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Archive for the ‘Landscaping’ Category
Kansas 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.
One 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 Plan
The 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 Plants
Here are the plants that we will be using in this landscaping project.
The Dirt
Dirt 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 Removal
A 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!  There is a lot of plant material in that trailer !
Moving the Dirt
Here 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 
Will 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.
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.
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…
- Set a container with straight sides (I use a butter dish) in the middle of the sprinklers path. a Turn on the sprinkler and monitor the amount of water in the container.
- Turn off the sprinkler when the amount of water in the can has reached one inch (measure with a ruler – it can be deceiving)
- This is how much water that sprinkler system puts out in one hour.
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
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,.
It 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
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.
Water — the life blood for trees, flowers and shrubs and is exactly what Kansas City gardeners pray for more than anything else. EXCEPT when it comes down and freezes on the branches, leaves and trunks of the trees in our landscapes. Then it becomes a massively destructive force.
 The victims are predictable, elms, silver maples, birches, Bradford pears and willows. These are some of Kansas City’s favorite landscape trees — but they are on a landscaper’s hit list. There wood is brittle and their growth structures is suspect. They cannot withstand the mighty weight that ice puts upon their branches.
If your trees have major damage, your first course of action is to make a decision. IS THE TREE WORTH SAVING? Look at what the damage is.
Is it major damage to an already weak tree?
Will the aesthetic value of the tree be ruined permentantly?
Will the damage make a weak tree more prone to disease and future damage?
The costs of major repairs can be the same as removing a tree altogether. Kansas City has a plethora of UGLY trees dotting our streets and landscapes from past years growth. Many of these trees, even under the care of a certified arborist, would not be able to saved and would have been better off if cut down and replaced with another high quality tree that would add to the homes value and looks.
Remember – -the best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago! The second best time is today!The next question to answer is – Can you handle the repair y0ourself? Small limbs can be easily repaired with pruning shears or pole-loppers provided they are within reach. Otherwise you will have to climb a ladder up into the tree. Unfortunately – more people are killed from ladders and tree climbing in the United States than are killed skydiving – so this can be more dangerous than you might expect. Power tools should NEVER be used from a ladder since this compounds the danger incredibly. Some repairs you might consider doing yourself.Broken limbs – These should be removed back to the next major branch. Do not leave branch stubs – they lead to decay and disease.Broken tops - For trees with tops broken out, remove the snags to the next major interior branch. Generally, this will be a major fork. Avoid topping the tree to allow small side branches to grow out and continue the tree’s height growth. These branches will be weak and prone to breakage.
If the bark has been stripped from the trunk of the tree when it the ice broke the limb then cut any ragged edges off the trunk. Take care not to pull any extra bark off the tree. Cut any loose bark away with a sharp knife in the shape of an elongated football standing on it tip.
To avoid doing further damage to the trees as you cut it then this 3 step procedure should be used when cutting any heavy branches off of the tree. The first cut is made on the underneath side of the branch about 18 inches out from the trunk. The cut should be approximately half-way through the branch or until its weight first starts to bind the saw. The next cut should be made on top of the branch about 1 to 2 inches in front (toward the end of the branch) of the bottom cut. Continue cutting until the branch drops free. The last cut removes the remaining branch stub from the trunk. The cut should be made from the top of the branch at the branch collar. The collar is the slight ridge where the branch attaches to the tree’s trunk or another major branch.
Trees with split trunks or major limb forks may possibly be salvaged if the split is not too extensive. Repairing this type of damage will involve a cable and brace technique that should be left to a professional tree service. Some small to medium-sized trees may have been uprooted. It may be possible to straighten these trees and brace them with guy wires. Do not attempt this unless one-half to one-third of the tree’s original root system is still in the soil and the remaining exposed roots are relatively compact and undisturbed. Before straightening the tree, remove some of the soil from beneath the root mass so the roots will be placed below the existing grade level. Attach two to three guy wires to the trunk and anchor the wires 10 to 12 feet away from the tree. Corrective pruning to help improve the shape of damaged trees is best done now. The tree will respond quickly this spring if it has not been severely damaged. Take care not to remove more than one-third of original branches. This will severely retard the tree’s growth in the spring and may damage it beyond recovery. Treatment of the trunk and limb wounds with tree paint is not necessary. In fact, research shows that painted areas can lead to increased rot and decay due to trapped moisture in areas where the paint cracks open. You may want to fertilize your tree this spring with a good quality tree fertilizer now to encourage new growth in the spring.
Kansas City may soon be pounded by a severe ice storm. If this is the case one of things you should be prepared for is the possible damage that could happen to all the valuable trees and shrubs you having your landscape. Ice can be very damaging to both people and plants in your landscape. Fortunately, there is a few things you can do to prepare or protect your plants from the upcoming damage.
Arborvitaes and Junipers
These multi stem evergreen trees can be protected by tying all of the leaders together in the middle. This will protect them from becoming damaged by splitting in the middle from the weight of the ice.
Small High-Value Specimen Trees (Japanese maples, etc)
These trees can be protected by placing burlap or plastic over the top of the canopy — This will distribute the weight of the ice amongst all the branches and help prevent major Breakage.
Young Trees with Low Limbs
If you have young trees with low overhanging limbs these can be supported with 2×4’s, shovels, or anything else that will help bear the weight. Place the brace about 1/4 of the total length of the branch away from the trunk.
Shrubs
Shrubs, especially evergreens, can be split by the weight of ice on individual branches, I highly recommend that you go out and a piece of cord around the middle of theses shrubs and then possibly place a piece of burlap or plastic over the top of the shrub.With these few preparations your landscape will be better off if Kansas City is hit with major ice this week. However, it won’t protect your larger trees, which are also very susceptible to losing limbs that get too heavy. Unfortunately, there is nothing we will be able to do that will prevent these limbs from breaking off now. If this occurs, check back with the blog and I will give some advice on the best way to repair damaged trees and shrubs.As Gary says, Prepare for the worst and HOPE for the best
Let it Snow – Let it Snow – Let it Snow.
Wintery precipitation can be a beautiful thing, as long as you are looking at it from inside. However, with the beautiful snows come the dangers of slippery walks and driveways. Luckily, we have several deicers available that help us keep our walks and drives safer and thanks to new options, products that won’t hurt the important landscape plants around our house.
I am going to start the discussion by removing one option altogether – SALT. Salt belongs in your cupboard and not by your plants. When you put any deicing products on outdoor surface, you are essentially placing them directly on the roots of the plants and lawn that border either side, because runoff will carry the chemicals directly to them. Salt is one of the most efficient killers of your plants – and is not all that effective as a deicer. Its only benefit is its relative cheapness. However, when you factor in the increased amount needed to effectively melt ice compared to better products, the pennies saved do not justify the risk to your landscape. Better options are Potassium , Magnesium or Calcium Chloride. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
The biggest difference is the temperature in which they will work effectively. Potassium Chloride will work as long as the temperature is above 15 degrees or so. Magnesium and Calcium Chloride will work down to about 5 degrees. Below 5 degrees and no deicing products are helpful, besides, as far I’m concerned, at 5 degrees nobody shouldn’t be walking outside anyway! The first step in getting good results with deicing products is to make sure you are buying what you think you are buying.
For some reason, the packaging on deicing products can be especially confusing – almost to the point of deceptive. Nearly every product sold will be a mixture of different chemicals. You want one with the absolute least amount of rock salt (sodium chloride) you can get. Many of the products that claim to be the newest and best are nothing more than colorfully packaged rock salt. A quality product will have LESS than 10% rock salt. Rock salt is used as a cheap filler. Do not let price be your determiner. Some of the most expensive products have the cheapest products inside them. READ THE LABEL! You should be able to get a good 30 – 50 pound supply for less than $20 and this will last you for the entire season.
Once you have selected a product, you need to make sure you use it effectively. This starts by using less than you might think you should and apply it before you might think you should. Never apply ice melt on top of snow. It is most effective if applied before the precipitation starts. All you need is a little bit to get the melting started and to keep the ice from forming. These products are not designed tomelt away layers of ice that have already formed.
A quick tip from the professionals: these products are more effective in their liquid form. In time, I believe these products will be available as liquids to consumers. However, right now they usually are not. So what I suggest is that you dissolve just enough to be used into either a high quality non-corrosive sprayer or into a plastic watering can. Make the mixture 70% HOT water and 30% deicer. Then carefully apply just enough to wet the surface before precipitation starts falling. This will give you the best protection from the ice, be the easiest to apply evenly, be the least damaging to plants and be the most economical.
Hopefully, this winter you’ll feel confident when you head up to the hardware store that you have the information to buy the best deicer for you and can apply it quickly and easily. Allowing you to sit inside, enjoying the winter weather as you sip hot chocolate.
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