Archive for category: Tips

When it comes to landscaping instant gratification is often an expectation that our clients express, and we strive meet & balance this expectation. Nothing finishes out a project quite like new sod around a fresh hardscape or landscaping bed.
Sod is a wonderful alternative for those who do not have the option to seed. Laying sod also allows for turf to be established outside the typical Spring & Fall seeding season. Love it or leave it there is nothing quite like the American Lawn. As professionals we are moving towards downsizing overall turf areas to ‘the spaces we use’, acknowledging the importance of raising our environmental consciousness while maintaining an open play space in the yard.Our guys were all about helping our clients put the finishing touches on their landscaping projects this week for Memorial Day Weekend.

Jeff T. shared some progress shots from his retaining wall job in Nelson County above. Below our crew leader Saul rolls out sod with a smile in Keswick.It is important for us here at Windridge to have some fun, and keep a good sense of humor while at work. Anyone would be hard pressed to not crack a smile when working with these guys. You have to appreciate someone that can be on tap to help you achieve your landscape goals on a professional level and make you laugh.Doesn’t Antoine look like he’s in the middle of his Senior Portrait photo session? Thank you Trey for taking and sharing this seriously good shot. It was cause for a lot of laughs in the office as well as the field.

It is safe to say that Spring is in full swing and so are we! Everyone has to agree that there has been no shortage on beautiful weather here of recent. It is the time of year that makes anyone find any excuse to go outside. Everybody seems to have a list of plants that they are on the hunt for, but Spring is also the time for hardscaping. We have been busy working on creating & improving outdoor spaces for our clients. Pictured above (and throughout) is a blended Brikstone Walkway from Eagle Bay installed by Jeff Thompson & his crew. They installed this addition earlier this Spring for an existing client. Also in the picture you shall see a natural stone wall & river stone swale that was included in the scope of work.

It is important to consider that if you have a project which you intend to “add on to” or “phase out” you want to ensure that you are using materials that will still be available when the next installation phase arrives. It is also important that the new materials bend in as seamlessly as possible with the existing ones, part of that is ensuring that quality materials are used. Hardscaping can offer an opportunity for countless hours of enjoyment on your property and get the family outside together collectively. There are also little added perks that a paver surface offers, such as keeping the dirt & debris being tracked into the house on feet & paws to a minimum. A small patio could be easily transformed from an outdoor dining area to a evening chill spot with the re arranging of a little furniture, and the addition of a mobile fire pit all in the course of a single evening. Or perhaps you are more of a hammock person and want to spend a day tucked into one with a book, under the shade of trees, only ever bothered with the occasional obligatory ball toss for the family dog?

With so many options and decisions to be made having a professional contractor to work with you to nail down the design, and take the lead on excavating,  drainage considerations, ensure a properly compacted aggregate paver base, material takeoffs & logistics makes any outdoor project doable. So why not call us up and at least discuss some projects for your property? Set some goals, toss around some ideas, and discuss options that will allow you to enjoy your outdoor space to the fullest, and add value to your home.

Nothing grinds our gears here at Windridge like seeing mulch piled up like volcanoes of death against the trunk of a tree. Several of us on staff regularly admit to excavating around the root collars on these trees because we feel morally compelled to do so. Landscape Contractors are in a unique position, we literally deal in & install living things, and therefore must afford plants special consideration. We take this obligation and the trust of our clients seriously

A professor I had in college once said to me that, “Education is something people will pay more for, but want less of.” I hear these words echoing through my mind as I step out of my vehicle at just about every shopping complex in the state. People are willing to pay incredible amounts of money for landscaping and will pay even more, on a seasonal basis to preform incorrect maintenance that undermines their green investment. These improper methods will shorten the life expectancy of their tree and can encourage pests and diseases on to the property.

We struggle in our mission, but are dedicated to educating even those in our own profession that ascribe to these detrimental practices, and have come to realize that homeowners are following the deplorable examples that they see in parking lots and commercial complexes.

No tree should ever have any mulch against its trunk for any reason and no more than 4″ of mulch should be under a tree at any time. In an ideal world the mulch ring would extend to the dripline of a tree. The dripline is defined as the outermost circumference of a tree canopy where water drips from the leaves onto the ground. This is not always practical, but always try to make your mulch ring as wide as possible. Typically a 2-3′ ring for young trees and a 6-8′ rings on older ones. Not only will you substantially prolong the life and health of your tree by mulching properly, but there is additional savings to be gleaned as well, because way less mulch is needed to achieve this than is typically applied.

Just a little adjustment in our practices go a long way. The Windridge Team Members are dedicated to installing healthy trees and keeping them so. We can also help mitigate & at times even reverse the damage that trees that have been mulched improperly suffer. Mulching the right way will not cost you more, even potentially less. Mulching improperly will cost you your tree.

Recent research suggests that pollinators do better in urban environments, yet these mowed, mulched, and managed landscapes frequently lack a sufficient amount of nesting habitat. Here are a few simple ways to provide them with their ‘Dream Home’.

Provide Habitat With Plants: 30% of our native bees lay their eggs in cavities – holes in dead wood, hollow stems, or even cracks in concrete or stone (only honey bees form hives.) Grow raspberries…and other plants with pithy or hollow stems such as Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium spp.), elderberry (Sambucus spp.), hydrangea, and others. Cavity nesting bees will make nests in the dried stems and twigs from previous years’ growth, so don’t aggressively cut back or clean up these plants and consider leaving dead branches alone. Waiting to cut back your grasses in spring instead of fall to provide precious habitat and provides you with winter interest.

Use Leaf Mulch: People mulch for many reasons; to suppress weeds, prevent erosion, and to make beds look tidy. If you must mulch, consider using compost or shredded leaves instead of chipped wood products, even if it is just in one area in your yard. These alternatives will have the same weed suppression, water retention, and other properties – yet be light enough to allow ground nesting bees to pass through. 70% of our native bee population nest in the ground and the vast majority of them are gentle & harmless. Most people have leaves readily available to them in their yards in fall, so the mulch is FREE.

Save A Dead Tree or ‘Plant’ A Log: Maybe it’s a reminder of our own mortality, but when most of us see a dead tree or even a dead branch, our first impulse is often “that’s gotta go!” In many cases this material poses no real danger, and, if it can be tolerated, this dead woody material provides an abundance of habitat for all sorts of wildlife. Beetles and carpenter ants burrow into dead wood, birds go after these insect treats, and this activity creates perfect chambers for cavity nesting bees to lay their eggs. While you may not want to gaze lovingly upon a dead tree from your kitchen window over morning coffee, you can add this valuable habitat to your landscape by leaving piles of twigs, branches, or logs in your garden.

Build A Better Brush Pile: The very mention of a brush pile conjures up such nightmarish images (fire! snakes!) that the idea of adding one to your carefully cultivated landscape may seem anathema. Yet adding a brush pile is one of the most effective ways you can provide habitat for a diversity of wildlife while also benefiting the environment and saving money in the long-term. Worried about it being an eyesore? Get creative and build a “brush fence”, hide the pile behind ornamental grasses, or simply install a Pollinator Friendly Habitat sign to advertise your good intentions to your neighbors. Or build a ‘bee hotel’.

With a little effort and consideration, you could have a profound impact on our native pollinators for little to no cost. Just remember every bit helps our struggling native bee population and we are on tap to help you help our native critters.