The flowers and foliage that your choose to surround your Allentown, PA, home are a reflection of your taste and style. A garden full of flowers can help to express your romantic nature, a hedge of meticulously pruned topiaries can show your sophisticated side, and a wild patch of fresh herbs and edible plants can help convey your organic lifestyle. However, if those flowers and plants aren’t properly installed and handled by a landscape contractor, then you could be left with disappointing results and unhealthy gardens.
While every landscaper should know how to properly handle the plants that they work with, not all of them know the best way to install them for optimal lifespan results. A combination of know-how, experience, and specialized training goes into making sure that your plantings will thrive and grow. There are many checkpoints that a professional landscape contractor will consider before planting your favorite flowers and shrubs:
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The Proper Soil
One of the first steps professional landscapers will take when installing plants is to examine the soil around your home. They will check the pH levels to see if your soil is too acidic or contains too much alkaline. Once they have treated the soil and made sure that it was at the appropriate levels, they will also examine the grade of your yard to ensure that your plants will receive the proper drainage.
Finding the Right Location
It’s true that location matters. Professional landscapers examine the areas around your home for sunlight and shade to be sure that your plants will get the appropriate levels they need. If your front garden is consistently shady, they will want to plant shrubs and flowers that require low light to thrive for the best results. Likewise, if your backyard is constantly flooded in sunlight, your landscaper will choose full sun shrubs and plants to install there.
Landscapers will also be sure to plant your shrubs and flowers together in ways that are mutually beneficial. Certain plants work well together and help each other to thrive, while others will work against each other, potentially leeching water or nutrients from each other.
Watching the Weather
While you may be inspired to plant a few new trees around your home during the dead of winter, a professional landscaper will know whether or not that’s such a good idea. The time of year that you install plants is also crucial to ensuring their optimal health and longevity, as roots can suffer from being mishandled in extreme weather. Talk to your landscape professionals about coming up with a plant for planting when the weather will be in your favor.
When it comes to caring for and installing flowers and plants around your home, there’s so much more involved than simply choosing which ones are the most attractive. When your goal is to ensure the optimal health and longevity of your flowers and greenery, your landscape contractors can steer you in the right direction. As you go about choosing your landscapers, prioritize experience and knowledge, and then see what they suggest for the kind of garden that’s sure to stand the test of time.
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