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May 2010, Volume 2, Issue 4
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FEATURED ARTICLE
Creating Livable & Functional Formal Landscapes
 In the classic sense, a formal landscape or garden is one with very distinct structure and shape, clean lines, and is planted in an orderly fashion. Often, the plant palette and even the color palette are simplified to place emphasis on the unique form of the plants, rather than the individual plants themselves. Winding hedges of evergreens dotted with perfectly sheared spherical shrubs or sculptures are the typical vision of a formal landscape planting. Although formal landscapes are sometimes thought of as rigid and sterile, their soldier-like uniformity does should never imply that the space is not welcoming or functional.
In the process of creating 'formal' landscapes (or any style of landscaping, for that matter), form should always follow function and desire. Questions that should be considered in the design process are:
1. What are the primary activities and functions desired for the landscape?
2. How and where will these activities be carried out in the finished landscape?
3. How much space is available to devote to these functional areas?
4. How will the formal landscape intermingle with the functional space to create a unified look throughout the landscape?
Creating a formal landscape with these questions in mind and developing the functional spaces within that landscape may seem like a daunting task. Adding these elements into the landscape simply requires careful thought of the overall theme of the landscape plan. For example, a large lawn area may be desired for backyard games and entertaining. By using geometric shapes as the base for the yard (such as a large circle or rectangle) and incorporating the formal plantings around the edges, you create the look of the 'formal lawn' that has been part of manicured landscapes for centuries. Designing service areas into the landscape can be achieved in much the same way. A formal hedge of arborvitae may create a screen to block views of trash cans or a storage area.
Considering smaller details is just as important, if not more important, as developing the overall theme. Sculptures, fountains, artwork, and garden structures should be carefully designed or selected to fit the home's style, the desires of the homeowners, and the landscape design itself. Hardscape materials and landscape lighting should be used to accentuate the shapes within the landscape and compliment the plantings. Outdoor furniture also should be carefully considered to carry the theme through to every aspect of the garden space.
 Designing a formal landscape is no different than designing any other type of landscape, with the exception of the need for that extra attention to detail to pull it off beautifully. Even if you have many different functional needs for your landscape, there is a way to incorporate those ideas into the formal landscape and create the livable and functional landscape that will suit your lifestyle.
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PLANET DAY OF SERVICE
Landscape Renovations Donates Landscape Upgrades to Woodbury's Central Park
The nation's lawn and landscape
association, the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), held its second annual
nationwide PLANET Day of Service on Earth Day, April 22nd,
2010. The annual PLANET Day of Service
is a grassroots event that allows lawn and landscape professionals to organize
volunteer projects to beautify the grounds of schools, parks, playgrounds,
senior centers, shelters, and anywhere that people enjoy green spaces.
Landscape Renovations participated in the nationwide green industry event by providing Woodbury's
Central Park with landscape updates and a spring clean up. Our company re-designed the foundation
plantings at the west and south entrances to Central Park. We also removed & transplanted many of the
existing plants and added many more to both entrances. A fresh covering of mulch finished off the
newly installed planting beds. "The new
design will lend a more modern look to the entrances, and will hopefully remind
the residents who see the project to pass along the spirit of service in their
day to day lives," said Chris Frampton, leader of the project. The Landscape Renovations crew for the
project consisted of nine team members, including co-owner Scott Frampton. The volunteers transplanted nearly 50
perennials and shrubs, tilled the entire bed area, installed over 200 new
perennials & shrubs, and spread almost 30 cubic yards of mulch on the beds
in just over 9 hours.
PLANET is the association of members who create and maintain the Quality of Life in communities across America. With more than 3,500 member companies and affiliates, these firms and their employees represent more than 100,000 green industry professionals. Landscape Renovations is a proud member of PLANET and participant in many PLANET events.
Volunteers for PLANET Day of Service are (L to R) Ken Hanke, Sarah Hartung, Todd Schumacher, Arturro Hernandez, Israel Hernandez, Chris Frampton, & Fernando Flores. Also participating but not pictured were Scott Frampton & Kathy Weyer  |
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Visit GardenMinnesota.com
Get all the latest information on gardening tips, tricks, and tools at GardenMinnesota.com. GardenMinnesota.com is provided by the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association (MNLA) as a resource for consumers to get information about landscaping, search for qualified installers, or even get gardening questions answered by Certified Landscape Professionals. Visit GardenMinnesota.com to see this year's award winning landscape projects, including our own Scott Frampton's Award for Residential Landscape Installation.
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Contact Us for Help with your Annuals & Containers! Now that the average historical date of the latest spring frost has passed, the time to start planning your annuals and container plantings is NOW! For a fun way to get ideas on plant combinations, check out:
Or call our Landscape Management Department at 651-769-0010 and we will design beautiful container plantings or annual plantings to suit your home and your taste.
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SHOP TALK
News from Landscape Renovations***Team member Sarah Hartung completed training to renew her Certified Power Limited Technician credentials.
***The Landscape Management Department added two new team members in the month of April. Bob Kierce will be leading the Turf Management crew and Pierre Taddeini will lead the Gardening & Landscape Management crew.
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MAY LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT TIPS
CONTAINERS & ANNUAL PLANTINGS-
Plant your annual flowers and containers in the coming week. Use good quality potting soil and a time release fertilizer to really make your plantings look great. Check our portfolio for ideas on plant combinations.
SPRING BULBS -
Remove the spent flower heads from your spring bulbs after the flowers have faded. Leave the foliage standing until it dies back on it's own. Cutting off the foliage before it has died back will cause the bulbs to produce fewer flowers next season or possibly none at all.
PRUNING & SHEARING -Prune or shear your spring flowering shrubs after they have bloomed to prevent pruning off many flowers. Wait until new growth appears on evergreen shrubs before shearing them gently to maintain
form. Selectively prune out any dead or broken branches.
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| PLANT HEALTH CARE
Landscape Management Department
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Turf TechniquesLawn care is by far more time consuming than any other landscape management activity. As if mowing doesn't take long enough, when you throw in dethatching, pest monitoring, fertilization, & aeration; you've devoted a big chunk of your life to lawn care. Knowing a few of the intricacies of turf management and implementing some new techniques can reduce that big commitment to your lawn and result in healthier turf too.
The general rules of thumb for mowing turf grasses are mow high, mow frequently, and allow the grass clippings return to the lawn. Ironically enough, these three rules are the most commonly broken when it comes to homeowner's turf management techniques.
Mowing height plays a crucial role in determining the maintenance needs of a lawn, and not in the way that you may think. Generally speaking, the higher the turf is cut, the less maintenance that is required. This is primarily due to the fact that higher mowing heights promote deeper root formation and growth. Deep root systems have greater access to soil moisture and nutrient reserves, which lends the plant to much better stress tolerance than the scalped down alternative. In addition, the higher cut promotes side shoot (stoloniferous) growth on the individual grass plants, which makes the lawn thicker, as well as cutting down on light penetration through the turf, which snuffs out weed growth.
Mowing frequency should simply be based on the the growth rate of the grass. In the spring and fall when the grass is growing more vigorously, mowing should be more frequent than in the heat of the summer when growth is slower. Mowing should be done often enough so that no more than 1/3 of the leaf blade is removed at one time. If the finished height will be two inches, mow the turf when it is three inches long. Removing too much of the leaf area at one time seriously stresses out the lawn and reduces it's ability to tolerate disease and other stresses. And one more important detail: Sharpen your mower blades often. Cutting grass with dull mower blades isn't really cutting at all - it's more like ripping and tearing. Dull mower blades shred the end of the leaf blade leaving more surface area to dry out the plant. It also leaves the plant more susceptible to attack by fungal and other disease problems.
Returning lawn clippings to the yard has many benefits as well. When the turf is mowed frequently, small clippings filter down through the grass blades where they quickly decompose and provide valuable nitrogen for the turf. If the clippings are too long and build up on the surface of the turf, they should be removed immediately to prevent smothering out the turf. Contrary to popular belief however, grass clippings do not contribute to thatch build up (which can lead to fungal diseases in the turf).
The University of Minnesota Extension service has some very good information about every aspect of lawn care from starting a new lawn to very specific maintenance techniques. Visit their site here:
Landscape Renovations also provides complete turf management services for both residential and commercial properties, including mowing, weed control, fertilization, aeration, and more. Contact us today to set up an appointment to do an on site turf analysis and we can help you take your lawn from drab to fab.
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Thank you for checking out this edition of our e-newsletter. If you know of someone else who would enjoy receiving this newsletter, please use the "Forward to a Friend" link at the bottom of this page, and they will have the opportunity to opt-in to receive future newsletters.
If you have any questions about Landscape Renovations or the services that we provide, give us a call at our Office (651-769-0010) or email us marketing@landscaperenovations.com.
We are looking forward to serving you in the upcoming season...
Sarah Hartung
Marketing, Landscape Management, & Design
Landscape Renovations
651-769-0010 |
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