One thing we can do is put the finishing touches on your outdoor trees and shrubs. Structural pruning is the landscaping term. Now that the leaves are down, we can see exactly what is needed to correct any problems inside your plants. It’s sort of our way of taking an X-ray of all the plant’s bones. What do we look for? Crossing branches, dead branches, broken or split branches, and older non-producing branches. Taking care of your landscape housekeeping now will start out the spring in perfect order; producing healthy, beautiful shrubs and trees that you can and should enjoy.

Call us today for a free estimate and have a Great Holiday Season!

Paul Receives Madison NARI Chapter Image Achievement Award

Paul was presented with the NARI Image Award honoring those who contribute to the enhancement of the remodeling industry’s image. The image award recognizes those who promote the professionalism of NARI and the remodeling industry, not their business.

The November 11th Celebrating Excellence Awards ceremony is considered to be the premier event of the year in the remodeling industry. The event was attended by more than 190 members of the Madison NARI Association. (Click here to see other awards and winners.)

Winter is getting closer to setting in; don’t let your yard maintenance wait until spring.

To help in preventing fungal diseases, mold, critter hideouts, and just having your yard wake up grumpy in the spring, do it a favor and do some cutting back of perennials and clean up your flower beds. And it’s important for prevention of scraping on your siding and possible water damage, that your shrubs and tree branches be pruned. Call us and we can do the once over — you’ll wake up happier in the spring too!  Fall is a great time for planting, too.   274.2443

Need Something To Keep Busy In This Nice Weather?

Lawn Patching

It’s getting a little late to seed patch damaged grass, but you can use sod to repair lawn areas. The sod grows quickly in cool weather and knits together with existing turf. WATER WATER WATER – Keep the sod moist for about 3 weeks until established or winter sets in.

Pruning

Prune back perennials or over-grown shrubs. Remember if spring flowering, don’t cut back in the fall or you won’t get spring blossoms. Most others are okay to prune now. Trees can be pruned in late fall or during winter.

Spring-Flowering Bulbs

Plant spring-flowering bulbs now and up until you can’t get the shovel in the ground anymore. Root growth occurs until soil temps dip below 40 degrees.

Mulching

Use shredded and mulched leaves into the turf. Mowing over the leaves will chop them finely, and those pieces will filter into the turf. Mulching leaves into the lawn will not harm the grass and will improve the soil.

For The Birds

Leave the seed heads on coneflowers and black-eyed Susans for the birds (and winter interest).

Winter Interest

Leave ornamental grasses to flow with the wind this winter. Cut them back in the spring instead. Plant cool-looking shrubs and trees with branching structures that add to the winter beauty of your front or back yard.

Water Water Water

Continue to water any new plantings right up until the ground is frozen. Water evergreens (even established ones) as needed throughout the fall until the ground freezes. Evergreens lose moisture through their needles and leaves (yes, some evergreens have leaves) all during the winter; so they need lots of moisture going into the winter season.

Start a Compost Pile

Before you know it, you will have black gold in to spread over your beds and expensive perennials.

Call Us

If all of this is a bit too much for you to mentally and physically tackle, just give Ganshert’s a call (274.2443), and we will do the whole works for you.

Hey, it’s a great time for hardscape construction! Fall is a landscaper’s dream season. We’re getting caught up and the weather is dry and cool and perfect for those landscape projects you’ve been putting off all year or maybe been putting off for several years. Now’s the time to give us a call. 274.2443

Below is a backyard patio and landscape remake for a client in the Nakoma Neighborhood.  Here is a situation where they had a small  bluestone patio, but didn’t really use it because it was too small (can you tell where the old patio ended and the new begins? I can’t either.) The stone wall was there, but was never finished by another contractor.  So…they hired Ganshert N&L to expand the existing patio (by 150 sq. ft), to remake the natural stone walls with a bluestone cap, design and plant the raised flower beds off the patio, and then design the planting beds for the side and back yard landscaping. What was basically an area not used before, is now a beautiful and practical outdoor space. They love it and the owner tells me, “Peter and I now eat our dinners out on the patio every night; we just love everything about it. Errin (Ganshert’s designer) was wonderful and did such a great job with the design and picking out the plantings that will give us something for every season.”

Why landscape designers go to college for landscape architecture – And Why You Hire A Design/Build Landscape Company:

1.  Color: Use warm colors (red, orange, yellow) to attract attention and excite, and cooler colors (purple, blue, violet, pink) to recede, create a calm mood.

2. Location of flowers on the stem: Flowers that are lateral (axillary) can be hidden by leaves if the flowering occurs after leaf expansion. Terminal flowers (flowers blooming at the end of a stem) are more showier.

3. Fragrance: (sweet) lilacs, some viburnums, privet are pollinated by bees, moths, butterflies. Foetid (smelly) flowers are pollinated by flies, beetles, e.g., callery pear, lantana viburnum

4. Season: When does the plant bloom?  Spring is most common. Late fall or winter flowering plants include hybrid and vernal witchhazels; summer flowering includes roses, hydrangeas; early fall includes sweet-autumn clematis, Russian-sage. Some bloom heavy in spring and sporadically in summer.

5. Size: How large are the flowers? large flowers are one inch in diameter or larger.

6. Intensity of bloom: Some years are better than others — some plants are alternate bearing (some crabapples and fruit trees). Or  delay of a year’s bloom could be environmental, such as a late killing spring frost or a severe winter. Flowers that are produced before the leaves or above the foilage, e.g., bottlebrush buckeye, redbud, forsythia

7. Duration: How long does the plant stay in flower? Most woody plants are in flower for only 5-14 days, but some flower for a longer or shorter period, while others are sporadic in flower. We can increase the duration of bloom in our landscape by choosing plants that bloom over a longer period of time, not just in spring. Also, microclimates can change duration causing the plant to bloom earlier (located next to a heat vent) or later (placed in shade or on the north side of a building), which could be beneficial to avoid late killing frosts, e.g., magnolias.

Aeration and Overseeding

About this time of year (especially during a hot and dry summer) your lawn may be looking a little thin, developing brown spots, or just doesn’t look as good as it should. Over time, lawn soil becomes compacted or hard, and your turf has trouble filling in those thin and browning spots. Summer heat, drought, insects and disease can also take their toll. If any of this sounds and looks familiar, aeration and overseeding should be on your spring or fall to-do list.

One of the best means of rejuvenating turf is to combine the power of professional aeration with overseeding. All lawns, regardless of their condition, can benefit from some level of renovation every year or two.

During aeration, we’ll use a machine known as a core aerator to pull plugs of soil and thatch up from your lawn. The compacted soil is loosened thus creating more space for air, water and fertilizer to reach the roots, resulting in a much healthier root system for a thicker, healthier lawn. Some people are under the misconception that you have to thatch your lawn every year – not the case. There are some instances where a lawn is bad enough to require thatching. It much more important to aerate — aerating helps to break up thatch, which can prevent water, fertilizer and insect controls from reaching the soil.

Following up aeration with overseeding is a great way to thicken up a thin lawn or develop a hardier, more drought-resistant grass. Good seed-to-soil contact is essential for seeding success, and the new grass seed will have an easier time germinating and growing in the holes left behind by aeration. Keep in mind that when overseeding your lawn (whether you are a do-it-yourselfer or a Ganshert client); the soil should be kept moist with light, frequent sprinklings (twice a day) until the new grass is well established (about 2 inches high).

For more information on lawn renovation, or to schedule fall aeration and overseeding, give Ganshert Nursery & Landscaping LLC a call 274.2443 or email us at info@ganshert.com

UW-West Madison Agricultural Research Station Urban Horticulture Day – Saturday, August 20 10:00 am-3:00 pm

New Program: 8:00 to 10:00 a.m.  At 8:00am, a Beginners Bird Walk and Bird Survey will be held, hosted by David Drake, Extension Wildlife Specialist, and Marsha Lisitza, local bird expert. They will lead a morning walk and a beginning bird survey program—remember to bring your binoculars! Meet in the parking lot next to the garden. Park across the dumpster near the hay barn.  Then, stay and join the fun at the field day!

Get new ideas and answers to perplexing problems, sample fresh produce and tour one of the area’s most extensive collections of flower and vegetable varieties, including many that haven’t yet appeared in seed catalogs, listen to the Madison Flute Club perform their Spring Concert from 10:30 to 11:30, taste and watch sauerkraut being made, “Silly Soil and Crazy Caterpillar” Sundaes will be available for the kids, Rocket Balloons, Fortune Fish, as well as a treasure hunt, and UV Bead, bracelet making—all at the West Madison Agricultural Research Station, 8502 Mineral Point Road, Verona. More details to come! Admission and parking are free. The field day is sponsored by UW-West Madison Agricultural Research Station staff, researchers at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Extension staff, and Master Gardener Volunteers.

Questions: 608-262-2257

Having trouble getting rid of that pesky and super invasive GARLIC MUSTARD?
Here is what you CAN do:
-   IDENTIFY – Be sure to properly identify that the plant is garlic mustard – it is a biennial which means that it only has leaves the first year and flowers the second.  The first year plants have kidney shaped leaves with scalloped edges and a wrinkled appearance.  The second year plants have more of heart-shaped leaves with similar edges and appearance.  The flower stalks can reach 1-4’ and bare small ¼” white flowers with 4 petals.  The leaves will also give off a garlic scent when crushed.
-   HAND PULLING – For smaller infestations hand pulling is always recommended, plus it is better for the environment.  The pulled plants should be placed in plastic bags and either deeply buried in an area that will not be disturbed or placed in a landfill – labeled ‘Invasive Plants – approved by DNR for land filling’.  The plants can also be burned after drying inside a plastic bag.  If NOT placed in plastic bags after pulling, the plants can still continue to grow in a moist environment, and the seeds can ripen, spread, and germinate.
-   HERBICIDE – Use only as a last resort or for extremely large populations.  Use a non-selective herbicide, such as a 1% or 2% solution containing glyphosate.  Apply to the foliage of the plants when native plants are dormant, but still green, ideally before they go to flowering and seed.
-   CUTTING – Cutting back stalks of flower plants may kill the plant and will stop seed production, but the plants may also send up new flower stalks so the plants need to be closely monitored for treatment.
-    BMP (Best Management Practices) – Be sure to clean all tools, shoes, pants cuffs, gloves, pockets, and any other equipment after working in an infested area.  Seeds can easily be carried off on clothes and mud.
-     MONITORING – Periodically check previously infested area for new sprout s – the seeds will stay in the ground and germinate up to 3 or more years after you pull or spray existing plants.

http://hort.uwex.edu/sites/default/files/Japanese%20Beetle.pdf

Link to the above or  see our Client Corner website page on Plant Care Sheets and Horticulture Resources to find the informational sheet on  Japanese Beetles.  We have been getting a lot of calls on what to do about plants infested with the little critters.Includes very good information on control before you see the beetles (I know too late for that this year.)  The UW Extension provides PDFs (free to print) on many educational write-ups on insects and disease of plants and many other plant-related educational topics.