Being the wife of a Landscape Architect, you would think I would know something about plants and landscape design, but the reality is, I didn’t know much at all. Not only about traditional landscaping, but “sustainable” landscaping, in which my husband and our company, Formecology, LLC, specialize in. I know my husband likes to incorporate “native” plants, with long funny names, in his landscape designs like Asclepias Tuberosa (Butterflyweed), Aster Cordifolius (Aster), Echinacea Purpurea (Purple Coneflower), etc… but for some reason it took me a while to understand why he doesn’t use more commonly known plants, shrubs, and trees that everyone and their brother uses to landscape their front yards. I guess it is the same reason why most people now days drive fuel efficient cars, recycle and eat organic. When you become aware of how the way you live can positively affect the environment and everyone around you, then you want to make that change.
With the school year now over, it is a great time to introduce your children to the idea of helping with summer landscaping. Getting your children outdoors to participate in yard work can be both fun and educational! Plant native plants! Native plants come in a variety of shapes, scents, and beautiful colors which can be very stimulating for children to see as they bloom. They are also very hearty plants and require minimal maintenance, so they are not demanding on a family’s busy summer schedule.
Fall is the best time to plant flowering trees, shrubs & perennials –the temps are cooler and typically we have more rain. Landscape contractors also love to build hardscape features like patios, retaining walls and walkways in the fall. The cooler temps are perfect for laying heavy natural stone. Soon it will also be a great time for pruning your existing landscape plants as well. November is the ideal month for removing unwanted or diseased/dying branches from trees and shrubs as they will be dormant and not actively growing. The pruning wounds will harden off on their own and your tree or shrub won’t blink an eye!
Prescribed burning a mature prairie planting (or in our case a prairie garden) is one of the best ways to manage these wonderfully beneficial (and colorful) plantings. This video takes you through a few minutes of a prescribed burn for a 4th year prairie. See why and when we’re burning and what some of the long –term benefits will be (weed management, adding nitrogen by way of ashes to the soil, etc.). If you have any questions or would like additional info please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Here are some additional tips and photos on the prairie burn conducted here at Formecology!
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