Spring Tips

Spring is here and our yards are on all of our minds. From bigger projects to standard yard maintenance, the problem is how much time it takes to get it all done. Everyone would rather spend time with family, at work, or out recreating.

That's where we come in. We're a full-service landscape contractor—which means we do everything from designing and installing full landscape plans to a variety of specialized jobs that maintain your yard (Such as cutting the grass, weeding flower beds, or maintaining your sprinkler systems). Your yard is an extension of your home and can double or triple the size of your living space if used. Here are some simple things that will make you want to spend more time enjoying your yard, not working in it.

1. How to take care of your grass.

   Grass is the constant, the backdrop of our landscapes, and if it's green and healthy, it's the place to gather, sit and play. There are 3 tips for a green and healthy lawn: Food, Water and Care

   1. Food—Fertilize often; 6-8x/yr. It's not enough to do it once in the spring.
   2. Water—Regular Watering. You really need an automatic sprinkler system to give predictable, regular water.
   3. Care—Aerate 2x/yr and cut EVERY week. It puts the grass into stress when we go longer than a week between cuts because we cut too much off the plant.

      If we do these 3 things, in addition to a great appearance, the grass will be strong. When grass is healthy and strong, it forms a web (all the roots are attached) and it keeps out unwanted pests like insects and weeds.

2. How to plant a flowerpot.

   Flowers are the variety, the interest in the yard, and there are many ways to use them. Perennials are planted once and come back every year on their own. Annuals are planted every year and they die every winter. Annuals generally give color all summer long, but perennials usually only bloom for part of the year.

   You can plant flowers in your flowerbeds to add punches of color, or you can plant them in pots, hanging baskets, or window boxes. Pots are a great way to bring color to areas that otherwise could not have plants—like front porches, back patios, or balconies. Rasmussen offers a pot program where we design and install new pots for customers for every season of the year (including winter), so you can enjoy a full array of color in your pots all year round.

   There are 4 tips for the success of a great pot:

   1. Good Drainage: The pot needs to have holes in the bottom and we have to protect that hole to be sure it will not get plugged up.
   2. Good Soil: Fill the pot with a high grade potting soil to about 4" under the rim, then add the plants, and fill it in to the top.

   3. The Right Plants in the Right Place: Choose the right plants for the design you want and place them in a way to create a great design. A good pot design will have Thrillers, Spillers and Fillers:

      1. Thrillers are the focal point of the pot, the dramatic interest. Usually planted first in the pot
      2. Spillers are planted around the edges, they are low growing and will actually spill over the edge and create the depth for the design
      3. Fillers are used to fill in the vacant spots and to create special interest

   4. Meet its Needs: Just like grass (and all other plants), here are 3 tips to thrive:

      1. Food—Fertilize often; 6-8x/yr. It is not enough to do it once in the spring.
      2. Water—Regular watering. Again, not just when it is convenient, use an automatic sprinkler system to give predictable, regular water. We can create a drip line to your pot rather easily. Most often, a pot dies from lack of water. Even a few days without water in the summer heat will kill a potted plant.
      3. Care—Weed and dead head your flowers so they continue to bloom.