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.
Not as widely used today as in previous years, the use of decorative stone as a groundcover is making a comeback as a “green” sustainable landscaping alternative to have the standard green grass lawn area. Coming in a variety of sizes and colors, natural colors seem to be the most popular
Our quick solution to this backyard was to install a decorative stone to cover most of the area. A second larger stone was used to accent the overall look, these being placed close to the lattice to accent the deck area and around the perimeters elsewhere.
Well, here we are again. Smack dab in the midst of the “dog days of summer”. And Lord have mercy, heat indexes in the hundreds of the weekend. GEEZ!!!! Yes, those sweltering, hot, humid conditions are back. You know the “dog daze of summer” officially started on July 3rd and run until the 11th of August.
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.
So how does a landscaper unwind and relax? You would think go on vacation. Well not this landscaper. Some things just run through your blood and no matter how hard you try to get away from them, you end up right smack dab in the middle of something new yet the same. I go for a “WILD WALK”
I’ve often been told that “appearance is everything” and with that in mind, let me ask you? Does your house look like this from the street? This street curb bed planting was initiated with an annual planting in early May of 2016. By July 1 you can see these splashes of colors and different textures and forms from your car driving down the street.
Boy if we all lived with the environment in mind and as our top priority, maybe our towns would look a little more like the one in the image above. Oh boy, there I go again; off on another wild tangent of whimsical dreaming? Perhaps so, but With that in mind. Almost Perfect Landscaping of Bergen County encourages “going green” to help the environment. As such, water conservation in New Jersey is a big issue.
Irises, those tall and elegant garden standards are among the easiest to grow of all our flowers in the garden beds. One of the benefits of growing bearded iris (Iris spp.) is the ability to share them with friends or add them to other garden areas when you dig and divide them every few years. This keeps the iris performing and blooming at its peak. If left undivided, flowering decreases and the rhizome is subject to pests and damage from soft rot and borers. Large, showy flowers appear from early spring into summer, depending on the cultivar, in all colors and color combinations, giving iris the name of rainbow flower. Bearded iris grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 10.
How to Help Your Community Create an Effective Mosquito Management Plan: A Xerces Society Guide. This guide will help you learn more about mosquitoes and the diverse wetland communities in which they play an important part, and give you the resources and information you need to work for the adoption of safe, effective methods of mosquito management in the places where you live and play.
Everyone loves watching them flirt by or hover nearby. So how do you draw them in? You are certain to lure lively Hummingbird Feeding 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.