10 Tips to Care for a Florida Landscape

Lawns can come in various types, forms, shapes and sizes. Each lawn has a style and character of its own.

There are lawns that boast of verdant gardens. They can be considered as great works of art and perfect as setting in the Florida environment.

There are some that resemble the old farm style. They are covered with grass and garden of weeds. The greens can be very relaxing and comforting.

Many other lawns can be seen out there that are groomed almost flawlessly. However, no matter what type it is, the most important matter to a landscape owner is to know how exactly to achieve it and enjoy it.

10 Tips to Maintain and Care for the Lawn

Whether in Florida or in any other state, all it takes to keep the lawn beautiful is to maintain and care for it. Here are 10 tips to take into account:

1. Come Up with a Plan

Lawn owners should come up first with a plan. Identify what should be achieved by the project. A professional should help you with this unless you have experience with it.

Ideally, any plan should be written down. This shall be your guide as you consider the options and endure the various obstacles in your sod endeavors.

Once the plan is laid down, you can easily decide on the other aspects of lawn maintenance. You will know the choices to make to care for your type of lawn.

2. Choose the Plants and Flowers

Plants and flowers should be chosen well. Pick one that will suit best the character you want your landscape to have; or have a professional  plant your landscape plan for you.

It all depends on your type of landscape and personality. Bushy plants are ideal for those who want some coverage. Colorful flowers are best for people who like to keep it bright.

Be wary also of some plants that may damage your endeavors. Caring for the lawn requires certain caution from plants that can damage the soil or choke other shrubbery.

Dandelions and black medics or the yellow clovers may look good to the eye but their presence can actually affect the alkaline of your soil and even result to deprivation of other plants.

3. Grass It Up

Before planting any grass on your ground, research first on the best one available for your location. St. Augustine, Centipede, Zoysia, Bermuda, and Bahia are all grasses that grow well in North Florida lawns.

4. Aerate the Lawn

Aerating the lawn is a must to give a way for fresh air to the small life forms and the microbes under the soil. It also gives water a new course to take, preventing saturation.

Aeration is best done during springtime when the soil is still moisturized and the rains are not yet over.

5. Have the Right Chemistry

To achieve the perfect chemistry for the lawn, people sometimes have to add lime or iron to the soil. Grass ordinarily prefers acidic soil. Lime is perfect to bring down the acidity. Sulfur on the other hand will help increase it.

Seek a professional or an experienced gardener to test the acidity of the soil to know the proper option to take.

6. Use Fertilizer

Grass is one plant that utilizes much nitrogen. Make the soil rich in nutrient. Chemicals are out there but this can disturb the ecosystem of your lawn. Compost is a good way to enrich the soil.

7. Watering the Lawn

Regularly water the lawn to keep the shrubbery healthy. Invest on a watering system. You can choose from a sprinkler system or toting a hose and sprinklers around the yard 3 times per week. Contact us about a free estimate for a watering system.

8. Mowing the Lawn

Determine the proper schedule to mow your lawn. It depends on how fast and how thick your greenery grows.

Mowing will help you get rid of old part of the grass. It also encourages a deeper root system for a healthier soil environment.

9. Simply TLC

Of course, never forget to give the tender and loving care to your lawn. With this in mind, you can never go wrong.

10. Enjoy and Be Amazed

A lush and beautiful lawn is the first thing that any neighbor, visitor or a mere passerby will notice in the household. This alone shall speak of the industry and dedication of the owner to the welfare of his or her home.

Thus, the presentation of the lawn is crucial, especially for people living in neighborhoods like in Florida where households and residents speak of beauty and good life.

Lee Dobbins writes for www.backyard-garden-and-patio.com where you can learn more about landscaping and gardening.

5 TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR CURB APPEAL

Want to improve your curb appeal? We have put together a list of 5 quick ways to improve your curb appeal. You can do these things yourself or request an estimate and we can help you with them.

1. Landscape Clean-Up

This is often one of the least expensive yet most significant things you can do to improve the look of your home. Simply picking up the front yard, putting away unused items (such as lawn furniture) and pressure cleaning the driveway can make a world of difference. 

2. Add Color

Free standing flowering plants are the fastest way to add color and texture to your landscaping. Choose flower type based on your sunlight, shade and water restrictions. Container Gardens add a welcoming feel and colorful appeal quickly and affordably. You can buy ready-made containers from garden centers or create your own with your favorite plants. Window Boxes are another way to bring color and charm to your home exterior. Choose boxes made from copper or iron for a traditional look, or painted wood for a cottage feel. Mix and match flowers and plants to suit your lighting conditions and color scheme.

3. Landscape Shaded Areas

Many people tend to leave shaded areas bare and boring. Take your landscape to all new levels by putting shade-tolerant plants in the areas under trees where other plants won't grow. This will leave your lawn looking full and appealing.

4. Add New Mulch to Your Beds

Get landscape beds into shape by pruning growth, pulling weeds, and adding new mulch to restore color that was taken away by sunlight and harsh weather. Mulch holds in moisture and prevents weed growth, and makes beds easier to maintain. There are different looks that come with mulch. Wood mulch comes in different sizes and types of wood, it also comes dyed for a eye popping look.

5. Raise Tree Canopies

The tree canopy, if too low, can block sun from getting to your lawn grass and cause it to decline.It also can block the veiw of the home and make it look uncared for. By removing the lower branches, you can raise the canopy of your tree. Just follow a left – to-center, and center-to-right arc. Raising your tree canopy will allow more sun to get to your grass, you can walk under it without getting hit in the head and the tree will look much better from the street.