Perfect Sense – Landscaping in Bergen County

Top Ten Flowers for Hummingbirds

You are certain to lure lively hummingbirds into your backyard gardens with these plant selections. One good way to enjoy the company of hummingbirds is planting a hummingbird garden. The flowers detailed below will provide them with a rich and natural diet. A hummingbird garden is an excellent way to attract birds to your nearby feeder, since hummingbirds feed by sight on regularly-followed routes – called traplining – their inquisitive nature will quickly lead them to investigate any possible new source of food.

Read more here: A hummingbird garden

Everybody wants a beautiful lawn but how do you get one?

Follow these three necessary steps and you'll have one……..

http://aplnj.com/lawnaeration.html

1. A lawn aeration primer

http://aplnj.com/lawnfertilization.html

1. A lawn fertilization primer

http://aplnj.com/lawnseeding.html

1.  A lawn seeding primer

Do the above, and you'll have a lawn the neighbors will be envious of, guaranteed……………..

Almost Perfect Deck Design and Build

Your deck, which undergoes much use during the year, is only as durable and safe as the hardware that holds it together. So don’t scrimp on the fasteners. If you are going to do it then do it right.

Hundreds of people are injured and hurt each year when decks and railings collapse. So for safety’s sake, conduct a thorough inspection of your deck, the underside as well, the stairs and all the railings.  Is the ledger board where the joists attach to the home intact and secure? Are the railings secure and stable and not shaky? Do the lag bolts or screws show signs of corrosion? Are there gaps between the rafters and the headers? These are some of the areas of significant problems.

Decks should always be constructed with stainless steel screws or ones that have be specifically coated for use in pressure-treated woods. Pressure treated wood contain and exude chemicals corrosive to metal, which is often what common deck screws are made of. These “electro-galvanized screws are often sold as deck screws or “all purpose exterior screws” and are not as durable and lasting as stainless steel screws or screws that have been treated to withstand these chemicals.

If you need help with your deck, contact “APLNJ” – They specialize in deck design and build and are an Angies List Super Service Award Winner two years straight.

Herb Garden Design and Build

Let’s do an herb garden this year. What a delightful way to grill for family and friends with fresh herbs only a few steps away. I had this empty circular area approximately 15 ft in diameter where a swimming pool once

was installed before Tropical Storm Lee came a calling. I throught about a firepit, but heck you can buy one for 80 bucks a lowes. So why not a circular herb bed with a focal point in the center with spokes. I can fill the spaces between my herbs with my containers full of smaller herbs and utilize the space efficiently and it will look awesome.

And lets do it cheap too…….

First i created an edging at the bottom of the mounded bed with discarded concrete tubes, cinder blocks would work or bricks. The mounded bed is loaded with ferns, hostas, lilys and nettle with grape vines along the whole length of the fence by mid-june and morning glorys intertwined with them. Then i scrounged up 5 two x four, old ones will do, they are just getting buried for the season. I tilled up the subsoil, which was a pain as i had 4 inches of sand on top, but I needed the sand for the soil. So. voila. Till away……………

I placed an old sundial top on top of an old concrete container that i turned upside down to get the slope and it looks great. Like i said, lets do it cheap. Everything in the bed i scrounged up from around the house or from neighbors who had stuff just laying around. Dig up some decor because that will be the final touches in the end. Little knicks and such to add charm.

I leveled off the soil and sand and placed some pots to get a feel for the layout. Smaller herbs such as parsley and oregano and thyme and such can go in the containers and I can plant larger masses of Lavendar, Teas, assorted mints and what not. The herb garden will receive full sun, from 5 a.m. until about 8 p.m. through June, July, and August, (which is ideal). My watering hose reaches easily so watering will be no problem, just essential.

Weeding will be a breeze as their is nothing at all growing there and hasn’t been for 4 years to a depth of 6 inches and with new soil and all, i should just have to worry about weeds seeding there, which is managable.

Besides, everybody loves gardening, right????????????

Next week i will add about 12 cu feet of compost to the circular garden bed and then add some peat moss (1 large bag will do) and some perlite for moisture retention and last but not least some 20 – 20 – 20 fertilizer. Check back soon to see how it is coming

If you are interested in herb garden design and build services – Almost Perfect Landscaping of Bergen County, New Jersey offers custom garden design and layout services.