It’s hot…believe us, we know! Have you been able to stay outside long enough to check on your landscaping? Here are some tips from Omaha Landscaping Company on how to properly care for your landscape in extreme heat.

Caring for Annuals, Perennials, and Your (Beloved) Vegetable Garden 

You have probably spent hours planting beautiful flowers and a growing a vegetable garden fit for a MasterChef. You don’t want all that time to go to waste, do you? 

While it may appear like your tomato plant is thriving in extreme heat, it’s not. Although tomatoes plants grow quickly in high temperatures, the plant is not supposed to grow so quickly. Thus, this rapid growth and persistent temperatures over 90 degrees may deteriorate these vegetables. So, just as you should do with your annuals and perennials, keep the soil moist and cool. 

Water your garden early in the morning to ensure that the water will reach the roots and to avoid any excess water that may attract critters. 

Don’t Forget About Your Shrubs and Trees

We can’t say enough about the importance of mulch. Mulch prevents the quick evaporation of moisture, so your plants actually have time to use the water you braved the heat to provide to them. Placing at least 3 inches of mulch around your plants will insure that your plants remain soaked for longer periods of time. 

Pro Tip: Water in the morning hours by placing a hose near the base of the tree or shrub and running it at a slow trickle for several hours. (check out our trees)

Lawn care in Extreme Heat 

Is your lawn starting to lose some life? In the Omaha heat, you can either choose to stop watering and allow your lawn to go dormant or water twice weekly to keep your lawn alive and growing. 

Our suggestion: put in the time now. If you choose to allow your lawn to go dormant you will need to wait until cooler temperatures return before bringing your lawn back to life. This may severely impact the curb appeal of your home, increase the presence of weeds, and cost far more time and money than would keeping your lawn alive throughout the summer heat. 

Another important note: avoid fertilizing. Fertilizing is one of the worst things you can do to your plants during the long summer months. The chemicals in fertilizer can be altered in hot temperatures and can quickly kill your lawn.

With landscaping taking a turn towards more modern designs, succulents have become some of the most popular plants in 2017, both for their beauty and minimal maintenance. But growing plants intended for desert climates in Omaha may prove to be a challenge.

Omaha and its surrounding areas exist in Zone 5 on the U.S.D.A. Plant Hardiness Zone Map. The zones in the U.S. are classified on the basis of their temperatures in winter-the coldest of winter temperatures in Zone 5 may reach anywhere between -20 and -10 F. While it may seem strange that a desert plant can survive in such conditions, we are happy to tell you that with the right care you can have an entire yard filled with thriving succulents.

The key to growing succulents in Nebraska is thorough preparation and careful selection of plants. Hardy succulents, which are those that originate in northern climates and do best with some cold winter weather for a dormant period, are the best option for the longevity of your investment.

Some succulents we have seen thrive in Omaha? Agave, Jovibarba, Ice Plant, Sempervivium, and Sedum. Everyday, we are learning more and more about these popular plants and are seeing more clients express their want to include them in their landscaping. Contact us today to receive professional advice on adding these unique plants to your yard! 

Do you look out at your windows and think that your yard might need a pick-me-up? Has last year's landscaping not held up well and you can't figure out what exactly has gone wrong? 

We have the answer for you...mulch. 

What is mulch? It's a mixture of organic materials like wood chips, pine needles, straw, bark, grass clippings, leaves, hay and more. Mulch comes in large array of colors and textures and is used by many to revitalize their landscape. 

Not only does adding a fresh layer of mulch to flower beds and around trees offer a clean and consistent look throughout your yard, but it also serves many beneficial purposes with regards to the lifespan of your landscaping. By adding mulch to your yard or replacing mulch from time to time, the loss of water from the soil through evaporation can be drastically reduced. Along with this, the mulch acts as a protective layer to keep those pesky weeds from spoiling your landscape and adds some much needed nutrients to the soil. By investing in quality mulch maintaining your landscape will be much less time-consuming. 

A question we often get from clients is, "How much mulch do I need?" As a general rule of thumb, your ground should be covered with 2 to 3 inches of mulch. At Omaha Landscaping Company we work to perfectly calculate the amount of mulch required to update your yard and save customer costs at all costs. 

Adding mulch to your yard regularly will be one of the best landscaping decisions you will make. It's our guarantee. 

Contact us to get started on giving your yard the pick-me-up that it needs. 

With the 2017 landscaping season beginning, we wanted to share some of the curb appeal trends we have noticed so far in 2017. 

Add Color

This may seem like an obvious trend but clients have been asking for more than just greenery. Trees and hedges create a beautiful yard but adding color takes your yard to the next level. Spending just a little more to add some color to your yard will make your landscaping the hit of the neighborhood. We aren’t just talking about flowers, bulbs, shrubs, borders, fencing and mulch all give your yard that extra pop you desire.

Check out our plant glossary to see more options for adding color to your landscape. 

Go Modern

More so than any other year, we have noticed that our customers desire a more modern design for their yards. Taking a more minimalist approach to both hardscapes and landscapes can give your yard that clean and modern look that you see in almost every home and garden magazine. Our designers are enjoying this new take on landscaping in the Omaha region and are looking forward to creating beautiful, modern landscapes that increase the curb appeal of your home. 

Stone Veneer…It’s Seriously All the Rage

One of the hottest trends in landscaping this year is stone veneer. Creating hardscapes out of this material may be an option for those who desire a more craftsman and rugged design. With a cheaper price tag and easy installation methods, stone veneer is a simple way to upgrade your yard. The greatest part…its nearly indistinguishable from full stonework.

Ditch the Lawn

With such cold winters and hot summers, maintaining a lawn in Omaha is almost next to impossible. As people desire a green yard all year, lawn-like alternatives have become increasingly more popular. By adding turf to your yard you can decrease maintenance costs and aid in decreasing the environmental impact of fertilizing, pest-control treatments and other chemical maintenance methods. While we do not think that traditional lawns are going anywhere anytime soon, being open to the idea of a lawn-like alternative may give you the yard you have always dreamed of.

Contact Omaha Landscaping Company to get started on increasing your curb appeal!

We are all well aware that the weather patterns in Nebraska are highly unpredictable. Having all four seasons in one week adds to the charm of our beautiful state. However, choosing which plants to place in your yard and learning how to care for them throughout these ever-changing climates can prove to be quite challenging.  Omaha Landscaping Company is here to help! We’ve decided on 5 landscaping hacks that will allow you to maintain your yard all-year round.

1.     Don’t plant until all danger of frost has passed!

This is important particularly in your efforts to plant a vegetable garden. Most vegetables, like tomatoes and eggplants, should not be planted until after May in order to ensure their longevity.

2.     Water, Water, Water.

While everyone already knows that they need to water their plants, we are begging you to actually remember to do it! You won’t have the green, lush backyard that you have always dreamed of if your plants are thirsty. In the summer months, you should be watering your plants, and your lawn for that matter, in the morning. Watering your plants in the morning before the hot day will give the water plenty of time to soak into the soil before the day dries it up.

3.     Recycle Coffee Grounds for Fertilizer

Coffee is rich in nitrogen and can give your plants the extra kick it needs. Not only is this a better method of using your coffee grounds than just throwing them away, but by burying the grounds next to a plant that looks like it may need some extra help, you will be amazed at the results.

4.     Go the Low-Maintenance Route

Many plants, shrubs and flowers bloom without any help from their owners. These low-maintenance perennials do extremely well in cold weather and the hot summer months. Not only will this save you time in having to re-plant every year, but you will have a beautiful yard that will remain green without much work!

5.     Consult Professionals

And we aren’t just saying this because we are professionals! Deciding which plants to choose for your yard and properly caring for them is something that takes time to learn and time to actually do. Handing installation and maintenance over to professionals will insure that your yard will survive the ever-changing weather in Nebraska.

We hope that these hacks make your life a little bit easier! These hacks are simple and easy, but can do a lot to protect your landscaping investment!