Landscape Charlie

A 2012 Spring Paver/Stone Project With Waterfall

admin — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 02:18:22 +0000

This project completed in West Bloomington has a little bit of everything. Nice main patio off sliding glass door for dining, grilling and a small planting area tucked behind an outcropped stone. A small pondless waterfall in front of a few interesting fence sections provides a great surrounding noise cover and an excuse to relax.

Once the sun goes down there is a sunken fire pit patio reachable by irregular stone steps with stone outcroppings carefully place to eliminate the need for furniture. The stone wall and outcrops were constructed with a stone called Calgary, the pavers are an Anchor product called Charleston (non-tumbled) and the stone steps/edging stone, (Fond Du Lac and Chilton Limestone).

2012 Landscape Show Schedule

admin — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:31:42 +0000

Spring is just around the corner, even though it is snowing as I am typing…probably 2-4 overnight. We are having booths at 3 shows this Winter/Spring:

1. The Home Remodeling Fair: February 26, 2012, 10:30 am – 3:30 pm, Eisenhower Community Center, 1001 Highway 7, Hopkins, MN 55305. Our booth is located in the main gym #74. http://www.homeremodelingfair.com/

2. Eden Prairie Everything Spring Expo: March 17th, 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. Grace Church, Eden Prairie. http://www.epchamber.org/diary/diary_view.asp?id=721

3. Plymouth Yard and Garden Expo: April 13th 6pm-9pm and 14th 9am-1pm. 14800 34th Avenue North. Plymouth http://www.plymouthmn.gov/index.aspx?page=18&recordid=3809

2011 Spring Projects

Charlie — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 20:16:33 +0000

This project in Minnetonka was a fun one! Wood burning fireplace, Artisana Block Wall, Pillars with lights, Water Feature, Low-voltage lighting System, Stone Steps and more. I will be updating before, during, after and a video of this project in the near future.

This Minnetonka project had a steep slope which was managed with large glacier boulders. We added a boulder water feature at the top of a dry-river-bed for accent and function. This project looks great when it is lit up with it’s low-voltage lighting system as well!

An Eden Prairie sidewalk and Driveway now has Kingston Cobble Pavers as its surface. We removed a concrete walk, asphalt apron/drive and capped the front step. The pavers now bring a formal relaxation to this entrance area.

Arbel Pavers look like real natural stone in Victoria at this front entrance area. The home-owners are very active in the neighborhood and wanted a place to hang out in their front yard. We mixed a relatively smooth paver, stone outcroppings which double as benches, low maintenance plantings and a water feature to make this the perfect entrance. The low voltage lighting system will shurley accent the landscape and pillars flanking the entrance.

A much needed renovation was rendered in this Minnetonka backyard. Rotting old timbers were removed and glacier boulders, about 25 tons were installed. Makes for a great view out the back living room area!

WATERING: How, Why and When

Charlie — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 02:11:08 +0000

First off, I have 2 main views about watering plants: 1. Deep infrequent soakings promotes deep root growth. When you water plants deep the roots grow deep. Conversely if you water a little everyday the roots will become trained to grow close to the surface and dry out during times of drought. We want to “teach” our plants to be self sustaining. 2. Chose the right plant for the right location. Drought resistant plants for dry places and plants that like to be soggy for wet areas.

HOW to WATER

-With small plants you can use a wand or shower hose attachment. For medium to large plants I recommend using a soaker hose. They are very easy to use and you can even set up an automatic timer at the facuet if desired.

- Water and repeat: If you have 3 plants in a row, water plant 1,2 and 3 in that order. Allow the water time to soak into the ground and then water in the same order 1,2 and 3. We want to achieve super saturation: when the ground can not soak up any more water.

- Soak the ground at the root mass and around the root mass to encourage deep root growth

WHY to WATER:

- New plants need our help. We take them from nurseries in the back of trucks to our back and front yards. During the journey they are dried out from many stresses like wind, surface temperature and heat. Then we take the, out of their containers open the root masses up to let them know it is time to start growing. They rely on the new water we give them because they do not have any left in storage after their “stressful” journey. There are certain things we need to do to ensure planting success, one of the biggest if to water immediately after planting.

WHEN to WATER:

-Routinely as needed the best time to water is in the early morning hours during sunrise. Doing so will reduce evaporation and increase absorption by the roots allowing no competition from the hot sun. Watering in the evening hours can create problems for some plants.

- Water during/immediatly after new planting to help prevent transplant shock, (Good Landscapers/nurseries will have the plants watered prior to delivery to help prevent transpiration/water loss)

- For most plants water when rainfall has not reached 1″ a week, more frequent if newly planted

ORNAMENTAL GRASSES, GROUNDCOVER and VINES: Pictures and Information

Charlie — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 19:56:19 +0000