s policy for care and maintenance for after the work is complete or to replace any dead plants is different. Be sure to fully understand what the company you are talking with will take care of and what will fall to you.

Some companies also offer on-going maintenance programs to make sure your yard is looking its best all year.

Does the contractor understand your vision?

Any contractor you are considering should take the time to talk with you and fully understand what you want the finished product to look like and how much you can spend. Share examples of yards and other landscape projects that show what you are hoping to achieve.

After talking with you, your contractor will put together a scale drawing of your property and what your new yard will look like. Ask any questions you have to be sure you and your contractor are on the same page.

How long do you estimate the project will take?

There is always a chance that something unexpected will come up while you’re doing a home improvement project, and in landscaping, there is also the chance that weather will slow things done. Let your contractor know if you have any deadlines, but also be aware that there are somethings that will be out of your contractor’s control.

How will I be able to recognize your crew and what will their average working hours be?

Know how you will be able to identify everyone on the landscaping crew and their vehicles. It is also helpful to have an idea of what their workdays will look like. Of course, some things might impact their schedule but ask when they expect to arrive and leave.

Choosing Great Goats Landscaping

Mike and his team at Great Goats Landscaping are always happy to answer any questions you have. Give us a call today to talk about how we can help make your yard a place you love to be.

July is here and so is summer in all her glory. It’s a month full of hot, slow days that are made for spending time outside gardening and all the other hobbies that go with summer.

Top July gardening tips

Before your gardening or landscaping gets away from you, spend a little time outside keeping it looking it’s best. Here is our list of gardening and landscaping must-do’s for July!

Plant a bit more heat-loving summer color

The spring flowers have faded, but you might still be waiting on some of your summer flowers. Add a bit of color with started summer annuals that will thrive in the heat. Greenhouses and nurseries are still full of plants that can be easily transplanted. You can even find some cactus that will grow in Minnesota like the prickly pear if you are looking to add some texture.

Water – so simple and so easy to forget

With the heat in full swing, everyone is going to need more water. Water early in the morning, before 10 am or after 6 pm to reduce the amount lost to evaporation. New plants should be hand watered to make sure that the water is getting to the root system. Established lawns and flowerbeds can be watered with a sprinkler system.

Make sure plants have enough to eat

Some plants can really benefit with a little extra nutrients during the growing season. Fertilizer is best applied early in the morning or in the evening and then watered in.

Mulch, mulch, mulch

Use mulch in your landscaping, in pots, and around your trees. Mulch holds in moisture and suppresses weeds. Plus, it makes everything look neat and tidy.

Keep an eye out for bugs and other pests

Unfortunately, we all know that there are plenty of bugs and other pests that love summer as much as we do. Check your landscaping and lawn on a regular basis to make sure that no one is eating away at your hard work. Brown areas of the lawn might be caused by grubs. If you are getting brown spots in hot areas, like along sidewalks and pavement, chinch bugs might be the issue. Visit your local yard and garden store to find organic methods to treat the problem before it spreads.

There is nothing better than stepping out your door into a well-maintained, beautiful yard.  Keeping your landscaping and flowerbeds tidy takes on-going care and attention, but it is worth the effort. When it’s done right, being in your yard can feel like a mini-vacation. Here are our top tips for keeping your yard looking it’s best.

Watering

1. Water regularly and deeply, about one to two times per week, depending on rainfall.
2. Evenings or early morning are the best times to water plants. The soil is cooler and you’ll lose less water to evaporation.
3. Avoid watering the leaves of plants as much as possible. Too much water on the leaves can lead to mold. Also, water gently to avoid damage to young plants.
4. A drip irrigation system can help if you are away a lot. Water is delivered near the plant base and can help maintain moisture levels in the soil.

Lawn

1. If temperatures rise above 85 degrees, consider letting your grass grow a little longer. Grass that is shorter can become damaged by the sun, and the soil underneath can dry out.
2. The best time to water lawns is early in the morning, between 4 and 8 a.m.
3. Too much water is just as bad as not enough. A good guide is between 2.5 to 4 gallons per square foot.

Weeds

1. Deter weeds before they start and plant beds densely to minimize space and sunlight availability.
2. Adding mulch can also prevent weed seeds from sprouting while adding a polished look.
3. If weeds do pop-up, get at the source. Remove the roots by using a weeding trowel or you’ll find yourself pulling that same weed again when it pops back up.

Sound like more then you want to take on? Great Goats Landscaping offers a regular landscaping service to keep your yard and flowerbeds looking their best. Give Mike a call today to set up a free consultation.

Love spending time outside but don’t have a comfortable place to sit and entertain? A deck might be the perfect solution.

If your yard slopes or you aren’t excited about the idea of adding a concrete patio, a deck can be a great option. You’ll be able to comfortably spend time outside while adding to the value of your house.

Here are some of the biggest benefits of adding a deck to your home.

Outdoor living spaces are on trend right now

One of the biggest trends right now is having an indoor space that flows into an outdoor space. Homeowners today want to be able to enjoy their yard and landscaping as much as they enjoy their home. A wood deck is a great way to get the indoor/outdoor space feel. Decks can be designed to fit with the structure and style of your home and can provide easy access to your yard.

Host friends and family get-together

If you enjoy entertaining, having a deck gives you the perfect area to throw a summer barbecue, birthday party, picnic, or other holiday events. Summer get-togethers are easier and more comfortable for groups of people on a sturdy deck with lights and furniture.

Enjoy the outdoors

Adding a deck to your home will naturally increase the amount of time you spent outside. Imagine stepping out to enjoy your morning cup of coffee or eating supper outside just because you can. Some people even use the deck as a home gym area to workout in the fresh air.

Great for pets and kids

A deck with a railing is a great place to let kids and pets safely play outside without worrying that they are going to be able to wander off. They will be able to play, and you’ll have the peace of mind knowing that they are safe and near the house.

Add value to your home

One of the most practical reasons to add a quality deck is that it will increase the value of your home. According to experts, many people recoup about 70% of the cost of a deck in their home value. Even if you aren’t in the market to sell, adding to the value of your home is always a good thing.

Deck material options for everyone

Decks can be built in a variety of materials that have varying benefits and drawbacks. Treated wood is the lowest cost option. Cedarwood has a higher cost but is long lasting and the best for paint or stain finish. Composite material has the longest lifespan and requires zero maintenance, but it also comes with the highest price tag.

Did you know that improving your home’s curb appeal can increase the value of your home by as much as 10 percent? Even if you aren’t thinking of selling, improving the look of your home adds value – and that’s always a good thing!

If you are selling your home, the best time to start cleaning and upgrading your yard is about a month in advance. That should give you enough time to get things polished and looking their best.

Improving the value of your home with landscaping

Don’t let the time of year hold you back, professional landscapers will always work with you to create the yard you are envisioning.

Whenever you start, make sure anything planted has enough time to establish itself before facing the tougher weather conditions of summer or winter.

Tidy outdoor containers

Container plants add interest to doorways, decks, and patios. They offer a world of possibilities and are a quick way to add color and dimension to an area. They are also a great option if you don’t have a large yard but want to add greenery or flowers.

Refresh mulch

Adding a fresh layer of mulch helps garden beds look polished and tidy. Plants and flowers are able to stand out and really pop. Mulch is relatively cheap and quick to apply, making it an easy way to improve the curb appeal of your home. Mulch is also ideal for suppressing weeds and helps the soil retain moisture during dry months.

Plant color

Consider the look and style of your home and choose annuals or perennials that will complement it. Flats of annuals are fairly inexpensive and easy to plant. Choose a variety of colors or a more monochromatic color scheme, whichever fits your home and personality best.

Shape and trim trees and shrubs

Pruning trees and shrubs when they are overgrown is good for the health of plants and also improves their overall appearance. A yard can quickly look neglected if there are dead branches and overgrown shrubs in front of the house. Do a little research before you start trimming. Some shrubs and trees are best pruned in the spring, while others will fare better in the fall.

Power-wash dirty surfaces

Power-washers are easy to rent and easy to use. They quickly can clean any grimy paved surfaces, making them look brand-new. Power washers can also be used to clean fences, brick and vinyl siding.

If that seems like more then you want to take on right now, give Great Goats Landscaping a call today. They can handle jobs big or small and also have a maintenance program to keep your yard looking it’s best.

Now that we’re safely into May, I think we can say that we are officially done with winter this year. Spring is here, and that means summer isn’t too far away.

Time to pull out the lawnmower and gardening gloves!

Here are a few things you can do this spring to get a jump on your landscaping and start the season off right.

Weeds

Early spring is the best time to start fighting any weeds that might pop-up in your yard or garden beds this summer. Before weeds even have a chance to get established, start taking measures to make sure they never get a foothold. Mulch areas of exposed soil and use pre-emergent, organic weed treatments in your lawn to suppress weeds. Be sure that you use a treatment that is pre-emergent as it might still be too cold for most topical weed killers to work.

Remove any old plants

Spring is a good time to assess your plants to see which can stay and which have seen their last season. Remove any plants that have died over the winter or are past their prime, and consider replacing them with new plants. Also, take a look at your lawn and treat any areas that have been damaged during the winter.

Prune shrubs and trees

Spring is the time to cut back trees and shrubs before they reach their full bloom. Most can quickly regrow and will benefit from serious cutbacks. Any shrubs or plants that are encroaching walkways, driveways or gutters or that have overgrown their space should also be cut back.

Are you feeling ready for spring? Is your landscaping ready? If you’d like some help this season, give Mike and his team at Great Goats Landscaping a call. They have the expertise and experience to create a custom plan for your home to give you the landscaping you’ve been dreaming of. They also can take care of your landscape with their on-going maintenance program.