How to Recycle Rainwater

At least 36 states expect to face water shortages within the next 5 years according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Capturing and reusing rainwater reduces the community’s demand on the municipal water supply, reduces the owner’s water bills and helps avoid
strict water schedules.

The RainXchange™ System by Aquascape is a revolutionary design that combines a recirculating decorative water feature with a sub-surface rainwater harvest storage system.

• Clean, Filtered Water Storage – While you enjoy the benefits of a decorative water feature, the RainXchange™ System filters the stored water providing access to clean, clear, usable water.
• The RainXchange™ System reveals only a beautiful water feature that integrates easily into existing landscapes.
• Locating and storing water underground maintains the integrity and beauty of your home and landscape. 

Learn more at greenscapesmadison.com

Curb Appeal

Scale
All curb appeal design relies on the size and shape of the house. This is the canvas on which you apply your function. If the house is very tall and a great distance from the road, it doesn't matter how much you like annuals as you will never see them from the street. That doesn't mean you can't incorporate an annual bed, but you may have to consider some islands or raised beds to break up both the horizontal distance and the vertical space. Use massings and repetitive groupings as individual specimens will not be viewed by passers-by. Consider where larger shade trees and foundation anchor selections will be placed first. The larger trees and shrubs should properly frame and/or accent the lines of the house. Hardscapes can further break up vertical lines and shift focus. use raised beds, pillars, large pots or decorative fountains to set up your functional spaces.

Function
In many Madison area neighborhoods, the front yard functions more like a typical back yard. While it may be due to the small size of the backyard, it's commonly a desire to attain a shorter social distance to nearby neighbors passing by. In today's landscape designs expanding front walkways into full-fledged patios is more and more common. Your first consideration should always be how the space will be used. Is this just an entrance or do you want space for a small bistro table to have your morning coffee at? In the end, all curb appeal design is about leading you to the front door but this doesn't necessarily mean the shortest and most direct route.

A Room with a View
Consider all of the viewing points, not just the view from the curb. If you plan on a small patio area you may want some screening. What rooms have windows facing the front of the house, do any of them need screening? Perhaps you want to include an offset island planting on which you can plant an annual massing visible from inside the house. While your goal is curb appeal, don't forget your view is most often from the inside.

Don't Over Do It
Design and install only what you know you can take care of. You don't want to create a monster you can't keep in control and you don't want to turn off potential buyers when it comes time to sell. Buyers want to see beautiful entrances yes, but you don't want them to interpret it as a maintenance nightmare either. Most importantly, don't forget about the house! Complete all facelift work on the house first and then finish the landscape. I can't tell you how many costly repairs and replacements we have made after home improvement contractors damaged the landscape trying to complete their work. Maybe it is a fresh coat of paint, new siding or some planter boxes, shutters, gutters or replacing some windows. No matter what it is, it will require free access to the front of the home. Always complete this work first

Myths vs. Reality: How to Get Your Lawn in Top Shape this Spring

Have you ever wondered when the right time to apply fertilizer to your yard is or whether it’s ok to cut the grass really short?

To help homeowners get their spring and summer lawn care off to a great start and to celebrate National Lawn Care Month in April, Greenscapes offers these myth-busting tips.

Myth #1: You can water your lawn and landscape any time of day.

Reality: Water is a valuable resource; make every drop count! Watering the lawn in the early mornings or evenings after sunset minimizes evaporation. It’s the best time for water to penetrate deep into the soil.

Myth #2: It’s ok to cut the grass very short.

Reality: Most landscape professionals advise against cutting more than one-third of the grass leaf at a time. Mowing at a finished cut height of 3 to 3.5 inches throughout the summer is generally recommended. The lawn will need less water, will be more resistant to weeds and will have a deeper, greener color. Use a sharp mower blade to prevent tearing grass blades. A crisp and clean cut will help prevent a “brown tip” appearance.

Myth #3: It’s best to water your lawn every day.

Reality: Watering your lawn every three days is better than daily watering. Deep, rather than shallow watering of your lawn is recommended to nurture the roots. An inch of water to 12 inches of soil is the preferred ratio for watering actively growing grass.

Myth #4: If you want to replace your lawn, you should do it in the spring when plants get ready to bloom. 

Reality: The best time to sow seed is in the late summer and early fall when the temperatures are more consistent and when highly competitive weeds, like crabgrass, are at the end of their life cycle.

Myth #5: Early spring is the best time to fertilize the lawn.

Reality: Since different species of grass prefer nutrients at different times of the year, be sure to use the correct fertilizer, at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place. A slow-release fertilizer allows for more even and consistent feeding over a longer period of time than a quick-release fertilizer. And, remember to use fertilizers responsibly by cleaning up any that lands on streets, sidewalks or driveways where they can be washed into lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.

Myth #6: A garden hose is more cost efficient than installing an irrigation system.

Reality: Many landscape professionals recommend installing an irrigation system with smart controllers which have sensors that water when needed. Smart irrigation can offer a cost savings of 15–20 percent on water bills. Converting irrigation spray nozzles from sprinklers to rotating nozzles will spread heavy droplets of water at a slower pace, which makes them more targeted and effective.

Myth #7: You have to irrigate to have a healthy and beautiful lawn.

Reality: Grasses are built to endure long periods of drought by entering a state of dormancy..  When temperatures and moisture levels are at their extreme, the growing point of the grass plant, the crown, will shut off the grass blades, turning them brow. In almost all instances, once the heat and drought stresses have gone, the crowns will begin to send up new shoots. There’s nothing wrong with irrigating to avoid dormancy, but “embracing the brown” for a couple of weeks in the summer is just fine too.

For more helpful tips on taking care of your lawn and landscape, or to get advice on how to hire a landscape professional, visit greenscapesmadison.com   

Attracting Wildlife to Your Landscape

If you build it, they will come

The size of a yard has little to do with how much wildlife it attracts. Creating habitats that meet basic wildlife needs is what will populate your yard with area wildlife. Your plan may be as general or specific as you desire. If the wildlife you are hoping to attract is something very specific, some research will be required. If you are trying to attract specific butterflies you will find that they feed on very specific host plants. For example, the Karner Blue butterfly is endangered and found primarily in Wisconsin. The caterpillar feeds only on native wild lupine. But wait, if that's all you plant the adult butterfly will quickly fly off in search of milkweed hosts to feed on. 

Some initial parameters to consider are your soil conditions, sunlight, and growing zone. Write a list of native plants that will thrive in the conditions you found in your yard. Includes plants in the aster family such as coneflowers and sunflowers. Dogwoods, serviceberries, and viburnums and mixed grasses should also be included. For more plant options search our plant gallery using the Attract Wildlife Category. While you do not have to stick with 100% natives, pay special attention to how non-natives spread. If it is listed as even mildly invasive or aggressive, I would choose an alternative species.

Food & Water

Nothing attracts wildlife like a water garden. If the budget is tight, consider a pondless waterfall or decorative fountain. Water is essential for drinking, bathing and wildlife reproduction. These types of water sources not only provide the water but an abundance of additional wildlife. The filtration and movement of the water in circulating systems will also reduce the mosquito population rather than add to it. 

Cover & Protection

It is important to mix the edge treatments of a water feature as different wildlife species will prefer different types of cover. Some prefer the canopy of shrubs while others prefer ground cover or grasses. While you can provide many places for wildlife to live using only specific plant selections, you may also want to create some yourself. Often these habitats can be found by mistake. A brush or compost pile, fire wood stack, or a dying tree can all provide excellent habitat. So before you rush to remove an old scrag, consider working it into the overall design. As far as some of your new friends are concerned, it is actually a 5-star hotel. You may also consider constructing some more formal housing such as a bird house or a bat house.

A Place to Raise their Young
It is important to research all phases of the life cycle when considering rearing habitats. This is another area where the construction of a bird house or nesting box may be necessary if other habitats can not be provided. If your lot has no mature trees, for example, a bird house built on a tall pole may be required until your trees mature. Consider masses of host plants, in which case you are making an "offering" to the caterpillar stage that you expect to either outgrow the consumption or replace the hosts each year.  You can look up specific host plants for butterflies here. As your plan progresses keep in mind the best thing you can do for all your new neighbors is to maintain the garden in an environmentally friendly way. 

Spring Bloomers

As you look out your window after another long cold winter in Wisconsin you're probably wondering when you will see the first signs of spring right? The best cure for cabin fever is a spring bloom and a properly planted landscape should absolutely include some spring bloomers that let you know warm days are just around the corner. It's best to distribute these early bloomers into the design with shrubs, perennial borders and/or groupings, and a few trees in the mix.

Prunus Tomentosa

Prunus Tomentosa, The Manchu Cherry is one of the earliest blooming prunus; flowering before the leaves are even starting to develop. Manchu Cherry is extremely hardy, drought tolerant and matures to around 6'. As a gift that keeps on giving, the berries are edible and the exfoliating bark adds winter interest. Lilac, Juneberry, and Redbud are excellent choices as well.

Malus 'Louisa'

The Crabapples are probably the most common spring flowering trees. Similar to the Manchu Cherry, crabs typically begin to bloom before the leaves unfold. Blooms typically last several weeks. When choosing a crab, pay attention to resistance to diseases such as scab, mildew, and fire blight. Crab trees can be used for everything from screening to focal points as height ranges from 8' all the way up to 30'. Underplant with some late spring Anemone as a transition companion.

It is especially important to plan your perennial mix well as early spring bloomers often have little benefit once the bloom is complete. This can also be accomplished by choosing late spring bloomers and naturalizing or grouping bulbs for your early spring color. Many perennials, such as Columbine, should be planted with Huechera, Cranesbill or other low border plantings to assist in hiding fading foliage. Woodland natives such as Trillium or Foam-flower are a great choice for naturalized areas.

5 Quick Tips About Fall Planting in Dane County

"Fall is for Planting" isn't just a marketing slogan. In fact, marketing and impatience is why most consumers complete planting in spring. Fall planting is the best way to get the highest rate of return on your investment as possible. Temperatures are mild, which mean woody plants and perennials will root faster. The typical droughts of August have passed and the cool nights of fall mean turf will establish quickly as well.

Follow these tips for fall plantings success:

1. Whenever possible buy flats or in larger groups. Nurseries and Greenhouses do not want to carry the remaining stock over the winter. The more you buy, the more you save. Look through their inventory and consider completing borders and mass plantings with remaining plant stock. 
2. Check the roots. When choosing perennials and smaller shrubs, pop the pot off and take a look at the roots. Often, staff has been cut down at this point and plant stock may not have been potted up. Fall sales might specifically include root bound plants as it is cheaper to discount them than it is to pot up a size this late in the year. 
3. Have a lot of trees to plant? Consider bare root. We've planted hundreds of bare root trees for long term privacy screens, shade, or wind screens. If you are not in a race to get the largest tree possible, Check online catalogs with excellent customer reviews. Soak them in water for 24 hours as soon as they arrive and then plant away.
4. Pick the plants who have current interest. We tend to shop on impulse and by sections of the yard we are trying to improve. I typically recommend clients complete tasks one a time rather than improving specific areas. Why spend money on a bed edger 5 times? Put in all your beds at once even if you won't plant them all right away. Pay attention to seasonality by shopping for only plants that have current seasonal interest. By only spring flowering plants in spring and buy plants with fall interest in fall.
5. It's ok to go small. Save more money by choosing smaller plants in fall. As mentioned, the larger plants may be root bound anyway. Since you are planting in fall, you wont have water, nutrient and other competition issues with weeds. Most the weed seeds are now dormant and shouldn't be a factor. By the time they are competing with your smaller plant selections, it will already be established and adapted to its new habitat.

Read on

Why We Love September (And You Should, Too!)

September is derived from the latin Septem as it was once the 7th month of the old Roman calendar. We all know 7 is a lucky number. There's 7 wonders of the world, we describe ourselves as being in seventh heaven. Even though it became the 9th month of the year (thanks Caesar?), if you ask me, September is the best month of the year. We kick it off with a three day weekend that signals us to get outside and enjoy the final weeks of summer. It has the best weather of any month and that's true pretty much no matter where you go in the US. Football has reclaimed its rightful place at the helm, and kids are off to school again.

Summer goes by in the blink of an eye and September seems to be a month where we can slow down a little, take a deep breathe, and enjoy. Take stock of what you have accomplished since the snow melted and make a plan to complete what simply fell off the plate. All too often, we don't appreciate being healthy until we get sick. It won't be long before you are relegated to staring into the backyard from your kitchen window dreaming of the perfect weather and green grass. Well guess what? The grass is green and the temperature is perfect. Take a long nap by the pondless waterfall, invite some friends over for a barbecue, or gather the kids by the fire pit for some s'mores this weekend. Make some memories you can call upon this February from that kitchen window.

Aeration: How to Cure Hard-Core Lawns

I hear a lot of people talk about aeration as if it isn't really part of necessary lawn maintenance. It is only for golf courses and the guy who wants the best lawn on the block. You might even have this gentleman as your neighbor. He's the guy you see in his yard at 5:00 in the morning with a dandelion puller while you have your morning coffee. You have already conceded to Mr. Jones and determined since you won't be pulling weeds at 5:00 with him, you probably don't need to aerate like he does either. While Mr. Jones might be completing aeration twice a year, how do you know if and when you should be?

• Typically a compacted lawn is thin. If you haven't changed any other lawn care practices recently and the lawn seems to be getting thinner every season, it's time to aerate. 
• If you now swear that fertilizer is also a waste of time and money, it's time to aerate. Mr. Jones lawn looks great after he fertilizes right? It must be the brand he is using! Fertilizer won't do you much good over compacted soil as it can't penetrate it. The nutrients simply wash away and never reach the roots.
• You seem to have more wash outs than normal after rainfall. Again, if you haven't made any changes to the grade or surrounding area and suddenly mulched or other areas are washing out, it's time to aerate. Just as compacted soil won't allow nutrients to reach the roots of your turf, it won't allow water to infiltrate either.  Not only does this create more runoff, it also forces the turf into drought stress earlier than it normally would.

"OK, OK I get it, but when should I do it?" If it has been awhile and/or you have never completed it before, aerate a few weeks before you fertilize. Then complete an annual aeration about month before our first frost.

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5 Reasons to Save Your Ash Trees

Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) was first found in 2002 attacking Ash trees in Michigan. It is estimated that 50 million Ash trees have been killed as the spread continues throughout the Midwest. Aside from the loss in aesthetic and monetary value of these trees, the environmental impact is nothing short of astounding. According to the National Wildlife Federation, the losses can potentially translate into an additional 33 million tons of CO2 in the atmosphere annually and an additional $4 billion in energy costs. A single acre of forest absorbs 6 tons of CO2 and releases 4 tons of oxygen. The US Department of Agriculture reports the net cooling effect of a single tree is equivalent  to 10 room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours per day.

So where do we draw the line in deciding to remove, replace, or treat our Ash trees? The Forest Service estimates that healthy mature trees can add up to 10% to a properties value. The bottom line is it will typically cost less to treat a mature tree than it will to remove and stump grind it. If the tree is less than 40% declined, it can be saved. The average cost of removal, grinding, and replacement is roughly $1,800. Keep in mind the replacement tree will only be 1-2" caliper. The average cost of annual treatment is $150. EAB is expected to move through a given area within 5-6 years. If we consider 7 years of annual treatment,  you are able to keep your large, mature ash tree for almost half the cost of removal. The most effective window of treatment is in spring while the tree is actively growing.

As you can see the reasons to save your tree are simple:

• Aesthtic Value
• Energy Savings
• Environmental Impact
• Reduced CO2 & Air Pollution
• Noise Pollution Reduction
• Soil Protection
• Replacement Cost Savings
• Property Value

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Shaping Up for Spring

As we finally begin our transition from winter to spring it seems the days of fresh mulch and budding plants are still all too far off. As the snow melts our landscapes are initially a fairly sorry site. We start winter off  welcoming blankets of clean white snow and we bid it farewell with black and gray snow sprinkled with garbage and unsightly turf.

If you spent some time planting last fall you might be enjoying some snowdrops or other early bulbs as the snow melts away. Hopefully you completed a thorough fall clean up which will make spring seem a little less daunting. While we might have to wait until late March to actually get into our landscape beds, you can rest assured the mess that lays before you will patiently wait for you! While you wait to tackle the beds and turf, now is the time for planning and equipment maintenance.

It's best to turn to the largest pieces of equipment first as they may require more substantial repairs. Typically, this means the lawn mower. Some items to address:

• Clean or replace
• Spark plugs, air filters, belts, oil
• Sharpen or replace the mower blades
• Check the tires & tighten any loose bolts

March is the best time for planning and designing new additions to the landscape as well. You are anxious for warm days and cool nights in the yard and you are spending a lot of time looking out the window anyway right? It might be time for some new or updated hardscaping such as a patio, fire pit, or outdoor kitchen. Or perhaps a new vegetable garden or additional planting beds are in order. While you consider your options and budget it is a good idea to contact a professional early at this time as professional contractors will book their season quickly. At Greenscapes, our construction division is typically already booked out 2 months by March 1st. If you are considering landscape additions this year contact us soon!

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