Define your borders!
Defining your borders is the key to great looking landscaping. There is nothing that helps you create a great looking landscape more than defining the borders of your garden beds and tree wells. You can use various border materials to define your borders such as stone mow pavers, Vinyl edging, aluminum edging, clean line edging, natural edging, raised or natural stone, concrete curbing. Define your borders with creative curves or straight lines depending on your preference. Not only do defined borders give you a great looking landscape but they also help with maintenance of your yard by helping to keep grass from growing into your garden beds or mulch or decorative stone spilling on to your lawn. If you are on a budget then you could choose to simply edge out a defined border around your tree wells or garden beds. This will need to be done one time per season at a minimum. A more permanent border like edging or mowing pavers will eliminate the need for hand edging giving you a lower maintenance landscape.
Fall is a great time for Landscaping in Calgary! Did you know that trees, shrubs and sod do much better when planted in the cooler fall months than they do when planted during our hot summers? Trees, shrubs and sod start to go dormant in fall and therefore they are far less likely to go into shock when they are planted. Summer is in the middle of their peak growing season so it is very hard on plantings and sod, especially with our hot, dry summers. The cooler fall weather combined with the plant dormancy cycle means you can don’t have to worry about planting trees or shrubs or laying sod. Chinook Landscaping and Design typically installs plantings, paving stones, retaining walls and all other landscape components right up to and beyond Halloween. Visit our website at landscapingcalgary.org for more or Call us at 403-452-8552 for your no cost estimate.
Large established spruce trees are noticeable everywhere in Calgary front and back yards. These trees are typically Colorado Blue spruce and can grow to be 30-40 feet tall and take up the majority of your yard. We are constantly asked about ways to manage spruce trees and keep them as part of the landscape.
You have probably noticed pollen like you never have before this season. Yellowish mustard powder is everywhere this year in Calgary. Vehicles homes and streets are covered with pollen. Why is it so noticeable this year? In a typical season various trees and grass put out pollen at different times of the spring/summer This winter was anything but typical and winter stayed very late. So because of that all of the trees combined with the grass are putting out pollen at the same time. They don’t want to lose the opportunity to propagate. Its a survival thing. Calgary has not seen much rain this spring so that has compounded the issue. A few days of heavy rain would help to wash the pollen off trees and grass, streets, cars and homes. Allergies are through the roof of course because Calgarians are getting a mega dose of pollen all at once. There is not much you can do besides keeping windows and doors closed, rinse your walkways, patios and outdoor furniture. Make sure to take your allergy medicine if you have a major allergy to pollen. There are some positive aspects to all this pollen. We know if it is out there then the greenery around is continuing to thrive. Pollen is very high in nutrients so although it may be a real irritant for some, inhaling accidentally throughout the day may give you a dose of healthy nutrients!!
Pressure treated wood.
Composite decking is becoming more and more popular for use as a deck material. Composite decking used to be less reliable because it was made of recycled material. Most quality composite decking is now made with virgin material so that means it is less likely to warp or fade. Composite decking can still fade over the long term and its rich wood like tones may not be as realistic after several years. Composite decking can be hot to walk on as it absorbs the heat. There are very many great options for composite decking now and many of the higher end decking products look identical to wood. Composite decking is one of your more costly deck options but with zero maintenance many of our clients choose it over natural wood.