Top Dallas Landscaping Picks for the Spring

Ralph Edge with CGreen Landscape Irrigation Shares Top Picks

Landscaping Tips for Dallas Texas Homes from Ralph Edge with CGreen Landscape Irrigation

With Spring upon us in the great city of Dallas Texas, many of us homeowners begin preparing our for our landscaping projects in order to beautify our estates.  Your team at CGreen Landscape Irrigation thought a helpful post this morning might be our Top Landscaping Picks for Spring.  So, here we go…

• Geraniums:  How can you go wrong with a bed, containers or single planter of geraniums to help beautify your Dallas landscape? Nothing ushers in Spring and helps with your landscaping plans like geraniums. Give your geraniums sun during spring and fall but shade in the summer for proper landscaping beauty.  Your geraniums perform better in slightly cooler temperatures rather than Dallas desert like summers, so be sure to protect them.
• Petunias:  Petunias are great for landscaping for many reasons and on several levels – lots of color, lots of different color, trailing, upright and each year a new variety pops forth. Try the phantom petuniasas a bi-color of yellow and purple or almost black as these petunias are very striking. The wave series of petunias have become very popular.
  

  Petunias for Dallas Landscaping

• Pentas: Step up the color in the summer with pentas as tough and colorful summer additions to your landscaping plans – red, pink, and white and the hummingbirds and butterflies love them.  Your landscaping plans will not go wrong with pentas in the mix.
• Blue Daze: Also known as evolvulus, blue daze is a trailing low growing tropical with light blue flowers and does well in light shade to full sun. Blue daze does best in a sandy environment but will do fine in prepared beds and containers native to Brazil.
• Yarrow: Also known as Achillea, yarrow is one of my favorites.  Yes, it is a perennial and yes it has withstood the ravages of my dogs. Great for landscaping beauty, yarrow offers flowers of white, pink, rose, red, salmon, and shades of yellow and are best in sun or light afternoon shade. The fern like gray green foliage of the yarrow is the most attractive aspect for me. Try out the yarrow and you will not be disappointed.
• Alternanthera: Party Time and Dark Knight….someone please tell me why we do not plant alternanthera more often? Maybe because the big box stores do not always carry alternanatheras? Alternantheras are real show stoppers in massed planting with companion plants of mums, marigolds, and lantana. Alternantheras grows 12 to 18 inches tall in sun to part shade

Other thoughts on landscaping are tropicals, yet tropicals can sometimes take a beating in the summer heat. These are tropicals to consider for landscaping in Dallas as they will not overwinter (I’m sure someone will write me and say mine have overwintered:).  Enjoy the select of tropicals for your Dallas area landscaping.

• Allamanda:  Good for Dallas landscaping, allamanda is a yellow, vining plant that is very similar to a giant Carolina Jessamine.  Allamandas can be good for Dallas landscaping, just make sure to protect them from strong afternoon sun.
• Candlestick Plant:  Another tropical great for Dallas landscaping is the candlestick plant.  Candlestick plants need a large open area with well drained soil in full sun.  Once planted, watch the cars stop and take pictures of your candlestick plants.  In fact, years ago Dallas Love Field planted these at the entrance each summer and their candlestick plants garnered much attention as they were striking and almost 6 feet tall.
• Lemon Lollipop: The last tropical we will mention at this point is the lemon lollipop which is a medium size mounding plant that looks great in containers or planters.  Do not overwater and keep in light shade and you will be pleased with the delicate blooms.

As you prepare for your Spring landscaping, we encourage you to check back to the CGreen Landscape Irrigation blogs often as your CGreen team is committed to sharing landscaping tips and ideas to help beautify your estate.  Landscaping in Dallas is not always easy with the varying temperatures, yet with the right landscaping company to help you, your Dallas Texas landscape will be beautiful this Spring.

Your team at CGreen Landscape Irrigation thanks you for visiting our blog and encourages you to visit the CGreen Landscape Irrigation Twitter feed, ‘Like’ the CGreen Landscape Irrigation Facebook fan page, and ‘subscribe’ to our CGreen Landscape Irrigation YouTube channel where we also share regularly.

Mowing & Fertilizing to Conserve Water

Keeping Dallas Landscapes Beautiful While Conserving Water

Chuck Green Shares Water Conservation Tips for Dallas Landscapes

Preparing for the summer months for Dallas landscapes can always be fun and challenging at the same time.  Before we do, we must remember that taking care of our landscapes in the winter is also very important.

In the winter, when your grass is dormant, you still need to mow in order to mulch up the leaves and let the organic nitrogen from the leaves get down into the soil. Even though the grass is dormant, the grass is still alive in the ground and the nitrogen from the leaves will feed it.  This helps Dallas landscapes and allows homeowners to avoid the need to rank them in many cases.  Remember… mulch is good for your Dallas landscape.

Another reason to mow during the winter is to keep weeds from growing as weeds hate to be cut and do not grow nearly as well.  Mowing grass with the proper height and frequency, at least once a week in the growing season will conserve water by reducing leaf surface area where the water is lost through evapotranspiration.

Applying fertilizer to Dallas landscapes at the proper time with the proper amount can also save time and money to reduce mowing and watering.  Use a slow form of nitrogen to prevent ground water contamination and it’s always good for the soil to have a slow release into it – otherwise it gets washed away.

Have the soil tested to determine the rate of fertilizer you may need even though most Dallas landscapes do not need any phosphorus.  So use a nitrogen only fertilizer unless you live a little further to the east past Lake Ray Hubbard or northeast of Aubrey and Flower Mound. In this case, you may need a little different mix of fertilizer for your lawn.  Consult a fertilization and weed control technician to help you determine your mix for your Dallas landscape.

By following these guidelines and tips you can proudly create your own EarthKind CGreen landscape.  Remember to check with city and local government for current water restriction guidelines or have one of our licensed irrigation technicians visit your property and we will know the codes and what is best for your landscape.

Thank you for following CGreen Landscape Irrigation as we encourage you to ‘Like’ the CGreen Landscape Irrigation Facebook fan page and ‘subscribe’ to the CGreen Landscape Irrigation YouTube channel.  You can also Request a Quote through our website as well.

Tips for Landscaping from CGreen Landscape Irrigation

10 Spring Landscaping Tips You Should Consider Today

CGreen Landscape Irrigation Sharing Dallas Landscaping Best Practices

With winter close to being gone, anyone who hasn’t already done your landscaping for Spring should act quickly to do so.  Your CGreen Landscape Irrigation team has put together a list of the Top 10 Landscaping Tips for Dallas landscapes to help you prepare, yet these are time sensitive, so act quickly.  If you have any questions about these Dallas landscaping tips, call us at 972-559-4733 today for help or advice on landscaping your estate.

Top 10 Landscaping Tips for Dallas and the Surrounding Area:

1. Use dormant oil for scale until buds pop
   This should be done soon as it will burn the plant once it gets too hot.
2. Spray roses for black spot and leaf mildew
   Both are previlant during cooler weather and high humidity, so do so now.
3. Prune or cut back liriope, mondo, “monkey grass”
   These are ground covers that come out of winter looking ragged and need a nice haircut.  Dallas area property owners are sometimes amazed at how a nice pruning is often the best landscaping tip for their Dallas landscapes.
4. Trim summer bloomers (crepe myrtles, lantana, and other)
   Plants that bloom in summer have yet to set their buds, so trim them now.  DO NOT, however, trim the Spring bloomers.  It is too late for Spring bloomers, so call CGreen Landscape Irrigation is you have ANY questions determining the differences.
5. It is a good time to fertilize Rye and Fescue
   Both are cool season grasses and now is the time for fertilizing them.  Do not fertilize dormant grasses (brown grasses) as this just encourages weed growth which is not good for your lawn.
6. Check your sprinkler system (on a warm day)
   Seriously, wait until its a warm day so that you do not rush.  Take your time to review every sprinkler head.  Enjoy the weather.  Look for leaks in your sprinkler systems.  Look for sprinkler heads that do not pop up all the way.  Watch for sprinkler stations or zones that are not coming on.
7. Veggie starts if you have not done so…Onions, Potatoes, Strawberries
   Your almost late on this landscaping tip, so do so quickly.  Strawberries are really starting to kick in right now.
8. Excellent time to mulch and prepare for Spring (bed cleaning is always fun)
   For landscaping your beds, make sure to clean them first.  Don’t just throw mulch on top of the beds as this is not good for them at all.  Turn the soil to get more air flowing through the soil.
9. Clean your mower and take care of your blade
   Prior to using your mower for landscaping thoughts, make sure to get any caked on grass cleaned off and sharpen or replace your blade. Not cleaning your mower and sharpening your blade can promote disease growth.
10. Clean all your tools and spray with a 1 to 10 solution of bleach, let dry, and then coat with WD-40

Rusty Blackhaw Replacing The Burning Bush

Ralph Edge with CGreen Landscape Irrigation Shares The Burning Bush

The Burning Bush Replaced by the Rusty Blackhaw by Ralph Edge of CGreen Landscape Irrigation in Dallas Texas

Every year I have requests for the “burning bush”  Euonymus alatus. Perhaps it is because everyone wants a red fall color and fall has just left us and they are trying to prepare for next fall, or maybe they are trying to get some biblical perspective into their landscape. Either way, I do my best to direct them away from that particular plant. Yes, it does have a brilliant red fall color and yes it does have a cool name and unusual growth along its branches, but it is capable of being invasive, grows taller than you will ever want, and above all it is a euonymus. Need I say more? It is a deciduous shrub native to eastern Asia, with an unusual cork growth along the branches similar to a wing, hence the name alatus, Latin for winged.

But I do have a recommendation for great red fall color and it is native to around here serving Dallas landscapes very well. I have borrowed a great synopsis from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin for basic information. So allow me to introduce you to the Rusty Blackhaw viburnum, my vote for the plant of the week……

Dallas Landscaping Tips from CGreen Landscape Irrigation

Rusty Blackhaw

Dallas Landscaping from CGreen Landscape Irrigation

Viburnum rufidulum Raf.
Rusty blackhaw viburnum, Rusty blackhaw, Southern blackhaw, Downy viburnum
Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle Family)
USDA Symbol: VIRU
USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

This viburnum is a shrub or tree, usually growing to 18 ft. but sometimes taller with bark separating into dark, rectangular plates. Twigs reddish brown with a thin light gray coating. Leaves in pairs, often on short spurs, the petioles covered with rust colored, branched hairs visible under a l0x hand lens; blades up to 3 1/2 inches long, elliptic to oval or ovate, tip rounded or with a broad point, base rounded or broadly wedge shaped, margins finely serrate, firm textured with a shiny upper surface. Glossy, dark-green, deciduous leaves turn a variety of warm hues in autumn. Flowers white, from 1/4 to 3/8 inch wide, in rounded or flattened clusters up to 4 inches wide, appearing in March and April and noticeable from a distance in early spring. Fruit fleshy, bluish black lightened by a waxy coating, up to 1/2 inch long, slightly longer than wide.

Rusty Blackhaw is distinguished from the more northerly Blackhaw, Viburnum prunifolium, primarily by the reddish-brown hairs on foliage and other parts, as well as by the slightly larger leaves and paler blue fruit. The Latin species name, meaning reddish, also refers to the hairs. The two species intergrade where their ranges meet.

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Arrangement: Opposite
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Elliptic
Size Notes: 15-25
Fruit:
Size Class: 12-36 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White
Bloom Time: Apr , May

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Cold Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Dry soils. Limestone-based, Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay
Conditions Comments: Slow-growing. Hard to propagate. With its waxy leaves, rusty blackhaw presents excellent fall hues of red, lavender, pink, and orange. Tiny clusters of flowers bloom in spring. In Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas, Correll and Johnston noted that the fruit tastes similar to raisins. Rusty blackhaw is good for understory plantings. Birds appreciate the fruit.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Showy, Understory tree, Fall conspicuous, Attractive
Use Wildlife: Nectar-bees, Nectar-butterflies, Nectar-insects, Fruit-birds, Fruit-mammals
Interesting Foliage: yes
Attracts: Birds
Deer Resistant: Moderate

Rusty Blackhaw Winter Color by CGreen Landscape Irrigation

 Figure 1 Rusty Blackhaw winter color

Figure 2. Rusty Blackhaw fruit

This spring, think red fall color and when you do think outside the box and think of Rusty Blackhaw viburnum. Need help? Call me Ralph Edge, CGreen Landscape Irrigation 972-880-6731. (Many thanks to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for the excellent information)

Enjoy the Life!!

As a valuable member of the CGreen Landscape Irrigation team, Ralph Edge is Texas Certified as a Master Nursery Professional and Landscape Professional and a Texas Licensed Irrigator and Backflow Assembly Tester.  Ralph’s years of experience in Dallas landscaping have also earned him the honors of Texas A&M and EPA Certified Irrigation Auditor and the Texas Department of Agriculture Commercial Applicator.  When it comes to Dallas landscaping, very few people have close to the level of landscape irrigation expertise of Ralph Edge.

Drainage Problems & How to Avoid Them by CGreen

CGreen Landscape Irrigation Shares How to Eliminate Drainage Problems

Drainage Problems and How to Prepare for Them by CGreen Landscape Irrigation

For those of us who have lived in Dallas or the surrounding DFW area for many years, we know that we should never speak bad of rain as we do not get enough of it.  Because of this, when it happens, it can cause drainage problems requiring drainage correction with our Dallas landscaping.  However, there are ways we can prepare in order to avoid drainage problems for our Dallas landscaping.

It goes without saying that the first thing you can do for your Dallas landscape is to contact a landscape irrigation company skilled, trained and certified in handling drainage correction and drainage problems for Dallas homes and businesses like CGreen Landscape Irrigation.  This is our first suggestion no matter if it is CGreen Landscape Irrigation or not (although we would love it to be us:) for many reasons.  The most important is that a landscape irrigation company with expertise in dealing with drainage problems and drainage correction can often prepare you before it is too late.

Many Dallas home owners do not realize how to avoid drainage problems before even having a need for drainage correction and the time it takes to put the proper measures in place.  So they come to CGreen Landscape Irrigation or another landscape irrigation company to help them.  The challenge here is that most of this happens when the drainage problems have already set in and cause damage to a home or Dallas landscape.  So again, contact a landscape irrigation company skilled in drainage correction and dealing with drainage problems.

Make sure to watch your Dallas landscape closely when it rains and notice any areas where the water drainage does not look normal and drainage correction may be needed.  Gutters can often be a common cause of drainage problems as it is common to find gutters clogged or disconnected and water drainage problems on or around your home.  Notice also any areas of your Dallas landscape where water appears to stand for longer than normal periods – specifically in comparison to the rest of your Dallas landscape.

Most importantly… get help!  When drainage problems occur, the last thing you need to do is wait to attempt to repair the drainage problems with drainage correction yourself after the fact.  CGreen Landscape Irrigation can provide you tips and ideas for Do It Yourself drainage planning if you would like, but don’t wait if you already have an issue and rain is on the way.

To learn more about drainage correction and dealing with drainage problems for your Dallas landscape, ‘Like’ the CGreen Landscape Irrigation Facebook fan page and ‘subscribe’ to the CGreen Landscape Irrigation YouTube channel.  CGreen Landscape Irrigation is also a proud member of the Frisco Chamber of Commerce and a Rain Bird Select Contractor.