1. BC 52 Home:BC Wine Picks 7/6/10 11:01 PM Page 56
How Green
Does Your
Garden Grow?
T ransform your home’s landscape from lackluster to lush!
Our landscaping tips tell you how to keep your garden
and lawn areas thriving throughout the year.
Make the Most Out of Mulching. Mulching is essential
for several reasons. The first reason why plants benefit from
mulch is because it protects the plants from damage during
the different seasons. During the summer months mulch
keeps the roots of the plants cool and in the winter mulch
protects them from freezing. Secondly, mulch maintains mois- concept
ture levels during the growing season and finally mulch acts
as a barrier against weeds from invading the planting areas.
Tips: For best results, mulch your property during the spring.
And don’t over mulch; too much mulch will suffocate the
plant. Keep mulch away from the “necks” of the plant.
Plan on Pruning. Pruning is essential for the overall health
of the plants in your garden. Pruning also encourages the
overall growth of each plant. There are several different
types of pruning that you can do to help your plants grow.
First, you can sheer them to shape them. Second, thinning
allows air and light to pass through. Third, tipping will help
maintain the fullness of a plant. Finally, deadwooding is
the removal of dead wood and damaged foliage. This will
improve the plant’s appearance.
Tips: A good set of pruners is essential for every gardening before
enthusiast. Keep pruner blades sharp as dull blades can
damage plants.
Primer on Planting. There are several things to consider
before planting a plant in your garden. First, be sure to select
the right plant for the location. Each plant requires either
shade, sun or part shade and part sun. Second, consider soil
condition. You don’t want to plant vegetation that needs a
lot of moisture in a dry area or vice versa. Third, take into
consideration the size of the plant at maturity. It’s not a great
idea to plant a plant that grows too tall in the foreground
and ends up covering everything behind it. This will show
everyone that the garden was designed improperly.
Tips: Remember to space the plant appropriately when plant-
ing. Too much space in between plants will leave voids while
after
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2. BC 52 Home:BC Wine Picks 7/6/10 11:02 PM Page 58
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As far as watering,
the best rule of thumb
is to water for a
longer period of time
and less frequently
rather than watering
more frequently with
less water.
planting plants too close will eventu-
ally damage the plant. Follow your
local landscape professional’s guide-
lines for planting.
TLC of Lawn Care. Proper turf
management is essential for a healthy-
looking lawn. When mowing your
lawn, avoid cutting it too short or else
the lawn will burn and you will end
up with burn marks throughout. For
a proper looking lawn, keep your
blades of grass an average of 2 ½ inches
A Great Backyard Starts high. Also, mower blades should be
with Mitchell Simon kept sharp so the grass is actually cut—
not torn— by the blade.
Tip: Change the direction of your cut
to prevent matting and creation of ruts
in the lawn.
Water Work. As far as watering, the
best rule of thumb is to water for a
longer period of time and less fre-
quently rather than watering more fre-
quently with less water. Watering
deeply will enable stronger root growth.
The deeper the root grows, the stronger
and healthier the lawn will look.
Tip: For best results, contact a profes-
sional lawn care company, whose staff
will be familiar with how to properly
treat each individual lawn.
Landscaping tips provided by Adam
Swierkowski of Scenic Landscaping LLC
15 South Dean Street • Englewood • 201-568-2108 (www.sceniclandscaping.com).
Mon.-Sat. 9am-6pm • Sun. 10am-3pm • Lic#13VH04633400 • www.mitchellsimon.com
58 BC Magazine July/August 2010
THE
