Today I want to discuss a problem many Gainesville homeowners face in their lawn.

As we've brought up in several blogs, all you need for a fundamentally healthy lawn is the proper amount of the lawn's 3 basic needs: sun, water, and food (fertilizer.) If you have those three things, your grass will fill in by itself in time. If you don’t, it doesn’t matter how much time, effort, or money you throw at the problem, you will end up with that same bare spot under the tree.

Consider how much sun you need for grasses in Gainesville lawns:

• St. Augustine needs about 5-6 hours to establish itself. Once established, the St. Augustine will gradually acclimate to less light (which explains why your neighbor may have thick St. Augustine under their trees and you don’t).
• Zoysia is starting to become popular and has slightly higher light requirements than St.Augustine. We reommend 6 hours.
• Bahia and Bermuda both need closer to 7-8 hours of sunlight
• Centipede grass thrive in 5-6 hours of sunlight, similar to St. Augustine grass.

One solution to reducing shade on your lawn is trimming the tree's canopies, but this rarely increases the sunlight dramatically. How much it adds depends on your specific lawn and how low your limbs are hanging. 

If you have a shaded Gainesville lawn and have been fighting to keep grass, my solution is this: Embrace the shade. Why continue investing in sod that will never thrive? In my experience, fighting nature never results in a victory for me - trust me, I've tried.

There are simply too many appealing and low-maintenance plants that thrive in shade to keep fighting an uphill battle with grass. We can install low-maintenance shade plants, butterfly and hummingbird shade landscapes, and much more. It's just a matter of changing your perception that the shady area needs to be turf.

Even better than finally winning the war on having an attractive lawn, is Alachua County's Turf Swap Program. It will actually give you a rebate to do just that - trade in your struggling turf for Landscaping.  Click here to find out more.

If you have questions or concerns about your lawn, please don't hesitate to call us at (352)378-5296, fill out the form above, or email us at info@themasterslawncare.com. We would love to help. Your question may even be the next subject on our blog!

There is a Freeze Warning coming up in Northern Florida for this weekend. The current forecast is predicting overnight freezing temperatures for both Saturday and Sunday nights, which could result damage or Gainesville sprinkler systems and tender landscape plants. Here are some tips that will help minimize the harmful effects of low temperatures:

• Cover your sprinkler system's backflow preventer with protective covering and change settings like this. Upgrading your weather sensor to a rain/freeze sensor also protects your irrigation from running and leaving moisture to cause freeze damage on plants. 
• Cover your cold-sensitive plants (see list below) with sheets or blankets, but not plastic.
• Don't mow or use heavy equipment on your lawn if it is frozen or if there is frost present the following morning.

Most Common Cold-sensitive Gainesville landscaping plants*:

• Gold Mound Duranta
• Some Palms
• Philodendron
• Bird of Paradise
• Variegated Schefflera
• Some varieties of Ginger
• Hibiscus
• Firespike
• Plumbago
• Bougainvillea
• Lantana
• Croton
• Heather
• Hydrangea
• Oleander
• Butterfly bush
• Impatiens / Sunpatiens
• Warm Season Annuals

*This is just a list of the most common plants. If you have plants not on this list that are fruit bearing or of a tropical nature, it is recommended you protect them as well.

Being prepared and vigilant can help you protect and preserve the investment you’ve made in your Gainesville lawn and landscaping. A little work now will pay big dividends when you have a healthy lawn this coming Spring. 

The Master's Lawn Care is a Certified Gainesville Lawn & Ornamental Pest Control Business, and we want to help you get the best out of your lawn. Call us at 378-LAWN if we can be of any help.

Landscape Plants in Gainesville yards are often loved for the beauty they add to homes and businesses year after year. Perennial plantings are the majority of those landscaping plants. While not all perennials need time to look and do their best, this is a common enough phenomenon that there is an actual adage for it "The first year they sleep, the second year they creep and the third year they leap!"  But what does that really mean?

The First Year They Sleep

The time to plant in your Gainesville yard finally comes, so you hire a landscape company to design a beautiful landscape for you. It is beautiful and you couldn't be more proud - if only the plants were a little bit larger. You've waited 3 months to see them grow and nothing happens.  The plants just sit there, taunting you, seemingly content to laze the summer away without growing much bigger. 

Now if you had a tool to see underground, you could take a look and see that while it's true that nothing much is happening above ground, there is a lot happening down under.  Roots are what's happening.  Some perennials spend most of their energy the first year creating a great root system, instead of growing a lot on top, and that is the basis for great plants in the long run.  Well-developed roots are better at finding and taking up both water and nutrients, not to mention anchoring the plant in place and keeping the plant healthy which translates into better yard pest and disease resistance, too. 

The Loropetalum is a classic example of a Gainesville landscape plant that sleeps, creeps and then leaps. I've planted several of these at my current home, but they were mostly in a holding pattern their first season.  Now that they are going into their second summer in my yard, I'm seeing more flowers and stems, but I am expecting them to do something even more spectacular next year.

The Second Year They Creep

In a perennial's second year, even though you can't see them, the roots are growing bigger and stronger.  You'll notice that there is more foliage and flowers than the first year.  That's important because the leaves are the "engine" for the plant -- they absorb the sun's rays which create food and energy for the plant. Although their growth is appreciated in year two, it still isn't at the level most hope for if planted for privacy or screening. 

The Third Year They Leap

In their third year, most shrubs and trees burst into full glory.  The roots are now very well-established, they are growing strong.  It is almost as if the plants do 2 years of growing in one year to make up for the sleeping and creeping!  It'll leave you thinking "Now THIS is what I was talking about!"  

One of landscape contractors' biggest struggles is planning for a "wow" effect right after everything is initially installed, while also planning for the growth of the plants not to be crowded in 3-5 years as they grow to maturity. If compensating for full growth of all the plants, the initial yard renovation can look bare and underwhelming. However, planting the beds to look full when first installed will give your lawn maintenance service nightmares of trimming to keep everything from growing together and looking like a jungle in a couple years. The key is balance in having immediate appeal while also planning ahead for growth and maintenance. 

One of the biggest keys to our success is in the initial appointment to discuss your expectations for your yard, and following with the desires for plant sizes and ongoing maintenance of the landscape. If this consultation is something you think you could benefit from, please call our office at (352) 378-LAWN (or text us at 352-378-5296) for a landscape proposal at your earliest convenience. 

8. How many projects do you have going at one time? Generally, the more employees a company has, the more projects it will be able to run concurrently. Asking this question will open up a conversation about the number of employees the company has and how multiple ongoing projects are handled. A follow-up question is, Will the person assigned to manage your project be managing other projects at the same time?

Ornamental Grasses such as Muhly grass, Fountain grass, and Pampas grass are some of the most common plants in Gainesville Landscaping due to their ability to withstand drought. However, they are commonly left completely unmaintained to grow wild and look unsightly. This short video is a quick tip on how to cut back your grass after winter and help it look like the photo below.

Cold days in Gainesville are a perfect time to dream about spring and what improvements you want to make to your landscaping. Have you been considering adding a water feature? Reclaiming natural areas? Replacing existing landscaping with native plants or installing a butterfly garden? Whatever your hopes might be for your landscaping, now is a great time to get started planning. To help make that easier, here are six tips to get you started planning a landscaping project

1. Prioritize

A landscaping project can escalate quickly in cost but a smaller budget can go a long way if you focus your dollars in the right way. We recommend prioritizing your project to make the most of your budget and create an impact. For example, focus on the front yard this year and save the backyard for another time,or install a Gainesville paver patio with room to grow and add a fire pit later. Phasing a project helps to break it out into manageable and budget-friendly pieces.

2. Consider Maintenance

A traditional English garden is a beauty to behold but this beauty also comes with a price. That price is most pronounced when you consider the time it takes to maintain. If you plan to maintain the landscaping yourself, make sure to consider the ease (or difficulty) of maintaining the design. You may still want to go with that traditional English garden, but you may also decide to scale back if you decide you don’t want to spend that much time on landscape maintenance.

3. Accent your Home

When choosing plants and flowers for your landscaping be sure to consider what will compliment your home. Choose colors and textures that enhance the colors of your home and showcase the design features in the architecture. For a traditional-style home, (a classic style and white picket fence) adding evergreen foundation plantings and a few planters on the front porch is a simple way to add landscape impact. If you home has a more modern or contemporary feel you may want to consider adding in a few century plants, or soap aloe to accent the home’s design.

4. Choose the right plants, in the right place

One of the landscaping mistakes that I see far too often is installing plants that are not suited to our climate, or installing plants in the wrong area. If there are tropical plants that you love, research to make sure they are suited to our chilly winters. Often times there is a similar look and style that can be found that is better suited to our climate. Also, consider your yard when selecting plants and make sure to install plants in the correct area. Planting a sun-loving Daylily in the shadiest part of your yard could yield so very disappointing results!

5. Know your Limits

Landscaping is hard work! As you plan the size and scope of your project consider how much of your project is best to DIY or if you want to bring in some help to get the job completed. Filling in a small landscaping bed with some extra plants and some fresh mulch could be a great weekend project. But laying sod throughout the front yard is something that could take dozens of hours and require specialized tools and equipment to get the right results. Make sure you know what you are getting into before you start and plan accordingly.

6. Consult a Professional

The best way to get your landscaping off to the right start is to speak with a landscape designer who is well-versed in the unique needs of Gainesville yards. The Master’s Lawn Care offers complimentary landscaping consultations for just this reason. We can help bring your landscaping dreams to life and ensure that the right plants go in the right places, underground utilities are located, and ensure that your Gainesville irrigation is providing correct coverage for your new plantings. We can even provide fertilization and lawn pest and disease treatments to maintain the healthy, beautiful landscaping of your dreams. We’d love to meet with you for a free consultation!

When it comes to shrubs in Gainesville, there are few more hardy than the Burford Holly. Seen in almost every yard in Haile Plantation, this plant is a staple of the Gainesville community. It's sun and shade tolerance, glossy dark green leaves, bright red berries in Christmas time, and it's no-fuss growth make this an obvious choice for your Gainesville lawn. 

Burford Hollies generally come in two options - The dwarf burfurd, appropriately named for it's smaller size(6' height), and the original Burford Holly, which can grow to 25' and above. 

They are low-maintnenace plants/trees, however, I do recommend at least some pruning every year.  This will make them fuller, carry more berries in winter, promote more new growth and generally give you a neater looking plant. They only have one Gainesville Lawn Pest that attacks them, and that's the Armored Holly Scale. Typically, this is found not by the scale, but by their unsightly 'black sooty mold' they leave on the shrub. (See photo)

This can easily be treated though by a Gainesville Lawn Spraying Company like The Master's Lawn Care if your Hollies are fighting this Ornamental pest. Other than this one weakness, Burford Hollies are one of the standards for Gainesville lawns and will continue to be for years to come. 

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 landscape request form so we can schedule a meeting to discuss how to integrate them into your Gainesville landscape design.

From the changing colored leaves to the cooling temperatures, fall is the perfect season to take advantage of your outdoor entertainment area and enjoy your landscape. However, now that the fall season is upon us, don’t make these 3 common fall mistakes!

1. Overwatering can cause brown patch fungus. 

 Many homeowners exprienced drought stress in their lawns over the heat of summer, and to combat that raised their irrigation run times. However, now that the temperatures are dropping in the evening, this can cause light brown rings to pop up in your lawn (photo) called Brown Patch Fungus.  When our evenings become cool while our days are relatively warm, the grass never quite dries out making perfect conditions for fungus to develop.  Left untreated the areas will spread throughout the lawn.  

What to do to avoid or treat brown patch?  First, water in the morning so the lawn has a chance to dry quickly.  Cut back on watering shady areas as much as possible, instead of 30 minutes per week, try 10 or 15 minutes in those areas. Second, call our office for a fungicide application which will stop it from spreading and further damaging your lawn. 

2. Allowing poor drainage to remain unaddressed

Many Gainesville lawns have poor drainage that heavy summer rains create minor issues with, but nothing that causes actual damage. Unfortunatley, with the end of summer and beginning of fall comes hurricane season (as Matthew brews off the coast) and that can bring extreme amounts of rain in short periods of time causing flood damage to homes with poor drainage. Installtion of french drains, downspout extensions, pop-up emitters, and other Gainesville drainage solutions allows water to be transported quickly away from the home to avoid flood damage and water sitting against the home's foundation. These poor drainage concerns also cause lawn and landscape issues as roots are unable to dry out and are more prone to disease and lawn pests.

3. Not Fertilizing the Lawn

Many homeowners see the fall as the wind-down toward dormant season for Gainesville lawns, and don't see a need to fertilize. That couldn't be farther from the truth! With soil temperatures not reaching low numbers until late December or January, your lawn is able to develop quite a healthy root system in October if it's encouraged to do so. The added root system will help protect from frost damage through winter and provide a faster bounce-back in spring. Just make sure to get a fertilizer with high potassium and limited nitrogen to protect from fungus damage.

If you're able to avoid these 3 common mistakes this fall, your Gainesville landscape should be much more appealing and enjoyable. Enjoy the (slightly) cooler weather!

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.