Archive for the ‘Landscaping’ CategoryBig Trees possible to be planted in Kansas City
The two trees on the left were planted 5 years ago as part of a project I worked on with a customer. These trees were planted by Instant Shade using a large tree spade. If you want a large tree – this is a great option! 
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Fungus Soon to be Among Us
Kansas City Lawns will soon be subjected to the ideal conditions for lawn diseases such as brown patch in tall fescue and summer patch in bluegrass lawns. The moist ground combined with 80 degrees plus will be like throwing a match on disease wildfire all across Kansas City’s grass. If you are interested I have already wrote an article on how to identify and deal with lawn diseases If you need any help diagnosing or treating a lawn disease that shows up in your lawn I will be happy to come out and decide on the next best step.
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Kansas City Landscaping dodged a bulletKansas City gardeners can breathe a sigh of relief that we did not reach the forecasted lows last of week of -20. For many years, we have been lulled into thinking that we may have shifted into zone 6. However, it only takes one very cold night to ensure that we are truly a zone 5 area. The plant hardiness zones are based on the average lowest temperatures for a 10 year period. We are about to reset those zone maps if we approach -20 degrees. Plants are rated to their zones based on laboratory tests as well as the experiences of growers in the fields. Plants rated as hardy to Zone 5 generally survive low temperatures of -10 to -20 degrees. Zone 6 plants are only expected to survive to -10 degrees. Of course, zones are only part of the answer to how your plants will during this cold snap. Zones define large areas, but not small microclimates that exist around your home. If your plants lie in a low lying area or out on a windswept plain, they are going to have considerably more exposure to cold temperatures than if they are nestled in a protected courtyard, along a south facing wall or on the wayward side of a hill. That being said, many plants in Kansas City are going to suffer from this cold. Dan Simmons of Show-Me Horticulture and I were talking about what effect this could have on plants. We both agreed that a few of the standouts are plants that have started being popular at retail nurseries lately despite being unproven (or proven poorly) to thrive with very cold winters such as this years. A few plants that are going to be strongly affected are southern Magnolias such as Bracken Brown Beautys, crape myrtles, azaleas, rhododendrons and other broadleaf evergreens. These are all plants better suited to Zone 6. They may have done quite well in Kansas City the last several years, but will be well-tested this winter to see if they have enough protection to survive the extremes. Even a few proven plants will still be stressed. Boxwoods, yews, and many broadleaf evergreens will likely show some damage come next spring from the prolonged cold weather combined with dry winds that we have experienced over the last several weeks. Another group of plants that will very likely show some signs of stress will be some of the ornamental grasses such as the ornamental fescues, the Japanese Silver grasses and the fountain grasses. Some of the larger trees such as Zelkova, Golden Rain Tree, dogwoods and redbuds could suffer some superficial damage to outermost branches as well. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do to protect your plants now. If your plants went into the winter relatively healthy and unstressed they will have a much better chance of survival than if they were stressed already. Newly planted plants will have a harder time than older, more established plants. The snow that is insulating the ground is the biggest protection we have right now and this can be bolstered if you are inclined to pile snow around the crowns of your most valuable plants. Another option that can be helpful is to build a windscreen around broadleaf evergreens to help protect them. Lastly, to help plants bounce back as much as possible, give them a good slow soaking of water as soon as the ground thaws and repeat at least monthly throughout the winter. This will help immensely as your plants begin to heal their wounds. This spring will be quite revealing as we learn a lesson of what plants truly are able to survive Kansas City’s coldest temperatures. We will be better gardeners if we observe and learn from what nature teaches this week and choose plants that will thrive in Kansas City even during when it is at its coldest. If you have any questions, please feel free to visit me at www.HamonsLandscaping.com or posting questions as a comment to this blog post. I enjoy talking to other plant lovers and answering any questions you might have.
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Landscape in Kansas City gets Wedding Make OverOne of the landscaping projects I am most excited about this year is the remaking of a new clients complete backyard in Brookside. These clients called me in April, looking to have the work done by their wedding in May. In order to get things done in time I knew we would have to work fast to be able to schedule, plan and get everything ready. Right now, we are on track. The Landscaping PlanThe plan was fairly simple and drawn out on the spot since we were going to have to move fast. Essentially, we will be removing all the existing shrubs in the back since they were not part of a cohesive plan. New beds would be created around the perimeter of the property and then new sod would be installed.
The PlantsHere are the plants that we will be using in this landscaping project.
The DirtDirt is quite a misnomer. I don’t use dirt for many of my Kansas City Landscaping Projects. This is 8 yards of pure compost. Generated organically from a local yard waste recycling center. It is the single most important thing to the the landscapes I plant not just surviving, but thriving. This dirt will be spread out and tilled into all bed and new lawn areas.
The RemovalA lot of plants had to be removed before anything else could be accomplished. Once all the shrubs were removed. This is what it looked like as it filled my trailer! Moving the DirtHere are progress shots as the compost is trucked around to the back. Because of the layout of this yard, the dirt could only be moved by wheelbarrow. 10,000 – 12,000 pounds of compost was used for this project.
That was the stage 1 of the project. Next, will be the more exciting part of preparing the beds and installing the plants. Stay tuned
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Kanas City landscaping about to be hit by major snow – maybeWill it snow? I’ll leave that up to the experts at NBC Action News. However, if it does snow, here is what you need to know for your plants. Most will be ok. We have had a very seasonable march so the plants that are in bud and coming out of dormancy will be able to handle the cold. As long as the cold stays above 25 or so. I do see an exception to some of the fruit trees in the area. i have noticed that some of them were beginning to bloom. These trees will likely lose some of their blooms. I would wait to cover any plants until after it snows. The wight of the snow ontop of the covers will likely cause more damage than the temperatures. Also, there is a risk if we have substantial snow that trees with leafed out branches or trees with blooms could catch enough snow to hurt cause their limbs to break. This could true for evergreens as well.
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It is COLD!
Kansas City Landscaping is feeling the cold this winter as we experience a true Zone 5 Winter! It will be interesting to see how some of the newly release plants in KC fare in this typical winter. We haven’t had one in a while.
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Kansas City Lawn and Landscape Watering Guidelines
Kansas City’s Lawns and Landscapes will benefit dramatically if you know how to properly water them. There is no other homeowner controlled aspect of caring for your plants more critical than proper irrigation. It is also the number one mistake I see Kansas City homeowners doing
It is essential to first understand what your plants want in an ideal world. Most of our lawns and landscapes in Kansas City will thrive on 1.5” of water per week. This can come from either rainfall or irrigation. Ideally 1.5 inches would be applied in one long and slow watering. However, in Kansas City, our clay based soils have a hard time absorbing more than ½ inch of water per hour before water begins to run off the surface so we have to water very slowly – hard for sprinklers to do – or water on multiple days in smaller amounts. Counter intuitively, we want these watering cycles to be on successive days, not spread evenly through out the week since our goal is to water deep into the ground and not to keep the surface moist.
Knowing how much water we need is the first step – the next step is knowing how to apply that water and for how long. Most homeowners will either be applying water by manual sprinklers or an automatic irrigation system. Both require you to know how much water is applied in a given amount of time by your system.
To measure the output of your sprinkler heads…
Now, I know most of you will not take the time to accurately measure out your sprinklers output – despite its importance. So here are some rules of thumb for determining your sprinklers output. For automatic irrigation systems – spray heads (the ones that pop up and don’t move) typically need about 45 mins to put down 1” of water and rotors (the ones that sweep back and forth) need about 2 hours. So a generic program that I suggest for my customers is designed to put down 1.5” of water spread between 3 separate watering cycles. I set it so that the lawn gets watered Monday, Tuesday and Friday. This is a good compromise of watering deeply but also making sure that the water does not run off.. I set zones with spray heads to come on for 30 mins and zones with rotors to come on for 60 mins. This is adjusted if the soil is unable to absorb this amount of water. Also, all watering should be done to supplement mother nature. If she gives us ½” of rain then you can reduce watering by that amount.
For those of us unlucky souls who do not have automatic irrigation it takes a much longer to water our lawns. Most of the typical impact sprinklers used if set on full circle put out about 1/3 of an inch per hour. Since they water slower they can be left on longer. I usually suggest you water twice a week for 2 hours before moving the sprinkler. If you are only using the sprinkler in a half circle then you can cut that in half
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Watering Kansas City Landscapes
Quick, look out your window! Your Kansas City lawn is inhabited by exotic residents from faraway lands. They have come from all corners of the globe and they plan on staying. They will require you to take care of them. No use complaining, after all, you not only invited them, you planted them. If you are like most homeowners in Kansas City, you have a landscape full of exotic plants. Your bluegrass lawn is from Europe, your beautiful Dogwood is from Japan, your lush impatiens can trace their roots back to Africa and even Kansas City’s favorite plant, the yew, can trace its lineage back to Ireland. Although all these plants can survive Kansas City’s heat and cold, they need supplemental watering to thrive. Watering each plant can seem overwhelming, but with a little knowledge and a few tips you can have a beautiful, well-watered landscape.
By dividing your landscape into four categories, you will better able to manage your watering needs.
Your lawn is one of the thirstiest parts of your landscape. Most lawns require 1” of water per week. This can either come from rainfall or supplemental watering. The most important (and most often broken) rule of lawn watering is to water deeply and infrequently. Kansas City’s most proud gardeners, with their spirits blinded by the glory of our lush spring, begin watering their lawns religiously. Convincing themselves that if they can get their lawns green enough now – they will stay green through the summer. Unfortunately, every ounce of excess water they throw on the grass in the early spring is deadly. If the soil in the lawn is not allowed to dry between watering, the roots of the plant grow very shallow, encouraged by the ample water and warmth at the surface. However, Kansas City’s glorious spring is only the opening act to our reliable, but dastardly summers. Shallow roots are a death sentence to your lawn. By watering only when the top 6” of soil have dried out, you will be dispensing some tough love that will result in your lawn being able to survive the summer.
For irrigation systems in Overland Park and other cities, you should be watering every as little as possible but as deep as possible. I usually start by suggesting that homeowners try to water 3/4″ for each zone on two consecutive days. So they will water on Monday and Tuesday and not again for the rest of the week. This long deep and infrequent watering si the kept to healthy grass all summer long. If you grass cannot quite make it through the whole week without looking wilted then you can give another 3/4 inch on Friday. To get 3/4″ of water from an irrigation system usually requires atleast 40 minutes on rotors and 20 minutes on spray heads. However, every sytem is differnt and you should ideally measure how long it takes for yuor sytem to apply that amount of water. Use a straight sided container placed out in the middle of the sprinklers zone and turn it on and let it run until it has fille dup with 3/4″ of water. That is how long it will need to run.
Trees and shrubs are often ignored when it comes to watering because of the perception that such a large plant must be able to pull water from deep down in the soil. However, most of a tree’s roots are in the top 3 feet of the soil. Although trees can and will survive in Kansas City, supplementing their water just few times through the year will reward you with increased growth, enhanced beauty and bolstered resistance to disease and stress. Typically, trees will need a little extra water in the middle of the winter and a couple times during the hottest part of the summer. Watering for trees should be done by observation, not a schedule. When you see signs of stress such as wilted or dropping leaves, apply 3” of water to the area under the braches. This can be done with a well-adjusted impact sprinkler or a soaker hose. The method of application is not as important as making sure ample water is applied where and when the plant needs it.
Perennials have widely varying watering needs based on species and type. It is important to know the specifics for your plants when watering. These can generally be learned by talking to your favorite landscaper or nursery. However, there is still a guideline that will lead you to the healthiest and most beautiful flowers – water only as much as your plants need and not a drop more.
Watering annuals is different than watering other types of plants. Annuals tend to be shallow-rooted and need ample watering to thrive. Annuals should be watered when they first show signs of stress. In the heat of the summer, may mean every day. If you water annuals from overhead, do so early in the day. this This allows the leaves to dry out preventing disease from hurting your plants.
Water is the most important gift you can give the exotic residents of your landscape. You will be rewarded with beautiful, healthy plants that can thrive year round in Kansas’ foreign landscape.
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Simple but Elegant Rain Garden Project in Kansas City
Rain Gardens can be a great way to solve landscaping problems in Kansas City. landscapers can use them to effectively deal with drainage issues that have been plaguing homeowners for years and are often better solution than simply sending the water further down the hill to the neighbors yard. Here is a concept rendering for a rain garden I will be installing soon in a customer’s landscape. I will chronicle this build and update the blog with its progress including before and after shots. If you have any questions about rain gardens please be sure to leave a comment and I would be happy to share what I know,.
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Kansas City Landscaping get ready for HeatIt is time for Kansas City Landscapers to prepare for the heat. Weather forecasts are showing that Kansas City will soon be hitting 90 degrees for the first time this year. This tends to be a tipping point for the lawns and landscapes. You can help your landscaper and lawn care service by taking care of your lawns watering needs. New Trees or Plants Water new trees or plants when the top 3″ of the soil dries out completely. Water the plants slowly and deeply allowing the entire root system to become soaked. larger plants take more time. This is very important. You cannot give a time to water because every soil will absorb water at a different rate. The goal is to water the plants entire root system and then let the entire roots ystem dry out just before adding new water. Lawns should be water with 1″ of water per week. This is best done with one long slow watering if your soil will absorb that much water. Most Kansas City lawns will do just fine with one long irrigation. Depending on the type of sprinkler being used — This may require up to 1 hour of watering. It is best to measure the water rather than guessing. I use a straight sided margarine tub placed int he middle of the sprinklers path to tell. Watering is an essential part of maintaining your landscapes. It does not have to be difficult but it does have to be consistent and done correctly. If you have any watering questions feel free to leave a comment to this post and I would be happy o help you out.
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