Greetings from the Hemlock team!
Just as April showers bring May flowers, the continued wet weather coupled with some warm and sunny days lends itself to lush vegetative growth. As summer progresses and you find yourself having a hard time keeping up with some of the weeding or would rather golf, picnic, play tennis or go to your kid’s games; we’d be glad to help out.
Give us a call or send us an email and we can meet with you do discuss a garden visit program. Let us do those summer chores like power washing the deck or patio so you can enjoy the summer season with family and friends. But Dennis, you weeded the beds during the spring clean up. Right, but weeding is the inevitable part of garden care. They keep growing all year long (especially with all the warm wet weather we have had). Also, your ornamental trees and shrubs will need their summer haircut after the new growth hardens off. Get on the schedule for summer pruning now. Sit back and relax while we handle all of your cares for the remainder of the growing season.
Finally, now is a great time to meet and discuss the installation of plantings and other landscape projects for this fall. If there is an area of your yard that needs some sprucing up, give us a call.
~ From: Dennis' desk
Rejuvenating Annuals
In our Garden Visit programs we include the maintenance of annuals as one of our services. Caring for your annuals will ensure that they will look great all season long. Sometimes, even with proper maintenance, by mid-season annuals will need to be rejuvenated. Ends of stems can be cut back to nodes (where leaves are attached to stems); buds will later break from the shorter stem. For some annuals with very fine foliage, shearing the plant back with hedge shears is required. Fertilize annual plants if they have not been fertilized earlier in the summer. Keep the plants watered as needed through July and August to keep them growing, flowering and looking good. Annuals need to be continually deadheaded throughout the season to encourage rebloom, eliminate seed production and self seeding as well as maintain compactness.
If you missed the early installation of seasonal color, it is not too late to add some of Mother Nature’s fireworks to your landscape. Call our Maintenance Account Manager Jamie Brinkerhoff to schedule this fun and exciting service.
Summer Watering Tip
While it seemed like you would never need to water your lawn this year, late July and August are guaranteed to be stressful for your turfgrass. Here’s a simple tip to keep your lawn green and lustrous all summer. Water 12-24 hours BEFORE your scheduled mowing day. If you have an automatic irrigation system, water deeply, once a week on the day before the crew is scheduled to arrive. If grass roots and crowns are plump with moisture on the day the lawn is mowed you are sure to keep lush green grass all summer.
Plant Health Care 101: Japanese Beetle
The Japanese Beetle is one of the more destructive landscape pests in our area. The assault is twofold: first the larvae feed on turfgrass roots causing great harm to the turf, and then the adult beetle feeds on leaves and flowers of over 300 plants, eating the tissue between the veins, skeletonizing the plants.
The adult beetles emerge from the ground during the last week of June thru July. The beetles mate several times until the female has laid 40 to 60 eggs. The eggs are typically laid by mid August. The larvae hatch within two weeks and begin to feed on the roots of turfgrass and other landscape plants.
The control methods which we employ to prevent damage includes grub control to the turf, foliage sprays to ornamental trees as well as insecticide applications during garden visits if damage is noticed. If you notice the adult beetles, you can pick them by hand and drop them in soapy water. If caught early on, this could help prevent more beetles from invading your garden!
To protect your landscape from Japanese Beetles and other pests call us today to schedule a Plant Health Care program!
Words of Wisdom
A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.
~James Dent
Plant of the season
Botanical and Common Name:
Hosta / Plantain Lilly
Hostas are perhaps one of the most striking shade perennials. With over 3,000 named varieties, there is sure to be a Hosta that pleases everybody. Their visually appealing foliage makes the plant versatile in the garden as either a specimen plant, or a group planting. While grown for their foliage, Hostas do produce flowers in the summer time (there are only a few varieties that are fragrant). Hostas require minimal upkeep, deer repellant being the main necessity as they are highly susceptible to deer browsing. However, due to their timeless elegance, the Hosta is a perfect plant for any shade garden.
A Garden Recipe to Share
Grilled Corn with Ancho Chile and Lime Butter
Ingredients:
- 8 medium ears fresh corn
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Ancho Chile Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Coarse Grind Black Pepper
Directions:
1. Remove husks and silk strands from corn-on-the-cob.
2. Combine butter with lime juice and seasonings. Mix until well combined. Spread half of butter mixture lightly over corn. Set remaining half of flavored butter aside.
3. Place corn on preheated grill over medium heat and cook 6-7 minutes, turning often enough to cook on all sides without burning. Serve corn hot with remaining soft chile butter.
Fall will be upon us before we know it! If you haven't yet scheduled your fall core aeration, fall color planting or a final garden visit for your beds, now is the time to do so!
Also, fall is the perfect time for planting. If there is an eyesore in your landscape that you want to update we would be happy to help out.
Contact us today to schedule your next Hemlock experience!
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