To our Current & Future Customers, 5/1/2020
As you are no doubt aware, the COVID-19 virus is having a significant impact on many communities around the country. We have been closely monitoring the situation – including the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health organizations. Starting in March, we developed a pro-active response plan that takes steps to ensure that we help protect the health and safety of our staff and customers. We’d like to update you on a few of these precautions:
First and foremost, Picture Perfect Landscape is 100% committed to doing our part to support social distancing. To that end, for the duration of this crisis,we strongly recommend that anyone who is at high risk for the Coronavirus, stay home. We have implemented incremental cleaning protocols to increase the frequency of cleaning (common surfaces, hand washing & disinfecting, etc.) to help ensure we minimize the risk of any transmission of germs or viruses. Our employees and clients health and safety are our top concern.
We Are Still Here to Serve You – Due to mild winter the Crews have been working since end of February and all of March, but during the first part of April our crews took a short break to do our part and assist in lowering the curve. We have had crews return back in phases over the past 3 weeks and are now back to full capacity. Because spring was earlier this year than past 2 seasons, we are actually right on schedule. Due to the Covid 19 and current situation, we chose to have had all hands on deck including Ron delivering mulch and keeping moral up to make sure everyone was safe and practicing both social and physical distance. Our team of guys have family at home too that they need to think of even though Landscaping services in CT was determined to be an essential service particularly in the spring. Fortunately we had enough vehicles to keep our guys one to a vehicle and had one employee use their own personal vehicle to stay safe. We also have already serviced many of our existing clients to Get a Jump on Spring 🙂 We anticipate this temporary break will give our crews some rest with their families, a chance for all of us to regroup and to allow Ron and I to get caught up on new project plans, designs, and estimates so that we are staying ahead because we all know Mother Nature will come no matter what 🙂
Thank you for patience and your trust in us during these challenging times. We are all in this together. We will continue to send out emails and updates as this situation evolves. If you are interested in a spring/summer project and estimate, please contact us here. or call 860-228-3915. Our office is closed but sales staff are working remotely and will respond within 24 hours.
3/21/2020 Spring officially arrived 3/20 even though all of us were dealing with this unexpected situation. We appreciate you for doing your part, staying at home to remain safe and practicing both social and physical distancing. Stay updated: Latest local News Connecticut COVID-19
3/23/2020 Update per Governor Lamont’s latest mandate concerning Essential Businesses Landscaping: Executive-Order-No-7H
3/18/2020 We sent out an email to our existing clients in regards to our Business Update COVID-19: https://conta.cc/3a5qYiA
Mother Nature will continue on so looking forward to something positive like more time outdoors with the sun and warmth in the weeks ahead. Stay safe, protect yourself, your families and friends. We are all in this together. We will weather the storm during the next several weeks/months. Starting 4/3 Landscaping crews took a short break and are now continuing to service accounts again the last few weeks. Please contact Kim or leave a message 860-228-3915 if any questions or concerns. Clients will be notified before crews are on their property. We ask that you, your family and pets please remain indoors while they are working with equipment and materials. We have provided all crews with PPE and cleaning/safety products and we ask that YOU also practice appropriate social distancing when they are on your property working.
Below are some things you can do to make sure your lawn and landscape stays “Picture Perfect” this year and here’s an Interesting Article: How Your Landscape Helps You Manage Fear and Anxiety
May and Early June or later in August/September: De-thatching, Aerating, adding Soil and Nutrients, Over-seeding and Weed Control
Unless you have an irrigation system to water new grass seed in, Spring and Late Summer are usually better times to get your grass back into shape especially this spring with some weekly rain and cool weather. The days are warm but the nights are cooler which makes watering much easier. Getting rid of weeds and adding back soil and nutrients to your lawn is important to establishing a good base for new grass seed. If the ground is compacted and full of dead turf this also needs to be addressed before attempting to repair your lawn. Perfect time to aerate and de-thatch before overseeding and fertilizing. The folks over at SCOTTS offer some great advice on the above areas when it comes to green lawns. Click HERE to go to their site.
Still a few weeks to take advantage of the still cool and fairly rainy weather this spring to give your lawn some much needed TLC. Then remember at the end of summer, plan on doing some overseeding to thicken up the areas that may not have come in as well and to get rid of any weeds. By protecting the new grass and root system with fertilizer going into the fall and applying an application of winter protection in Oct/Nov your lawn will thank you in the spring with green growth.
We are still estimating and scheduling new lawns and repairing lawns that have been damaged so give us a call today to setup a free estimate: 860-228-3915
There is a short window to get your new grass going and the first few cuts in before either the summer heat sets in or in late September the leaves start to fall so plan now. Remember it takes a few weeks to get the grass seeds to sprout, then a few more weeks before your first mowing. After 5 weeks you can then apply fertilizer with weed and grub control so that all your hard work does not disappear overnight. Also remember to keep the Fall leaves and any acorns,hickory nuts, pine needles or other debris off the new lawns so it does not get smothered after all your hard work!
Lawn Care 101 It might be a bit of a sorry sight after the past 6 months, but with a bit of work, you can bring it back to life. If you can see a fair amount of thatch (the dead, straw-like stuff) you will need to rake it out before you attempt any other lawn care projects.
The reason? Anything you add, such as new seed or fertilizer will simply sit on the thatch, rather than getting down into the soil, unless it is removed.
Once you have de-thatched your lawn, you can add your fertilizer application. This helps the lawn to green up and recover from winter or summer stress. Weed control and crabgrass preventative should also be applied during this step if you are not attempting to grow new grass or overseed. If you are growing new grass by seed wait until 5 weeks before you start weed and grub control.If you would like to find out more about lawn fertilization or just have lawn questions or need some advise, contact our friends over at The Green Scene.
April/May Update: Informative website regarding year round care recommendations for the perfect lawn for you the homeowner. Check it out here.
Plant and transplant April and May are good times to plant those new roses, flowering shrubs, fruit trees, evergreens and most deciduous plant but so are the cooler months of late August into September. If you’re still not sure what to plant, you can always contact us. We are able to design and help you plan your landscaping project. As far as transplanting existing plants from one spot to another, time is running out, so the sooner the better. Many plants are already starting their spring growth and you want them to get used to their new spot before the heat starts coming in.
Pruning If you need to prune trees and shrubs, the best time to do this is before growth starts in the spring. The exceptions to that rule are spring-flowering shrubs. For those, you need to wait until after they finish flowering (mid-season May-July). Spring would be a good time to prune roses and ornamental grasses if they look like they need a trim. We are happy to assist you on any particular pruning questions you may have or give you an estimate to keep your landscape healthy and shape/size in check. Here are some pruning tips from the experts at LOWE’s click here.
picking the weeds, please have a look at my similar images of this subject
Weeding Probably everyone’s least-favorite garden activity, possibly because it feels destructive rather than beneficial, and it can be backbreaking work. Did you know we can apply a premium pre-emergent application to your planting beds that will save you lots of weeding and money! CLICK HERE for more weed control tips we recommend homeowners use. If you are busy or have an extensive landscape, the licensed professionals over at The Green Scene can provide this service as well as lawn, shrub and tree fertilization and tick control spraying if this is a concern. Protect the landscape that you have invested in since weeds are a constant concern in CT. due to all the trees and woods we have around us.
Specializing in Lower Maintenance Landscapes for Today’s Busy Home Owners
Mulching
Mulching is one of the most important ways to protect and maintain healthy landscaped plants, shrubs and flowers adding to the aesthetic appeal of your landscape by making it look more appealing. Some of the uses for our Premium Dark Brown Shredded Pine/Hemlock Bark Mulch are:
it helps prevents weeds and holds water and moisture in your plants and gardens, therefore you don’t have to water as much
organic mulches (not wood or bark chips) will break down and add to the nutrient base of the soil making the soil richer
helps the roots maintain an even temperature and protects your soil from erosion
Adding color to your landscape Now is a great time to plant, so take a look around your landscape and decide if you can brighten the place up with a few new “faces.” We can help you with updating your landscape and putting together a free quote once we determine the amount of sunlight affecting that part of your landscape and what type of shrub or tree would give you the “Best Bang for Your Buck”. Flowers are great for short term but by selecting specimens that have interesting color or texture in their foliage also you will have a more lasting visual effect in your landscape. Click on the photo gallery at the top of our website to see some other plants that we like to incorporate in our lower maintenance designs. Email us today for a free estimate!