Arbor Day is the time to celebrate our trees

Begun all the way back in 1872 as a designated day for everyone to plant a tree, Arbor Day is commemorated in special ways all over the United States.  

The Arbor Day Foundations suggests many different species of trees for our Agricultural Zone 9 climate including certain magnolias, crepe myrtles, dogwoods, cypress, maples, and oaks.  Some palm trees are also a favorite for our area, especially the Florida state tree, the native Sabal Palm. Professional landscapers will advise you as to the best trees for your landscape design, and will provide professional and dependable maintenance of your lawn and plantings.

Without a doubt, perfectly beautiful and thriving trees make the supreme focal points for a landscape design.  Find out more about the benefits of trees in your landscaping and other information here:

Landscape Design: Planting Trees has a Host of Benefits

A Few More Important Facts About Trees in Landscape Design

Amazing Facts About the Live Oak Tree

The Official Flora of Florida

Hurricane Preparedness Includes Your Landscaping

Florida Holly is Not So Festive After All

Crape or Crepe? This Myrtle Tree is Florida Friendly

🦚Article by Connie Helena, author of The Green Orchid 🦚

Landscape Design: Planting Trees has a Host of Benefits

Landscapers are not just landscape designers, but experienced consultants and "fixers" as well.  This is because we have seen the undesirable long term effects of having planted the wrong tree in the wrong location.  We have seen overgrown branches covering windows or disturbing utility lines, or trees with roots that damage a driveway.

Keep in mind, studies have reported that homeowners get a 100 percent or more return on the money they put into landscaping if it is done correctly.  If you have a completely bare lot, it will take many years for your plants to mature, so begin your landscaping immediately.

We begin by viewing your entire site plan comprehensively before planting anything. Then we will provide a landscape design that visualizes the size and shape of all its elements once the trees and shrubs mature.  This ensures that your investment in professional landscaping gives you the full return, as opposed to negating the value of your property.

🦚Article by Connie Helena, author of The Green Orchid 🦚

Hurricane Preparedness Includes Your Landscaping

Hurricane season is right around the corner, and this year it begins June 1st.  This week is National Hurricane Preparedness Week and we have several tips to get your landscaping and the area around your home ready in case of major storm.  Keep in mind that you can contact a landscaper regarding hurricane readiness and safety of your landscaping, and services cover many of the suggestions below.

1) Make sure if you have a shed, greenhouse, or other outbuildings that the doors and windows are secure and will not detach in heavy winds.

2) Prune your trees so that large branches are not hanging over your home or car, and away from power lines.  Do not engage in the inappropriately named "hurricane cut", which removes most of the fronds and can severely damage, or even kill, your trees.  Instead trees should be pruned to provide for air flow, which inhibits uprooting.  If a tree is obviously unhealthy and therefore weak, it should be removed.

3) Consider planting trees that are more likely to withstand heavy winds in the first place.  Native growing trees such as the live oak in Florida are standing all these years because they are strong, hard, resistant to winds, and their roots grow deep.

4) Clear your gutters and downspouts and ensure they are firmly attached and that your drainage system is fully functioning.

5) Be ready to stake tall plants in case of a storm, and if a storm is on its way you should be ready to harvest vegetables or flowers beforehand as those fragile plantings will most likely be damaged anyway.

6) Take inventory of all your lawn ornaments, outdoor furniture, potted plants, grills, flags, awnings, and other loose items around the home.  These can become flying projectiles in strong winds and should be stored when a storm is imminent.

7) Consider replacing your gravel beds with softer wood mulch.  Small stones can be hazardous if they become airborne in extreme weather conditions.

8) If you live close to the beach and the possibility of flooding is high, keep in mind that salt tolerant plants and trees are most likely going to be the few survivors of a major storm. When saltwater creeps up higher than usual on the coastline and blows its spray through the air, salt tolerance is severely tested.

Stay safe!  Hurricane season ends November 30th.

🦚Article by Connie Helena, author of The Green Orchid 🦚

Landscaping for Ormond Beach, Palm Coast, and Saint Augustine

New residents to northeast Florida find almost immediately that landscaping here is very different than other parts of the country.  There are specific varieties of plant material that thrive in this area, many of which require specific care for optimal health.

Landscape designing and installation in the Palm Coast, Ormond Beach, and St. Augustine areas is challenging and many people find it beneficial to outsource these tasks to professional companies.  Choosing a trusted company to install and maintain your landscaping and lawn is of the utmost importance - check that your landscaping service provider has the appropriate licensing, customer testimonials, and insurance.

Florida living is close to nature and the outdoors; it is usually an active lifestyle of beach, golf, and swimming.  Palm Coast landscaping companies are full service landscape design, maintenance, and installation organizations.  As your Florida landscape designer, we will create an outdoor space that invites entertaining and enjoyment with water features, hardscaping design, outdoor lighting, and a green lawn.

Ready to take your landscaping to the highest level of style, beauty, and growth?  Do you need consulting on the best plants and trees for your particular landscaping project?  Is your existing lawn not up to par? 

🦚Article by Connie Helena, author of The Green Orchid 🦚

Amazing Facts About the Live Oak Tree

The majestic live oak tree (Quercus virginiana) is one of the world's most eye catching and fascinating species of tree and it is located throughout the southern United States including Sanford, Deltona, DeBary, Daytona Beach, Port Orange, Lake Helen, Orange City, DeLand, and Ormond Beach, Florida. If you have one of these incredible species in your landscape design already, you most likely have an appreciation for its visual impact as well as its maintenance challenges.

Including new live oak saplings in a landscape design is making investments for the long term: they may not look as enticing in the beginning as they most certainly will in a few decades. A Volusia or Seminole County, Florida tree service will assist you with caring for aged live oaks.  Landscape designers will discuss all the things you need to know about incorporating potentially beautiful live oaks into your design, or designing around their already established presence. Keep in mind these facts regarding this native tree:

-There are other species of live oak, but the southern live oak is the most well known and was the first to be given that name. Live oaks indicate the evergreen types of oak tree (the ones that do not lose their leaves in the fall, as opposed to deciduous).

-Live oak is a huge, sprawling tree that reaches heights of 65 feet to 85 feet at maturity and has been known to live 500 years or longer.

-Live oak is the southern symbol of strength and the state tree of Georgia.

-Live oak trees require very little watering when first planted and when it reaches four to five feet tall, supplemental watering is no longer necessary.

-Live oaks are one of the heaviest native American hardwoods, weighing 55 pounds per cubic foot when air dry. Its strong, dense wood explains why these trees have outlasted so many Florida hurricanes.

-Live oaks support many types of epiphytic (air) plants, including Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) and resurrection fern (Polypodium polypodioides). These plants do not harm the tree in any way and add to its beauty.

-The large amount of acorns produced by the live oak are food for wild turkeys, wood ducks, jays (including the threatened Florida scrub jay), quails, whitetail deer, raccoons, squirrels, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, and black bears among others.

-Bulow Creek State Park in Ormond Beach is one of the largest remaining stands of southern live oak forests in Florida. Within its boundaries is the Fairchild Oak, one of the largest and oldest live oak trees in the South.

🦚Article by Connie Helena, author of The Green Orchid 🦚