We've selected some of our favorites to showcase this season's best landscape projects!  

Fall Flowers 

If you're dreading the end of summer because it spells doom for all your beautiful flowers, dread no more.  To extend landscape color through the fall season, plant some of these varieties! 

1) Mums – mums are everyone's “go-to” solution for keeping the flower beds vibrant in the fall. They come in dozens of colors, so you can put them anywhere without worrying about how they'll impact the rest of your landscape.  They can be easily planted in pots on the porch or landscape beds to add color all over the yard.  Mums are very hardy plants and will keep flowering until about mid-November.  Buy plants that are full of tightly-clustered flower heads that haven't started to open yet. Put them in a sunny spot and keep them moist as they flower. 

2) Ornamental Cabbage and Kale – though people think of these plants as flowering, it is actually their leaves that provide the color and beauty.  Put them together in large plantings to show off their color, which develops best after frost. Buy plants that have short stems to prolong their growing season.  Kale is a drought-tolerant plant, but don't skip the water for too long or they will get stressed. 

3) Asters – this plant is very hardy and appears more daisy-like than mums. They are most commonly available in purple, white, and pink hues.

4) Pansies – a popular choice;  they're very colorful and last much longer into the cold weather.  Plant them now and enjoy them until the heat hits next summer. They'll get a little wilted when temperatures drop below freezing, but will perk right back up as soon as the sun works its magic.

 No matter what type of flower you choose, you can add some great color to your yard and keep your outside spaces inviting.  Before too long they will all be covered in white! 

There are three main benefits of trees:

1.       Health Benefits

2.       Environmental Benefits

3.       Financial Benefits

Yes, financial benefits!  Most people are familiar with the first two but the later you won't hear discussed as often.  We will break down the main points of each with some surprising statistics.

The Financial Benefit of Trees

The most tangible bang from your ‘bark' comes from energy savings.  Here are the statistics.

- “Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30 percent and can save 20-50 percent in energy used for heating.” – USDA Forest Service

- “If you plant a tree today on the west side of your home, in 5 years your energy bills should be 3% less.  In 15 years, the savings will be nearly 12%.” – Dr. E. Greg McPherson, Center for Urban Forest Research

Trees are responsible for increased property values.

- “Landscaping, especially with trees, can increase property values as much as 20 percent.”  – Management Information Services/ICMA

- “In one study, 83% of realtors believe that mature trees have a ‘strong or moderate impact' on the salability of homes listed for under $150,000; on homes over $250,000, this perception increases to 98%.” – Arbor National Mortgage & American Forests

- “Trees can be a stimulus to economic development, attracting new business and tourism.  Commercial retail areas are more attractive to shoppers, apartments rent more quickly, tenants stay longer and space in a wooded setting is more valuable to sell or rent.”  - The Arbor Day Foundation

Health Benefits of Trees

There is no denying trees are pretty to look at.  They flower, change colors and block unsightly views.

- “In laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees has produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension.”  -Dr. Roger S. Ulrich, Texas A&M University

They also produce oxygen.  How much exactly?

- “On average, one tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen each year.  Two mature trees can provide enough oxygen for a family of four.” – Environment Canada, Canada's National Environment Agency

Environmental Benefits of Trees

Trees create habitats for wildlife, reduce soil erosion and prevent runoff from entering storm sewers amongst other things.

There are plenty of statistics to support these benefits but, by now I'm sure you've had your fill of facts for the day.  So, just take our word on this one!

It's easy to take for granted both trees and the many benefits they provide.  Our communities wouldn't be the same without them!

Landscape lighting has changed for the better.  With LED technology, fixtures are durable and the costly need to replace bulbs yearly has been eliminated.  Now is a great time to consider adding landscape lighting to your home. Choose a few accent fixtures or light an entire yard; landscape lighting will add value to your home.
1. Functionality.  Landscape lighting allows extended time outdoors. It makes possible sharing a conversation and spending time with your family and friends in your yard after the sun sets. Your relaxation time in the evening will not be cut short due to inadequate lighting.
2. Extend your living space. Your deck, patio, and outdoor kitchen are an extension of your living space. Enjoy them well into the night where reading a book, playing cards, or simply enjoying the outdoors wasn't previously possible.
3. Safety. Landscape lighting promotes safety in a number of ways. A well-lit home will discourages thieves, allows you to see into your yard at all hours of the night, highlights potential trip hazards such as steps and properly illuminates entryways for those late nights at the office.
4. Enhancements. Your lighting selections will enhance the overall appearance and set a tone for your home and landscape.  Cool white, warm white, and color options are available. Use landscape lighting to emphasize unique features of your home or landscape.
5. Décor.  Adding color technology fixtures to outdoor lighting looks spectacular. A subtle red tone on your Japanese Maple or blue tone to Skyrocket Junipers will make them pop.  Create warm venues around fire pits or bold lighting around a pool or spa.
6. Enhanced entertaining. Your parties and holidays will never be the same.  With color changing LED fixtures, lights change with the click of a button.  Sunday's football crowd will be impressed when your lights coordinate with your favorite team.  No need to go out in the cold to change the bulbs when the holidays come around; these fixtures are capable of change to full spectrum of colors.

Your landscape is your outdoor home environment. The same care used to build your home is necessary when installing your landscape. A professional landscape design will be to scale, show placement of items such as plant material, bed lines, and retaining walls, and will list quantity and variety of materials.  The design can be used universally as the blueprint for how your landscape needs to be installed.

Imagine remodeling your kitchen by just buying things that look nice and hoping they work together.  It may work out but more than likely it wouldn't, causing quite the headache.  Would you even consider hiring a contractor to remodel your kitchen who didn't present an organized design?  The same can be said for your landscape contractor. Professional landscape contractors have the training, experience, and ability to develop an organized landscape design.

The value of a proper landscape design is often overlooked.  Improperly designed landscapes can cost some significant money to correct, sometimes even more than the initial landscape itself.  Your professional design will take into account the grade of your lot, where land engineered swales are located, the growth habit and climate preferences of plant material, and HOA landscape standards. This will help to avoid future costs such as tree removal for trees planted too close to your home, drainage installation to aid in moving water since there is now landscaping in your swale preventing the swale from doing its job, and sometimes complete re-installation of your landscape if it doesn't meet HOA requirements.

Professional landscape contractors will schedule an appointment to meet at your home to discuss your landscape needs and wants; they will need a plot plan or mortgage survey so have one available. It is also common practice for professional landscape contractors to charge a design fee. You can ask before you schedule an appointment if a design fee applies.

The end result... a beautiful outdoor space to be enjoyed for years to come!