03.14.12
5 Tips for Spring Landscaping, per Angie’s List
On February 28, 2012, Angie’s List published a list of 5 landscaping tips on how a homeowner can start to prepare for Spring. The article includes excerpts from interviews of 3 highly rated landscape service providers as judged by Angie’s List members. One of these 3 landscape companies is based in Indianapolis another is in Oregon and the third is us.
We are pleased that our efforts have resulted in such high ratings and to have been asked for our suggestions. The full article is available at http://www.angieslist.com/articles/5-tips-spring-landscaping-success.htm.
03.13.12
It is not a good idea to bury stumps or logs!
For many years, some builders buried tree stumps and logs on the properties where they were going to build a new home. Those stumps and logs eventually rot out and cause depressions (sink holes) in the ground above the buried items. It is for that reason that it is now illegal to bury tree stumps and logs.
Last week, we completed the excavation of some buried tree stumps and logs that caused an area in front of our client’s 23 year old home to cave in. We had to excavate down to the water table to get all of the stumps and logs prior to backfilling. This is a time consuming endeavor and expensive, thus do not bury and stumps or logs.
03.08.12
St. John’s Prep Fundraiser – Gift Certificates for you
We have continued our tradition of providing a $500 gift certicate that can be used towards our installation of a landscape lighting system and a gift certificate for 8 free hours of labor towards your Spring Clean-up. The St. John’s Prep fundraiser ends on Friday, May 9th, thus please consider placing a bid on these items soon. More information can be found at http://stjohnsprep.maestroweb.com/List.aspx?OrgID=735&ItemCategory=Other+Services&Selection=25. Thank you for your consideration towards this fundraiser.
03.05.12
Real Estate Event on March 11th
I will be at the Re/Max Home Expo that is being held this weekend at the Re/Max office at 11 Market Square in Newburyport. I will be able to answer your landscape related questions from 3 – 4 on Sunday the 11th while we enjoy some of the refreshments that they will be serving. Please feel free to stop by and see some of the projects which we have completed or to speak with other home related professionals.
03.02.12
Andover, MA – Landscape Lights around pool
The uplighting of ornamental grasses and some shrubs provide this luxury hotel feel in this client’s backyard. They now enjoy all of the benefits of a private backyard with the aesthetic luxuries provided by this ambient lighting around their backyard.
02.10.12
Update related to Boxwood Blight
Boxwood Blight is a fungus that is defoliating boxwood plants. You can see the impact of Boxwood Blight when the foliage gets brown circles within the green part of the leaf and then the leaf falls off. A plant can become defoliated, but continue to live. The current recommendation is to remove the live boxwood plant, because it will look terrible. While removing the plant, discard the plant into a plastic bag in the area where you dug it out. Discard the soil in the immediate area, because the fungus can remain alive and dormant for up to 5 years. Do not compost the infected plant. Sanitize all tools and clothes after dealing with an infected plant.
02.06.12
Times Square – New York
I was in downtown New York, Times Square, last weekend. It was very interesting, because I could see a majority of Times Square from my 19th floor room at the Marriott Marquis and had very nice dinners at Brasserie and DB Bistro Moderne. The musical Memphis was great on Saturday night. Sunday breakfast consisted of some baked treats from Magnolia Bakery. Not much landscaping in that area of New York, except for a few yews near Rockefeller Center.
02.01.12
Landscape Seminar – Boxwood Dieback & Decline is one part of the Seminar
I am attending New England Grows and am looking forward to attending a seminar by Joan Allen of the University of Connectiut. Joan is going to speak on “Boxwood Dieback & Decline: What are the Causes?”. If you would like to know more about this landscaping issue or have a landscaping question in general, please email me at Tony@Artistic-Landscapes.com and I will help.
01.31.12
Boxwood Evergreens are susceptible to infection
The UMass Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab has confirmed that boxwood blight is infecting plants in Massachusetts. Dan Gillman, a UMass Extension Plant Pathologist, states that many species of boxwood are susceptible to infection. The fungus will colonize on all above ground parts of a plant and cause defoliation and black lesions often develop on twigs and stems.
Please call us at 978.317.9875 if you would like Artistic Landscapes to perform a site visit and look to see if your boxwood plants have been infected. New and mature boxwoods are susceptible to this fungus.
