Frank D. Porter, owner and operator of Almost Perfect Landscaping, began his early education at Hackensack High School. Next he attained his BA degree in Marketing at Saint Peters College of Jersey City. Following St. Peters, he attained certificates at Rutgers Cook College for Landscape Architecture. While running his company, his passion to help people drove him to further seek higher education in the School of Social Work, also at Rutgers.
Seasonal landscaping clean-ups are an essential component of your landscape maintenance plan. almost PERFECT Landscaping can help with this time-consuming but very important task. Spring is a time for renewal and the perfect time for preparing your landscape for the warm summer months.
Early spring flowers are the surest sign that warmer weather is coming. Come springtime when you are out and about have you ever wondered “just what are those beautiful flowers in that landscape?” I admit, as much as I know my plants and flowers, I often find myself going “Whoa, what is that? It’s beautiful.” I love it when I’m stumped. Chances are it may be one of the plants below which all burst forth in spring with dazzling displays of color and hues. Sure there are pansies in this list, but what is Spring without Pansys?
Answering the question, “when will my spring bulbs bloom?” may take a little explaining. Spring bulbs grow and bloom when warmer temperatures arrive. They only form flowers if they have undergone the proper chilling period to break dormancy. This allows the bulb a chilling period of 12 to 15 weeks, which is necessary for spring bulbs to sprout.
Sure we’re in the winter season now and the landscapes outside the window at times look barren, cold and wind blown. But don’t let that get you down. Beat the winter blues with houseplants. As shown above, houseplants are great for indoor décor. This relic of bygone days, an old Remington Typewriter in its carrying case is surrounded by a plethora of complimenting houseplants of various growth habits.
The most noticeable and distinctive characteristic of Betula Papyrifera, a medium sized and native deciduous tree, is its peeling bark, which is accented by the green leaves that turn to a bright yellow in the autumn season. The peeling white bark blends in well with snowy winter landscapes.
Imagine living in a world without flowers or fruit or even coffee or chocolate for that matter. Thanks to the wonderful work of pollinators like bees, much of the food we eat and flowers and plants we enjoy are possible. And it’s not just bees that are doing all the work. Butterflies, birds, beetles, bats, wasps and even flies are important in the pollination process. But despite the importance of pollinators, they are taken for granted all too often.
Autumn may not seem like an ideal time to think about lawn care, considering that your grass will go dormant for the winter in a month or two. However, autumn is the opportune time to groom your lawn for beautiful growth next spring. Fall’s cool and moist weather helps grass roots develop much better than in summer, and taking advantage of this growing period will pay lush dividends.
All plants are susceptible to withering and damage during a heat wave. New plants, however, are more likely to suffer irreparable damage because they are not established in the garden yet. They have not developed much-needed deep taproots, which stay moist longer than shallower roots and help search for water when water is scarce.
We completed this residential landscape design build project in late September / early October of last year. It was a complete “strip it down and rebuild” project tailored to a specific vision the property owners had. Site and bed layout, analysis of changing sunlight factors specific to bed location, plants meeting specific placement requirements and then throw in the overall design flow and the colors and sizes envisioned and well… That brings us to foresight.
Earth Day helps remind us that we need to stay in that green state of mind, and each year on April 22nd countries around the world celebrate this anniversary. While we celebrate these principles worldwide on this day, during the weeks thereafter those very principles and tenets are all to often forgotten again until next year. Celebrate Earth Day not only April 22nd, but every day of the year. There are a multitude of ways to do so around the home that make a difference year round. Here’s half a dozen good ones to help you get started.