Monthly Archives: August 2011

Imporve Home Air Quality with These House Plants

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Mother in Law's Tongue adds lots of oxygen to the air

Phase One Landscapes knows that just as much as outdoor plants can help accent the exterior of your home, indoor plants have their fair share of benefits too and are nice decorations for homes and offices. If you like taking care of indoor foliage, then here’s a reason to get one more potted plant. Some types of houseplants can improve air quality. If you’re sensitive to dust or mildew, there are a few houseplants that might reduce your sniffles.

During the day, the Areca Palm generates a lot of oxygen. Plant scientists recommend that you buy four shoulder-high plants for each person in your home,  but you can still benefit from having just a couple of these trees around the house.

Mother-in-Law’s Tongue generates more oxygen in the evening. Again, plant scientists recommend having six to eight plants per person. However, you can still enjoy the benefits of a good supply of oxygen through the night, even if you don’t own that many of these plants.

If you are interested in removing volatile organic compounds from the air (VOCs), the Money Plant is your foliage of choice.  It acts like a  filter that can remove VOCs like formaldehyde out of the air, improving air quality.

If you’re looking for something equally as aesthetically pleasing as it is  useful, try the English Ivy. It’s  easy to care for, and can be trained to climb book cases and be hung from ceiling hooks .

Want more ideas of these useful plants? Check out PersonalDividends.com. Their website has a list of house plants that can leave the air in your home fresher.

Photo Courtesy of PersonalDividends.com

 

The Misting Myth Busted!

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When it comes to gardening and landscape myths, Phase One Landscapes has heard it all from “brown tips mean over watering” to “most indoor plants need high humidity to thrive.” These statements are FALSE, FALSE, FALSE! The fact is, even the most seasoned home gardeners can have trouble sometimes telling fact from fiction because there are so many mixed messages sent out to the public about what’s good for their landscape and what’s not. One of the most common myths out there is that misting plants will increase the humidity for them. We hear folks perpetuate this myth often—especially here in the arid climate of Denver Colorado where we feel the need to create moisture.  The truth is that, increasing the misting for humidity-loving plants by two to three times a day has negligible practical effect on them. But on the bright side, misting does help keep plants clean. If you’re trying to provide added moisture to your plants, add 2-3 tablespoons of water to the plants base every few hours.

Contact Phase One Landscapes today to learn more about how we can help improve your current landscape design.

Photo Credit: NSDU.com

The Best Time to Prune Shrubs

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Pink flowersYou don’t necessarily have to be Edward Scissorhands to make your shrubs look well-tended.

A lot of the maintenance that goes into keeping your plants health and happy revolves not around how – but rather when – you decide to jump in and start pruning.  While there are certainly a fair amount of exceptions to any gardening rule, you should usually take to spring blooming bushes, like pinkshell azaleas and forsythia, almost immediately after they bloom.  For summer-blooming shrubs like beautyberry you’ll need to prune a bit in early spring, as many of them bloom best on new wood.

When you’re looking at pruning evergreens, you’ll have to take into account the differences between broadleaf and needle-bearing plants.  For the most part, needle-bearers will need to be tended in early spring to promote new growth.  While broadleaf evergreens can be tended in the same way, you’ll want to hold off a bit on flowering plants, as pruning too early could destroy that year’s bloom.

For help with your shrubs or any of your garden upkeep needs, contact Phase One Landscapes today.

Transplanting Landscape Plants in Summer

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Because of the sun’s unwavering heat and temperamental qualities, transplanting garden plants in the summertime is never idea. But, often times, it’s the time of the year that we tend to have the most time to take care of household tasks that we’re not able to get to in the fall and spring. If that’s the case for you and you suspect that you’ll be transferring plants this summer, fear not. Follow a few simple tips from Phase One Landscapes and you’ll be in good shape!

  • Make sure all the plants in your garden are well-hydrated—especially the ones that you plan on transferring. Make sure you do the watering the day before and then again also on the day of the transfer.
  •  Try to choose hours that are cooler to designate for the actual transferring of plants like early in the morning or later in the evening when the sun has gone down.
  • Roots are very sensitive so it’s important to ensure that they’re never exposed to harsh natural elements during the transfer like heat or wind. To ensure that they’re properly safeguarded, don’t remove them from their pots until right before you’re ready to plant them in their new spot.
  • Water the plant reservoir before you place the transplant into it.
  • Once you’ve inserted the plant into it, lightly pat down the soil around it.
  • Try to block the newly-transferred plants from sunlight for a few days until they’ve taken to their new homes.

For more plant care information or for assistance transferring your garden plants to new spots in your yard this summer, contact Phase One Landscapes today!

Photo Credit: Taste of the Times

Illuminate Your Gazebo

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One of the most fun places for unique lighting design is the outdoors. The night sky brings beautiful colors to life and complements the evening atmosphere. The scene creates a wonderful ambiance that is second to none. Lighting an outdoor gazebo in particular is a fantastic way to put your outdoor lighting on display, and because each gazebo is different, there are several ways to do this. Consider using one of these methods to illuminate your gazebo and create the ultimate evening experience.

Many full-roof gazebos are perfect for hardwired lighting. In this case, an electrician would bring electricity to the space by installing the wiring underground. This allows for outlets to be built in the gazebo and lighting with chandeliers or ceiling fans to create a comfortable setting.

lighting a gazebo with hardwiring

Installing sconces, rope lighting, or Christmas lights is perfect for gazebos without a full roof. These lighting options are usually built to withstand the elements and can be placed in unique areas to create the best visual effect.

lighting a gazebo with solar powered lights

For immediate garden illumination, individual solar lights are a great option. With a wide variety of styles and up to 10 hours of illumination available, these beautiful lights can be placed virtually anywhere and then moved with ease.

For more help designing your perfect landscape, contact Phase One Landscapes today.

Photos courtesy of Share Landscaping

Subscribe to Phase One Landscapes Today!

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Stay abreast of all the latest blog posts from Phase One Landscapes the instant they’re out by subscribing to our blog and receiving our posts through your e-mail account!

To get things started, you will need to register your e-mail address with us by entering it into the subscription box at the upper-right corner of the blog’s homepage. You’ll then receive a confirmation e-mail in your inbox, which you need to verify in order to activate the subscription.

After you have subscribed, you will receive an e-mail each time we post fresh new information on our blog!  You’ll have the option to either read the post in your inbox or visit our blog directly to browse through past and present posts!

So get to it and subscribe today!

Photo Credit: Feedburner

4 Tips for Container Planting

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Landscapes can have only so much green in them before a good shot of color to the veins is needed! Luckily, there’s an easier way to add some variety and color to a garden than just planting a whole new round of azaleas! A great way to add some flavor to your garden this summer is with container plants. Not only will the plants themselves spice things up, but the pots that they’re in will add a whole new dimension to your yard, too!

Phase One Landscapes has some easy tips for you from HGTV’s gardener Steve Silk to help you complete the look!

Combine containers with annuals, perennials and other plants in complementary colors: Enhance the look of a colorful pot with matching or contrasting seasonal flowers and foliage.

Use containers as a means of traffic regulation: Nothing slows a group down in their tracks like a narrow passageway. Group some containers together closing up a walkway to naturally slow visitors down.

Use pots to describe garden spaces: Things like hallways, enclosures and corners can all be created by with containers. This gives a unique “space” feel to any garden.

Arrange fragrant container plants to freshen walkways: The fragrance of varieties like pineapple sage, scented geraniums, rosemary, lavender and other herbs are wonderful container species that can be grouped in front of an entrance way for a nice burst of luxurious fragrances.

Contact Phase One Landscapes today form more information on how we can help create the perfect landscape for you.

Photo Credit: Ask For Lara

Top 5 Essential Gardening Tools

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So it’s summertime. And the weather is fine. While you may have had no problem allowing your landscaper do the pruning and mowing during the cooler months of spring, the sun is out now and it’s the perfect time for you to take a few of those yardly tasks on your own. If that’s the case, chances are you may be a little rusty on exactly what items you’ll need for a little light gardening and there’s an awful lot to choose from in the gardening supply stores nowadays. While all of those expensive trinkets and gadgets like gas-powered tillers and electric hedge trimmers may seem like necessities, just a few simple items can easily get the job done.

Phase One Landscapes would like to highlight a few of the tried and true essentials that you’ll need to get you through basic tasks.

Trowel and hand rake

Pruning shears

Gloves

Wheelbarrow

Garden rake

Contact Phase One Landscapes today to learn about how we can help with your landscape design needs this summer.

Photo Credit: Connect.com