Design n Bloom - Blog

Cutting Down on Yard Care

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:26:16 -0700

I just finished cutting our lawn and having a look around the yard. This year has been tough on a lot of the landscape - trees all around the city are showing signs of stress, lawns are browning in areas, crabgrass is running rampant, among other things. As much as I like the look of a freshly cut lawn, I know the impact maintaining it has on the environment. I've had some passionate discussions about this with friends and associates also in the landscaping industry - I'd like to thank them for all they do and contribute to making our little corner of the world a better place to live in.

I shared a little math exercise a few posts back and I'd like to add a few more things to that equation. Not only do our lawns require water to stay green, we also have other inputs to keeping our lawns looking good. For most of us, that means getting out the lawn mower every week and giving it a nice even trim. Each weekend, about 54 million Americans mow their lawns, using 800 million gallons of gas per year. That might have an impact on the economy and environment, don't you think? The EPA has put into effect stricter requirements for small engine emissions, but the average walk-behind mower produces 11 times more pollutants per hour than an automobile. Seems like we shoud be a bit more environmentally friendly with our lawn care, shouldn't we?

Seeing Red

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 14:58:23 -0700

I've been seeing a lot of red, lately - and in places it doesn't really belong. If you happen to like red roses, red lilies, red cannas and red callas, I am perfectly fine with that. In fact, red is one of the most popular colors in bridal bouquets and floral arrangements. Where I am seeing red and it doesn't belong is as a color of mulch. Colored mulches have become popular, for whatever reason (marketing, I imagine). Appearance is certainly one aspect using mulch in your landscape offers, but that is not the only reason, nor is it the most important reason.

But if I Don't Water, the Green Turns to Brown!

Sat, 29 May 2010 18:38:54 -0700

OK, so I was a little drastic in my last post about watering and a follow-up is needed. The point I was trying to get across is that we don't always measure the impact of our actions, and we should be conscious of them. There are drastic consequences if we don't - just do a little research on the impact of the Babylonian irrigation system and on the San Joaquin Valley salinization to see the impact of irrigation without regard to the future. There are also parts of the world where clean water is in scarce supply, threatening the survival of the people living there.

Greener Pastures, or Just Green With Envy?

Thu, 27 May 2010 19:39:17 -0700

The majority of the trees and shrubs are now cloaked in various shades of green (did you know the human eye can distinguish more shades of green than any other color?). Some are showing the effects of a rather blustery winter (for once, Minnesota has had a normal winter) and there are signs of animal damage, temperature damage and moisture (or lack of) damage.

This spring has been the usual ups and downs in temperatures and precipitation and as I, more than once, had to change plans because of a change in the weather, I began thinking about all the things we do to try to manipulate our environment. We plant. We water. We weed. We feed. We pluck, prune and pinch. We mow and we mulch. Not that all of this is bad - and, believe me, these are essential to our business. But, have we not learned anything from our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents about caring for the earth?

A Rose by Any Other Name

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:19:51 -0700

As I was spending time in the yard this weekend, I was thinking about some of the typical activities people associate with this time of year - and the first application of 'weed-killer' usually tops the list. 'Weed' is not a scientific classification, like tree, perennial, or grass, rather it is a cultural stereotype for plants growing in places you don't want them to.

Consider the dandelion - to the little girls and boys, it is the 'pretty yellow flower' they pick for their mothers.

Yes, Brown is a Color!

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:06:17 -0700

A lot of the images I've posted lately are rather brown - spring landscapes tend to be monochromatic until things warm up a bit. It's like looking at a sepia print of the landscape. But, despite the seeming lack of color, brown can be a very striking color. In many recent weddings, brown is coming to the forefront of the color selections. When the picture at the left was taken, wedding cakes were still quite traditionally white, but we elected to have ours made with a chocolate buttercream (man was that good cake!). Brown doesn't have to mean drab - used boldly, it is quite stunning.

Spring - The Best Time of Year for (Planning) Lawn Care

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 12:41:58 -0700

It is a gorgeous afternoon here in the Twin Cities - warm enough and dry enough to get a closer look at the lawn and do some light raking. I did have some snowmold along the road and driveway, where the snow got piled pretty deep and it's pretty shady. But, the overall condition looks good after the raking. Last fall, I told you that was the best time for lawn care and that's still true. However, spring is the best time to evaluate your overall landscape and establish a strategy and program for developing a healthy lawn

Lions and Tigers and Bears - Oh My!

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:40:00 -0700

Well, maybe not lions and tigers and bears, but voles, moles and gophers, at least. But, sometimes there is more than meets the eye. Spring continues to reveal more of the hidden life in your yard and landscape as the snow recedes. Take, for example, the photo at the left - look closely and you'll see the snowmold we talked about in our last post, but also a bunch of runways through the grass. This is the work of voles (a.k.a. meadow mice). During the rest of the year, you'll probably have no clue they're around, but spring uncovers their activity as they ventured out for food.

Spring Fever and Moldy Grass

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:10:00 -0700

If you're like most of us in Minnesota, you are enjoying the effects of a warm spell that has banished most of the snow in your yard. Even though we had some record snowfalls, all that is left in my yard are the remnants of the snowbanks deposited by the snowplows. And, with the change to Daylight Saving Time (note it is Saving, not Savings!), I had the opportunity to walk around the yard and see how things survived the winter, which is the best thing you can be doing right now, too.

1st Thing To Do After Getting Engaged

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 08:10:00 -0800

Start your wedding planning checklist!

There are many details you need to consider and keep track of when planning your wedding - guest lists, seating charts, caterers and bakery selections, appointments with vendors, budgets, to-do lists, photographers and musicians.

Wedding sites abound with free tools to plan your wedding - there's TheKnot, MyWedding, WeddingWire, Perfect Wedding Guide, GetMarried and OurWeddingDay. Now, there is even Google Docs!