Welcome to Great Lakes Landscape Design

A Winter Hiatus

Fall

It's Not

Color Your World
Start Digging now for a blast of spring color

f you thing landscaping is a great opportunity for those who want to work only six months a year, just as the owner of any established landscape company. He or

s the thought of a long hard winter already giving you the blues? Think spring! That’s right… now is the perfect time to plan – and plant – a spring garden

she will tell you it’s definitely a year ‘round commitment.

Great Lakes Landscape Design owner Ivan Katz finds himself consistently busy 12 months a year. “Many people equate landscaping with summertime because that’s when they turn their attention to the outdoors.” But Katz says his company’s actual landscaping operations begin as early as March and often extend through December. “The determining factors,” he adds, “are how fast the ground freezes and how quickly it thaws as well as the weather in general.”

During the remaining months of the year, like many landscape companies, Great Lakes provides snow removal services. Katz and his staff also attend educational seminars during the winter and plan for the upcoming year. This includes decisions about purchasing equipment and wother to add new services to the company’s already wide spectrum.

To reverse the perception that landscaping is simply “cutting grass,” Katz points to the trend in companies merging to form “super landscape” shops. This, he believes, reflects the truly big business that landscaping has become. Many companies have gone well beyond traditional landscape services, adding specialty services such as water gardens and ponds, hardscape designs and Nightscape lighting.

Although Great Lakes has no immediate plans for partnering in a super landscape venture, Katz says you can count on the company to meet the needs of its growing customer base. “We are continually working to improve our services in order to meet each and every customer’s expectations for top-quality landscape maintenance and design.”

that screams with color. And nothing delivers more dynamic color then spring-flowering bulbs.

When you choose crocuses, daffodils, tulips or hyacinths, bulbs are easy to plant and, best of all, require limited maintenance. Here are a few tips for vibrant spring-flowering bulbs:

Prepare beds with at least 2-3 inches of organic matter and a balanced fertilizer.
Unpack bulbs immediately and plant them as soon as possible after purchasing. If you can’t plant them right away, keep bulbs in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight, to keep them from drying out.
Be sure to plant bulbs deep enough. Large bulbs (2 inches or more) usually need to be planted 8 inches deep. Smaller bulbs (1 inch) should be planted 5 inches deep. Add a thimbleful of bonemeal to each hole.
Plant bulbs before the ground freezes. If the ground has frozen, then thawed, bulbs can still be safely planted.
Dip each bulb in RO-PEL, a clear liquid that discourages wild animals from eating bulbs. As an added safety measure, plant bulbs with a generous amount of gravel. Burrowing animals, such as voles and moles, will shun the gravel laden soil.
Place bulbs in holes with the pointed side up, cover with soil and water generously
Add 2-3 inches of mulch on top of the bulb bed to protect bulbs from the cold.

Record Your Garden

Hospitality For The Birds

ake the time now to “record your garden.” Include information such as the type of plants and flowers you planted, how long the seeds took to germinate, how well

tart attracting birds to your yard this fall – when most cold-weather birds establish their seasonal feeding habits – and they’ll continue to visit all winter long. To

particular varieties performed, etc. You’ll find this information invaluable in planning a future garden or making changes to an existing one. Photographs of the garden can also be a helpful resource.

Although record keeping means extra work in the late summer and early fall, come spring, you’ll be thankful you took to them to create your personal garden reference guide.

attract a wide spectrum of birds, choose black-oiled sunflower seeds, which are good all-purpose seeds at an affordable price. If you’re interested in more specialized bird feeding, read the labels on feeders and seed mixes carefully.

Whatever birds you attract, remember to keep your feeder filled throughout the winter. Birds come to depend on these sources of food and will have a difficult time if the food source is not kept up until spring.

Welcome Fall Blooms

Divide….

all is here, but that doesn’t mean your garden color has to fade away. Why not give yourself one final burst of color with plants that thrive when cool temperatures set

And Your Perennials will Multiply

ith cool nights and the promise of lingering autumn days, late September/early October is the best time to divide or transplant most perennials. The general rule is to

in?

Chrysanthemums (mums) are available in dramatic color: from fiery shades of red orange and yellow to dignified purple, rich maroon, even elegant white.

Pansies are another popular choice for the fall. These hardy blooms offer a spectrum of color, including black and orange to complement your Halloween motif. Pansies are unique in that they “over winter” exceptionally well, making an early and welcome spring appearance.

Different varieties of cabbages, kales and ornamental grasses can also extend the life of your garden, adding interesting colors, textures and shapes.

Another choice for fall color is the Japanese anemone, a sun-loving perennial that blooms in August and continues to mid-October. Different varieties of the Japanese anemone yield rose, pink and white blooms.

divide spring- and summer-blooming perennials in the fall and to divide fall-blooming perennials in early spring.

Before dividing, decide which plants can be saved, which to dig out altogether and which to plant. Then water the flowerbed two days before the digging begins.

Cut back each perennial to about 6 inches. Dig the entire clump out of the ground as completely as possible. If the center of the clump has died out, divide the living portion into smaller clumps and replant. If roots cannot be pulled apart, cut them with a sharp knife.

Enrich the holes in which the plant divisions will be placed (use organic matter or fertilizer containing no nitrogen). Then replant, adding a generous layer of mulch over the soil to keep spring weeds away and to protect the plants.

Call Great Lakes Landscape Design for help in selecting and planting your fall blooms: 248.543.6320

A Garden for the new New Year

How to build a nutrient-rich flowerbed

et the summer off to a great start by preparing a new flowerbed this fall. It’s easy and will save you hours of springtime work. First, cover an area of your yard

A Fall Checklist

Let this handy checklist be your guide to getting things done this fall.

Apply a specially formulated fall fertilizer to your lawn to encourage better color in the spring.
Keep leaves raked so they won’t kill grass
Clean gutters (add the material to your compost pile).
Cut back or divide perennials (see related article) and pull up annuals. Mark perennials with metal stakes for easy identification in early spring.
Drain all garden hoses (store them in a garage or shed where they will be safe from frost).
Turn off water to outside spigots to prevent broken water pipes.
Plant grass seed or lay sod.
Plant spring-flowering bulbs (see related article).
Dig up bulbs that won’t survive the winter (e.g., Gladiolus, caladiums). Store in a paper bags in placed in a cool, dry area.
Begin winter protection of trees and shrubs by erecting windbreaks and staking trees where necessary.

with two layers of newspaper. Dampen the newspaper slightly to make it easier to work with. Use bricks or sticks to hold the paper securely down. Add necessary soil amendments (sand, peat, vermiculite, perlite, blood meal) for your type of soil. Then cover the area with 2-6 inches of compost.

By spring, the paper will have turned grass and weeds into valuable organic matter. Till the entire area, including paper, soil amendments and compost. You’ve now got nutrient-rich soil for the garden that’s sure to be a worthy welcome for the summer.

Good for the earth…..Good for your Garden

There’s nothing better for the earth then composting --- and nothing better for the garden then organic matter that composting yields. Leaves, which are plentiful and rich in nutrients, make a great compost foundation. Grass clippings and kitchen scraps (no grease or animal fats) can also be added to the pile, which should be kept moist (but not too wet). In 6 months your have rich humus for a healthy spring garden --- and pride in knowing you’ve helped the earth.