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.