A beautiful lawn will not only improve the aesthetic appearance of your home but also improve its value. However, it takes a considerable amount of time and resources to create and maintain a beautiful lawn. The process involves controlling weeds so as to ensure that grass and other plants are strong and healthy. In an effort to provide environmental conservation, it is important to go for natural, chemical-free solutions to common weeds.

Maintaining healthy soil
While weeds usually thrive in almost every soil, it is imperative to maintain healthy soil for the plants on your lawn. Fertile soil will help plants maintain the supply of nutrients they require, a factor that will promote their healthy growth. In the long run, healthy plants will suppress the unwanted plants, effectively helping you reduce weed problems in a natural way.

Crowd out the weeds
One of the best ways of controlling weeds on your lawn is to deny them room to grow. Since the unwanted plants will always grow in open areas and take advantage of the resources they need to grow, keeping your lawn thick and healthy will keep them out. This is why you should consider plants that will cover the entire area.

Mulching
Mulching is a simple but effective way of controlling weeds on your lawn and ensuring that the plants you desire remain green and healthy. Using organic matter to cover the soil will not only smother weeds but will also prevent the germination of new seeds. The advantage of this method is the usage of readily available materials such as compost, wood chips, straw, newspaper and ground cloth.

Organic weed killers
If you are looking to control weeds in a natural and chemical-free way, consider using organic weed killers. Some of the products you can spray on your lawn to kill common weeds include vinegar, common table salt, baking soda and vodka. These weed killers will help you eliminate weeds without causing harm to the grass and plants on your lawn.

Biological controls
Biological controls will involve the use of specific insects and animals to kill the weeds on your lawn. While the use of insects and animals is limited, it is a great way to get rid of weeds while conserving the environment.

It is possible to control weeds on your own, but working with experts will help address the problems in good time and prevent them from recurring. You may also get expert advice on how to keep your lawn lush and green.

Imagine you are all excited about turning on your irrigation system after winter but instead of water coming out of your sprinklers, your pipes burst out off the ground, and there is a massive eruption in your yard. Unfortunately, this is a scenario that has happened to many people who forgot to prepare their irrigation system after an extended winter period. So what do you do to keep this from happening to you?

Check the Soil
There is a reason why the irrigation system was emptied and closed during winter. Ice and snow can cause significant damage to pipes and the entire system. To ensure this does not happen, be sure that the soil if frost free by pushing a shovel or spade 12 inches below the surface. If the ground is clear of frost, you are good to go.

Remove Obstruction
The initial inspection of the system should be just checking that there is no dirt, plants, and rocks obstructing the flow of water to the pipes or burying sprinkler heads. Check also that the timer is working correctly by adjusting the date, time and any other settings appropriately. If the nozzles, valves, and sprinkler heads are cracked or chipped, replace them before going to the next step.

Release the Pressure
You know that sound that comes out of your shower after a long time with no water in the tank? Well, that kind of pressure and more will happen to your irrigation pipes if you turn the water on without releasing the pressure surge first causing pipes to burst and fittings to jump out of the system. If the system has inbuilt pressure release valves, open them before turning on the water. If it does not, remove the sprinkler heads to let all the air out.

Inspect the System
Ideally, you should have a professional plumber inspect the pipes and valves for you before starting the irrigation system. However, you can also do it by yourself if you know what to check. Start the water very slowly and let the system fill. Close the opened drains and sprinklers so that the water can stop leaking and continue to allow the pressure fill up the system. Take a look at the entire system and ensure there are no leaks or breaks and run every station individually for two minutes to check how they perform. If there are any damages or wear and tear, shut the water off and repair the pipes. You can then rerun the water after the repairs.

Taking the time to prepare the irrigation system is very important to ensure it works correctly when you turn the water on entirely. However, you call an irrigation company if you find that the system is too complicated to handle.

There are several common pests in Toronto that can lead to problems inside your home or on your lawn and in your garden. It is important to understand the signs of a pest infestation so that you can contact a Canadian landscaper for assistance. You probably think that living in Canada leads to having fewer insects and rodents because the region has a cooler climate, but an assortment of pests still thrive in the area. Here are some of the most common invasive pests that you must watch for to avoid a major problem in the future.

Pest 1: Rats
Rats are a huge problem in Toronto because this city has a large urban population, and a rat may begin by living in your garden before entering a home to breed. Within a few months, you can have a lot of rats that will eat the vegetables and fruits in your family’s garden. In addition, rats will enter your home’s kitchen to find food, leaving trails of droppings that contain pathogens.

Pest 2: Asian Long-horned Beetle
The Asian long-horned beetle has infested numerous trees in the Toronto region, and if you have this pest, then you must take immediate action. This pest originated in other countries, and after entering Canada, it has thrived because there are no natural predators in this region. This shiny black beetle with white spots will invade trees to create pits where it lays its eggs, and the numerous pits in a tree’s trunk will destroy its health.

Pest 3: Bronze Birch Borer
The bronze birch borer primarily infests birch trees that grow on the lawns of private residences and the forested areas of Canada. Birch trees grow in cool environments, so you may have this species of tree on your property. The signs of a bronze birch borer infestation are having small, sparse and yellow leaves on the upper branches of a birch tree. If one birch tree is infested with this pest, then it is essential to contact a Canadian landscaper for assistance.

Pest 4: Aphids
Aphids are a tiny insect that will suck the sap from the plants in your garden, making it impossible to have a crop of tasty fruits and vegetables. This insect breeds rapidly, and within a few weeks, you can have thousands of aphids on your home’s lawns. Not only do aphids destroy plants by removing the nutritious sap, but also, the insects transmit dangerous diseases that can eliminate entire crops of particular types of fruits and vegetables.

Pest 5: Cluster Flies
Late summer and early autumn is when cluster files will infest your property in order to ingest enough food for the winter. Having pests in Toronto can make your life miserable because the rodents and insects will begin by invading the outdoor areas before entering your home to survive throughout the cold winter in Canada. You can contact a landscaper in Toronto today for an inspection of your home’s lawns and gardens.

Whether you want to save money, go green or just hate dealing with sprinklers, xeriscaping is an excellent choice for low-water gardening. “Xeriscaping” is a landscaping method that requires little to no irrigation to thrive. They’re easy to maintain and look stunning. In just a few easy steps, you can be well on your way to your xeriscape design.

Finding Inspiration
The term “xeriscaping” usually describes landscapes of cacti and succulents, but think outside the box. If your plantings will thrive with minimal irrigation, it counts!

Rock gardens, Zen gardens, contemporary design or cottage-style gardens with native plantings are all ideal candidates for a xeriscape. Herbs like lavender and many types of meadow flowers do well in low-water beds. You can even maintain a “lawn” look using low-water alternatives like clover or creeping groundcover. Once you start to browse low-water garden plans, you’ll be amazed with how lush and refined they can look.

Picking Plants
Native plants or plants from a climate similar to yours are the easiest choices for a xeriscape. These plants evolved to thrive with the amount of rain your area gets. Many native plants or their tamed, hybridized relatives are gorgeous yet oft-overlooked landscaping choices.

You can shop outside your native climate as well, but be careful. Plants labeled “drought-tolerant” at the nursery may still require regular irrigation. Research any plant before buying it, and browse lists of low-water plants for ideas.

Choosing Mulch
Mulch is a crucial element of any xeriscape plan. By shading the soil surface, it prevents evaporation and keeps more water in the soil. It’s also a fantastic weed deterrent and even a design tool. The type of mulch you choose helps set the tone for your design.

Gravel mulch looks formal and rarely needs to be replaced, but it’s not as water-saving as wood mulch. Wood mulches are more relaxed and add nutrients to the soil, but they do need to be replenished every few years. “Live” mulch created with groundcover plants gives the most natural look and helps prevent soil erosion on slops, but it needs to be tamed every now and then.

Xeriscaping is a versatile method that can be used in key areas or for your whole yard. You’ll be amazed how much time and money you save with a low-water, low-maintenance planting.

Who has the time to fight with a hose sprinkler these days? Watering your lawn is the most important thing you can do for healthy grass, but it can be fussy to do yourself. Toss that hose sprinkler. A professionally installed irrigation system will save you time, money and water.

1. Maximum Control
Different areas of your yard can have different water needs. Shady areas need less while sunny areas need more. That awkward, swampy spot in your side yard may do better on a different schedule than the rest of your lawn. From the right sprinkler heads to the right control box, an irrigation system lets you customize your irrigation plan to the finest detail. You can even have custom settings for planting beds.

2. Set It and Forget It
Not everyone can get out and water their lawn at 5:00 AM. With an automated system, you can set your schedule and walk away each season. Each zone can have its own schedule, and systems with rainwater detection built in will even adjust automatically to prevent overwatering.

3. Even Coverage
No matter what you do, hose sprinklers will leave gaps and cause unnecessary overlap that stress your grass. Irrigation systems are installed carefully to ensure every area of your lawn gets even, exact coverage. It cuts back on brown spots and the potential for disease.

4. Save Water
If you’ve ever forgotten to turn your sprinklers off, you know how easy it is to waste water with DIY watering methods. Lawn irrigation systems allow for precise applications of water. No more watering the sidewalk. Your system will be calibrated to minimize water use while maximizing the health of your lawn.

Irrigation installation is best performed by professionals. A sprinkler pro can match the right system to the right lawn, install it properly and adjust it for maximum benefits. Don’t forget to have regular maintenance performed to keep your system running beautifully.

Mulch is quick pick-me-up that gives landscaping a more professional touch. Most mulch needs to be refreshed every one to three years. If you’ve never had it done before, or have been putting off adding a fresh layer, here are four reasons to consider adding mulch to your landscaping to-do list.

1. Instant Polish
Mulch is a hallmark of professional landscaping. It creates a crisp edge around your beds and a clean backdrop your plantings can pop against. A good layer will also deter weeds and helps hide messy debris, effortlessly maintaining your landscaping’s clean-cut appearance.

2. Define Your Spaces
If your vegetable beds, flower beds, seating areas and lawn seem to tumble together, what you need are some clear borders. Much like picture frame, mulch is an excellent way to make your divisions look tidy and purposeful. Mulched planting beds can also soften the transition between your lawn and hardscaping like patios.

3. Enhance Your Style
Mulch comes in a range of colors and textures. Even gravel can be used as mulch. Your choice can give your garden a more formal, natural or modern look. For instance, gravel is a popular choice for modern and Asian-inspired gardens. Thicker mulch often looks more manicured while thinner mulch is more relaxed.

4. Create Unity
A planting bed here and a water feature there can look lonesome and piecemeal without something to bring them together. Using one type of mulch as a backdrop in each area makes them look like part of a big picture. You can also choose mulch that either compliments or contrasts your home’s colors, like dark mulch with light siding, to enhance your overall curb appeal.

Spreading mulch is an easy weekend job or a no-effort proposition if you hire a landscaping company to do the work for you. It’s surprisingly affordable and makes a big impact on your outdoor spaces.

When it comes to landscape design, the focus is usually on the fun stuff like dreaming up hardscaping options as well as selecting the flora and greenery. But to plan effectively for the long-term stability of your landscape, the basics must be covered first. That means evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of your lawn grading.

Lawn grading is all about the direction and flow of water. Check out these three common grading issues.

When Rainwater Ends Up In Your Basement
Rule number one when it comes to landscape grading is that your lawn should gradually slope away from your house. This slope sluices rainwater far from your basement or slab to prevent flooding as well the associated long-term destruction: Accumulated moisture can wreak havoc on structural integrity.

It’s not uncommon for basements to flood during a super heavy rainfall such as may come with a hurricane or a nor’easter, but if your basement floor becomes damp on a regular basis, bad grading could be one of the causes.

When Soggy Spots Appear On Your Lawn
Uneven landscapes can lead to low spots or bottom areas where water accumulates after a rain. Sometimes these can be eradicated with fill, but not all landscapes allow for that option. In that case, your landscape design will have to work smart and creatively. Many hardscape options are possible, or perhaps the grading issue can be solved by planting water-hungry plants that will thrive in the space.

When Gutter Spouts Go Wrong
A truncated gutter spout may direct water very close to your foundation’s walls, adding to the wet basement problem. Alternatively, the gutter spout may drain further away from the house but in an area where the water pools, making a marshy spot. Or perhaps that marshy spot is due to your neighbor’s drainage which directs, inadvertently, into your landscape. There are smart solutions to all these problems, which need to be properly addressed before planning your landscape design.

Proper landscape grading isn’t the most exciting aspect of landscape design, but done correctly it provides structural integrity for your home, hardscaping, and lawn for years to come.

Who says winter is desolate? If you know where to look, you can find plenty of flowers, berries and lush foliage in snowy weather. Bringing that great color and texture into your garden will give you something cheery to look at while you wait for spring to come back around. Here are just a few of your winter planting options.

Blue Atlas Cedar
Also called blue Atlantic cedar, you can let this stunning evergreen grow into a bushy tree to train it like a topiary. It’s gorgeous blue-green color, elegant needles and gnarled trunk makes a gorgeous “weeping”-style topiary.

Boxwood
Bright, evergreen boxwoods provide structure and a visual anchor to your garden in any season, even winter. They make full, shapely hedges that can be given loose or formal trims depending on your tastes.

Camellias
Camellias are the rose of winter, putting out gorgeous blooms from late fall into early spring depending on the variety. They can be grown as trees or shrubs, and the blooms can range in color from bright red and fuchsia to delicate pinks and whites.

Ornamental Cabbage
For unique shapes and colors, it’s hard to beat ornamental cabbage. They add much-needed color to early winter months and can tolerate a lot of neglect. Well-tended rosettes can grow to over a foot wide, showing off deep purple, white, blue, red and pink in almost unearthly textures.

Pansies
We often treat pansies like annuals, but with the right treatment, they’re biennials. They’ll last from one spring through another before they go to seed. All you need to do is mulch them and make sure they get adequate water over winter. In beds or planters, the flowers are a welcome sight.

Winterberry
This variety of holly is a peculiar fellow. It drops all its leaves in fall, then bursts with shockingly red berries over winter. They cool-weather berries are a sight to behold, and the branches are thick with fairytale-flawless, emerald leaves the rest of the year.

These plants can fill out your landscaping in the growing seasons and shine with much-needed color, texture, dimension and shape while the rest of your garden sleeps in winter. Space them out to add something to look at in every corner of your yard. You’ll have a dazzling show all year long.

Winter is coming, and though it may be time to gas-up the snow blower, it’s not quite time to put aside lawn care chores. The coming frost and icy temperatures can do damage to your lawn and garden. With a little knowledge and preparation, however, you can ensure you’ll have a vibrant, healthy lawn come spring.

Fight The First Frost
There’s a reason why many golf courses don’t allow players on the course until a morning frost has softened. Hardy-weather grasses bred in colder latitudes aren’t normally damaged by deep-winter freezes, but if temperatures drop when a lawn is still tender and green, frost damage can occur.

The damage doesn’t come from the soft layer of ice glittering on each blade, but from the crackling sound beneath your feet. That’s the sound of plant cell walls breaking. The damage will show up days later as a dead, brown path wherever pressure from footsteps, bike tires, etc., have killed the grass.

Keeping off your lawn during these green-frosts is one defense against frost damage that you can control.

Prevention Is Primary
You can’t prevent a long, icy winter, but you can improve the health of your lawn so it’s better equipped to bounce back once the deep-freeze has ended.

• Water Well Before A Freeze. A well-watered lawn holds more heat and protects the soil and grass roots.
• Don’t Cut Lawn Too Short. Although grass growth has slowed down, the roots are still storing fuel for the long winter. Longer grass means more surface area for photosynthesis, which means more energy for the roots to store.
• Fertilize. Whether you add potash or choose to mow the fall leaves into a fine mulch, adding nutrients encourages root growth in anticipation of strong shoots in the spring.
• Take Care When Covering Garden Plants, If You Must. No matter how well you stake them, it’s possible that snow or frost will weigh upon the cover and press against the foliage, causing damage. Consult your landscaper about freeze protection if any of your garden plants require special treatment.

A hard winter may take a toll on your lawn, but good preparation and careful care before the first frost as well as after the first thaw will help ensure the quickest recovery.

When the weather report is calling for snow, all you want to do is curl up with a hot drink and forget about facing down a mountain of shoveling. With a snow removal service, your dreams can come true. You can leave the hard work to someone else and spend your time on more important things. Just make sure you trust the job to the pros. A good service will offer these four key benefits.

1. Thorough Clearing, No Matter What the Material
Not all driveways are smooth asphalt, but no nook or cranny should be too tough to clear. A knowledgeable service will tackle interlock, natural stone, stamped designs and even walkways with confidence. Choosing a service that specializes in residential driveways ensures your snow removal team will make short and thorough work of even the most daunting accumulations.

2. Your Property Should Never Be Damaged
Standard shovels can bang up your hardscaping, and regular road salt will destroy your grass. A quality service will use rubber-paddled equipment, snow blowers and eco-friendly ice melt to protect your property. Eco-friendly ice melt is gentler on pet paws, too.

3. On-Call When You Need Them
Tuesday’s snowfall shouldn’t be making you late for work on Friday. When you need help clearing your driveway, you should demand provide prompt, professional service from your snow removal team. Look for a service that takes one-time calls for rush days or when you just don’t feel like it doing it yourself.

4. Sign Up and Forget About It
If don’t want to bother calling every time it snows, you shouldn’t have to. Keep an eye out for seasonal packages with reasonable rates. Your service will automatically dispatch when the minimum accumulation has been met. You don’t have to lift a finger.

Snow removal is rough, time-consuming work, and most of us end up facing it when we’re in a hurry. Take the hassle out of snow days by hiring a trustworthy snow removal service. Whether it’s for one-time help or a full, worry-free season, you won’t regret it.