Reinvent Spring Cleaning with a New Beautiful Landscape

Have you seen the tulips lately? Spring has in Pennsylvania! That means it’s time to get outside and begin sculpting the perfect new landscape for your home. As the weather warms throughout the season, your garden and grasses will continue to bud with new growth. Root’s Nurseries is ready to tame, design and guide your yard into a relaxing outdoor oasis to enjoy all summer long. As a trusted landscaper for Mt Joy and surrounding areas, we’ve put quite a bit of thought into landscape design. So, here are a few tips to consider when designing a new landscape:

Start Spring Cleaning

Now that the cold weather has lifted and the snow has melted, you will likely be able to see the marks left behind by winter. You’ll notice broken branches, bare patches and some additional cleanup that needs to take place in your yard. Here are some tasks you or a landscaper can perform:

• If you notice any bare patches, loosen the surface and spread a mixture of grass seed and compost or fertilizer over the bare spot.
• Carefully rake up all of the dead leaves, debris and pine cones that have gathered on your lawn over the last several months.
• You or your landscaper should apply a new layer of mulch to help your plants retain moisture; helping them to grow throughout the spring and summer.

Find Inspiration

Start online! Gather a few ideas and photos of your dream landscape you can show to your landscaper. Look for landscaping inspiration in the area or find some examples of properties that you think are done well. This may help you in presenting our team with a good idea of what you’re looking for.  Not sure what plants will grow best in the area? A landscaper at Root’s can answer those questions for you!

Make Plans

Setting things up in proper proportion is one of the most daunting tasks associated with designing the ideal home landscape. Your plants need to be proportionate to each other as well as to whatever plot they are being installed into. A  trained, professional home landscaper from Root’s can step in here, take measurements and help you visualize the scope of your project and what the outcome should look like.

Get Colorful

Colors will be a huge part of your landscape design. Do you or a family member have a favorite color you’d like to include? Tell your landscaper! This can be a great starting point and the experts at Root’s can help build from there.

A Root’s landscaper will come up with the perfect plan for your yard. We can plant shade trees, shrubs and a wide variety of other plants. Your yard and landscaping will be the envy of your neighbors this spring and summer! Are you ready to learn more about our landscaper in Mt Joy? Call Root’s Nurseries at 717-898-0041, or you can contact us for a Free Estimate.

Landscaping Tips to Prepare for Your Lawn for Winter

The cold weather is here and the leaves have already begun to fall. Don’t  leave your lawn in bad shape heading into winter. Instead, consider setting it up for ample and healthy growth in the spring. The cold air prevents growth of any lawn items above ground, but things can be done to improve the health of it for spring by indirectly taking care of that which lies below ground. The effects of the cold are buffered by allowing the moisture trapped within the soil and below the surface to enhance the strengthening of roots, a gift from Mother Nature that gives a head start of sorts that allows you to prepare for next growing season.   

The landscaping at your Strasburg or otherwise nearby home calls for adequate mid-fall care. Here at Root’s Nurseries we care about local landscaping and will be sharing a few suggestions that will help you enhance the growth of your spring lawn and garden by making some simple efforts now:

·         Get rid of dead items from any and all areas of your lawn and landscaping. Should the fall yield an excessive amount of heavy leaf cover, simply rake and remove. Loosing your lawn of dead material will enable otherwise blocked sunlight to reach your grass or landscaping.

·         Get some high-phosphorous fertilizer mix and apply generously to your lawn. Utilizing this sort of fertilizer will encourage the growth of roots that will allow for green turf emergence earlier in the Spring than it otherwise would begin to sprout.

·         Enjoy, celebrate the final lawn mowing session of 2016! This particular mow will allow for you to drop those blades and cut a bit shorter that you otherwise would.

·         Place the gathered leaves in an area where they will decompose naturally. This “waste” will become compost that you can use next year as a fertilizer for your lawn. Compost is amongst the greatest of all natural fertilizers in existence and you can easily you’re your landscaping waste into this.

·         Once your fall lawn and landscaping maintenance is complete, rest easy feeling satisfied over a job well done. The spring will yield a much healthier lawn and landscaping as a result.

Thinking about hiring a landscaping company for your Strasburg home or business? Start today by calling Root’s Nurseries at 717-898-0041 or Request a Free Estimate.

Getting Started with Home Landscaping

If your property, including the lawn and around your house, looks staid and lifeless year in and year out, try to spice things up a bit. This year add some home landscaping to your Manheim property. The aesthetic and potential resale value of your home goes up immediately upon the installation of fine home landscaping, the likes of which Root’s Nurseries can provide. A simple and creative solution to a drab looking property, new home landscaping will make you the envy of neighbors, friends and family.

The process begins with designing the ideal home landscaping set-up. There are many aspects of such an undertaking that you will need to consider. Our professional designers and installers will work with you, seeking your ideas on what you are looking to implement. In this blog, we will cover some of the basics for first-time home landscape designers.

Research

Thanks to the Internet, researching a perfect landscape set-up is not at all difficult. Countless examples from around the world are now at your fingertips. With just a few types and a few clicks, you begin to gain insight into what looks and feels right for your home landscaping set-up. Gather a few ideas together about your dream landscape. Find some examples of properties that you think were done well. This can help you present our team with a good idea of what you’re looking for at your home.

Color Scheme

Colors will be a big part of your home landscaping design. Perhaps you have a preferred plant or a favorite color (or both) that you wish to include? This provides a nice starting point, but our advice to you is to keep from getting too complicated here. The more bold and audacious you get with your color combinations, the more difficult you will make the process of ensuring everything matches. Go with just a few basic colors when plotting the look of your new home landscaping.

Plant Proportions

Setting things up in proper proportion is one of the daunting tasks associated with designing the ideal home landscaping situation for your property. Our team of trained, professional landscaping experts steps in here by helping you visualize the scope of what the outcome of the final project is going to look like. Your plants need to be proportionate to each other as well as to whatever plot they are being installed into.

Get started on new home landscaping for your Manheim area home today by calling Root’s Nurseries at 717-898-0041. You can also Request a Free Estimate.

Caring for New Landscaping Shrubs during Cold Weather

If you recently bought some new landscaping shrubs for your Lancaster home, you may be wondering how to care for them as the weather turns colder. Some questions you may have are about how much water and sunlight they need and how you can protect them from Pennsylvania’s harsh winters. We can answer your questions personally when you visit our retail plant center to browse landscaping shrubs. However, we also want to offer some tips here that you can follow at home. Winter can be tough on new landscaping shrubs, but they can easily survive and thrive with proper care and planning on your part.

Although it may not seem like it, the winter sun can do almost as much damage to new landscaping shrubs as the spring and summer sun. You can prevent much of this damage by wrapping the shrubs’ trunks in some type of protective material, like burlap or corrugated paper that is light in color. This will keep the bark from experiencing extremes in temperature.

Another way to protect your landscaping shrubs as the weather gets colder is to make sure they get plenty of water in the late fall. Even when temperatures outside are quite cold, the leaves of the shrubs can get warm in the sun, resulting in transpiration. This can pull water away from landscaping shrubs, leaving them dry.

So how much water do your shrubs really need? This depends on the type of shrub, and if you visit our retail plant center, we can give you more specific information. In general, try to water them regularly in the fall. You can also water them on any warm days we might happen to get during the winter.

A serious threat to new landscaping shrubs is winter burn. To prevent this from happening, you can use evergreen branches to form a wind break over the shrubs. Another way to help protect your landscaping shrubs’ root systems is with mulch. The type and amount of mulch needed depends on the type of shrubs you buy, so we can offer advice on this as well.

With preparation and a few precautions on your part, your new landscaping shrubs will be all set for spring!

For more information on landscaping shrubs near Lancaster, call Root’s Nurseries at 717-898-0041, stop by our plant center in Manheim, or contact us for a Free Landscaping Estimate. 

Caring For Your Trees This Summer

Proper tree care is important, no matter what time of year it is. And even though fall will be here before you know it, caring for your trees is still a chore that should be done on a regular basis. Here is a brief overview of how to care for your trees this time of year. And, of course, if you have any further questions, you can always visit our garden center near Ephrata.

Take a walk around your property and look at each tree. Take note of any damage or other issues with your trees, like signs of disease or insect infestation. If you see any signs of these types of problems, visit our garden center to get advice on what to do to get rid of the problem. You should keep an eye out for any branches that are damaged and in need of pruning.

If you have the right tools and if you know how to do it properly, take some time to prune the trees that need it. Sometimes pruning is an art form, so it should only be done by those who know what they are doing. If you are unsure, hire a professional company to come out and take care of it for you. And if you want further advice on this, come to our garden center to talk to our experts.

Weak limbs need to be braced or cabled in order to help them grow. Sometimes it needs to be done after a storm has blown through your area. Cabling or bracing weak tree limbs is another task best left up to a professional. There should be some type of tree care service in your area that you can call for assistance. Or you can visit our garden center to learn more about cabling and bracing.

These are only a few suggestions on how to best care for all of the trees on your property. If you would like to learn even more, take a trip to our garden center. We have plenty of experts on staff who would be happy to answer your questions on how to best care for your trees and other aspects of your landscaping.

If you would like more information on our garden center near Ephrata, call us at Root’s Nurseries at 717-898-0041, or you can contact us for a Free Estimate. Our garden center is on Lancaster Road in Manheim.

How to Design a Balanced Landscape

Designing a landscape or garden can be somewhat confusing if you have never done it before. Fortunately, the professional landscape designers in Mt Joy at Root's Nurseries have a few suggestions on what to consider. And if you have any questions or need more guidance, give us a call!

You should not try to mimic the formal gardens that you find in fancy places like Buckingham Palace. Those types of gardens take around-the-clock care and maintenance to look good and, even then, you cannot account for slight differences in soil, nutrients and lighting. It is better to aim for a sense of balance. Your plants and flowers do not have to match exactly. 

For example, you should find plants and flowers that have a similar leaf shape or texture. Or you can find plants that are similar in color or in height or width. Our landscape designers can help you select flowers and plants that will look good together. Variety will also make your garden more interesting to look at.

When you plant, consider planting flowers in groups instead of in rows. Planting them in groups makes them more interesting to look at and easier to care for and maintain. 

Your garden should also have a focal point for every season of the year. That way, even when the weather is cold out, there is still something pretty to look at in your garden. And you can sit outside and enjoy your garden and landscaping on mild winter days when the temperatures are not too cold and the weather isn't too bad.

When planted correctly, flowers and plants can really enhance the look of your home and its curb appeal. You can soften sharp edges and make your home more interesting and beautiful to look at.

And if you want the assistance of our landscape designers in Mt Joy, call Root’s Nurseries at 717-898-0041, or you can contact us for a Free Estimate. Or you can visit our Retail Plant Center located on Lancaster Road in Manheim.

Tips for Caring for Your Garden This Winter

Winter is here, and sometimes people think this means they can leave their garden and landscaping alone until the spring. However, there are several things you can do to maintain your garden during the winter months. We have a garden center serving Lititz, so we have a few suggestions on some winter garden care chores you can do now that could save you some time and hassle when the weather starts to warm up again.

Christmas Tree

After the holidays, don’t just toss your Christmas tree! Put it in a bucket of damp sand out in your backyard. Decorate it with strings of cranberries and popcorn. Spread peanut butter on pine cones and dip them in birdseed and hang them up on the tree too. You will attract some beautiful winter birds and give them another tree to nest in.

Plant Containers

Take the time to empty out your plant containers and store them somewhere dry. If you leave them outside with old soil in them, that soil could get damp and then expand when the soil freezes. If that happens, it could cause your plant containers to break.

Compost and Mulch

If you compost, be sure the refuse you throw in there is not infested with bugs or other pests. You could inadvertently introduce them into your plants this spring if you aren’t careful! You should also be sure you are keeping up with mulching. While this is not a fun chore, especially when it’s cold out, this is a great way to help maintain your garden and landscaping when it’s cold out. If you are unsure of what type of mulch you should be using, just visit our garden center and we can help you out!

Snow and Ice

After a snow or ice storm, do not walk on your grass and don’t allow your pets to either, if you can help it. Walking on frozen grass could cause the blades to break and die, and that could result in unsightly brown patches in your grass this spring. 

These are just a few ways you can keep your garden and landscaping looking good this winter! For more helpful hints, visit us at our garden center.

Are you interested in learning more about our garden center serving Lititz and the surrounding areas? Call Root’s Nurseries at 717-898-0041 or contact us and get a Free Estimate.