Landscaping with a Green Vision

Aspen Creek Design is gearing up for installation of a charity project at St. Jude's Catholic Church at 9405 W. Florida Ave. in Lakewood. We will be creating a mountainscape flower berm with boulders, cobblestone, wind resistant mulch, shrubs, perennials and ornamental grasses. We will be posting some pictures from the event on our website and in the next newsletter.

This Thursday (Earth Day), The Denver Post, Lakewood YourHub edition will contain a feature by Aspen Creek Design, "Landscaping with a green vision." Go to this link http://denver.yourhub.com/Lakewood/Stories/Arts-Culture/Story~770140.aspx to read the online story. Remember to do something special for your environment this Earth Day!

Here are some maintenance tips from last spring's newsletter:

Spring Maintenance

Now is the time to brush up on some basic maintenance suggestions to ensure that your landscape "springs" out beautifully.

To begin, now is the time to turn on your irrigation system (but still watch for nights below freezing; remember, backflows are more susceptible to freeze damage in the spring because the water is several degrees colder since fall).

Plant material: Check all your plants and make sure they look healthy and have buds that are ready to break. Run your drip line(s) manually and check that all your plant emitters are working. You can calibrate your drip line with a moisture sensor, available at your local garden center.

Some trees and shrubs will come out later than others, so do not despair if they aren't ready yet. May 15 is usually a good time to tell if the branches will bud out or have suffered winter damage. Once you have established if the branch is alive or not, make sure to cut out all the dead growth. This will really give the plant a boost. If you haven't done so already, cut all of your ornamental grasses to about 6 inches above the grade.

If your plants have been in the ground more than a year, they should really break out this spring. If you see this happening, use the foliar feed Miracle-Gro on the end of your hose after they have really started growing (end of May). This will give them a good jump on the summer. Only fertilize your plants lightly if they seem like they are still struggling.

Grass: Now is a good time to get an aeration for your yard and remember to fertilize immediately afterward. Then run your irrigation system manually to get the nutrients absorbed. It is a good idea to water your grass before aeration so that you will get deeper plugs.

Make sure your lawnmower is working properly and that the blades are sharp. Dull blades can pull on the turfgrass and give it stress damage.

Set your irrigation system to water the grass three times a week and 2-3 times a week for your plants. Obviously water less if we (hopefully) have spring rain support.

For more detailed information, check out our maintenance guides under the FAQ page on our website.

Remember to support your local garden center. It might cost a little more than a big chain store, but the information and relationship will be worth it.

Happy spring!