While I like all of the plants we use in landscapes, this month is a personal favorite of mine - the Crape Myrtle (or you can spell it Crepe if you want).  Crape Myrtle blooms generally in shades of pink, red and purple - but we also have whites that do well too. I really enjoy the fact that they start blooming just as summer starts to kick in.  A lot of my other spring blooming shrubs are all done when the Crape Myrtles begin to bloom.  Usually, they bloom from early June through the summer and well into Fall.  The blooms are large clusters of flowers on all the branch tips.  They pack a big punch of color and make a strong visual statement through the summer.  As an added bonus the leaves will develop great fall color in oranges, reds and yellows.

Crape Myrtles are well suited to our Gainesville lawn's summers too, which is saying something for the plant.  Once established they are drought tolerant and susceptible to few ornamental pests, besides the occasional Aphid.  They do require full sun (more than six hours) to bloom their best.  Light shade will reduce the amount of bloom and heavier shade will prevent blooming.  We fertilize ours just like my other shrubs and perennials with a tree and shrub fertilizer in the fall and spring.  We use the granular fertilizers because they work best as they feed slowly for an extended time.

Crape Myrtle generally come in three size categories.  The smallest grow up to three feet.  Some examples are the Petite series and the Dazzle series.  The medium sized ones grow three to five feet and would be varieties such as Peppermint Lace, Velmas Royal Delight, Near East and many others.  The largest grow five feet or more.  These would be ones like Hopi, Tonto, Zuni, Dynamite, etc.

They are low-maintenance plants/trees, however, I do recommend at least some pruning every year.  This will make them fuller, bloom heavier with more new growth and generally give you a neater looking plant without any dead tips showing. Here is a guide for pruning them correctly before they send out new growth. 

If this is a plant you would love to see in your landscape design, call our office at 352-378-LAWN or fill out our online landscape request form so we can schedule a meeting to discuss how to make that happen. 

Agapanthus, also known as 'Lily of the Nile,' is our Gainesville Landscape plant of the month for May due to their showy blue flowers that are just now coming into bloom. They are a perennial plant, grown for their showy flowers, commonly in shades of blue and purple, but also white. They thrive in Gainesville's soil and do well in everythign from partial shade to full sun.

Agapanthus are perennials originating from South Africa, and are evergreen in your Gainesville Lawn (although they can be deciduous farther north). Some cultivars of the plant have thick, strappy leaves and others grass-like foliage. 

For the best flower displays, fertilize them every 3 months with a balanced slow release ornamental fertilizer and you will enjoy flowers May through July, or sign up for our Ornamental fertilization program which guarantees your satisfaction with prolific bloomers such as Agapanthus. Gainesville Irrigation systems should water agapanthus plants regularly during the growing season, but only sparingly in winter, to guard from root rot.

Agapanthus can be planted as a specimen plant in pots or containers, but is most often used in Gainesville Landscape borders with other herbaceous plants and shrubs. If this is a plant you would love to see in your landscape design, call our office at 378-LAWN or fill out our online form so we can schedule a meeting to discuss how to make that happen. 

We are fortunate to live in a climate where landscaping and planting can be a year round activity. When many of us think of landscaping our yards spring usually comes to mind as the best time of year to get started. I think that is a pretty logical assumption, and in many parts of the country this is true, but in Gainesville spring actually ranks as the second best time of year to start new landscaping projects. First place actually goes to fall!

If you are looking to spruce up your yard with some new plantings, it’s actually fall that tops the list of the best season for Gainesville, FL landscaping installations. Our seasons are a little bit different than the rest of the country, instead of winter being the harshest season for our landscapes, it’s actually summer that brings the most stressful conditions. This time of year the cooler temperatures help the plants roots to get well established and the soil is still warm enough to allow the roots to grow until the first frost hits. We are also fortunate to have mild winters in our climate so the roots can grow throughout the season. By the time the next summer arrives, new shrubs and plants will have had plenty of time to become acclimated to their new homes, giving them more resiliency to withstand heat and drought conditions that our warmer weather brings. 

For the same reasons, this is also the best time of year if you are thinking about re-sodding your lawn. The decreased rainfall helps us to better control the amount of moisture your new lawn receives which can help alleviate some of the fungus issues that might affect a new lawn planted in the wet season, and the cool temperatures are much better tolerated. This gives the lawn time to establish deep roots and gives you a great chance at cultivating the lush green lawn that so many of us desire!

Remember that our fall is a very short season in Gainesville, so make sure to get started on your fall landscaping right away to give your new plants and shrubs the best start. If you are interested in a consultation for any landscaping project please give us a call to set up a free consultation at 352-378-LAWN.

Related Posts: 

Five Tasks to Improve Your Gainesville Landscape in Fall
When is the Best Time to Plant A Gainesville Landscape?
Can You Have an Orange and Blue Landscape in Fall?

When I think about the things I love about fall, football season and cooler weather, images of leaves changing color always come to mind as well. Here in Gainesville we don’t get to experience the same dramatic color changes that some of our friends further north enjoy. The flip side of that is that we also don’t have to deal with the colder winters either! Still, it’s nice to see some changes at the turning of the season and while we won’t be as showy as some other areas, there are several Gainesville landscape additions that I would highly recommend for our area that will bring you some fall color.

Red Maple

One of my favorites for Gainesville landscapes and often one of the first trees to color up in autumn. The red maple puts on one of the most brilliant displays of any tree, but trees vary greatly in fall color and intensity. Red maple has an oval shape and is a fast grower with strong wood. They can get up to 75 feet in height but in our area they tend to be much shorter. These trees also look great in the warm months and the newly emerging leaves and red flowers signal that spring has come.

Shumard Oak

Shumard oak forms a large, stately tree with a narrow, rather open, rounded canopy, somewhat reminiscent of red oak. The crown spreads with age becoming round at maturity. The 4- to 8-inch-long deciduous leaves are deeply-lobed and have bristles on the tips of some lobes. A lovely dark green during most of the year, Shumard oak puts on a vivid display of brilliant red to red-orange fall and winter foliage, providing a dramatic landscape statement. During the winter the bare tree provides interesting branching patterns.

Crape Myrtle

Very popular in Gainesville and known mostly for it’s beautiful summer flowers, The Crape Myrtle is also brings some color variety when fall comes as well. An easy winner for our climate being both heat and drought tolerant you’ll get year-round landscape interest. One of the forgotten benefits of crape myrtles is their fall display. The flowers will be gone but the cool weather brings out their colorful foliage. You will be pleased to see brilliant red, yellow and orange in your landscape until the frost causes the leaves to drop.

Sweetspire (Itea)

Sweetspire is an open, airy shrub up to 8 ft tall with slender, arching branches. You’ll have a great show of flowers in the spring and then in the fall they darken to red and purple and may persist throughout most of winter in our climate. The white flowers are individually small, but come out from the tips of branches in long clusters that are very showy. The clusters of slightly fragrant flowers may last for several weeks in the spring and early summer.

Fothergilla

This is another one that will bring you white flowers in the spring and strikingly beautiful color in the fall. Growing up to 4- to 6-feet-tall this shrub covers itself with soft, white flowers each spring before leaves emerge. It almost looks like snow when in full bloom. Then in the fall we get to enjoy bright red, orange, or yellow fall before leaves fall to the ground.

Oak Leaf Hydrangea

A tried and true performer in Gainesville yards is the Oakleaf hydrangea. It has large leaves similar in shape to oak leaves. They are borne on stiff, upright, hairy stems which occasionally branch. A fuller shrub can be created by pinching the new growth or cutting back old growth. The plant grows in sun or shade and prefers a rich, moist soil. Oakleaf hydrangea has a great red fall color and a spectacular display of flowers when it’s in bloom. The flowers, produced in mid-summer in panicles, are at first white, then fade to pink and then tan. If you wish to prune this hydrangea to create a dense shrub, do so after it flowers so you can enjoy the spectacular flower display!

And remember, fall is a great time to get new landscaping in the ground. If you are interested in a free consultation to see how The Master's Lawn Care can help improve your yard, call us today at 352-378-5296. Whether you are looking to spruce up your existing landscaping with a few new plants and mulch installation or completely overhaul your yard with all new plants and sod installation, The Master's Lawn Care can help you along the way! 

>> With special thanks to Frank Severino III for his contributions to the article! 

We are officially in the fall season. The temperatures have come down to a more pleasant level and that means that your lawn no longer needs as heavy a watering schedule as it did through the summer (don’t forget to adjust your automatic sprinklers to save money on your GRU bill!)

Typically at this time of year, most flower beds and borders look worn out. But though it may feel counterintuitive, fall is the best time to plant in Gainesville, Florida for a variety of reasons reasons:

• Your soil is still warm in fall in North Florida
• The air is cooling down which means plants will lose less moisture through their leaves. 
• Our winters are mild and allow plants more time to adjust before the triple-digit heat.
• And most importantly, these conditions lead to stronger root growth than any other season of the year. 

I went into much greater detail on this subject in our Quick Tip a few weeks back. You can read that entry here  if you like.

At this time of the year nurseries are well stocked with hardy, late-blooming plants to refresh your bed. And the best part about planting at this time of year is that the plants will have ideal conditions to grow strong roots over winter, so they’ll be ready to sprint into bloom next spring, too.

If you want to introduce some fall color into your Gainesville Landscape, some of our favorites are…

• Pansies:   In North Texas Dallas if you want colorful blooms over the winter your go-to flower are pansies.  I’ve never understood why the name pansy got associated with wimpy when they’re the toughest flower I’ve seen.  They can weather single digit temperatures and wintry precipitation.  Then, a few sunny days later, will bounce back and start blooming again.  They will bloom better with a high phosphorous fertilizer (5-30-5 ratio.)  Like most flowers they prefer a loose well drained soil so they don’t stay wet after watering.  An easy way to accomplish that is to add potting soil to the bed.
• Violas:  They have pansy-like blooms except the blooms are smaller.  You can plant these in similar conditions to pansies though, and they do well.
• Kale and/or Cabbage:  Oddly enough, if you have deer problems, you are safe planting flowering kale and/or cabbage.  Deer would rather eat your flowers than your vegetables!  These aren’t as colorful as pansies but they’re easy to grow.  You will want to eat or replace them in spring though, as they will be tall and leggy come April.
• Mums:  These are wonderful fall plants.  Like azaleas, they only bloom a few weeks out of the year, but when they bloom they look great, especially with pumpkins and a couple bales of hay.
• Diascia: These will no longer be blooming after the first frost, but they are still looking great and do so most of the year. 

You can also introduce a burst of color by purchasing some pumpkins and gourds at a local pumpkin patch. There are a number of these patches, but the one we recommend is in front of Littlewood Elementary on the corner of 8th and 34th. (Littlewood Elementary is one of our clients)

Spring is the perfect time of year to enjoy the outdoors in your Gainesville landscape: not too hot, not too cold, and the mosquitoes aren't out yet. Below are some tips to add privacy to your outdoor living space so that you can enjoy your yard even more.

How much does a landscape or lawn service in Gainesville, Florida cost?  ...or... How much should I budget for lawn and landscape work in Gainesville, FL?

This is always one of the first questions a homeowner has when starting the research process for a Landscape company. The problem with answering this question, though, is the fact that a lawn service or project has so many variations and options that it can be very tough for one to truly know what the price to fully enjoy their yard will be. Notwithstanding, I'll do my best here to give you some realistic cost ranges as to what most people will spend. (And remember, these prices are AVERAGE, and can vary drastically depending on the size of your property, the thoroughness of the company, the quality of the material, etc)

Gainesville Irrigation System Costs

First things come first, and before you can expect to have a vibrant landscape in North Florida, you must make sure you have water irrigate it. Most homes built after the 90's in our area came with irrigation systems, but there are still many in our area that haven't had one installed yet. To irrigate efficiently and effectively, a professionally-installed irrigation system that meets code, comes equipped with a backflow preventer, and utilizes a rain sensor is a must-have.

Price Range for Design/Installation: - $3,500-5,000

Price Range for a Service Call - $100-250 (depending on the type of repairs needed)

Price Range for a Bi-Annual or Quaterly System Inspections - $75-250 per service

Gainesville Sod Installation

Occasionally we'll have a client that just wants to have a new lawn installed. Although there are many more things that create curb appeal than just green grass, there are people who just need new grass to give them a lawn they want their kids and pets playing in. Here are some rough price estimates, with variables of size of lawn, access for equipment, and amount of preparation work needed. 

The estimated costs include:

• the removal of the existing weeds and dirt to make sure the existing problems and pests are removed from the lawn
• the removal of approx 1" of existing soil to make sure new sod is installed level with the current lawn
• application of an organic soil ammendmanet (milorganite) that helps kick-start the biological cycle in the soil to create nutrients and healthy soil under the new sod
• Sod costs and delivery fees
• Installation labor
• Irrigation Check-up to verify coverage of new lawn
• Dump Fees for old materials removed from the lawn

1,000 - 1,500 Sq. Ft. of Sod - $2.25-2.75 per square foot

1,500 - 3,000 Sq Ft. of Sod - $2.25-2.50 per square foot

3,000 and up Sg. Ft. of Sod - $2.00-2.50 per square foot

Smaller Gainesville Landscape Designs:

This typically includes: a professional landscape design sketch concept, removal/disposal of existing unwanted plant material, approximately 30-50 plants, mulch, and the installation of all of the above. This is typically for a very small postage stamp-sized lawn, or just the front or back of a normal sized yard. 

Price Range: $2,500-$6,000. (This, like everything else mentioned in this article, is contingent on a wide variety of factors)

Larger Gainesville Landscape Installation Prices:

This would include everything in the basic install noted above, but about twice as many materials and size of the design. Also, it may include a hardscape patio or firepit as an additional feature in the backyard.  This is typical for a full landscape re-design (front and back) of a normal to a large-sized yard. 

Price Range: $10,000-$25,000

Gainesville Landscape Lighting Pricing:

Our landscape lighting systems are first-class quality from the design to the fixtures. The 2 main problems with outdoor lighting in Florida are the fixtures allowing moisture into the electronics and burning out or the system not being maintained properly to keep adjusting for growing the maturing landscape. We solve these two issues with quality fixtures that have a lifetime warranty and with on-going service to adjust and aim the landscape lights with the landscape as it grows. We recommend choosing our premium LED system over the cheaper lighting systems because of the savings on electricity, bulb replacement, and their lifetime warranty. It may cost a little more up front over a home depot system, but will save you money for years down the road in headaches and frustration. We also offer Wi-Fi transormers that are controlled by your smartphone or tablet as well. 

Price Range: $200-300 per lighting fixture (including the transformer, fixture, LED bulb, and installation) with a minimum of 10 light fixtures. 

Gainesville Patio Pavers, Walkways, and Firepit Pricing

Patios, Paver Walkways, and Custom firepits extend your living space outdoors at a fraction of the cost. They give you the freedom to entertain guests and spend quality time together somewhere other than around the television. These can be done on a relatively low budget using crushed concrete or gravel as a surface, or they can be done intricately with pavers and travertine.

Price range: $11-17 per sq. ft., plus any retaining walls or firepit additions.

Gainesville Landscape Maintenance Service Pricing

Landscape maintenance services can vary wildly on pricing - depending upon a myriad of factors. Size of lawn, the frequency of service (weekly, biweekly, monthly), annual schedule (how many scheduled visits per year), service inclusions (mowing only, shrub trimming, weed removal in mulch beds), and whether that company is insured properly for your protection. The pricing scale can range all the way from your neighbor's teenager just cutting the grass to a professional lawn service providing a thorough and detailed service that leaves your landscape immaculate and follows up with scheduled lawn pest treatments and fertilization to keep your lawn looking the best in the neighborhood. The Master's lawn maintenance service includes our lawn health program with it to protect your lawn from unwanted pests. 

Price Range: $195-$350 per month

Gainesville Lawn Health and Fertilization Pricing

Lawn spraying programs are offered most often by chemical companies like ChemLawn (now rebranded as TruGreen) and other Pest Control companies. These companies are great at keeping pests out of your lawn using chemicals - but we have found they typically are not very knowledgeable about lawn health. The Master's handles everything in the Gainesville lawn - the design, preparation, installation, irrigation, mowing, aeration, fertilization, and pest control. We leave the termites and house pests to the experts in their field, and we stick to what we're experts about - and that's lawns. Our program includes weed control, pest prevention, disease treatment, fertilization, and soil amendments - all in one organic-based program to improve the health of your lawn. 

Price range - $42-95 per month

Although all of these numbers and prices are very general, I do hope this article helps you to have a better feel for pricing on Gainesville lawn and landscape projects and what to expect when you start going through the process. If we can be of help in this process, please call us at (352) 378-5296 and we look forward to working with you.

St. Augustine is a warm-season turf grass that grows well in coastal areas in southern areas of the U.S. and is a great grass for Gainesville FL sod replacement. Though it requires a little more care than other turf grasses, St. Augustine's thick, matting quality makes it a desirable lawn grass. Laying St. Augustine sod is an in-depth process, with as much preparation labor as installation to have it done correctly. Once the area is prepared and the sod laid, your grass should be ready for mowing in approximately 3-4 weeks, depending upon the Gainesville Landscaping season.

Step 1

Clean the area of any weeds or other vegetation before laying the St. Augustine sod. Rake the vegetation from the area, or spray it with an herbicide to kill the weeds. Wait several days for the vegetation to die before watering. Water the area after everything has died, to wash the herbicide from the surface. TMLC uses a sod cutter like they use in the sod farms to cut out approximately 1" of current grass, weeds, roots, and soil and to  ensure that the new Gainesville sod doesn't get laid higher than the rest of the lawn.

Step 2

Rake the area to remove unwanted rocks, sticks, or other debris and to smooth the surface out to be level. Laying the sod on an uneven surface will result in an uneven lawn. This also helps to loosen compacted soil so the roots tap into the soil easier.

Step 3

Sprinkle the bare ground with a low nitrogen natural fertilizer like milorganite, according to the application rates on the package. Work the fertilizer into the soil with a hard rake. This will start the eco process of microorganisms creating organic material to create a natural compost under your new sod so that it turns the florida sand (or clay) into nutrient-rich soil.

Step 4

Mark areas around trees and flowerbeds with a garden marking spray or can of spray paint. This will help you keep the sod out of areas where it is unwanted and keep a neatly defined bed line iwth firm distinction.

Step 5

Begin laying the sod down, starting at a corner. Be sure the sod lies flat upon the ground and that no piece overlaps the piece laid next to it. Kick the piece of sod with your foot to butt it up firmly against the neighboring piece. Make sure all corners are flush. Continue laying each piece of sod until you have the area covered. Some people even prefer to stagger the joints, but this is not neccessary and hasn't been proven scientifically to help the Gainesville Sod Installation process in any way. 

Step 6

Cut sod pieces to fit around curves, trees or flowerbeds, using a machete or other large knife.

Step 7

Water the newly laid sod immediately after installing. Continue keeping the area moist, but not flooded, for the next two weeks by watering daily (unless in heavy shade or sun where frequency may need to be adjusted up or down). Then cut back the watering to 5x, 3x, and 2x per week in weekly increments, depending on your local weather conditions. Drier conditions will need irrigated more oftern whereas rainy conditions may not need water at all. 

Planting Annual flower beds, or "Seasonal Color," can create a huge impact on the visual aspect of your home. Commercial properties have done this for years to create a sense of being at home for their customers and to attract customers to their properties signs and main entrances.

Try color bowls or large container plantings near the entry of your home; or just fill the corner of a highly visible bed with annuals. Your friends and family will be very impressed with your landscape and home.

Can you see how the red Begonias stand out under the palm trees? That is just one example of how much of an impact seasonal color can make on your landscape; which is the first impression of your home. 

And as the old adage says, "The first impression is the most important!" Make that impression a great one by letting TMLC install some seasonal color for you in your landscape!