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Category: Landscape Maintenance

How To Prune Minnesota Trees For Health, Safety and Appearance

As we transition from spring to summer, woody ornamental plantings are actively growing and ready for timely pruning to support their health and longevity in the landscape. You’ll discover that a basic understanding of tree biology will equip you to give your plants the timely care they need. It’s partly true that plants enjoy vigorous growth after a restful winter dormancy period. More important, is that when springtime arrives they are well-stocked with carbohydrate fuel that has been stored as starch the previous year. Respecting and responding to this annual cycle is one of the first steps in achieving healthier

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9 Residential Landscape Care Practices Homeowners Need to Know

Landscape architects and horticulturists can tell at a glance whether landscaping plantings and beds are maintained by professionals who know the timeless practices that never go out of style. Once you get to know them, you’ll have that same eye that master gardeners and professionals share. Plan For Low Maintenance To Get It Nobody wants landscaping that requires excessive care, but you must accept that every landscape requires regular care.  When one acknowledges this and commits to giving their landscaping the minimum necessary care on a regular basis, they will be rewarded with reduced maintenance over the long run. To

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Popular Minnesota Trees That Homeowners Need To Know

Imagine investing in an asset whose value grows steadily over time, only to discover 8-10 years later that its potential was flawed from the beginning. This is what happens when the wrong tree is planted, or when healthy trees are planted on properties not suitable for them. Choosing trees that are right for you and your property requires a little homework. The first step is being realistic about your goals and the performance of the trees you have in mind. We believe nearly every shade, ornamental, and evergreen tree has merit. Some will last for decades or more, becoming majestic

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Know Where Value Lives In Hardscaping and Landscaping  

  Did you know that the landscape industry term hardscaping did not even exist until the early 90s, at least here in the United States? Back then, landscaping was mostly ornamental plantings. The most common hardscaping enhancements for homeowners were wooden decks because brick and stone supplies were limited, as well as the technical expertise for working with them. Since that time, our industry has seen an explosion of hardscape products that are easier to install. Now that material supplies are abundant, well-intentioned contractors and handy homeowners are taking on hardscaping work that was previously the domain of experienced tradespeople,

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10 Timeless Landscape Design Ideas

Landscape design is a practice that seldom follows a predictable path. This is true even for those schooled in a traditional landscape architecture program. There are principles that most adhere to, but the real magic is often uniquely personal, distilled from years of life and client experiences. There are designers with backgrounds in science, engineering, and the arts, all of them accomplished. You should take some of this to heart when working with a landscape designer. Your thoughts and ideas, when blended with others, will make it your own, and quite possibly, more than anyone could have imagined. What follows are

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Landscape Lighting System Troubleshooting Practices

The rich green of summer is waning and the warm hues of autumn are taking its place. Yellows, oranges, and reds are filling the outdoor environment with temporary warmth. Sooner than you think, however, Jack Frost will come nipping at your nose, and he may get to your landscape lighting systems too. Minnesotans are accumstomed to rain, snow, and cold. Truth is we embrace the changing of seasons. If your landscape lighting system wasn’t properly planned, installed, and maintained, it may not be prepared for its Minnesota environment. That’s alright because the purpose of this article is to help you

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