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| February 2011 | Volume 3, Issue No. 2 |
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Greetings!
This week's warm weather has everyone in high spirits and starting to "think spring!" Although we are certainly not through with winter yet, we invite you to start planning your spring landscape projects now, and let us know how we can help! Visit us on Facebook and ask questions about your upcoming projects, share photos, or see what others are planning for the new season. Of course, you can always give us a call or visit the website for more great landscape ideas as well.
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The Maintenance Free Landscape
An Urban Legend?
 One of the most common things that we hear when meeting with design/build clients is "I want low maintenance or no maintenance plantings." While this seems like a reasonable request, the truth is, even the most carefully planned landscape requires some maintenance. Especially in the first two to three years of establishment, weed control, pruning, and moisture management are almost always a guaranteed committment. And though, technically speaking, you probably could take a 'no maintenance' approach to your newly installed investment, when it comes to landscaping, you truly get out of it what you put into it. The most common management tasks in a newly installed landscape are weed control, moisture control, and pest management. Pruning young shrubs and trees is also a big part of the equation, and will have a big impact on the long term health of the plant. Hiring a professional landscape management service is a way to ensure that all of these tasks are skillfully completed in a timely manner. A typical professional landscape management plan involves spring and fall clean up, proper fertilization and weed control throughout the season, integrated pest management, pruning, and other services determined by the specific needs of your landscape. The program is taylored to suit the exact level of involvement that you choose, and your landscape recieves constant monitoring for other problems or opportunities that may arise, such as seasonal insect or disease problems. The good news is that there are many fine landscape management professionals here at Landscape Renovations available to take care of maintenance tasks for you. A professional landscape management plan will provide all of the services necessary to ensure that your landscape investment thrives and grows into its full potential. And, of course, the best part of using a professional landscape management service? You don't have to worry about a thing. So there are, after all, some maintenance free landscapes. Contact Landscape Renovations today to get your own maintenance free landscape! |
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More is Less
Mass Planting for Visual Clarity: More Plants = Less Confusion
We have heard the phrase our entire lives- Less is More. However, in the case of fine landscape design and implementation, this is not necessarily true. In our ever larger yards, mass plantings can reduce the visual clutter of endless varieties of plants and beef up the landscape design to look more pleasant and visually understandable.
 Mass plantings can take many forms. Typically, when people think of mass plantings they think of large, irregular, naturalistic planting beds. However, consider a large row of deciduous trees or evergreens a mass planting because of its visual impact.
With mass plantings, as with any plantings, the mature size of the plant must be taken into consideration. In large mass plantings we are free to use large varieties of plants because of the abundance of space. In more confined yards smaller varieties should be used. Using too large of a variety of plant is a common mistake. We can all pick out the homes in which the children have planted that cute little Colorado Blue Spruce next to the front door or sidewalk, only find 15 years later that it is completely covering anything in its path.
As we develop your landscape plan, one of our largest goals is to balance bold mass plantings to add visual clarity, while intricate, detailed features provide visual accent and add interest. By incorporating large masses of perennials, shrubs, or even trees, the design feels more balanced and calming. This allows your eye to rest while in the process of looking through the landscape. It also allows more detailed items such as a specimen tree or your favorite rusty metal sculpture to stand out.
Although many gardeners are tempted by scores of new plant varieties each season, a well thought out landscape plan with larger drifts of a single plant will yield a more visually appealing overall look than the onesy-twosy garden that arises from frequent buying sprees at the local greenhouse. Mass plantings are truly the anchor and the workhorse of the landscape.
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Minnesota Living Green Expo
Visit Landscape Renovations at this year's Living Green Expo May 7 & 8 at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds. Members of Landscape Renovations' team will be on hand to answer questions about stormwater management, raingardens, green roof systems, or whatever project you have in mind.
Discover how to live better and save money! The 2011 Living Green Expo will showcase more than 300 exhibitors, workshops, and activities!
Click here for more information |
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WIN a $100
Gertens Gift Card!!!
Get great landscape tips and tricks, ask questions, or post photos of your landscape project! Watch for more upcoming contests...
LIKE
Landscape Renovations on Facebook before
March 1st
and you could
WIN! |
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SHOP TALK
News from Landscape Renovations' Team
This month we would like to recognize the hard working crew leaders who have been working tirelessly on snow removal this winter. Dan Nierenhausen, Jose Mesa, Jose Martinez, Miguel Angeles, Mark Sauer, and Pierre Taddeini. Thanks Guys!
Foreman Kyle Claflin and his wife Elizabeth welcomed a new member to their family on January 18th, Lilian Alice.
Bob Palmer recently finished continuing education classes for renewal of LRI's Contractor's License.
Pierre Taddeini recently attended class and passed the exam for MPCA Best Practices in Turf Management, which is a program based on sustainable turf management.
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PLANT HEALTH
CARE
Landscape
Management
 
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A Booster Shot for Your Trees
Preventative treatments and mineral supplements give more options for tree health
As a homeowner, maintaining your landscape is just one of your many weekly tasks. Recognition and diagnosis of tree insect and disease problems is often difficult due not only to the sheer size of a tree, but the modes in which these pests attack the tree. Unfortunately, by the time many of these diseases are recognized, the tree has already been damaged severely.
The two most common preventative treatments that we perform are for Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) and Bronze Birch Borer. Both pests damage the tree in the same way- by the larvae chewing tunnels through the wood and thus damaging the vascular system of the tree. The preventative treatments that we use are, in effect, like a booster shot that you would receive from your doctor. The chemical is injected, sprayed, or applied to the roots of the tree, and when the pest attacks the tree, it is killed immediately from consuming the treated wood. Many other treatments are available for common, and potentially deadly tree pests, such as Two-Lined Chestnut Borer. The treatments are not just limited to insect pests, however. Cedar-Hawthorn Rust and Apple Scab are two common fungal diseases that can be pretreated as well. Vitamin and mineral supplements can also be injected to promote healthy growth, correct iron chlorosis, and supplement other nutrient deficiencies.
Here at LRI, we are offering the latest technology in the treatment of insect and disease problems in trees, without danger of chemical exposure in your yard. The Arborjet injection system is one option for applying preventative chemical treatments to your trees. It is environmentally friendly, highly effective, and is the safest option for keeping your property free of chemical residues. Unlike traditional spray application, the Arborjet system keeps the treatment inside the tree and involves less chemical as it is being placed directly into the tree, rather than being absorbed by the tree.
If you have any questions about pre-treating your site trees, contact Sarah Hartung in the Landscape Management Department at 651-796-8697 for more information on tree and shrub treatments.
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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. Also, feel free to share this page on your social networking sites.
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 [email protected].
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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