The crisp fall mornings remind us that the hard-working summer garden has earned its winter rest. Sweeping the front walk and gathering leaves is a quiet exercise in mindfulness, and lets us gather our thoughts for the season ahead. Even though we enjoy our mild weather late into November, we can get occasional freezes and should clear out the irrigation system to prevent cracked pipes. As Halloween nears, ensuring you have a well-lit paths and driveways will make a cheerful and safe approach. And don’t forget to do some minor pruning to remove any broken branches or those that crowd and cover paths. These simple landscaping reminders for fall will ensure you have a problem-free winter.
Winterizing irrigation is quick and easy
We’re lucky here in the Vancouver area to enjoy long stretches of cool, autumn weather, and we typically don’t get the long hard freezes that cause problems. However, it’s always wise to unhook your hoses from the faucets, and add a little extra insulation to any pipes that are exposed. Bring any tender plants in pots up to the porch for extra protection, and buy a bale of hay for extra insulation in the garden.
Plan on shutting down your irrigation system. Even if you drain out your sprinklers, some water remains and can still freeze and crack your pipes, causing costly and unsightly repairs. To minimize your risk, call a professional to blow out any remaining water using the right-sized equipment. We schedule sprinkler winterization from October through early December, but now is a great time to get us on your calendar.
Throw some light on it
It’s also the perfect time to check on your outdoor lighting. Make sure paths are clear and well lit to greet you when you come home from work, and are safe when you have an armload of groceries. For convenience and to save energy, flood lights should be set to come on automatically when you arrive. Properly designed lighting colors and intensity give your home a cheerful welcome. Using LED lighting for landscaping makes sense, saving energy, and lasting longer than traditional lights. October is also a great time for stargazing, so a lighting expert can help you determine how to highlight only the areas you need to be safe without being overly bright.
Fall Maintenance Pruning
All the tips for Summer Tree Care still hold true – cut back shrubs after blooming, and prune fruit trees when they become dormant because it’s easier to see where to prune when the leaves drop. Unfortunately, we’ve also had a prolonged period of drought, so you may have had some branch die-back on a variety of trees and shrubs on your property. Now is a good time to have a Tree Hazard Risk assessment done before the winter storms come. We’ll look for damaged and overhanging branches, weak branch-joins, and insect or fungal diseases that impact the health of your trees. Selective pruning can also open the canopy and make trees more resilient to winter storms. Get an expert to assess your landscape before it becomes a bigger problem.
Frontier Landscaping provides exceptional customer service. Schedule an appointment with our seasoned and reliable crew today.
Investing in curb appeal is a triple win: it establishes beauty you can enjoy every day, creates an irresistible invitation to potential buyers, and adds tangible value to your home. Here are four of our best strategies for maximizing the impact of your home’s first impressions.
Get Green and Clean (and Stay There)
First things first: proper landscape maintenance works wonders. Green lawns, pruned shrubs, and weed-free flowerbeds surrounded by a fresh layer of bark dust are straightforward ways to create a manicured, attractive atmosphere.
If you’ve been complacent about keeping up the landscape, take another look at your reasons. It’s highly likely that the solution you need is simpler than you think.
Too short of time? Hire a maintenance crew to handle these regular tasks for you. Frontier’s maintenance agreements can be customized to offer support that’s tailored to the needs of your landscape.
Trying to save on water? Earth-friendly drip irrigation allows you to add water where it’s needed. Sprinkler systems with rain sensors keep the sprinklers quiet on the days Mother Nature takes care of watering the landscape.
Tired of overgrown or outdated plants? It’s hard to be motivated to maintain plants you don’t like. Upgrade to plantings that make sense for you and working with them becomes a treat instead of a burden. Consider fresh ornamentals to attract birds & butterflies, double-duty beds that are decorative and grow edibles, or native plantings that need little attention to look good.
Highlight with Hardscaping
Hardscaping refers to the non-living elements of your landscape design. Adding dramatic boulders, understated accent rockery, or a focal point like a dry creek bed brings contrast and texture – things that are fundamentally appealing to the eye.
Rocks and boulders will look sharp for the long haul and won’t die out, need pruning, or suffer from hot summers and cold winters. Dry creek beds do triple duty by reducing lawn care, providing excellent drainage, and looking gorgeous across all four seasons of the year.
Take Advantage of Native Plantings
Native plantings keep your property looking sharp without needing much tending at all. Because they are perfectly suited to the water, light, and soil conditions of the local environment, they can thrive on their own once established. Pick the right plants and you can even stop or reduce irrigation after the first two years–things will keep growing for you to enjoy, naturally.
Dwarf spirea ‘Golden elf’
One way to make upkeep even easier is to feature dwarf varieties of your favorite native plants. They’ll be beautiful but won’t cause headaches by sprawling out of control as they mature.
Light With Purpose
A few mindful changes in your front yard lighting go a long way to creating a ‘wow’ impact. Do you have an interesting front door, pathway, or stonework? Add fixtures that play up the uniqueness of your home and accentuate its curves and angles.
Mature trees become dramatic centerpieces with the addition of uplights to emphasize their structure and foliage.
Make the Call
Are you ready to update or reinvent your approach to curb appeal? We’d love to discuss your goals and can offer expert insights to help create a look you’ll love for years to come.
Call (360) 574-8979 or send us an email to arrange a consultation today.
Additional Resources
Even though the ground is cold and the trees are bare, it can be a great time to revamp your landscape. This is a slow season for us landscapers but we are still on the job and don’t mind working in the cold. Don’t wait to schedule your landscape renovation or upgrade! Call us now to save money by scheduling in the off season!
Most of our landscape installation services are doable in winter too! What dreams do you have when you look at your yard? What features have you thought about including? Are there areas to expand? Well, now is the time!
Here are a few ideas to consider:
- Maximize the use of space in your landscape by adding arbors and trellises for climbing roses, clematis and other beautiful vines. We can take care of it, from construction to planting.
- Add a stone patio to make the perfect gathering spot. You can even add a fireplace! We use quality pavers to create a finished look.
- Find that perfect tranquil corner for a pond or waterfall. You could even wind a babbling brook through your property! We install many different types of water features, from top to bottom.
- Plant new trees to enjoy for years to come. Whether you are looking for more shade in your yard or perhaps a focal point for autumn, we can get the trees you need.
Contact Frontier Landscaping today to schedule your landscape construction project. We can discuss all the possibilities and get you on the schedule to take advantage of winter savings.
Other Winter Services:
Frontier Landscape offers a wide range of services all year long.
- Seasonal Clean-ups: We trim back dead plant material, rake leaves, clean gutters and storm drains and then haul it all away, leaving a neat and trim landscape behind.
Contact us today to schedule your landscape service.
Summer is coming and Frontier Landscaping is now accepting new irrigation contracts for the 2020 season! We had some spots open up for our fantastic irrigation services so now is your chance to have Frontier Landscaping take care of your irrigation system. Keep that lawn and garden well-watered this summer, without all the hassles. Whether you want us to come out one time or begin a continuing service, we can take care of your needs.
Spring Start Up: Irrigation Repair
Spring is the right time to spruce up your system and get it ready for the 2020 gardening season! Our skilled irrigation technician will come test your system for efficiency and safety including backflow testing to ensure that your system is not leaching any harmful chemicals into the watershed. This can have the additional benefit of reducing the amount of water you use, saving money on your water bill. We have a dedicated repair technician for irrigation, water features and low voltage lighting. He has 12+ years experience in the landscape field and is highly skilled in irrigation repairs. He will examine all the pipes, fittings and heads for any cracks or damages that may have occurred over the winter. Then replace and repair any parts that need a tune-up and test the entire system to make sure it’s in tip-top condition for the year. All our repair work is performed on a Time & Materials basis.
We started our Spring Start Up for irrigation systems on March 5th. If you had already sent in an irrigation contract for this service last fall, you should be seeing a note on your door within in the next month or so, stating that we had stopped by to perform your service. If this is a service you would be interested in, our Spring Start Up service includes pressurizing the system, running through all the zones, making minor adjustments for coverage and programming the controller. This is the time of year that most of Clark County receives their annual backflow testing notification so we will be starting that as well.
We have one certified backflow tester for Washington State. Washington law requires backflow testing once a year by a state-certified tester to make sure they’re working properly. According to Clark Public Utilities, backflow is the reverse flow of water from its “normal” intended direction of flow through a piping system. In an irrigation system, water that may be contaminated by weed killers and/or fertilizers can be siphoned back into your drinking water so it is crucial to test it every year, to ensure safe drinking water.
Installation
We install a wide variety of irrigation systems for a range of landscapes, including Rain Bird Corporation, one of the leading irrigation manufacturers in the world. Make sure all your plants get the water they need, without the hassles of dragging the hose around this year. Just set the timer and walk away, knowing your sprinkler system will keep your landscape in good health.
We install high-efficiency systems designed to be the most cost-effective on the market and geared to your particular property. We are certified to repair and maintain systems as well as perform backflow testing to keep your systems running smoothly all year long. The same technicians that install your system will keep it in top working condition. Click here to read our Landscape and Irrigation Guarantee.
Now is the time to get your irrigation system up and running for the year!
Call or contact Frontier Landscaping today to get a quote. 1-888-544-5006
