Attracting the right company

by Ross Harris

How many times have you noticed that it’s not just you who likes the plants in your landscape? We’re not talking about your pets, your neighbors, or your other family members. No, we’re talking about other less-than-savory pests. Fleas, rabbits, whiteflies, moths, ants, flies, mice, rodents, and other insects can be attracted to the plants around your home. 

    Generally, these common pests are not wanted around homes. But did you know that you can use landscaping to keep these critters, creepers, and crawlers away from your home? It’s true! That’s what we’re here to help with. We want you to know which plants keep pests away, and which plants can attract beneficial insects.

    Pests are called such for a reason. They’re pests. They pester. See the connection? Depending on the pests you have invading your landscape, you’ll want any of these pest repelling plants:

    Basil repels flies, and is best when kept around your kitchen, by a window sill, or even on your porch.

    Catnip repels mosquitos, but it does so at a cost. You may have guessed it. It is a major attraction for neighborhood cats. Depending on your personality this could be a good thing, or if you’ve ever seen a cat’s reaction to catnip video on YouTube, it could be a hilarious thing.

    Artemesia (as well as sagebrush and wormwood) are powerful plants that repel 4 pests at once. Those repelled include ants, whiteflies, moths, and mice. 

    Marigolds are useful for repelling insects in general, and they look good. Not a bad deal.

    Garlic plants are useful for repelling rabbits, and other insects. Rabbits are cute, and cuddly, but they can do a lot of damage to a landscape. Best to keep them away.

    Spearmint is another plant that repels multiple pests at once. Ants, fleas, moths, and rodents dislike this plant. 

    Now that we know some plants that repel pests, let’s look at the plants that attract beneficial insects:

    Bachelor’s Buttons plants attract lacewings, ladybugs, as well as beneficial wasps.

    Sweet Alyssum plants attract flower flies, which are a predator of many other harmful pests. 

    The Borage plant is useful for attracting lacewing insects, which are known predators of aphids, and other pests.

    Anise Hyssop attracts butterflies and bees. Always useful company to have around when pollination is a priority of yours. Do use caution if you are allergic to bees.

    Golden Marguerite attracts lacewings, ladybugs, and flower flies.

    Ornamental Grasses are useful not only for their aesthetic, but for the way they attract ladybugs, and ground beetles. 

    This list is not comprehensive, but it’s a place to start!

    Thanks for reading, and have a blessed day!

    For more tips:

    monumentaloutdoor.com

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8 easy steps to revive your lawn

As you stand on your porch watching your kids run all over your yard, you may be noticing that your yard is starting to get patchy, and nasty. It could be from kids playing, from weather, from pets, or from other animal pests. The bottom line is your yard needs help. You might be thinking, “I’m just gonna give up this year and fix my lawn next spring.”

NO!

Please don’t do that. Our experts have a few simple steps for you to consider as we approach the end of the Summer season, and transition to Fall.

Lawn renovation begins in the Fall. If you’re planning on having a lawn that looks like a golfer’s back yard (minus the sand traps of course), then you need to get your lawn ready in the Fall.

Aeration: Aeration is the first step in the lawn renovation process. By loosening compact soil, water and nutrients can access the soil better. Aeration increases oxygen levels in the soil, stimulates root growth, improves turf density, reduces water runoff, and improves drought tolerance, as well as health.

Verticutting: This is a very useful step of lawn renovation. It’s purpose is uniform seed growth. We verticut the entire property in one direction in order to create seed lines, and pull excess thatch to the top of the lawn. In the second step, we put down 50% of the seed to be applied and verticut it in a second direction. We then seed the lawn one final time for optimal coverage. Germination rates after this process exceed 80%.

Fall Renovator: This application of lawn care is designed to rebuild turf after summer stress. It also controls broadleaf weeds. It is performed around the same time as the above renovation services, and is part of those services if performed.

Winterizer: This important step of lawn renovation builds a large food reserve for spring and early summer. If you want your lawn to be green in spring, have better color than normal, and better rooting and tillering, then winterizer is a must-have.

Early Spring Pre-emergent: This works in tandem with winterizer to green up the lawn, and helps prevent annual grassy weeds like crabgrass and foxtail. Broadleaf weed control is applied once weather is warm enough.

Late Spring Pre-emergent: This helps control annual grassy weeds like crabgrass and foxtail, and maintains lawns green healthy color. Controls dandelions, clover, and broadleaf.

Summer application: This slow release application is performed in late May to mid June to sustain color throughout summer. We will again treat broadleaf as needed.

Grub Control: This prevents grubs all season long. Grubs are the fat, white worms you use for fishing bait! These pests feed on the roots of your lawn and cause patches of brown grass during hot, dry times of summer. They are the larvae of several insects. If not treated, these dead areas are a perfect place for weeds to invade.

If you want to renovate your lawn, please consider giving us a call (816) 876-7272, or send us an email at monumentaloutdoor.com.

Thanks for reading, and have a blessed day.

Build Life inside with a DiY Indoor Garden!

Folks from Lee’s Summit, Raymore, and on down to Harrisonville, Missouri have a huge love for gardening. Some may have even run out of room to plant anymore outside!!!  You know the ones I am talking about.  Even if you are not a “Green Thumb” per say, bringing your gardening indoors can be easy, fun, and even healthy! There are a great number of DiY garden plans online that are available to most people. Today, we want to take some time to show you some of our favorite DiY indoor gardens that are absolutely clever, and quite interesting to look at.

This garden is so intriguing. It almost makes you look twice at it just to make sure you’re getting all the details. A DiY garden like this works very well for most homes. It’s very accessible because almost everyone has a light bulb like this in use currently in their home, or they can get access to one. It’s good to reuse things after their main purpose has expired. Once the bulb breaks, you open the bottom end to allow airflow, and then place the plant with the dirt inside. This bulb will last you until the plant is too big for it’s home. You can then replant it very easily.

This garden can be made by connecting empty bottles through a string, or rope. Hanging them by the window in a chain pattern will allow them to really catch sunlight. This type of indoor garden is most useful for edible plants like herbs. Another plus is that they a great eye-catcher for people both inside and outside.

Needing to replace your gutters after a bad storm? Consider repurposing them into a nice indoor garden trough like this. These make for great gardens because of their adjustable sizing, their bigger size which resembles other lengthy planters, and their eye-catching look is sure to improve your home.

This hanging garden is absolutely gorgeous. If you’re able to get your hands on several globes, and enough wire to secure them, this garden can transform a room into a wonder of your neighborhood. Make sure the wire you use to hang them is strong enough to last, otherwise you’ll have a fantastic problem on your hands.

Thinking of trying any of these ideas in your home? Let us know which ones appeal to you, or show us some of your ideas that weren’t on this list.

Thanks for reading, and have a blessed day!

Putting up walls to break down barriers

Does your home have a hill in the yard? I’m not talking about a small mound. I mean a large hill that takes some effort to get up and over. Hills can be a problem for your yard. They can create a nasty runoff for water to pool at the bottom of them. This can really ruin your grass, and keep kids from using it. They can also limit functionality. It’s very difficult to throw a nice dinner cookout when your yard is slanted.

So what can you do? There is a solution to your problem. Retaining walls. Retaining walls are an affordable way to renovate the layout of your yard, increase the resale value of your home, and improve the functionality of your property.

Stone retaining walls are great for almost any home because they look clean and cut, they require little to no maintenance when built properly, and they can add structured flower beds, or a nice sitting area just outside a leveled off playing area. Below are some pictures of some of our projects in Raymore, and Lee’s Summit, MO, showing three different kinds of retaining walls that can help your home out.

This wall is designed to fix a steep slope leading down to the driveway. It levels out a good portion of the yard, making it more useable, and provides a small seating area for driveway activities like cookouts. The front yard looks far more structured now too. It no longer looks like a great mound. This is one example of fixing a front yard.

This wall is very long and winding. It has a lot of great s-curves to it, and some steps to accommodate the grade of the hill. This retaining wall is very useful because it adds a sculpted and structured flower bed that will last a long time. It keeps the contents of the flower bed from growing up and over and into the grass, and it keeps the grass out as well.

This retaining wall went up in the backyard of a home, and was installed with the intention of controlling too much water runoff. It also helped create a separate area for kids and adults to enjoy. It also provides a seating area, and some nice natural stone steps to give the yard the feeling of two separate rooms. It also keeps the upper level of the yard from washing out into the lower half.

These are just a few examples of how a quality retaining wall can help you out. Contact your local landscaper to see if a retaining wall could help you out. Our team is ready to help.

Thanks for reading, and have a blessed day!

Landscape, hardscape, mowing slideshow in Raymore, Lee’s Summit, Gardner, and Leavenworth

This is a short slideshow showcasing some of our jobs we’ve been able to do recently.

Enjoy!

 

Mower Maintenance Makes More Money!

Summer is in full swing here, and it is hot. We’ve addressed mowing lawns in the Raymore, Lee’s Summit, and Blue Springs, MO, area a few times on our blog, but this time we want to talk about how to do season ending maintenance on your lawn mower.

Mower maintenance is critical for you to know. Why? Because when you are going to spend your hard earned money on something that you are counting on to keep the carpet of your yard (lawn) clean and beautiful, you’ll want to learn how to make that money work as long as possible for you. Here are some helpful ways for you to maintain your mower:

Keep your mower clean – Landscapers go to a lot of effort to keep their heavy tools clean, and it’s important for you to do the same. Not only is it easy to see damage on a clean mower, but the mower itself runs smoothly when it is clean inside and out. Make sure the deck and undercarriage are clean. Your mower will look great, it will run even better, and longer.

Check your machinery, and check ‘em often – This step is all about prevention. Make a point to regularly inspect belt tension, the sharpness of the blades, tire pressure, and even the deck itself. Keeping yourself abreast of all the needs of your machine will help you save money from costly repairs, as well as saving you time. It can be a real downer when you have to spend a lot of time and money to fix a problem that could have been fixed with a little extra greasing, or even replacing a few bolts.

Follow instructions carefully – How many things do we buy without ever reading that huge owner’s manual? It’s even more annoying when we can’t find it and there’s a problem with our machine. This is true with mowers as well. If your owner’s manual does not address a problem you have found with your mower, don’t fix it blindly. Call a professional. You could alter your mower irreparably, or even hurt yourself.

End of season tips – Make sure that your gasoline mowers are run at the end of the season till they are out of gas since it can go bad. Just like people, mowers don’t want to run well with bad gas. Also, make sure the oil is clean. It’s the blood of the machine after all. If you can, give it a tune-up as well.

Doing these simple tasks can really prolong the life of your mower, and your money as well. No matter what part of Kansas City you live in, whether it’s Bucyrus, Overland Park, Raymore, Blue Springs, or Lee’s Summit, you can have a beautiful lawn. The first step is taking care of your tools.

Thanks for reading, and have a blessed day!

For more tips:
monumentaloutdoor.com
http://landscaping.answers.com/lawn-care-equipment/5-important-lawn-mower-maintenance-tips
http://www.totallandscapecare.com/3-ways-to-keep-your-mower-out-of-the-shop/

Landscaping Pro Tip: How to Properly mulch a tree!

In this video we instruct you on how to properly mulch a tree. Our goal, as always, is to instruct you and keep you informed. Let us know how we can help you further! Subscribe, and comment if you have any questions, and we’ll get back to you ASAP!

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Landscaping can be pet friendly!

Landscaping can be pet friendly

How many times have you looked at your yard and thought, “I should get some nice, high quality landscaping done in this yard,” only to look at your dog next and think, “Probably not.”

You’re not alone. It’s happened to a lot of people. Many homeowners in the Raymore and Lee’s Summit area think that it is not possible to own a beautiful yard if you own pets. We want to challenge you to think differently! Good landscaping and lawn care can provide a relaxing, beautiful spot for you and your pets to enjoy.

When it comes to designing a landscape that is pet friendly, you need to start by designing with your pets’ needs in mind. It’s important to know what you can put in a yard that will allow your pets to run around without tearing everything nice to pieces. So what are some things that you can do to improve your Raymore or Lee’s Summit area home? Here’s a few ideas for you:

Know your pets: The best way to plan a quality landscape plan for your yard is to know what quirks your pets have. What are their likes and dislikes? Are they frolickers, or relaxers?

Hardscapes: Hardscapes can be very useful in designing a yard that is fit for your pets, and you. Hardscapes can take a beating and keep on pleasing. Some yards use smooth flagstones with pebbles to form a dry creek bed that is safe and comfortable for your pets.

Mulch: Mulch is great for most landscapes because it enhances the look of your flower beds, keeps moisture locked in so your plants can stay happy, and it’s easy on the paws. It’s also too large to stick to most pets’ coats. Chipped mulch is recommended. However, it should be noted that some mulch can be harmful to pets if it is consumed. Make sure that you communicate with your landscaper about using “pet friendly” mulch.

Borders: Using driftwood or edge stones around a flower bed can be used to teach your pets where they can and can’t tread. This might take some time, but they’ll learn that borders mean “no”.

Sensible plants: Make sure to place durable, but soft plants next to high traffic areas. Avoid anything spiky or spiny, or potentially poisonous to your pets. These plants need to be tough.

Running paths: When you look at your yard, do you see a trail being made by your pets from their constant running over one path? Don’t worry about it. Turn that area into a running path and make it work for your yard’s beauty.

Lastly, make sure that your pets have a place to relax and bask in the sun, just like you wish to do too. Some pets like to be burrowers. If that’s the case, consider adding some chicken wire, or some rebar underground to deter them. Keep these things in mind, and your yard will be relaxing, beautiful, and fun for all members of your home.

For more tips:

http://www.sunset.com/garden/backyard-projects/dog-friendly-gardens/page2

monumentaloutdoor.com

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Rainy weeks slideshow for 6/24/2014

Here’s a slideshow of our work during the rainy weeks in June. Enjoy!

 

Thanks for watching, and have a blessed day!

monumentaloutdoor.com

(816) 876-7272

Summer Flower Beds for Summer Beauty!

Show off those flower beds!

Flower beds are great additions to your home when used properly. They can also be a hassle when you don’t know what to add to them. What you put in your flower beds will either be a help, or a hindrance to the overall aesthetic of your house. I know you’re asking, “But how do I know what flowers I should plant in my flower beds?” 

We’re here to help. That’s why we’re landscapers. We don’t want to just sell you products. We want to help you by teaching you what we’ve learned. Here are some plants that will help your flower bed become beautiful. All of these plants are great for the Raymore / Lee’s Summit area.

Hostas: Even if you have a shady backyard, don’t worry. Hostas are shade loving plants and can grow in tough conditions. Fun fact: there are so many colors, shapes, and sizes to Hostas, that you can plant an entire garden of them, and still struggle with fitting each kind into your beds. Hostas are also enjoyable because of their gorgeous flowering colors, and sweet fragrance. A good companion to your Hostas are Astillbe. Their lacy leaves compliment the thick leaves of the Hosta.

Black-eyed Susan: These plants can grow around 2-feet tall, and have cheerful blooms. They are naturally resistant to drought conditions, as well as insects. They work well with bouquets as well. Because they’re loose and informal, they look great around cottage style homes. A good companion plant to these beauties are Asters. The gold of the black-eyed susan looks great with the blue or purple of the aster.

Cheery coreopsis: This is a low maintenance plant that sometimes likes to be neglected. They grow about 18 inches tall and make great border plants for your flower bed since they are short. They’re generally carefree in nature, and work great when accompanied by salvia. 

Sedum: These plants are tough, and work hard. Sedums get bigger each year, and are impervious to heat, drought, and disease. Sedums are good to have around because their color is long lasting, and their nectar-rich blooms attract pollinators. Sedums grow well with Thyme. The fine, pretty leaves of Thyme contrast the bold leaves of the sedum.

Coneflower: These plants are great at attracting butterflies, and complimenting bulkier plants. These plants generally grow up to 3-feet tall, and come in a variety of colors. They work well with Russian Sage, which makes a nice backdrop for pink and purple blooms like the coneflower. 

These are just a few ideas that can help improve your flower beds.

Thanks for reading, and have a blessed day!

For more tips:

http://www.gardendesign.com/ideas/design-a-showy-flowerbed-with-these-5-easy-care-perennials?pnid=140026#gallery-content

monumentaloutdoor.com

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