Chinook Landscaping and Design – Landscaping Calgary Specialists
Calgary, Alberta
403-452-8552
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM- 5:00 PM.
04 Apr 2019

Chinook Landscaping app now on Apple App store!

Chinook landscaping and design is excited to introduce our first landscaping Calgary app.  It is ready for you to download to your iPhone now at the Apple app store.

Chinook Landscaping created this app to:

 

Estimate your landscaping materials.

Quickly and easily estimate the amount of material you will need for your landscaping project.  Calculate soil for garden beds, crushed gravel for hardscaping areas, mulch or decorative stone for garden bed toppings or decorative rock for around your yard.  The material calculator gives you accurate materials required in just a few seconds>

Pics for Landscaping ideas

Our new Chinook Landscaping app features all of the landscaping creations we have done in the past several years.  Click on the photos page to view pictures of patios and walkways, paving stones  and more hardscaping projects.  You can also view photos of garden bed edging
Water features, garden bed designs, fire pits and planters

Tree and shrub guide.

Many Calgary homeowners are not sure of what kinds of trees and shrubs to plant in their front and back yards. Use this part of the app when planting trees and shrubs. Scroll through the pictures to view many photos of trees and shrubs that grow well in Calgary.
The pictures include captions with the shrub or tree name so you can easily identify the type of shrub or tree you are viewing.

Fast estimate request feature

See a landscaping picture you like?  Or a tree or shrub you would like planted?  You can contact us very quickly via our Chinook Landscaping app by simple clicking on request estimate.  We receive the estimates quickly and we will respond fast to your estimate request.

Download the app here :   Chinook Landscaping app 

Enjoy!

31 Mar 2019

Paving stone repair

We get a lot of calls from Calgary homeowners asking us about paving stone repair.  Paving stone patios and walkways or paving stone driveways are common in Calgary.  Over time the paving stones can heave due to frost heaves, drainage issues or tree roots.  Many of these paving stone structures have been there for many, many years so the paving stones themselves are old and outdated.

How to repair paving stones

For paving stone repair to be done properly you have to start by creating a proper base. As with all landscaping components, preparation is the most important part of the project.  Simply removing the paving stones and adding or removing a little of the base is not sufficient.  The best way to repair your paving stones is to remove the paving stones from the heaved or sunken area.  Also remove the paving stone from a portion of the affected area even if they are not in need of repair.  Then remove the sand and check to make sure there is an existing compacted gravel base.  If there is not an existing gravel base then that is likely the cause of your paving stone issue.  To properly re-install the paving stones you will need to add a compacted gravel base.  This gravel base will prevent frost heaves and damage from drainage issues.  IF you are looking for a quick fix then you can simply add or remove some sand but this won’t be a good long term fix.

Are roots the cause of your paving stone issue?

Tree roots are often the cause of paving stones heaving and they can cause real damage to patios, walkways and driveways.  You many be dealing with a city tree that cannot be removed.  Or, you like the look of the tree but you don’t like the damage it is doing to your paving stones.  If tree roots are the cause of the paving stone damage, then notching out the tree root might be your best solution.  Spruce tree and poplar roots are the most common culprits and their roots can be cut or notched out with a hand or power saw.  If the root is very large then notching out a piece is probably better than cutting through the entire root. Then, cover the notched out area with sand or a compacted base.  The root will likely continue to grow and will eventually lift your paving stones again in the future.  Removing the root entirely reduce the chances of the heaving returning in the future.

Should you consider new paving stones?

If your paving stones are very old and outdated it is probably best to start fresh with new modern paving stones.  Paving stones have come a long way and there are now so many great styles and colours to choose from.  It often costs the same to repair your old paving stones as it does to install entirely new paving stones.  Paving stone repair is an extensive process and most of the costs are in preparation of a proper base. You can add real value to your property by adding new modern paving stones.  We always recommend completely replacing your paving stones if they are older and outdated.

Call Chinook Landscaping and design today for your free paving stone consultation and estimate.

Ph:  403-452-8552

Or visit our estimates page

24 Mar 2019

Pruning Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass

Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass are a very attractive ornamental grass that grows very well in Calgary.  Pruning Karl foerster feather reed grass should be left until late spring.  The dead stalks are attractive and add interest to your landscape if left over winter time.  Karl foerster are very easy to prune, much easier in fact than most other shrubs.

How to prune a Karl Foerster

As we mentioned earlier it is best to leave your Karl foerster un pruned until late spring.  This will preserve the beautiful stalks over winter.  Pruning a Karl foerster feather reed grass is quick and easy and can be made even easier if you use a bunny cord or rope.  Simply tie the cord around the base of the Karl Foerster and then trim below it.  We recommend trimming about 6 inches up from the base of the grass.  When you are finished you should be left with a tidy bundle of stalks.  Discard these stalks in your composting bin and you are done.

There are many other ornamental grasses that are ideal for Calgary’s climate.  To learn more about ornamental grasses visit Ornamental grasses ideal for Canadian Climates

Find out why we are landscaping Calgary specialists.  Give us a call to discuss your landscaping project.

Ph: 403-452-8552

18 Mar 2019

Ornamental Grasses ideal for Canadian Climates

 

Ornamental grasses are a beautiful way to add a soft, natural look to almost any landscape.  Ornamental grasses are ideal for Canadian climates.  There are many popular grasses that grow well in Canada and Calgary’s climate.  The great thing about these grasses is they are extremely hardy and so the chance of winter kill is very rare.  Grasses are also drought tolerant and need far less moisture than most other shrubs and perennials.  Ornamental grasses are also very low maintenance.  Here are some ornamental grasses ideal for Canadian climates.

Karl foerster reed grass

Karl foerster reed grass is the most popular ornamental grass we plant in Calgary.  It is very drought tolerant and low maintenance.  The Karl foerster provides great colour year round.  They have beautiful seed heads that can be left on during the winter to provide lovely fall and winter colour.  Once spring arrives you can simply cut them back in spring and wait for the new growth to appear.  Karl foerster can grow to over 6 feet in some cases and look best when planted in groups of odd numbers.  For photos of Karl Foerster reed grass visit  shrubs Calgary  

Watch our video on Pruning your Karl Foerster feather reed grass

 

Avalanche reed grass and overdam reed grass. 

If you are looking for a little more colour and variation in your ornamental grass, you can consider avalanche reed grass and overdam reed grass.  The blades on these grasses are variegated meaning they have a mix of green and cream white.  These grasses are also very rough tolerant and in some cases can be left throughout the summer with little or no tap watering required.  Both the avalanche reed grass and the
overdam reed grass will not grow as tall as Karl Forester but will grow to a similar width.  Like other ornamental grasses, they look best in groupings.  We prefer to group them in odd numbers of three or five plants.


Blue Oat grass

Blue oat grass is one of our favourite ornamental grasses ideal for Canadian climates.  Blue oat grass has a rich grey blue colour that compliments any garden bed.  They are a lower, mound growing form of ornamental grass that look great in a modern or traditional landscape.  We often use them in a modern landscaping Calgary project as they give a feel of modern Palm springs or Palm desert homes.  From a distance, they can be mistaken for a type of dessert cactus that is popular in gardens throughout the Phoenix and Palm spring areas. Blue oat grass are super hardy and super tough early handling our Calgary winters.  Their blades can be left on in the winter to provide winter interest in your landscaping.  Like the Karl Forester it is best to prune the dead growth back once spring arrives.

Fescue grass

Fescue ornamental grass is a dwarf ornamental grass that is much smaller than the grasses mentioned earlier.  Fescue grass looks great bordering garden beds when placed in the front.  Fescue requires very little water throughout the summer and they are very low maintenance.  These grasses are often used more as ground cover rather than as feature plantings.   Fescue grasses come in different colours and add great highlights to your low maintenance landscaping  If you are planning on including fescue grass for your landscaping project please remember that they can tend to seed easily.  This means they can take root in other areas of your garden bed and will eventually need to be thinned out.

 

 

13 Mar 2019

Transform your pillars with stone or wood cladding

Calgary has many older neighbour hoods with older homes built in the 1960’s and 70’s.  Many of these homes are located in communities just outside the city core.  They include Lake Bonavista, Acadia, Haysboro, Lakeview and many other communities.  Many of these homes have old style pillars built at their front entrances or straddling their front steps.  If you want to look at other options besides simply painting over the steps then you may want to considering cladding your pillars with wood, stone or both.  You can transform your pillars with stone or wood cladding and it will totally change the look from old and dated to new and fresh.

Wood cladding for your pillars

Wood cladding for your pillars is a great choice for existing pillars that need a quick makeover.  Cladding your pillars with would can quickly change the look of the pillars to something bold and fresh.  Your pillars may be located in the front of your property, straddling your front entrance or porch.  Pillars can also be found bordering back yard patios.  For wood cladding you can choose from various kinds of wood but the most popular choice for wood cladding around pillars is cedar or Meranti hardwood. Both Meranti and cedar cladding will require annual staining or oiling to keep the rich wood tones looking vibrant.  There are various style options to choose from including shaker style as seen in the photo to the right.  Using wood cladding for your pillars will be a less expensive option than stone cladding because wood cladding is much less labour intensive.  Make sure to have a qualified professional or journeyman carpenter install your wood cladding to guarantee you will have great looking pillars as your finished project.  Wood cladding compliments patios and walkways
and many front step ideas work well with this application.  IF you have arbors and pergolas on your property the rich wood tones of your pillars will match nicely with those components as we

Stone Cladding for your pillars

Stone cladding is another way to transform your pillars.  Stone cladding is a more costly option than wood because it is more labour intensive.  There are endless possibilities when it comes to stone cladding.  These include natural stone and cultured stone, often called artificial stone. Some high end cultured stone can looks as authentic as natural stone.  If you want to insure the look remains the same for many many years then natural stone is the way to go.  Natural stone will not fade or change colour over time. Cladding your pillars with stone will give your pillars a bold and rich look and the stone matches very well with natural wood cladding.  Stone cladding goes extremely well with paving stones  exposed aggregate or concrete patios.  Stone cladding can also be installed on the facing of your actual house in the front or back area.  If you have some front walkway ideas you could consider matching your new front pillars with the new ideas.  Both natural wood and natural stone cladding will go very well with any natural stone you have on your property.  The two are meant to be together!

Chinook Landscaping and Design works with a number of great natural wood and stone suppliers.  You can visit their websites by clicking on the links below.

Amico stone
Stone Concept
Kayu Canada