Category: Lawn Care

Lawns must be weed-free to maintain good looks. Caring for lawns is not everybody’s task, but you must be on the watch out to spot weed growth early so that you can seek professional help to get rid of it. Almost every homeowner living in the hot and tropical zones with lawns in their homes faces the problem of crabgrass that prevails through the hot season but disappears during fall. How you get rid of crabgrass in your lawn is a common question among homeowners. 

If you can bear with the unsightly weed growing rampantly across the lawn and wait for the fall, then the problem would subside on its own as the change in climate makes the weed die. However, it does not end the misery of homeowners because thousands of seeds sown during summer will resurface in spring.

Fast removal crabgrass

At a glance, crabgrass looks like some plant because the low-growing grass has stems that look like crab legs radiating from the center of the grass mound. To prevent crabgrass from reappearing during spring as the climate starts getting warmer, it is best to look for ways of fast removal of crabgrass. So, what is the fastest way to get rid of crabgrass? Acting fast seems quite sensible, or else you must endure another season with the weed that grows rapidly in the bare thin spots in your lawn. 

Killing weed is the best way to get rid of crabgrass, but you must be careful to protect your lawn.

Therefore, knowing what will kill crabgrass but not the lawn is crucial to ensure a weed-free lawn that looks beautiful. 

However, killing crabgrass does not rule out the chances of its re-appearance later unless you take steps to prevent it. Therefore, prevention of the re-growth of crabgrass is important as killing it fast. 

Killing crabgrass

Choose the right time to kill crabgrass, or it would be like a cat trying to catch its tail. You would be going in circles without any remedy in sight. Many ready-to-use herbicides are available that can kill crabgrass, and you can use these only if you have a few patches of crabgrass on the lawn. Making it a habit to remove the weedy clumps as soon as you spot it will prevent future growth. Does vinegar kill crabgrass is an oft-asked question. Spraying vinegar with 5% acidity will kill crabgrass with short-term soil damage. 

Pouring boiling water in areas infested with crabgrass up to a radius of 3 feet is effective in killing the weed. However, when the weed becomes widespread, trying to kill it can endanger your lawn. Instead, it’s better to wait for summer to end when the weed dies on its own.  

Looking for a permanent solution

Killing crabgrass might not be a one-time activity because the seeds sown around can pose more problems in the future. Many people keep asking – How do you kill crabgrass forever? The answer is simple because everyone knows that prevention is better than cure. Kill the weed once and then do it again during spring to ensure that the seeds strewn around never see the light of day. 

Use a pre-emergent herbicide

Assuming that you could get rid of every clump of crabgrass either by removing it by hand or killing it, you should get down to the task of preventing it from growing again when summer returns. During the springtime, when the crabgrass seeds are ready to germinate, spray some pre-emergent herbicide across the lawn. 

  However, you must apply the herbicide at the right time for the best results. Since the seeds germinate when the temperature crosses the 50 degrees Fahrenheit mark, you should act at the right time and repeat the operation for a few consecutive days. 

Applying a pre-emergent herbicide in early spring when the seeds are dormant is the most effective treatment to prevent germination. 

Pay attention to lawn repair

 Another way to prevent crabgrass growth is to ensure the weed does not get a favorable surface to grow. Crabgrass grows in the bare spots of the lawn where the soil is visible. Identify the bare spots and repair these as soon as possible to prevent crabgrass from growing. At those spots, plant grass seeds and water them regularly to ensure that it grows fast and leaves no room for crabgrass to grow. It is the best way to nip the problem in the bud, but laborious. 

Focus on regularly feeding your lawn

The better care you take of your lawn, the fewer would be chances of weed growth. Ensuring a thick, lush grassy surface is best for lawns that do not have any weed growth. Dense and healthy grass does not leave any space for weeds to grow. Feed your lawn well so that the grass receives enough nutrition and grows thick that looks lush green. 

Underfed lawns are vulnerable to weed growth. During the growing season, fertilize the lawn at an interval of 6-8 weeks. 

Maintain proper mowing height

To get rid of crabgrass, you must take good care of the lawn grass with proper maintenance. Feeding the grass well with make it grow fast and timely mowing should help to maintain its good looks. Moreover, mowing the grass and maintaining proper height are critical to prevent crabgrass growth. 

The grass blade should be three inches tall after mowing so that it creates enough shade for the soil beneath. Leaving grass clippings create a covering on the ground and prevents soil exposure while gradually turning into manure. It prevents the condition necessary for the germination of crabgrass seeds.

Killing crabgrass will not help unless you take proper preventive measures to stop the germination of seeds. With proper lawn care, it is possible to eradicate crabgrass from your lawn forever. Following healthy lawn maintenance practices is critical to prevent crabgrass growth. Although none of the methods can ensure crabgrass eradication, relentless surveillance and prompt action to kill or remove crabgrass can ensure a healthy lawn free from weeds. 

Ohio, popularly known as a water-rich state, makes irrigation systems fix the precise needs of any lawns and landscape. However, winterizing the lawn irrigation system demands specialized techniques and machinery. But, if you live in an area where the temperature dips below freezing point, you must ensure you prepare the irrigation system for winter conditions by draining out the water and insulating the sprinkler components.

Steps for winterizing lawn irrigation system:

Turn off the water:

Use the primary valve placed near the water meter to turn off the water in the system. You should turn off any valves (usually, there are 2 valves) that help in thwarting backflow.

Switch off the timer:

If your system operates on an automated timer, switch it to rain mode. Doing so ensures that you are making your settings ready for the spring. If the system does not have a rain mode, switch the timer off completely.

Drain out the water:

Draining the remaining water from the system is crucial. You can follow three main methods of water drainage, depending on the type of irrigation system you own.

Manual draining method:

If you have a manual drain irrigation system, follow these simple steps-

• Turn off the water supply
• Open all the valves and drain the water from the system
• Drain water from the backflow device

Automatic draining method:

Follow these steps to activate the automatic draining of water-

• Shut off the water supply
• Relieve water pressure in the system by running one of the sprinkler heads
• Clear the pipes of excess water

Blow-out draining method:

Force compressed air through the irrigation system to drain the pipes. It helps in discharging extra water through the sprinkler heads. However, the blow-out method works efficiently; if you have a proper irrigation system to handle the pressure.

How does it work?

• Turn off the water supply and use a coupler to connect the air compressor to the irrigation system
• Check the highest point of the sprinkler station and turn it off
• Close the backflow valves
• Slowly open the valves to the compressor
• Gradually add more air pressure
• Continue the process till you see water coming through

Safety Tip- Do not exceed 80 PSI for PVC piping or 50 PSI for polyethylene piping. Don’t stand near an active head when blowing out your irrigation system. Make sure you wear safety goggles to protect your eyes. It is always advisable to hire a professional to use the blow-out method.

Insulate the irrigation system:

It is significant to insulate any exposed components of an irrigation system during the winter. Either, you may use insulation foam or tape to cover the components or use foil pipe insulation. Cover the water supply shut-off valve, backflow preventers, and exposed pipes. On the backflow preventers, make sure not to block any air vents or drain outlets.

Prevent pipe damage:

The automatic irrigation system is buried twelve inches below the soil surface. Hence, any leftover water in the system over the winter will freeze. It causes damage to pipes, fittings, valves, and sprinklers. You may use compressed air on your irrigation system equipped with automatic and manual drain valves to ensure that the irrigation system gets winterized properly.

Leverage proper lawn irrigation care techniques:

The first freeze typically occurs anywhere between early October and early November. The irrigation system you choose will either have a manual dial or digital readout. While digital controllers can be programmed, the manual controllers must be turned completely to ‘off’ mode with reprogramming requirements in springtime. 

All these techniques are relevant to lawn irrigation of any size and shape.

Galena Lawn Care has been one of the prominent names when it comes to specialist landscaping services in Ohio. The specialist in lawn care provides essential guidance to commercial and residential clients on different subjects that including winterizing lawn irrigation systems too.

What are the most bee-friendly flowers? – A Helpful Guide

Spring is around the corner the best thing to look forward to is great pollinator plants for Ohio. When you are a garden and landscape-loving person, all you need is beautiful plants and flowers that can enhance the gander. Look for bee-friendly plants and flowers in Ohio that are the most natural way of pollination.

Start by sectioning your garden into an area that can attract bees. Now get the best plants for attracting pollinators in Ohio. 

Here is a list of the plants that you can grow in your garden:

• Milkweed: One of the most famous bee-friendly plants is milkweed. Monarch caterpillars receive them from milkweed, which is harmful to many other animals. These are just perfect native pollinators as they require plenty of sunshine which is plenty of Ohio weather. 
• Bee balm: As the name goes so, does the charm of this plant over the bees. It is one of the favorites amongst the bees and other pollinators like butterflies and hummingbirds.   
• Purple coneflower: The most common wildlife and pollinator food from native Ohio. From butterflies that feed on its nectar to many other animals that feed on the dry seeds that drop. 
• Wild geranium: This plant is also known as cranesbill, or hardy geranium, or true geranium. Do not confuse these with annual garden geranium, as these are the wild variety that attracts butterflies and many other pollinating insects to your garden. 
• Goldenrod: Your pollination garden is incomplete without Goldenrod. These are commonly growing wild plants that are available in meadows and roadsides. These are large-size plants, but you can opt for different varieties of goldenrod for smaller gardens and spaces.  

What kind of flowers should you plant for bees? 

Galena Lawn Care suggests more native flowers. The native flowers are:

• Forget me not
• Passionflower
• Sunflower
• Veronica
• Oregano
• Lemon balm
• Chives
• Thyme
• Asters
• Snapdragon
• Bee balm
• Hosta
• Poppies

Bees have amazing color vision, and hence they flock to colorful flowers. Bees love early and late-season blooms. Some of the early season flowers are redbuds, maples, primrose, hyacinth, crocus, willows, dandelion, and hellebore. On the other hand, the late-season flowers are aster, golden red, viburnum, and potential. FLOWER BED MAINTENANCE SERVICE DUBLIN OHIO

What can you do for pollination?

Try to target only native flowering plants as they can adapt to the weather conditions and soil. Most native plants and shrubs need less irrigation, fertilizers, and the chances of weeds are eliminated. For this reason, you should encourage more native pollinators. 

Plant the pollinators in an open area with maximum sun. Bee-friendly plants need sun rays that help their growth. Look for those plants and shrubs that are suitable for the season. It means spring, autumn, and summer pollination plants are all different. 

A natural and organic approach to increasing pollination is the best way to increase greenery. You contribute to ecological balance by taking these simple yet effective steps.

Goldenrod, sunflowers, and red chokeberry are some of the much-loved flowering plants for the bees. A combination of native species and wildflowers to plant in your garden will be a great idea.

Conclusion

A natural and organic approach to increasing pollination is the best way of increasing greenery. Ask professional help from Galena Lawn Care to contribute towards the ecological balance.

World Naked Gardening Day is on the 7th of May

Yes, you heard it right. There is a national naked gardening day. It is celebrated on the 1st Saturday of May every year. This year, World Naked Gardening Day is on the 7th of May. People worldwide are waiting to celebrate it with great fun and amusement. 

The National Naked Gardening Day has been observed for years now. If you are still wondering about the intention of celebrating such a day, then read on. As the name suggests, gardeners are encouraged to take their clothes off and tend to their plants. Just the way it was originally intended by our creator- God.

What and Why?

It might sound eccentric, but some nudists observe this day happily. We also do it here in the United Kingdom with people in other parts of the globe. The idea is to feel strongly connected to nature in your bath suit. The garden can be anywhere. For instance, the garden can be in the backyard of your home, inside your home, on the roof, or at the park, if you are comfortable getting naked. 

You can observe the day with a group of close friends or family. It enhances the bond between people and also with nature. Moreover, the participants are encouraged to share their stories and also photos. People get creative while posting photos by covering private parts with foliage, garden props, and other funny tools.

Is Naked Gardening a Real Thing?

Yes, it is as real as it gets. Participants are encouraged to be naked, but if you have a problem being stark naked, you can always try creative and fashionable covers for your private parts. It helps people get comfortable in their skin and tend to the plants they love. It is liberating and also free of cost.

Gardening as an activity is rejuvenating, and naked gardening can be even more liberating. Also, it builds easy relationships between people and also with themselves. The World Naked Gardening Day is traced back to 2005 when Jacob Gabriel and Mark Storey celebrated it for the first time. Gabriel was a permaculturist, while Mark was a consulting editor for Nude & Natural Magazine. They founded this day as part of the Body Freedom Collaborative.

The first-ever WNGD dates back to the 10th of September 2005. Since then, the date got shifted to May. The Naturist Society and the American Association for Nude Recreation endorse World Naked Gardening Day. So, it is real with a documented history to back it.

Why is the National Gardening Day Celebrated?

The day is marked as part of the Body Freedom Collaborative started in 2005. People since then have celebrated the day as part of a tradition in which they tend to the garden plants naked or sometimes just covering their private parts. The day is promoted to become one with nature and establish a strong bond. Such activities led to building better relationships between humans and an individual with his/her own body.

How Do You Make a Garden Naked?

It is done similarly as you will do it usually. The difference lies in the fact that you will have to take your clothes off. In this tradition, the participants practice weeding, planting flowers, and trimming the hedges in the buff. Initially, only nudists practiced it. But, now it is being practiced by a wide range of people. It is a non-political and light-hearted event to promote the greater good. It provides the perk of whole body tanning along with the absorption of Vitamin D.

The Earth Day comes only once every year. It brings with it opportunities and reasons to give back to the planet something in return for its bounty that sustains us through the year. If you have some things planned out this year to celebrate the Earth’s Day, make sure greening your garden is among them. If doing it alone seems to be a daunting task then you can contact our landscaping experts to assist you in getting the right solution. Galena Lawn Care emphasizes on quality lawn care and its team of professionals is always at your service.

While small lifestyle changes go a long way in protecting the environment, growing a sustainable garden in your backyard is the best way to start your journey towards going green.

If you are enticed, but also overwhelmed by the idea of going green and don’t know where to start, here are some simple but assuring ways to green your garden on Earth Day 2020.

Plant New Trees

If you have been planning to plant new trees in your garden this year, this Earth Day is a great occasion for that. If you have immediate plans, no need to hold it off for three months, but if you are raking ideas to do on that day, then planting a new tree or more is a good way to support the initiative. More plants in your backyard means purer air for your family and neighbors.

Use Organic Seeds

When planting new trees, try using organic seeds this time. There are plenty of nurseries that carry organic seeds these days. You can also order them online or even buy them at the garden section of the supermarket. Planting organic seeds is a great way to be on a planet-friendly footing.

Make Your Yard Bird-Friendly

Birds can be a nuisance for backyards, but not if you make it a friendly place for them to hang out. Put up a birdbath and a bird feeder to encourage the little twittering friends to come over and enjoy some nice time in your garden. On the upside, the chirping of the birds creates a perfect natural ambience just outside the window. The cleanups are only a very small way to thank them for it.

Start a Compost Pit

If you have been throwing away all your food wastes so far, it’s time to put them to use. Start a compost pit. Set aside all your organic kitchen waste in a separate trash and empty them in the pit at the end of the day. Keep the pit covered to expedite the decomposition, and in just a few days you will have the best fertilizer for your plants ever. It takes very little work and nearly no expense.

Collect Rainwater in a Barrel

Harvesting rainwater is a good way to reduce your carbon footprints. Set a wooden barrel out in the garden to collect rainwater every time it pours. Use this water to keep your garden fresh and green year long.

Hire an Eco-Friendly Landscaper Company

Be wise in your choice of landscape contractor. One of the most easily overlooked Earth Day tips for going green is to choose an eco-friendly landscaper. There may not be many of them yet, but the idea is to go with the one near you that offers the most eco-friendly service.

Reduce Grassy Areas in Your Backyard

Grass is great, but flowers are better. Plus, they are less work and less resource. So, next time you have the lawn guys over for grounds maintenance, get them to plant more flowerbeds for ground cover that are easy to care for and do not always need professional touch.

Switch to Natural and Organic Products

This Earth Day, discard all chemical-based gardening product and switch to the natural and organic varieties. This may cost you a little extra, but it will be money rightly invested.

A beautiful home deserves to have a beautiful lawn. Although pretty to look at, a perfect lawn demands a lot of cumbersome chores, as anybody who has ever owned a house would know. Lawn maintenance is a perpetual pain that leaves little room for slacking or relaxing. The only way to get away is to hand over the task to professionals. But even in hiring a lawn care company, there are things to consider and judgement to make.

In the passages below, we have broken down for you the prospect of hiring a grounds maintenance company in Ohio into three Q and A sections.

How to Choose a Lawn Care Company?

Out of so many lawn care companies, singling one out can be quite a challenge. So, to cut it short, you need to follow some points of consideration. Here are the things to focus on when choosing a landscaping contractor.

• Reputation:There are many providers in the market today, some better than the others. Your mission should be to pick one that has a good reputation among clients. For that, you can look online for the kind of reviews a business gets or ask your neighbors to find out what kind of reputation it keeps.
• License: Only the licensed lawn care guys are professionally trained and certified to do the job.
• Insurance: The company you want working on your turf should be insured so that you are not the one held responsible for injuries or damages at work.
• Customer Service: Try investing in a company that has a decent customer service.
• Price: The most reliable companies often have the most reasonable pricing. Keep that in mind.

Why Hire a Lawn Care Service?

For some DIY lawn maintenance is not an option. Even for DIYers, it’s an ambitious project that demands not only time and a knack, but also tools. Here are some reasons why you want to hire lawn care service instead of doing it yourself.

1. The biggest reason is that it will save you a lot of time. If your lawn is not in its best shape, it can take several weekends to restore, weekends that you can spend with your family or just kick back and relax.
2. Like most things, there is a knack to gardening too. Most people new to it find themselves hitting a wall within the first hour of the job. Without skills, there is a good chance for the entire thing to go wrong. So, you want to leave it to the professionals who have both training and a knack for it.
3. The cost of professional lawn care is very little compared to the amount of work that goes into it. By trying to do it yourself, you will end up spending the service cost many times over just in accumulating the right tools and supplies. So, there is not much use to it if saving money is the motivation.
4. One last reason for hiring professional help is to dodge the liability. Lawn contractors are insured against damages and injuries during work. You as a homeowner do not have that coverage. So, on event of an accident, it is wholly your responsibility.

How to Find a Lawn Care Service

There are many ways of finding a lawn care service near you. You can do a quick Google search to find a full list of companies operating within a certain radius from your location. You can also ask your neighbors or your coworkers for recommendations. You can check the traders’ directory or look on Craigslist for names and numbers of the local landscapers.

Up north, Ohio receives a good amount of snow and rain whereas down south, the weather is moderate with occasional rain and snow. That makes caring for lawns a seasonal job for most homeowners. Since snow is common in winter in all parts of the state, lawn maintenance is more of a thing of spring and summer in Ohio. If you have a lawn that you like to keep lush and handsome in the warm months, then cutting the grass timely is the way to do it. But, oftentimes, having great lawn guys does not prove sufficient when you are not sure how often should you cut your grass. While trusting the landscapers with the maintenance is a wise thing to do, it’s always better to know things yourself.

Here are some tips that can help you calculate the exact time when your lawn grass will need cutting again.

Know the Cutting Height

The reason you want to rely on professional lawn mower to do the cutting and trimming is because industrial equipment deliver infinitely better results than domestic mowers and shears. Those equipment are better adapted to the conditions of different grasses. So the question here is how high should you cut your grass?

On an average, 2 to 3 inches is a good cutting height, but it also depends on the type of grass you have in your lawn. Perennial Ryegrass and Kentucky Bluegrass look best when cut at 2 to 2.5 inches. With tall fescues, you can go slightly higher at 2.5 to 3 inches. The said height is good for spring through autumn when the weather is warm and occasionally wet.

Galena Lawn Care has experts onboard who have specialized knowledge about different grass types and training in mowing them perfectly.

The Right Mowing Schedule

There is no such thing as a one perfect schedule that works for all lawns. Even inside Ohio, the soil varies in fertility and composition. That makes it more a question of the right mowing schedule for individual lawns as opposed to the one mowing schedule that works for all lawns.

You will know that it’s time to mow out your lawn when it starts to look willowy and a bit out of shape. Some people make the mistake of cutting the grass too short to keep the grass from growing back too soon. So, in order to have a decent interval in between cuttings, how tall should you cut your grass?

The problem with cutting the grass too short is that the whole lawn will look dried out and yellow till the blades grow an inch back. So, the ideal time is between one and two weeks. Wait anywhere between seven to fourteen days to mow the lawn, and when you do,make sure to keep the blade setting at the middle to give the grass a medium length.

When It Rains

Rain is common in all parts of Ohio. In winter, the days it does not snow, it rains. In summer too, it rains now and then. While precipitation is good for vegetation, it puts the house owners in a bit of a fix. Everybody who owns a lawn knows that it’s not the best thing to mow the grass after a rain. So, what’s the ideal thing to do when it rains every other day?

You don’t want to mow a wet lawn for two reasons, tall and wet grass can overwork the mowers causing it to overheat. Especially if the grass is tall and very wet, you want to wait out till its dry again. Second, mowing a wet lawn can cause the grass to clump the mower deck. The mower can also make the soft soil muddy after a rain. So, the best thing to do is to wait until the grass is reasonable dry. Take a quick walk and check your shoes. If your shoes come out dry, it’s good to mow.

Lawns love trees. Unlike dwarf specimens that only contribute to chromatic enhancements, large trees add color, design and texture to a landscape. But trees alone won’t do. The tall trunk, the heavy branches, the dense canopy too need a little dressing up. Luckily, there are some easy ways of doing that, and you don’t need to have the skills of a prodigal landscaper for it. Anyone can do it, and once finished, your garden will be the envy of the neighborhood. If you feel its too much work then you can seek help from a professional.

Below are some easy to implement ideas of dressing up the tall trees in your landscape.

Bricks and Rocks

Want to keep it really simple? There’s a way to dress up trees without going through too much trouble. That involves bricks and rocks. It’d be great to have a yard cart at hand for the moving, but a couple of extra hands would do too. Make a border around the trees using large rocks or bricks, whichever you prefer. For a commercial edging finish, keep the rocks small to medium. A round border looks good but feel free to get creative. As long as there is a distance of 10 inches between the border and the trunk, any style could work.

Ground-cover Monoculture

Here is another very simple trick of dressing up trees in yards. Pick a variety of flowering groundcover and make a flowerbed around the trunk. Vinca vine, periwinkle, Bugleweed, Canadian Anemone, creeping thyme, there are so many options to choose from. Once the flowerbed is installed, the plants start blooming soon after. Easy-care and heavy-duty, these low-growing plants fill up the grounds they cover with glossy green foliage and vibrant pastel blooms. They make quite a sight.

A Mix of Colors

To take ground cover idea to the next level, go for mixed flowerbeds. You do not have to pick different species of plants for this because that would complicate the care routine. Instead, pick one plant, but to keep the variety going, mix up the flower colors. So, if your choice of plant is begonia, pick white, red and pink ones for one tree or a mass of periwinkles for another. The similarity of habit, height and foliage texture will give the bed a more cohesive look. The color scheme will keep it visually interesting and exciting.

Ferns for Multi-stems

There is a large mass of people out there who love ferns. If you are one of them, then there is a very easy way to stage up the trees in your lawn with your favorite undergrowth. A quick tip is to favor multi-stem trees for this dressing. Ferns look heavenly with them. There are few things so overwhelmingly refreshing than the sight of fresh fern growths around a multi-stem tree. Its instant color and texture. In fall, they turn color and ramp up the visuals even further.

A Simple Mulch Bed

A very smart way to dress up your trees while caring for them is mulching. Mulch supplies garden vegetation with essential nutrients. So, they make an indispensable part of the care routine. But mulch can also double as landscape enhancement if done the right way. Pick your favorite kind of mulch and it could be anything from wood chips to pine straws and cover the ground around the trees with it. This will tidy up the surroundings while keeping the trees well-nourished. You can top it up by arbitrarily placing some rocks or sporadically planting some low-growing plants on the mulch bed if you like.

There are few pleasures in life that compare to the joy of gardening. So right on and let your creativity take over.

The New Year is just around the corner and everybody is busy wrapping Christmas presents and making plans for the holidays. With the celebration on, we must all take a minute to think of some resolutions to make in the New Year. If gardening is at the top of your list, then your resolution for 2020 should be to try and tick off as many gardening to-dos as you can in the New Year. By the time spring arrives, you should have a clean landscape ready to embrace the life and spirit of the season.

New Year’s Gardening Resolution Ideas 2020

Those of you still working on their gardening resolutions for 2020, here are some ideas. Aim to pick at least 5 of these as your gardening goals in 2020.

• If your garden is arid and patchy, you should probably start by building a nice compost bin that you can use all through the year to fertilize the soil.
• If you do not have any garden art worthy of notice, then maybe get a bird feeder or a bird bath this year. A bird feeder can be bought even at a supermarket. Just hang it and refill it with grains every morning. A bird bath on the other hand needs some masonry for which you need to contact a landscaper.
• Sign up for a lawn maintenance service so that like every year, you don’t have to spend your free weekends in the New Year pottering in the backyard.
• Change to organic fertilizers if you haven’t already. With societies everywhere switching to organic foods and products, the New Year is the right time to take the leap yourself.
• Get flowerbeds installed in the garden. This is one of the most procrastinated things on the list. This New Year fix it by calling the lawn care guys to set you up with some nice flowerbeds.
• Install window boxes or flower planters to your balcony, fence or home. Sow the plants of your choice and watch them burst into bloom in spring and overflow the planters with brilliant colors.
• Plant milkweed. Not only are they vibrantly colorful, they also invite pollinators like the monarch butterflies. Together, they make quite a sight.

2020 Trends in Garden Design

In 2020, the garden activities will mostly be focusing on creating more spaces within the existing boundaries and making the most of the current landscape. In other words, the 2020 gardening trends will stress on growing a garden that will do good to plants, to local wildlife and by extension, to the planet.

Composting to Make Your Garden More Sustainable

Your garden may seem sustainable enough in its current state, but it’s not if it does not have a compost bin. The best way to switch to natural methods is by building your own compost bin. What that does is, reduce carbon footprints, improve soil fertility and nourish the plants. The best thing is, composting can be done in both small and large properties.

Change through Repurposing

If you are planning to make some visual changes to your backyard, then repurposing things you already have is an excellent idea. Get clever DIY ideas from gardening tutorials and books.

Water Feeder for the Birds and the Ambience

A water feeder in the garden can do two things, feed the thirsty finches as well as enrich the ambience of the garden with its presence and sound.

Planting Double Duty Flowering Bushes

This year, we are going to see some serious blooms in the backyards. People are spending on heavy-duty flowering plants that bloom generously and through all seasons.

Contact Galena Lawn Care

Galena Lawn Care is a full-service landscaping company in Galena, Westerville, Sunbury, Delaware, Dublin, Lewis Center & all surrounding areas. They provide a wide range of landscaping services to both residential and commercial clients.

What is Mulching and Its Advantages?

Gardens take on many different sizes, shapes, and characteristics. Similarly, there is a wide variety of mulch that can be used to advance the design of your garden including organic mulch and non-organic mulch. Deciding what type of mulch to use in your garden, as well as if you should invest in mulch at all, is ultimately a job for a professional lawn care company.

However, when one is faced with the decision to use mulch for their landscaping needs, they should take into consideration the benefits that mulch can provide. Most people understand that mulching will ensure your home is manicured and that your landscape looks clean and crisp, but they are unaware of the many advantages that mulching can offer your garden.

Throughout this article, Galena Lawn Care, a Galena mulching company, explains 5 major advantages of mulching.

1. Controls Weeds

Did you know that integrating mulch into your landscape is a great way to limit the number of weeds that grow? It’s true, mulch acts as a natural barrier, limiting the amount of sunlight that is able to reach the soil in the places that you don’t want weeds to grow. When sunlight cannot find its way to the weeds, the weeds will not be able to grow and will save you time that is usually spent on weeding.

2. Retains Moisture

 Organic and non-organic mulch assortments both cover the soil and limit evaporation. Mulches absorb water and help to retain moisture that will nurture your plant growth. Especially during the summer, when the weather in Ohio is hot and humid, mulch will help out your water bill by giving your plants water. Thus, reducing the water you physically need to give your gardens.

3. Prevents Soil Erosion

Soil by itself often gets washed away from rainwater but mulch can prevent this from occurring. Mulch protects the soil by breaking the fall of water and minimizing the force when water impacts the ground. Mulch acts as a shield which, helps keep your landscape in place and finally preventing soil erosion.

4. Soil Nutrients

Not only does mulch prevent soil erosion, it also can keep soil nutrients from getting washed away by the forceful rain. On top of retaining the soil nutrients from the blanket of mulch that covers your soil, certain types of mulch decompose on the soil over time that will release added nutrients into the soil.

5. Soil Temperature Control

Mulching will moderate soil temperature fluctuations! This means that in the hot summer season, plant roots will be kept cooler by mulch covering the soil. In the frigid-winter season, mulch protects plant roots from the cold and helps to prevent frost-heaving, where plants are pushed out of the ground by natural expansion and contraction of soil as temperatures consistently cool and heat up.

The 5 advantages of mulching explained above are some, but not all of the advantages that mulching can bring to your garden. Understanding the benefits of mulching can give you a new perspective on the damage that is created when your soil is unprotected.

Do you know you want to mulch? It’s best to seek professional guidance and installation of mulch from a mulching company near you, like Galena Lawn Care. Save money and time by utilizing mulch in your landscape. Contact the expert Galena mulching services provided by Galena Lawn Care today by calling 740-913-1599 or connect with us online to book our mulching services!