Container Planting

All Seasons specializes in arrangements for all your pots, planters and window boxes.  When designing plants and flowers for all your containers, All Seasons ensures your arrangements look full, lush and colorful from the start with the best plants for containers.  All seasons takes many factors into considerations on how to plant container plants:

  • Planters are an ideal way to add decoration and color throughout every season.  All Seasons manages and maintains planters year round for many clients, both residential and commercial.  Keeping your planters filled and looking good spring, summer, fall and winter is just another expert design service All Seasons provides.
  • All Seasons can cater to any color combinations you desire or make suggestions to complement your current landscape plan, house coloring, existing signage and container structure.  Because planter material changes with the seasons, they are a perfect way to try out uncommon and bright new color combinations.
  • Plant choice is critical when planning a design for outdoor planters.  All Seasons has the experience to know what plants provide the best appearance together. We take height, texture and leaf size into consideration as well as container plants for shade or sun locations.  We choose plants and flowers that also work well together in close proximity and are not too invasive to the planter area.
  • When considering plant selections, All Seasons can also provide plant material that is safe for your sometimes nosey pets.  All Seasons can also make plant material suggestions regarding deterrent options for homeowners that have pesky animal intruders.
  • If you have a window box, planter or pot, All Seasons has the experience to know what plants and soil layering will work best based on the size, location and material of your planter.
  • Timing is everything, plant material is sensitive to local temperatures throughout the changing seasons.  All Seasons knows loss of plant material due to too low or too high of temperatures can be costly and frustrating.  Using container plants for sun that can tolerate the full time heat is extremely important to prevent plant loss.

All Seasons can also provide new or replacement containers for your home or office as well.  Additional services and a water maintenance can also be provided for your planters to keep your container plants looking fresh and lively for all the seasons year round!  Call for free price quote!

All Season is participating in this years INspired Beauty Planter Challenge as part of the INspired Beauty downtown event! Come enjoy live music, tasty tapas, and support All Seasons as we put together a beautiful fall container arrangement in a 30 minute challenge that will be raffled off.  September 15th on Monument Circle from 5-7pm.

Event details: http://www.downtownindy.org/happening-downtown/hot/inspired-beauty/

Landscaping Tips: Benefits of Outdoor Lighting

How to give your outdoor living space and landscaping new life with outdoor lighting.

 Outdoor lighting is often one of the most overlooked elements of landscaping. Whether it’s a newly lit walkway, a few strategically placed flood lights, or mood lighting on a porch or deck, the effects of light and reflection can transform the ordinary into extraordinary.

But there’s more to outdoor lighting than just ambiance. There are lots of benefits to incorporating a variety of lighting elements into your landscape and hardscape. Here are some of our top landscaping tips and benefits for outdoor lighting.

  • Illuminating your home’s exterior can enhance the overall appearance of your property year round.
  • Improving your outdoor aesthetic can also increase property value.
  • Highlighting architectural features, along with beautiful plants or trees, will increase curb appeal.
  • Well-it gathering areas around your home ensures your family and friends longer outdoor enjoyment time.
  • Whether you have a fire pit, patio, porch, walkways or recreational areas, strategic lighting will increase the time your family and friends can enjoy evening events and activities.
  • Lighting your property provides safety and security value.
  • Outdoor landscape lighting deters intruders and vandals when they are looking for targets.
  • Landscape lighting can prevent potential accidents in areas of darkness or uneven ground around your home.
  • Pathway lights provide visibility, protection and elegance.
  • Lighting can deter unwanted pests and animals that can potentially damage your lawn and landscape.
  • Motion-sensing lights are not only energy-efficient, they can serve as security alerts for potential intruders or unannounced visitors.

Our approach to outdoor lighting

All Seasons Landscape considers a number of factors when it comes to creating and implementing outdoor lighting designs, including seasonal changes, plant growth material and property structure. Whether you have a private residence or a public commercial space, All Seasons Landscape can provide high-end superior lighting and installation to those in Indianapolis and surrounding communities. Call today for a free lighting consultation and estimate.

July Gardening Tips

Remember when you were so excited to dig in and get your garden growing last spring? Then summer hit, and along with it came outdoor adventures, vacation plans and socializing with friends and family. So most likely, taking care of all those plants you worked so hard to grow just a few months ago isn’t at the top of your list.

We’re here to help, with these easy lawn and garden tips for July.

July Gardening Tips

  • Pay special attention to newly established plants, keeping them watered during dry weather.
  • Remember: allow water to penetrate deeply into soil (rather than sprinkling frequently and lightly).
  • Apply mulch – especially around young or vulnerable plants – to help conserve soil moisture and control weeds.
  • Do not plant bare-root or ball-and-burlap stock at this time of year.
  • Container-grown plants can still be planted, but make sure to keep them well-watered.
  • If you have fruit trees, continue a spray program to keep diseases and insects under control.
  • Remove water sprouts (sprouts from the trunk) and suckers (sprouts from the roots) from fruit trees.
  • Pinch off faded rose blossoms. Continue a rose spray program to control insects and diseases.
  • Mulch garden to control weeds and conserve soil moisture.
  • Remove faded blossoms from annual and perennial flowers to prevent seed formation.
  • The foliage of spring-flowering bulbs can be removed safely after they fade. This is also a good time to lift the bulbs for transplanting or propagation.

July Lawn Tips

  • Avoid ‘lawn-mower blight,’ which is when tree trunks and shrubs get nicked by the lawn mower. This can lead to severe plant injury and even death.
  • When watering lawns, apply 1 to 1.5 inches of water in a single application per week (avoid frequent, light sprinklings, as this will encourage roots to stay shallow, making them more susceptible to drought).
  • Take care of your bluegrass! It’s a cool-season plant, and is under great stress during hot, dry summers. If water is not applied, the bluegrass will become dormant and turn brown until more favorable conditions arrive in autumn. For extreme dry conditions, rescue watering is required to keep the plants alive, while still dormant. Apply one-half inch of water every 2-4 weeks.
  • Mow grass one-half inch higher than usual during the dry, summer months to help conserve soil moisture. Do not mow when lawn is under severe drought stress.
  • Don’t remove clippings from the lawn unless grass is excessively tall or weedy. Clippings return some nutrients to the soil and do not add to thatch buildup.

And don’t forget, now is the perfect time to make those landscaping (and hardscaping) plans for fall. Give us a call, and we’ll help you create the outdoor living space of your dreams.

 

Top Landscaping Tips to Beat the Summer Heat

Know the signs of plant dehydration, landscaping precautions and how to water properly can make all the difference during the intense summer heat.

You know the drill. You spend the glorious months of springtime digging, planting and admiring your outdoor landscaping creations, only to see them suffer in the brutal heat of summer. We’ve got some good news: it doesn’t have to be that way.

We know it can be challenging to maintain your yard and flower beds as the temperatures rise. But if you take certain precautions, it’s possible to keep your landscape and lawn looking nice and fresh over the next few months. We’re here to help.

Signs of Dehydration

It’s pretty simple: when your soil becomes hard and dry, most forms of plant life won’t grow. Therefore, as the summer takes on its usual hot and humid form, soil dryness will lead to lost plants, flowers and shrubs. Therefore, it’s all about water and taking precautions. Knowing – and paying attention to – the first signs of dehydration in your plants can save you that landscaping heartache down the road. Here are the things to look for.

Dehydration signs for fruit, trees and plants:

  • Wilting
  • Stunted growth
  • Yellow or yellow-green leaves
  • Thinner tree canopy
  • Gummy textures on tree branches, twigs or trunks
  • Cracks in wood and bark (more than normal)
  • Twigs or stems begin to die from the top and outer parts of the plant
  • Fruit falling prematurely

Leaf dehydration signs are when they:

  • Are smaller than normal
  • Being to curl up
  • Are misshapen
  • Turn brown from the outside in
  • Are dull (instead of shiny)
  • Turn blue-green, yellowish or brown (depending on the type of plant)
  • Don’t detach from the branches

Your flowers might be dehydrated if:

  • They do not open fully
  • More weeds appear than normal
  • They decrease in growth

Lawn dehydration signs include:

  • Brown spots
  • Shorter than normal
  • Thinning patches

How to Water the Right Way

If you haven’t already, implement a regular watering schedule as soon as you notice that your lawn or garden is suffering from dehydration. Start by knowing your community’s water restrictions. Follow any suggested or enforced watering days and times, and be aware of and respect any of your city’s water-shortage guidelines.

In addition, remember to water first thing in the morning or as the sun is setting. Here are additional watering rules-of-thumb:

  • Lawns need about an inch of water each week.
  • For plants, water once a week applying about one gallon of water for each square foot.
  • To ensure the roots are getting soaked, apply water around the base of your flowers, herbs or vegetables.
  • If you can see footprints across your lawn for an extended time, water more often.
  • If a handful of your soil holds together when you grasp it, it’s properly hydrated.
  • Aerate your lawn once a year.
  • Avoid watering at night to avoid mites.
  • Keep up on weed removal, as they steal nutrients and water from your plants.
  • Mulch regularly to prevent weeds.

Let Us Help

Creating a beautiful landscape and keeping it healthy is our specialty. Whether it’s starting from scratch, or maintaining a lawn and existing gardens, we can make sure you’re able to enjoy your outdoor living space for months to come. Give us a call and let us come take care of everything.

Five DIY Kid-Friendly Summer Landscaping Ideas

Our top five kid-friendly landscaping ideas might be just the ticket for enhancing your outdoor living space – and keeping your family busy over the summer.

As Alice Cooper famously sang, “School’s out for summer.” Or at least it’s almost out for summer, depending on your school district. Which means millions of young people everywhere will be looking for something to do, and “Go outdoors!” is a common solution – at least from a parent’s point of view.

We’ve got some solutions too, in the form of do-it-yourself landscaping projects that are easy, fun, and are perfect for the whole family. Are you ready? Check out some of our favorite ideas especially for you. Good luck – and happy summer!

Bring on the birds. If you want to create an outdoor learning environment for bird-lovers, think food and fresh water, beginning with a bird bath or fountain. But don’t assume you have to go out and buy one. There are plenty of options for making your own bath, but keep in mind that it needs to be shallow with a slightly rough bottom for traction. Add some bird feeders strategically placed in your yard, and you have a bird sanctuary right out the window.

Add butterflies to the mix. Butterflies aren’t just for looks – they help pollinate flowers. Get your kids involved in planning a garden that will serve to attract these beauties while sprucing up your yard. Best bets? Flowers in purples, oranges, pinks or reds – but make sure they’re suitable for our region. We can help you with choosing the right types of blooms. Since butterflies prefer their meals in the sun, make sure your garden is designed accordingly.

Build a fire pit. There’s nothing quite like roasting marshmallows and hotdogs during cool summer evenings, and a fire pit can bring wonderful memories right to your back yard. There are several DIY designs that are family friendly, but make sure you choose one that is safe, and a site that’s not too close to your house. If you want the perfect fire pit or fireplace to enhance your outdoor living space, but this type of project seems a bit daunting, give us a call. We can design and install one that incorporates and compliments the homemade plans you already have in the works.

Think vegetables. Sure, choosing seeds, preparing the bed and watching edible plants grow can be a prime educational opportunity. But the bottom line is that it’s just plain fun! Get the whole family involved in each process, or let your kids do all the research and planning. There’s nothing quite like preparing a meal using ingredients that came from your own yard. Make sure you pick out the best vegetable types for your region, soil and sun exposure. For more information, here’s a list of gardening resources from Purdue Extension. And check out this recipe  for fresh salsa made from homegrown tomatoes.

Take a load off. If you don’t have a nice, shady place outdoors for your family to just relax in and enjoy, challenge your kids to come up with solutions. Perhaps you have a spot that’s perfect for a hammock, covered swing or Adirondacks. Have them figure out a design and a plan for action. Garage sales are aplenty this time of year, where you might score gently used lawn furniture or hammocks. Have your kids research outdoor seating ideas, and encourage them to consider rock sculptures, stepping stones and any other decorative elements to enhance the space.

Ready to get started?

While these outdoor landscaping ideas are good starters, we know there are plenty more. Do you have some kid-friendly outdoor projects to share? We’d love to hear about your favorites – include pictures if you have any! In the meantime, for your larger outdoor landscaping needs, give us a call. We’d love to help you create your dream outdoor living space.