Imaginary Worlds exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Solterra had multiple entries to our May ticket give-a-way to the Atlanta Botanical Garden. We love this exhibit so much that in addition to Sid winning four tickets, we gave a single ticket to others who entered.
You still have time (through October) to visit this exhibit created by the International Mosaiculture of Montreal in collaboration with the Atlanta Botanical Garden. This is the first time this larger-than-life exhibit has been in the United States and it's right in our backyard!
Dixie Graduates with 2013 Leadership Sandy Springs Class
Solterra is always looking for ways to give back to our community. To better understand the needs in Sandy Springs and to connect with other leaders of the community, Dixie participated in the 2012-13 leadership class. Graduation of the 2103 was in May.
Leadership Sandy Springs is a leadership development organization promoting civic engagement. Monthly classes and community projects combine for a year-long commitment of all participants.
What a rainy summer! It certainly makes you appreciate the bits of sun that pop out for brief visits. Amazingly, by mid July 2013, the Atlanta area has exceeded the total inches of rainfall for all of 2012.
Your landscape suffers from too much water, just as it does when there isn't enough. In this issue of Solterra's newsletter, we describe smart solutions when there's too much rain.
Between rain showers, people are flocking to the amazing "Imaginary Worlds" exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Congratulations to the winners of our Memorial Day drawing. (See more in the left sidebar.)
Sending sunny thoughts your way!
As always, we appreciate your support of Solterra Landscape and your confidence in us.
Peter and Dixie Speck
July is Smart Irrigation Month
Installing a Moisture Sensor Helps Avoid Over Watering and Saves Money
Since 2004, the state of Georgia has required installation of a rain sensor for all newly installed irrigation systems to help avoid over-watering. In recent years, a device called a Soil Moisture Sensor has been introduced and has been found to be more effective than a rain sensor.
The Soil Moisture Sensor (SMS) device is placed in the soil and sends a signal to the irrigation controller to stay off until the moisture level in the soil where the sensor is located has reached a level of dryness that creates a necessity to turn the irrigation back on.
Studies show that, during seasons of abundant rain (as we are having this year), this SMS device can not only help avoid over-watering your lawn, but can provide significant savings on your water bill.
Interested in a Soil Moisture Sensor for your landscape? Solterra is happy to install one for the low cost of $350. Contact us at (404)236-7557 or by email to chrisw@solterralandscape.com.
Plant of the Month
Sedum (succulent) Plants
Sedums, commonly known as stonecrops, are a great addition to southern landscapes. With hundreds of species within the sedum genus (part of the Crassulaceae family), there's a huge variety of interesting shapes and colors to add to your landscape or container gardens.
Sedums have water-storing leaves and are extremely hardy plants. The flowers usually have five petals, seldom four or six. There are typically twice as many stamens as petals. (Just a little horticulture lesson for you!)
Contact Dixie if you want to discuss how sedums can be added to your landscape or to order your own sedum container garden. dixie@solterralandscape.com
Featured Project
Seasonal Color
Our clients and their children enjoyed this seasonal color planting so much last year that they requested we do the same thing for the 2013 summer season. Plants included are:
l-r: Brown Patch Fungus; Dollar Spot Fungus; Large Patch Fungus; more Dollar Spot
As the weather turns warmer and more humid, the activity of and damage from landscape pests and diseases becomes an issue. Of most concern to most homeowners is damage to lawns from fungus activity. The most common diseases that affect our 3 most common types of turf grass are:
Fescue Turf - Brown Patch Fungus
Zoysia Turf - Large Patch and Dollar Spot Funguses
Solterra Maintenance Clients have the option to be placed on a program with regularly scheduled fungicide applications as the timing is appropriate. Contact Jason for more information. jason@solterralandscape.com
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