LandscapExperts Tip of the Week December 26

Cold Weather Tips for Landscape Plants 


So far this year metro-Atlanta has been experiencing a mild 'El Niño' winter, with warmer temperatures and increased moisture. But if Old Man Winter does whistle up some severe weather, Crabapple LandscapExperts advise covering certain plants that are not thoroughly hardy in this area with a canvas tarp or bed sheet (but not with black plastic). The idea is to keep heavy frost from settling on the plants' leaves. Pull off that cover early the next morning, before the sun's rays hit the cover. If plastic was used to cover the plants and left on too late, the sun would steam-cook the plants underneath, so plastic is not advised. 


In addition to covering plants, the LandscapExperts advise watering them well to get through a patch of severe cold. Hasn't been a problem this rainy December! 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, Dec. 19

Evaluating Existing Landscape Plants: Plants in Poor Condition

Rely on Crabapple LandscapExperts to let you know, as the HOA Rep or Property Manager, if some of the plants on your properties are in poor condition. Deciding to replace them involves evaluation of what made them decline, as well as suggesting suitable replacements.

Some considerations and their solutions include: Pest Problems Environmental Factors Design Challenges

Let the LandscapExperts at Crabapple guide you through some of the more complex environmental interactions involved in landscape renovation. For example, if a boxwood is dying in a location that is too wet, we can repair the drainage problem else we can replace the boxwood with a Korean box holly that looks the same but is tolerant to wet soils Removing a tree that shades the west side of a building may increase the impact of summer heat on the air conditioning unit. Additionally, understory plants that are now in bright sun may be impacted, and we can suggest temporary shading (awning or vines) as well as installing a replacement shade tree If an insect or disease attacked one plant, we can replace it with a carefully selected substitute that is not vulnerable to the pest.

Each landscape is a complex living environment, and the impact of changing one aspect will impact the other plants. In renovation, Crabapple LandscapExperts will reuse the best aspects and plants in your original landscape. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, December 12

Evaluating Existing Plant Material: Keep Marginal Plants or Not

When plants are on the borderline of health, the decision of whether or not to keep them is more difficult than if they are doing either well or poorly. CrabappleLandscapExperts 

• Weigh the cost of labor and supplies involved in rejuvenating the plant over time (fertilizing, pruning) 
• Compare removal costs 
• Consider replacement costs 
• Evaluate the time of year 
• Decide if the plant is rare or commonplace

If the plant will need a lot of work to bring it up to thriving, and if it will need to be removed in a couple of years anyway, we will let you know the remedial work is not justified and give you plenty of options.

CrabappleLandscapExperts never assume that just because a plant was removed from a location, it needs an immediate replacement. Unless the plant was located specifically to modify the environment around a home or property (e.g. solar shading, windbreak) or to contribute to the design (balance, symmetry) there may be no need to replace it. 

Once the decision is made, we will offer suggestions to Property Managers and Homeowner Association Reps to help them replace the marginal plant with a newer or dwarf cultivar that will do well in the location. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, Dec. 5

Evaluating Existing Plant Material: Plants in Marginal Condition


Some of the plants in the landscapes you  manage may be borderline in terms of health and beauty. Crabapple LandscapExperts can advise you on remedial measures to get them back looking great. 

• Older plants may need selective rejuvenation pruning
• Plants with fewer flowers than before may need more light or a more balanced fertilizer
• When lower foliage has died out, plants can be reshaped for an improved look
• Plants fighting diseases or insect pests can be helped with the proper Rx
• Another example is if the original design wedged a plant into a spot too small for it 

The LandscapExperts at Crabapple can trouble shoot and repair the marginal plants in landscapes you maintain. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, Nov. 28

Evaluating Existing Plant Material: Maintaining Plants in Good Condition


 For all landscape plants that are in good condition on your properties, and the ones that you intend to keep, set up a preventative maintenance schedule with Crabapple LandscapExperts for best performance. 


A schedule ensures that the plants will be cared for on a regular basis, and calendar dates for specific tasks can include times to  

• fertilize
• prune or thin
• treat for pest problems
• mulch
• water
• move to another location if desired

Remember, Crabapple LandscapExperts will keep your plants healthy, yet will not overstimulate growth, reducing maintenance while increasing health and beauty. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, Nov. 21

Evaluating Existing Plant Material: Plants in Good Condition


With luck, proper original design and planting, and great maintenance many of the plants in the landscapes you manage will be in good condition. Crabapple LandscapExperts are well-acquainted with how each type of plant should look and can give your plantings an annual or semi-annual once-over. 


Healthy Plant Characteristics

• Leaf size and color are appropriate
• Timing of spring leaf-out and fall leaf-drop is within acceptable limits
• Number of flowers and fruits is suitable (interesting but little-known fact: plants about to die often produce an abundance of seeds in an attempt to reproduce) 
• Rate of growth is adequate
• Plant is healthy and withstands insect and disease attacks
• Root system is vigorous, clean and expanding

Let Crabapple LandscapExperts evaluate your landscape plants to make sure they are performing their best. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, Nov. 14

Landscape Renovation: The Property Manager's or the HOA Rep's Responsibility 


Many non-plant hazards also exist in the landscape, and it is the responsibility of the Property Manager or the Homeowners Association representative to take steps to correct them before any problems occur. Preventative care by Crabapple LandscapExperts is the best and most cost-effective insurance for residential and commercial properties. 


Examples of correctable hazards:

• Insufficient night lighting
• Dimly lit or dark apartment/condo/house numbers
• Metal edging that has eased above ground
• Uneven or broken paving
• Uplifted tree roots
• Holes in lawns

With the cost of liability insurance today, troubleshooting by Crabapple LandscapExperts is a conscientious decision and a great step toward safety. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, Nov. 7

Landscape Renovation: Damaged or Weakened Trees


Trees that have been damaged are a potential hazard to residents, and it is the Property Manager's or the Homeowners Association Rep's responsibility to call Crabapple LandscapExperts to eliminate danger.

• Tree limbs partially broken by strong winds, ice or even lightning strikes may be hanging above, just waiting to fall on an unsuspecting resident
• Trees with major branches cut out (sometimes the utility companies will chop a tree to clear their power lines) may become weakened
• Upright trees with narrow branch crotch angles are subject to splitting, as is the case after strong winds with Bradford Pears planted in the 80s - 90s 
• Insect pests like tent caterpillars or progressive tree diseases such as blight can weaken a tree making it susceptible to further damage, death and toppling
• Construction cuts are sometimes made too near to tree roots and can undermine its support system. Examples are road cuts, paving, curbing, foundation or swimming pool excavation, grade changes or underground utility work

Call Crabapple LandscapExperts to set up routine inspections evaluate your landscape trees before an incident happens, and to correct landscape problems we discover. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, October 31

Landscape Tips for a Safe Halloween

Before little ghosts and goblins go haunting, property managers can plan ahead for a safe holiday. On Halloween, more strangers walk up to residences in one evening than on any other day of the year, so play it safe and call Crabapple LandscapExperts ahead of time to prep your property.

● Prepare for Trick-or-Treaters by removing obstacles and anything a child might trip over on the property, including toys, bikes, hoses and lawn decorations

● Restrain dogs and other pets during the “witching hours”

● Repair steps ahead of time

● Rake slippery leaves off of paving and throw sand on slippery walks to provide traction

● Light pathways and stairs for safety’s sake

● Check outdoor lights and replace burned out bulbs

● Do not overload electrical outlets with holiday lighting

● Indirect or LED lighting can provide enough light to keep everyone safe

After trick-or-treating hours have ended (or all the candy is gone), turn off welcoming porch lights to discourage visitors. Crabapple LandscapExperts wish all our property managers and all their residents a safe and delicious Halloween!

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, October 24

Landscape Renovation: Unsupervised Climbing Plants

While groundcovers are a useful element in landscape design, overgrown or neglected groundcover vines may begin to climb up trees or invade building facades. 

  

● English Ivy can grow into mortar joints of masonry or brick walls 

● Wisteria can girdle a tree as it twines up a trunk, interfering with the downward movement of sugars (the product of photosynthesis), and starving the tree

● Kudzu (scourge of the South) can "bury" a tree in vines, preventing sunlight from reaching tree leaves, plus weighing down the limbs in wind or ice storms.

Your Crabapple Rep can select groundcovers that avoid these problems, and eliminate inherited challenges. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, October 17

Landscape Renovation: Invasion of Utility Lines

When originally planted, young trees are usually benignm but after a period of growth they may begin to interrupt the rest of the landscape. 

●  Large branches can interfere with overhead power or utility lines 

●  Wide-ranging roots may invade water or sewer lines 

●  Shallow-rooted trees can disrupt and uplift paving or parking, causing stumbling blocks in a well-trafficked landscape 

Crabapple LandscapExperts can provide custom solutions to each of these common problems. .

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, October 10

Landscape Renovation: Potential Plant Hazards Eliminated

Let your Crabapple LandscapExpert Rep apply a critical eye to the properties that you manage to identify and eliminate plant hazards that might limit resident enjoyment of the outdoor grounds. 

● Large plants may block the sight line of drivers at the end of a drive.

● Overgrown shrubs may overhang the sidewalk, blocking and preventing easy passages. 

●  Obscured numbers may make it difficult to find the correct townhouse or apartment building (especially essential for emergency vehicles) 

Once identified, these hazards are easily eliminated by the LandscapExperts at Crabapple. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, October 3

Landscape Renovation: Plants that Fail to Flower or Fruit

It is a disappointment when woody ornamentals do not bloom or provide showy berries as expected. 

●  One reason that flowering plants do not bloom is insufficient light intensity. Most flowering plants need at least six hours of sun, or else light, filtered shade in order to bloom. Ask your Crabapple Rep to schedule selective pruning to enhance light levels and increase flowering.

●  Another reason for poor bloom is drought, or drought followed by a warm, wet fall. Flower buds are sacrificed during dought, or may be fooled into thinking it is spring after the rains and bloom at the wrong season.
●  A late spring freeze can kill flowers and buds that have begun to grow, so get advice to choose later-blooming cultivars. 
 ●  Over- or under-fertilization (or the wrong type of high-Nitrogen fertilizer) can produce lush stem and leaf growth at the expense of flowers. 

●  Hollies, blueberries and other ornamentals may not fruit because they lack a pollinator plant nearby. 

Crabapple LandscapExperts can troubleshoot these challenges and supply remedies and alternatives for better plant choices in the landscape. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, September 26

Landscape Renovation: Plants that Litter

There's no need to put up with plants that litter or create extra maintenance burdens! For example, 

●  Black Locust has thorny branches and large, twisting, toxic pods

●  Mimosa, also called Silk Tree, has brittle wood and seeds prolifically

●  Cottonwood and other poplars are short-lived and susceptible to insect and disease problems, with messy, windblown seeds

● Female Gingko fruits litter the sidewalk and smell terrible (but male cultivars are excellent)  

Crabapple LandscapExperts can  remove these messy trees and replace them with recommended trees or a landscape renovation that will increase the beauty in your property's landscape. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, September 19

Landscape Renovation: Plant-Related Problems 

Take a look at the plants in your landscape! Call in Crabapple LandscapExperts for landscape renovations that may be needed due to plant-related problems. Obvious problems are painful to see: 

●  Dead plants that have not been removed

●  Foot traffic that has worn a path across the grass and compromised turf grass

●  Poor pruning in the past that has resulted in misshapen trees and shrubs 

Eliminate unsightly plant-related problems and make your landscape more inviting to residents.  

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, September 12

Landscape Renovation: Analyzing Aesthetic + Visual Problems

If Disagreeable Sights are causing your property, apartment community or residential neighborhood to have a dysfunctional landscape, ask Crabapple LandscapExperts for some suggestions on how to screen or redirect your focus. Dog runs, garbage areas and street signage can all be screened or masked.

Unsightly views can be reduced, hidden or attention can be diverted from them to another focal point. The LandscapExperts will consider all views from within the building as well as outdoors and give you a livable solution.

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, September 5

Landscape Renovation: Analyzing Aesthetic + Visual Problems

Need a little extra oomph in your property’s landscape? A Sparse or Disfigured Landscape may be the dilemma, and your LandscapExperts at Crabapple can spot this quickly and correct landscape omissions.

Older landscapes may be dominated by evergreens that don’t offer the seasonal color and variation available with new plant introductions and cultivars. The LandscapExperts consider bark texture, berry color, fall foliage as well as flowers and variegated foliage in their plans.

Some parts of the landscape may simply have worn out. If a lawn has been heavily trafficked or if trees have been the object of vandalism or abuse (swinging on branches; bulletin board effect when trunks are used as posts for signs) they may need hard pruning or replacement. Ask Crabapple LandscapExperts for some new ideas.

LandscapExpert Tip of the Week, August 29

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, August 29

Landscape Renovation: Analyzing Aesthetic + Visual Problems

If your property’s landscape isn’t quite right, but you can’t put your finger on why, Crabapple LandscapExperts can quickly scope out aesthetic and visual problems.

The Clutter Factor may be the trouble. Extra plantings may have crept into the original landscape design, and a clean sweep of lawn, a flower bed with a monochromatic color scheme or a unified planting of evergreens may be the answer to several little beds placed willy nilly.


Ask Crabapple LandscapExperts for their expert input.

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, August 22

Landscape Renovation: Analyzing Aesthetic + Visual Problems

Design Inadequacies from the past may present a challenge to building managers and residential boards. For example, formal, symmetrical plantings (see Blog on Balance as a principle of design), or rigid, mirror-image groupings are hard to maintain over time due to individual plant differences as well as environmental microclimates.

Plants that must be pruned in an artificial shape ( See Facebook Group, Crimes Against Horticulture ) take a lot of effort with little yield.

Plants that have been planted in straight lines like soldiers at attention are not a comfortable fit and will need to be redesigned to soften the architecture. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, August 15

Landscape Renovation: Analyzing Aesthetic + Visual Problems

If your property’s landscape seems out of whack, but you can’t tell why, ask your Crabapple LandscapExperts for some insight.

Inappropriate plantings may be the culprit. Use of plants whose form or texture doesn’t complement the buildings’ architecture may cause a failure to fit. For example, desert plants would not be in harmony with typical Georgian residences.

Clashing Colors are another example of how plants may not fit in. Flowers, fall leaf color or even colorful fruit may look disagreeable with the building paint color or trim; for example, lavender azaleas with orange brick walls. Other times, plants that bloom at the same time may conflict visually with each other.

Plants can also fail to fit together if their Growth Rates are very different. A faster-growing plant may dominate the other plants in the landscape, or even out-compete for water and nutrients, causing them to decline.

Crabapple LandscapExperts have the solution for each of these landscaping challenges. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, August 8

Landscape Renovation: Analyzing Aesthetic + Visual Problems

If your property’s landscape isn’t quite right, but you can’t put your finger on why, Crabapple LandscapExperts can quickly evaluate aesthetic and visual problems.

Often times it is a question of Proportion (considered in May 16 Landscape Tips Blog).  Plants may be out of proportion – either too big or too small – with the buildings, with other plants in the immediate landscape, with the overall surrounding landscape or with hardscaping and street furniture. If fast-growing plants were initially chosen to cut construction costs, these may have overgrown the site for which they were intended. Specimen trees that originally looked good may now be too big and overpower the location.  

The LandscapExperts at Crabapple can point out proportional discrepancies and help property mangers get a handle on how to correct them. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, August 1

Evaluating a Landscape

Before renovating a landscape, the exterior condition of your buildings, the available space surrounding them and the needs of the residents should be considered.

Take a systematic approach to a landscape renovation project and consider the four seasons, budgeting constraints, and project timing by evaluating the project in its entirety. Let Crabapple LandscapExperts advise you on a step-by-step approach that progresses from building and plant inventory and environmental evaluation to a renovation calendar that will suit your needs.  

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, July 25

Landscape Renovation Due to New Technology

Landscapes are never static, and renovation may be called for in order to take advantage of advances in outdoor lighting, in-ground irrigation systems, buried overhead utility or cable lines, new sidewalks and curbs, or to repurpose an area for additional recreational opportunities.  

Stay ahead of the curve with these types of technological improvements by consulting with your LandscapExpert Team about future upgrades now, and budget for improvements down the line.

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, July 18

Neglected Landscapes

Sometimes landscape renovation is necessary because a previous design is aesthetically unpleasing, outdated, or because the landscape had been neglected by a previous property manager.

Your Crabapple LandscapExperts Team will suggest designs and provide easy-maintenance solutions, contributing to an enhanced design and to the overall well-being of residents.

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week July 11

Non-Plant Landscape Renovations
Landscapes may require renovation for non-plant reasons ranging from natural disasters to new technology. Property managers may wish to take advantage of new in-ground irrigation systems, buried utility lines, new sidewalks or curbs or a new recreation area. Contact Crabapple LandscapExperts for a thorough consult. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, July 4

Renovating Foundation Plantings

Nothing dates a property as much as overgrown foundation plantings. Originally designed to hide exposed foundations around the bottom of older-style properties, today’s landscape designs are more matter of fact, and accept the architecture for what it is. Few houses or apartments designed today need these unnecessary cover-ups.

Let Crabapple LandscapExperts skillfully redesign a stiff line of evergreens across the front of a condo building and transform the area with masses of plants of varying colors and textures. Contact your Rep to discuss an exciting new view. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, June 27

Renovating Overgrown Plantings

Landscape renovation may be called for in the case of overgrown plantings. Plants may have been originally planted too close together in order to create an “instant landscape” effect. Even professionally landscaped properties may suffer from this challenge. After a few years, the plants will have overgrown the space allotted, and be growing into buildings or crowding each other.

● Plants may be pruned to provide a quick and temporary solution.

● Crabapple LandscapExperts can permanently thin a planting, removing the weakest plants. This will allow for better air circulation, increased sunlight and more water from irrigation and rainfall to reach the roots of the remaining plants.

● Crowded plants that are still in good shape can be dug and relocated to a more suitable location on the property, allowing the remaining plants to flourish, and the relocated plant to thrive in a more appropriate spot.

Let the LandscapExperts advise you about plantings on your properties.

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, June 20

A landscape renovation project can require considerable energy and resources -- new plants, permanent hardscaping features, labor, -- therefore a consultation with Crabapple is a great first step. Overplanted or neglected landscapes will come back to life under the care of Crabapple's LanscapExperts.
Property managers may wish to refine or renovate the landscape:

• when a quick, just-to-get-by design was done initally
• if cheap, common or poor-quality plants were used
• where a poor soil prep and planting job was done.

Discuss all the facets of a landscape renovation with Crabapple LandscapExperts. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, June 13

Property managers and residents are continually realizing and appreciating the value that a good landscape can add to a a community, as more and more people turn to Crabapple LandscapExperts for landscape renovation and maintenance.
The inclusive term "landscape renovation" includes many activities:

• plants may need to be moved: relocation; 
• they  may need to be pruned or nursed back to health: rejuvenation; 
• planting beds may need to be built again: reconstuction; 
• bed boundaries may need to be delineated: redesign. 
• older forms of plants more prone to insect and disease problems or limited to only a couple of weeks of bloom may need to be removed and sometimes replaced.

All these "redo" terms summarize the renovation of landscapes, and the LandscapExperts at Crabapple excel at this art and science of a horticultural renewal. 

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, June 6

The final Principle of Landscape Design to be covered in these Landscape Tips is Scale. Scale is the visual size relationship between component parts of a design. For example, a huge pine tree that towers over a little one-story house would be out of scale. Better suited might be a flowering Dogwood, or one of the larger Japanese Maples.

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, May 30

An exciting Principle of Landscape Design is Contrast. Examples are a bed of bright flowers among a green landscape, or a free-form Japanese Cherry amidst tightly sheared, pyramidal, broad leaf evergreen forms. Contrast is the enlivening spark and draws attention to itself and elements nearby.  

LandscapExperts Tip of the Week, May 23

The Principle of Design known as Rhythm is created when one or more elements of the design are repeated to create a visual path or reoccurring visual pattern.  Most often we think of a repeated beat or accented refrain in music or poetry, but the rhythmic visual repetition of columns, or evergreens, curved borders or flower colors is also pleasing in the landscape.