Hewson Landscape Inc News & Notes
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September 2009 |
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 Message from the President
Follow up from Project Evergreen
Last July I reported that we were involved in Green Care for troops. Nationwide, landscapers volunteered to maintain properties for our servicemen and women who were deployed abroad. Hewson Landscape provided lawn maintenance services for David and Jody Sanders of Plainfield, NJ. Just reporting that David, who is a National Guardsman, after one year has served his tour in Iraq, and is safe and happy to be back home. Welcome home David!
Hewson Landscape is participating as one of the sponsors for the T-shirt fund raiser to be sold at the Plainfield High School football games. Good Luck Cardinals!
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Outdoor Decorating For Cooler Weather
As the cooler weather quickly approaches, you might think that outdoor decorating is done until next spring. Not quite...
Outdoor Rooms The distinction between indoor and outdoor has never been more blurred. Outdoor rooms are the perfect way to extend entertaining into your yard and create an attractive and eye catching landscape centerpiece. Outdoor rooms can range from a simple seating area using paver stones for the floor to a well structured room that offers shelter from the elements. For a roof, place your seating area under a pergola and build an outdoor kitchen, complete with gas grill, sink, and refrigerator. 
Fire Pits Before the snow and sleet set in, you can enjoy a few more outdoor gatherings by placing an attractive fire pit next to your outdoor seating. These fire pits create a warm, inviting atmosphere for guests and also make a great focal point for your landscape.
Hardscape There are so many hardscaping options and they all offer you a lasting beauty that can withstand the harsh winter elements. A gazebo for example, makes a great landscape focal point, while a stone path or small wooden bridge adds direction and mystery to your design. |
Landscaping Question Corner
Q. What's the best way to grow caladiums?
A. Caladiums are a tropical plant, originating from the Amazon jungle of South America. They prefer partial to full shade, in a moist, well drained soil.
Their foliage comes in green, white, salmon, pink, red, and almost any combination of these colors in variegated forms. They can be planted in shady borders, used in containers, or grown indoors as a house plant.  Since New Jersey is located in Zone 6, these tubers will not survive the winter. They can be dug up, once the foliage dies back in the fall. Let the bulbs air dry and then store them in a dry location at 55 degrees or above over the winter. They can be replanted the following spring.
Basically maintenance free during the growing season, a great foliage plant, that surely packs a punch giving you a lot of color and tropical feel to your landscape. | |
Bamboo
Did you know that bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant in the world? It can  grow 24-48 inches in a day, depending upon the local soil and climate conditions. Many bamboo are popular as garden trees, or used as privacy screening.
Growth Patterns
Two general growth patterns are clumping and running. The clumping species tend to spread slowly, similar to ornamental grasses. The running species spread mainly though their roots and/or rhizomes. This aggressive behavior spreads wildly underground, sending up new clumps, (above ground bamboo canes), breaking through the soil surface.
Bamboo seldom and unpredictably flower. Once flowering does take place, a plant will often decline and die entirely.
Growth Control
- Regular Maintenance
Regular maintenance requires rhizome pruning, severing the new rhizome at the point where you wish to contain the spread of the bamboo grove. This process is best controlled in spring and fall.
- Barriers Although barriers (plastic or concrete) can be effective, they are not 100% reliable. At some future point, the plant becomes root bound, suffers a decline and results in an unsightly planting.
- Raised Beds Provides an effective way to control the spread of rhizome. As the new rhizomes protrude beyond the bed border, you can easily spot and prune this growth.
Editors Note:
Before you decide to plant bamboo, carefully think of the maintenance involved in this fast growing, invasive species. Recommended for the avid gardener, not the beginner.
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Thanks for the Kind Words
After we installed a dry laid rock wall in Bedminster, Bruce Hill, member of 252 Somerville Rd LLC writes, "Thanks for the neat and quick work." Keep your eye out for the Grand Opening of their new restaurant in November, called 252. Located at 252 Somerville Rd. in Bedminster (across from the Post Office), Melissa Hill, executive chef, will be serving up wholesome, organic cuisine. Wishing you great success!
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I'd Love to Hear from You!
Whether you'd like to discuss your property, inquire about additional services, need a price quote, or just want to stop by and say "Hi," we'd love to hear from you...
601 North Ave., Plainfield, NJ 07060
Office 908-222-3616
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