This year for my little girl I ordered pink and red Lipstick tm Tulips (pictured left) and Pipit Daffodils (pictured below- right). She just loves plucking the petals off of the stems. She’s about 19 months now and is getting stronger everyday. By next seasons bloom time she will probably be able to rip them right out of the ground…. Ah what we do for our kiddos. There are tons of colors to choose from. I look forward to making my selections every year. pretty soon she will be picking them herself. Maybe even planting them too.
Check out our suppliers tulips site to see what colors and color blends are available. You need a password to get in but no worries — here it is.. Password: Shovel There’s a link on the left with their recommendations for the South, which is what these 2 beauties shown here are. It’s a nice variety of sizes and colors.
Unfortunately for the most part Tulips are treated as annuals here. They don’t come back bigger and better ever year like they would up north. You can lift them after blooms fade and store in a fridge but if you’re like me fridge space is at a premium. These bulbs are harvested in October and pre-chilled until December for planting. You can typically plant them as late as January – of course they still will have to be pre-chilled. If you would like to order Tulips or Daffodils please feel free to give us a call for a quote and order information. Whether your planting them yourself or wanting them professionally planted we can help you with your spring color needs.
Maria Bargellini is the President of Dallas Curb Appeal Inc, which also operates several helpful websites such as; DFW Christmas Lights, Lawn Sprinklers Dallas and the Outdoor Lighting Expert. Please visit our sites for helpful information on all your outdoor needs.
Texas Trees Face Tough Road Ahead
By Maria Bargellini
It official, 2011 was the driest year on record and the second hottest. It is estimated that throughout Texas we lost as much as half a billion trees. That’s 500 million beautiful living trees people. Tough to imagine it getting hotter than last year or losing that amount of trees on a yearly basis. Estimates come in at roughly 2-10% loss of our 4.9 billion trees.
..”an estimated 100 million to 500 million trees with a diameter of 5 inches or larger on forestland were estimated to have succumbed to the drought. That range is equivalent to 2 to 10 percent of the state’s 4.9 billion trees.” Full release here
The drought is obviously the main culprit in these deaths as these numbers cover our forest, which do not benefit from irrigation. There has also been a great amount of residential tree death as is apparent during almost any stroll or drive around town. I believe many of the tree deaths in residential areas could have been avoided if the right species were chosen and irrigated properly.
I have seen a lot of death in trees with higher water requirements such as the Bald Cyprus, Cedars and Willows. In addition we lost a great many Palms from the winter cold, especially those that were not suited for this area. Windmill Palms and those protected from wind did the best last year.
High water trees suffered greatly but what about the other trees that have died. Native and adaptive varieties still have to be watered regularly for at least the first 2 seasons. The most common mistake is allowing new trees to go without the proper amount of water. Gatorbags (those green sacs you see at the base of trees in the medians) can be used to water the tree during restrictions.
I have assessed several properties for damages this year and from the information I have gathered many of those deaths are the result of improper irrigation. In some cases the inhabitants mainly tried to save money by not watering as much or not maintaining the sprinkler system. Sadly the end result is that in most cases it costs far more to replace the plant material then what the water or maintenance would have cost, especially if it’s a mature tree that can be upwards of 20,000. If this is you – Do Not expect to get that deposit back.
Links
Texas Forest Service: New video shows how and when to water drought-stricken trees. – Watering tips help you show your trees some love.
How to know if your Trees are Dead
By Maria Bargellini
Is your tree dead or not? That depends. When most trees are stressed, especially after drought conditions, they go dormant and shed some or even all of their leaves. Typically when the leaves all stay on and turn brown – it’s a bad sign. You want to see the tree shed and go dormant as this is a sign that the tree is trying to reserve energy and stop growth by going dormant.
Most tree companies will give you a free estimate to have an arborist come out and take a look at your trees. That’s truly the only definitive way for knowing whether or not your tree is dead. You should not trim a tree you think is distressed as it will have to use energy to repair the wound and take away from its efforts to heal itself. In addition, you should not let dead or dying trees remain in place as they become a hazard not only to you but for anyone trying to remove it. Here are some general things to look for when a tree is dead.
Deadwood: This is harder to do in the winter on tall trees. For smaller ones you can feel if branches are dry by how light they are. It will snap off fairly easily without arching. It will also be brown and dry on the inside when performing a scratch test. If you have a high percentage of dry, brittle, trunks or branches with a brown core, there’s a very good chance that your tree has met its end.
Decay or Rot: Sometimes this can be very apparent. It may be an open wound, crumbling wood, soft spots etc. Other times it’s a lot harder and may require an expert. By looking at a tree it is hard to tell if it is structurally sound. Rot usually occurs from the inside out and makes it difficult to tell. The telltale signs of holes from insect are a good indicator that wood boring insects are present.
Cracks: Large cracks at the branch collar or center of the trunks are usually an indicator that a tree is structurally compromised. Mix in our heavy winds and dry contracting soils and you have a very dangerous mix.
You should never attempt to diagnosis and take down a tree on your own. Not all trees need to be removed. A dormant or diseased tree is not a dead tree. Call a certified arborist to get recommendations on how to proceed. In addition it can be extremely dangerous to take down a structurally compromised tree as you have to climb the tree in order to cut the top.
How to Make your Home Safe for the Holidays
Your Winter Home – Making it Right for the Family
In the summer my family spends most of our time out-of-doors. We work and play outdoors. We eat outdoors. Sometimes we even sleep outdoors. But when winter comes, our house is our haven. My wife and I do everything we can to make our home comfortable and enjoyable for our children. We want our kids to want to stay at home and to bring their friends here, especially now that they are teenagers and have interests of their own.
Here’s what we do to get the house ready for family time in the winter.
Safe and Warm
We heat with wood, mostly. (We do have a gas furnace for the really cold days, or days when we are gone all day.) I cut and split wood all year round to make sure we have enough dry, seasoned wood for the winter. Well before winter comes the wood is neatly stacked and ready to be used.
I also keep a supply of kindling in a wooden storage bench. I make sure the bench and anything else that’s flammable is at least 18 inches from the wood stove.
The wood stove is the center of family life in winter. Before we use it I clean it all out and make sure it’s in perfect working order. We have a new stove, and it burns much cleaner than the older ones. I also make sure to check the fireplace damper to ensure it’s working properly.
I have a chimney sweep come in to make sure all’s okay in that department. Because we only burn seasoned hardwood, our chimney stays pretty clean, not much creosote buildup. Creosote, as you probably know, is a major cause of chimney fires.
I also put up winter drapes. We live in the country and don’t have near neighbors, so in summer we go curtain-less. But in winter we need the extra warmth. We had thermal-lined curtains made to order for the family room; they are quite attractive and they keep the cold out at night.
Unseen Safety Chores
I do a number of chores to keep my family safe that they don’t even know about. But, believe me, if I didn’t do them, we might all be very unhappy.
What I’m talking about are things like:
· Replacing batteries in smoke alarms, flashlights, and carbon monoxide detectors;
· Inspecting the fire extinguishers and replacing them if they are not in good working order;
· Making sure we have a good supply of ice melt, and that it’s easy to get to;
· Stocking up water in case we lose power. A gallon a day for each of us, including the dog, for three days;
· Checking and refilling the emergency kit. We’ve never used it, but sometimes things get “borrowed” and not put back; and
· Sealing foundation cracks and holes so rodents can’t get in. Rodents aren’t just annoying pests, they can chew the insulation off electrical wires and cause fires.
Winter Fun
We also stock up on the latest games that we can play as a family. Last year we got a ping-pong table for the basement. Maybe we’ll get something smaller this year for the family room. That’s the kids’ job – to recommend games.
When it comes to games, the old standbys still come out on top. Monopoly, Clue, Scrabble, and card games are still popular with our teens and their friends. This winter we’re all going to learn chess.
I hope you and yours enjoy your winter and stay safe.
Author Bio
Stan Horst lives and works in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. He and his family enjoy outdoor activities, including winter sports. Stan is a former cabinetmaker. Now he shares his knowledge of fine carpentry on his website www.betterbenches.com, where he helps people choose the perfect bench. Stan’s personal favorite is the Kingsley Bate bench.
Prepare Your Home for Prospective Buyers: From Wasilla Homes for Sale to Austin Homes for Sale
By Margot McClelland
Selling a home isn’t a walk in the park, but it isn’t rocket science either. When you are selling your home, there are a number of things it behooves you to consider. For example, selling your home and contending with other Austin homes for sale requires you to study the Austin real estate market. In addition to studying the competition, you also need to make your home appealing to potential buyers. Doing this doesn’t have to cost you a lot. You just need to be creative and resourceful. Here are a few tips that you might find helpful as you are preparing your home for viewings and open houses.
Keep it in Good Condition: The house needs to look well taken care of and clean throughout your selling process. Your home should be ready anytime a prospective buyer wants to check it out. So, clean up after yourself constantly. Keep the house dust-free and keep the floors disinfected at all times. Make some small repairs you can manage to make based on your home improvement skills. Keeping it well maintained doesn’t have to cost a fortune. You can paint over areas of the wall that have stains and marks.
Let Them Pull up to a Beautiful Home: As soon as they pull up to your house, prospective buyers need to be able to imagine themselves living there. So, give your home more curb appeal, and make it more attractive on the outside. Hang a wreath on your door, buy a brand new mat for your doorway, and sweep the porch. You want to create an inviting feeling for your prospective homebuyer, and you can do so by adding a few adornments and cleaning up a little.
Make it Feel like Theirs, Not Yours: There are a lot of ways to remove your personal touches from the house. One way is to remove the personalized paint on walls and paint over it with more neutral colors, if necessary. Neutralizing things is important because it allows you to please a broader market with varying tastes. Another way of making your home appeal to a diverse audience is to remove all personal keepsakes, family pictures, and religious items. Having Fresh Flowers available to greet them also goes a long way. For me, entering a room with Star Gazer lilies is intoxicating.
Scrub, Scrub, Scrub: Both the kitchen and bathrooms are critical places when it comes to showcasing your house to prospective buyers. People cook meals and spend quality time with their families in the kitchen. It’s also a place where homeowners often welcome guest to their homes. It’s crucial to have the kitchen in near perfect condition. This may be the area of your home you need to spend a little extra money to renovate. To make it really attractive, you can put in some new counters and appliances. If your budget is tight, just do some cleaning and make sure the kitchen looks spotless.
**Pay special attention to your bathrooms too. Scrub showers, baths, sinks, etc. Use bleach if necessary. Make sure everything looks totally pristine and new.
Margot is a fabulous guest post writer on the subjects of homes and real estate. You can see more of her work here.
Dallas Curb Appeal operates a site specifically designed to help home owners with their sprinkler systems. It is loaded with sprinkler information on a variety of topics and gets updated regularly. You can also scroll below are some helpful links
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Landscape ideas: The Getaway That is Always There for You
The Getaway That is Always There for You
Our calendars are full: chauffeuring kids here and there, cooking, cleaning, commuting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, demanding bosses and of course, familial responsibilities. So why on earth add gardening to the mix?
No doubt about it, gardening is work. Yet for me, slipping on my gardening gloves releases rather than increases tension. Of course, if your neglected backyard looks like a wilderness—an overgrown field of never-ending weeds—the sight of it may not (yet!) inspire calm.
Imagination and planning can make your yard a garden: a place of harmony, beauty and inspiration. The best place to plan is the yard itself, preferably sitting on a bench. In garden furniture, benches are the most indispensable investment—begin with a sturdy, movable one in an adaptable style. In time you can invest in gardening tools and supplies, and a bench with storage built in might be a good choice.
Put your bench seat in the choicest spot—the right mix of warm and cool, sun and shade. Grab a pad and pencil, maybe a drink, and settle in. Notice what is in the yard now, and imagine what might be there—or might be gone—if you had your druthers. Note your needs, wants and must dos.
Common examples might be:
- Differentiating between an eating area, play area and ‘off by your lonesome to contemplate life’ or simply take a nap area
- Sections with year-round color (alternating bloom times)
- Areas that cannot be ignored, such as those weeds!
Now divide these areas into more manageable projects, for example:
Landscaping (Your needs)
- Determine functional areas of your yard: e.g., playground, outdoor dining, sunning/relaxing, etc.
- Create walkways to protect lawn and plantings, and to separate areas by use.
- Define your design with crisp borders between paths, lawn and planting beds; refine it by balancing hard structures with softer plantings
Planting (Your wants)
- For color, plant flowers appropriate to the season
- Plant shrubs and perennials to provide landscape definition and texture during the off season
- Use mulch on flower beds for weed suppression and weather protection; fertilize according to your plants, your soil and the season
Weeds and Grass (Your must dos)
- Seek out and destroy those weeds!
- Treat recurring weeds when they are small
- Grass needs frequent fertilization
Do you have high traffic areas where grass routinely gets trampled on, even worn to bare dirt? Wood chips, gravel, brick, stone or concrete can spruce up these paths and give them durability. Walkways take time and effort to create, but once established, they reduce maintenance and can double as boundaries between functional or planting areas where other forms of borders are not practical.
You might be like a great many gardeners who prefer plastic or wood edging to distinguish between one area and another. By trimming lawn edges, I keep the lines between my lawn and beds clean naturally; I also push soil and mulch back into the beds. I prune overhanging bushes and shrubs and snip off (“dead-head”) flowers past their bloom to keep things tidy—that is, until the deer, rabbits and crows seek to undermine my efforts in their quest for food or just recreation.
Judicious planting can help mask some of these wildlife issues, while at the same time providing structure and color. A mix of low-lying ground cover plants help minimize weeds and cover those tattered edges. Then working from back to front, I plant bigger shrubs and perennials toward the rear to create a texture-rich backdrop. Between them and the border, I plant annuals, which I call one hit wonders. Here this year, gone the next to make room for another annual. I do this to fill in and provide color that varies throughout the year. You can start with a few appropriate to the current season, and then add more as you learn what blooms when. Your local nursery will know what zone works best in your area. And be mindful of how light hits different areas of your property, and what kind: shaded, filtered, or direct. You will notice that the more dense the planting, the fewer the weeds. For plants needing wider spacing, wood-chip or pine-straw mulch will keep weeds down.
Although it seems daunting, pulling weeds is less troublesome than maintaining a beautiful lawn. Weeds are not unlike rabbits – they multiply seemingly overnight. By keeping after grass, you can avoid it growing over three inches; fertilizing once a quarter will help suppress weeds. If being kind to Mother Earth is important to you, consider pulling them rather than using chemical weed killer. I realize there is a reason why many people use the quick fix. If you have a large plot of land, it is laborious. If you are tempted to use weed killers, research can inform you about the impact on the environment. A local gardening group may help you learn how to minimize them.
You might want to replace some of your lawn with a low-maintenance alternative. For an outdoor living space, could pavers or concrete be better for you than grass? Perhaps you need a play area for your children (sand?) or an exercise area for pets (gravel?). If you have trees or room to plant them, you can use mulch or ground cover around the base to reduce grass; fallen leaves from trees produce mulch themselves. You can widen paths, or extend them past obstacles. Or you can simply expand your borders. In time, you may want a shed for storage, a greenhouse for seed growing, even a cold frame for winter gardening. It is important to remember that a yard is an organic work in progress. Even when you’ve executed the perfect layout that gives you maximum function and pleasure, you’ll spot something that can be improved.
These nine important mini projects will take you a long way toward the tenth and most important job: Enjoying the fruits of your labors! With thoughtful planning, maintaining that beautiful backyard becomes less a chore but more of a therapeutic workout. When I need a getaway from the daily routine, I have my garden: a place to recreate without ever leaving home—a place to enjoy the pleasures of solitude and to share the beauties of nature (and of my own vision) with family and friends.
About Stan Horst
Stan Horst started out in life building cabinets and furniture, which gave him an eye for quality construction. These days you can find Stan enjoying himself entertaining folks from nearly every corner of the globe in his rental cabins in VA. He and his wife Deb, along with their two teenage kids and their dog live in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. When he’s not entertaining, Stan manages a website called Betterbenches.com, which serves as a source for people looking for quality benches and other wood furniture. He loves the outdoor life: his activities include camping, hiking and—naturally—spending time in his garden.ShareThis
Landscape Ideas: Fall Annuals
By Maria Bargellini of Dallas Curb Appeal Inc.
We are lucky here in Texas to have great fall weather and a nice long season. The perfect time for planting your annuals is right now. There are two common mistakes people make with planting fall annuals.
Planting too Late
Planting too Early
Most common reason why these mistakes are made
My begonias look fantastic
Landscapers just want to plant now
It doesn’t feel like fall yet
Choosing your Plants–Early Fall to Frost
Mums: Love Chrysanthemums, nothing says autumn like mums. Unfortunately the blooms do not last long so when you buy them don’t expect to see those gorgeous blooms for more than a few weeks.
Crotons: There are many varieties of Crotons available on the market. These beautiful plants have a long growing season here-lasting from spring till frost with care. They are sold as annuals because they cannot handle our frost but they are actually evergreen or ever tropical and can be brought inside to over winter. The foliage colors on these plants scream autumn with golds, orange, red, and green leaves.
Peppers: Ornamental peppers come in many varieties. My favorite is the black pearl. With dark purple foliage and black fruit that ripes to red it is a striking plant. It will die down at frost but miraculously sometimes they will come back in the summer.
Fall to Winter
Pansies: Bigger flowers don’t necessarily mean more followers or better displays. I know-I know–everything is bigger in Texas– In my experience I find that the mid to smaller size pansies flower more profusely, handle the freeze better and stay around a bit longer in the heat–no that that should stop you from planting summer plants but you can definitely use them in early spring when in some shade. The collasus or XXL Pansies are very pretty but are never really as full as their smaller cousins. Both are attractive and it’s your personal choice, you can always mix them too.
Ornamental Cabbage: This isn’t the kind that you eat but it’s much prettier. Cabbage also comes in a variety of colors. The most popular is red, which is more of a purple to pink color, and green which has a white center. They do well in our weather and look fantastic all season. In the early spring it will grow these tall yellow flowers. I cut them off because I don’t like how they look but you’re free to leave them if you like.
Flowering Kale: Ornamental Kale is a really pretty plant ans it is often confused with Cabbage. My Favorite is the Red Bore Kale. It’s taller and has a great purple color. Red or White Peacock Kale has scalloped edges and isn’t as common as the Kale normally seen. Some of these also flower at the end of the season and you can either keep or cut these also.
Dallas Curb Appeal Inc., also owns and operates DFW Christmas Lights and The Outdoor Lighting Expert. ShareThis
Pecan Trees
Pecan – The Iconic Tree of TX
The Pecan tree is the iconic tree of the Texas landscape. Its native range begins at the eastern state border and moves westward until reaching areas where the average yearly rainfall drops below 32 inches. There, it traces the banks and flood plains of rivers and creeks into the west, eventually covering two-thirds of Texas.
It was along the banks of the Clear Fork of the Brazos that I first discovered the significance of Pecan trees. On a crisp, fall Sunday afternoon, in the late 50′s, I joined my grandparents and the people of a small Jones county town, at their city park, shuffling through fallen pecan leaves picking up the small nuts of the native trees that lined the river and formed a forest of branches on that first terrace above the river bank. While this was my first exposure to this autumnal ritual, it began near fifty years prior; peaking during the Great Depression years when nothing went to waste. Most of the nuts were small, less than one-half the size of pecans I purchase at today’s farmer’s markets. Whole families turned out to reap nature’s bounty–which had been scarce the previous year. Most of the pickers cached their prize into burlap bags. I was furnished a worn cotton pillowcase, which was most appropriate for my size and attention span.
As the afternoon sun dropped below the clouds on the western horizon, families gathered and loaded their bags into pickup beds or in the car trunks, or “turtlebacks” as they were referred to at the time. Over the next few weeks, most of the nuts were shelled, some in halves, but most in pieces. They later appeared in Thanksgiving and Christmas pies and pastries. A select few, those with thin shells and of significant size, were planted in coffee cans in hopes of producing a spring seedling that could be planted in the yard. Maybe, in the years to come, it would produce a crop of like nuts.
The ritual of pecan gathering was not unique to this west Texas, mostly rural community. It was commonplace to all parts of Texas fortunate to be graced by the shade of native pecan trees. For the full article from Arborilogical ServicesInc., Please click here.