Water Please!

Posted on July 1, 2018 | by siteadmin

Adding water to a landscape has many benefits to the homeowner. Many studies have found that the sound of water is a natural stress reliever.

Huffington Post states: “Being around water gives our brains and our senses a rest from over stimulation.”

Here’s an example of a formal water feature. It is set within a boxwood hedge and annuals to create a dramatic garden feature. To all the nearby dog walkers and slow driving vehicles – this home definitely has curb appeal now! The custom steel box is rust proof, weather proof and maintenance free; so the homeowner will be able to get enjoyment for years to come!

Another benefit to running water is that it muffles unwanted sounds and creates a sense of relaxation. Being close to a busy road, or if the neighbor’s dog barks at everything and anything that ventures in their yard, this might be a good solution for you.

Pond less water features are still very popular. It has a simple re-circulation system that is low maintenance and is a great option for small children or pets because it gets them outside to play!

Speaking of enjoying the outdoors and playing… this interactive water feature at the Chicago Botanical Garden is beautifully installed and it makes me feel like a kid again walking and splashing around the continuous stream.

There are endless ways to enjoy water in your garden. Enjoy looking at some of our other installations!

More worm talk!

Posted on June 1, 2018 | by siteadmin

We have mentioned Vermicompost many times before because we stand behind this process and how it can change your lawn and garden’s health. We believe in it so much that we have become an authorized dealer. You are welcome to pick some up at our office or we can ship it to you.

But if you really want to try something new, you can start up your very own worm factory! Your ‘pet’ worms are very low maintenance and your garden will thank you by producing beautiful, lush vegetables, plants, and flowers all summer long. Check out the steps below and get started! You will be extremely happy with the results.

Worm Factory

First, purchase one pound of Red Wigglers from a reputable source and a worm factory. Worm Factory 360 is a great brand. There are many how-to videos on YouTube that helped me in the beginning. Select a location in your home for your new worm home (you can’t leave them outside if you live in a climate that will get below freezing). Our worm house is located in our basement.

Food

Next, you need to create a moist, comfortable environment where they can eat and produce. Shredded newspaper will provide air, water, and food for the worms. Avoid using colored print, which may be toxic to the worms. Mix in shredded kitchen waste (vegetables) for a food source for them. By adding coffee grounds with the food scraps will help eliminate odor.

Vegetable Scraps — *All the scraps blended together for the perfect environment.*

Moisture

Make sure when you add the shredded newspaper to spray it down with water to keep their home moist. A moisture tester is helpful to know exactly it’s it too wet or dry.

Extra Nutrients

Worms are very low maintenance. They can go up to 3 weeks without food. I usually feed them once a week. I also like to sprinkle a spoonful of ground up eggshells with their food. This serves a dual purpose. Crushed shells from eggs can help neutralize the pH level of the bedding and it is said that calcium plays an important roll in worm reproduction. Sometimes they eat better than me!

Harvest Time

The factory works as a set of trays (layers), when the top feeding trays fill up add a layer to the factory. Continue the process as listed above and your worms will migrate to this new layer (tray) this will take a few weeks so be patient. Harvest your compost from the bottom tray and add to your garden! Most importantly, learn about the soil microbiome: healthy soil = healthy plants = healthy people. Have fun and enjoy!

*Final product, rich dark vermicompost!*

Shapes in the landscape

Posted on May 15, 2018 | by siteadmin

Have you ever seen a tree or shrub planted too close to a house or structure that it has to be pruned back so hard it loses its natural form? I have many times. All trees come in different shapes and sizes. It’s important to do your research before planting them so your tree can grow into a perfect specimen for that space. Here’s are a list of a few tree habits along with some examples that fit that form.

Pyramidal

(Photo: Picea Abies, Norway Spruce). These trees are known for their dense, large habit that do a terrific job creating privacy, blocking undesirable views, or used as windbreaks. They need room to grow though so don’t plant them in a tight location. Reaching near 40’ to 60 ‘in height and 25 to 30’ in width they are definitely in the large tree category! Known for being fast growers when young, their stiff pendulous branches turn into graceful mature branches later in life. Other pyramidal shaped trees include: Betula populifolia ‘Whitespire’ (Whitespire Birch), Pyrus calleryana Chanticleer (Chanticleer Pear), Tilia cordata Greenspire (Greenspire Littleleaf Linden).

Vase

(Photo: Cercis candansis, Eastern Redbud). This naturalistic small tree can stand alone or be planted in a grouping along a woodlands edge. The vase shaped, airy form makes it perfect near a patio or walkway too because the branches grow upward not outward. It’s multi stemmed trunk makes every tree unique. One of my favorite characteristics is it’s broad heart shaped leaves! Redbuds are one of our top choices for ornamental trees in a residential setting. Other vase shaped trees include: Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’ (Bloodgood Japanese Maple), Amelanchier canadensis (Shadblow Serviceberry), Malus Red Jewel (Red Jewel Crapapple).

Weeping

(Photo: Acer palamatum, Cutleaf Japanese Maple). This tree makes a dramatic statement in a garden and creates a perfect focal point. The purple tinted leaves of the Japanese Maple jump out from all the other green foliage that surrounds it. Plant it near a retaining wall and let the weeping branches cascade over the stone wall to soften the edges. A great companion plant to its airy, soft leaves would be a large leafed Hosta, like ‘Guacamole’ or ‘Big Daddy’. Other weeping shaped trees include: Fagus sylvatica ‘Purple Fountain’ (Purple Fountain Beech), Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Pendula’ (Weeping Katsura Tree), Pinus strobus ‘Pendula’ (Weeping White Pine).

Columnar

(Photo: Acer rubrum ‘Armstrong’). Most ideal tree for a narrow space! Highly used along fences and property lines because of its ability to create a barrier while not leaving a large footprint. Most columnar trees branches don’t grow all the way down to the ground so it allows room for understory planting. Other columnar shaped trees include: Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’ (European Hornbeam), Fagus sylvatica ‘Fastigiata’ (Columnar European Beech), Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’ (Columnar English Oak).

Watch for Boxwood Blight this Spring!

Posted on April 1, 2018 | by siteadmin

Having a nursery of our own at Van Zelst, Inc. we strive to stay on top of new plant diseases and insect pests. The topic that many growers in our area have been discussing is boxwood blight. With the number of boxwood that we grow, pass through our nursery, and our crews install every year, we are watching the spread of this disease and routinely inspecting our own stock.

Boxwood blight is a fungal disease that affects many members of the Buxaceae family including Buxus (boxwood), Pachysandra (Japanese spurge), and Sarcococca (sweet box). This disease was first found in the United Kingdom in the mid-1990s and made its way to the U.S. in 2011. The University of Illinois Plant Clinic first confirmed this disease in 2016 in Lake and Cook counties.

Boxwood blight is characterized by leaf spots, stem cankers, and defoliation. There are other diseases that show these symptoms, but total defoliation of the plant is unique to boxwood blight. When the leaf spots are first developing they are circular light or dark brown spots with a yellow ring around the outside. These spots will expand and take over the entire leaf. The stem cankers have a linear shape and are dark brown to black. Defoliation starts at the base of the plant and works its way to the top.

By now you must be wondering, what options do you have if your boxwoods are suffering from this disease? Often infected plants are removed and disposed of in local landfills. In some cases, all boxwood on a property must be removed. Treatments are becoming available.

If you are a home owner in Lake or Cook counties or the surrounding areas with preexisting boxwood, you may not have too much to worry about. The 2016 cases were from new plants brought into the landscape purchased from garden centers and landscapers. When purchasing boxwoods, you need to assure that you’re not introducing diseased plants to landscape. If you suspect that you have boxwood blight, please contact the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

When using Van Zelst for your next landscape renovation you can sleep soundly at night knowing that our nursery only sends out the highest quality plants. Growing 90% of our stock, we put a lot of time into making sure that we are growing strong, healthy plants. Having our maintenance crews on your property weekly will help with early detection of this disease, so that you have the most options available for treatment.

Spring to do list…

Posted on February 15, 2018 | by siteadmin

Now that the days are getting longer, that only means one thing…spring is around the corner! So let’s take a minute and plan out our spring to do list.

First things first you’ll want to do a thorough clean up of the planting beds and lawn. This means removing leaf debris, cutting back perennials and removing dead plants. After the beds are clean this is also a great time to edge the planting beds from the lawn.

Now you can focus on the living plant material. You’ll want to prune shrubs and ornamentals of any crossing, broken, dead or diseased branches. Just this small step leads to a healthier more robust plant. It’s also a great time to divide some perennials. You’ll know it’s time to divide when a clump has overgrown its space, has diminished flowering, or the clump starts to die out in the middle. Spring flowering perennials are best divided after they flower, but most other later flowering perennials will be just fine divided in the spring.

As you are surveying your landscape be sure to pull any weeds you see, it’s amazing how fast they pop up so best to keep on top of them. A final finishing touch to the garden is to add a layer of mulch to the beds. This will help prevent new weeds from growing and protect your newly divided perennials as they begin to grow.

Next up is the lawn. Spring is a great time to fix it up. As it begins to dry up it’s a great time to dethatch the grass, this is the method of using a rake or a dethatching machine to gently remove the layer of dead grass (thatch) that has built up in the lawn. You’ll want to do this before the lawn really takes off. Be sure to patch up any areas of bare/dead spots with some grass seed. The final step is to fertilize your lawn and while you’re at it you can hit those planting beds as well.

The last and final touch to the landscape is to add some fun colorful early annuals. Just a sprinkling of pansies or some forced bulbs in planters can really brighten the landscape!

Changing with the season, hardscapes

Posted on October 31, 2017 | by siteadmin

In a climate where so much of our landscape goes dormant for several months each year, we like to place special emphasis on elements that continue to give pleasure when nothing is in bloom. While through the first three seasons there is a strong emphasis on the living plant materials; emerging in spring, blooming in summer, the subtle fade to fall and it’s amazing colors. The winter months leave us with only the plants remaining structure or architecture. And this is why we love to paint the landscapes with stone.

Stonework imparts stability, structure, variety and color to a finished landscape year round. In the summer months, stone pathways guide visitors through the garden to clusters of lush blooms. In the spring and fall, stone waterfalls and rock gardens complement emerging greens and changing fall colors. And in winter, steps and walls add texture and interest to the snowy landscape.

As you consider your dream landscape, think about how stone can help bring it to life. The materials available and how they are used make the options virtually endless. Carefully cut bluestone has a warm, polished sophistication. Rough, irregular Lannonstone form weathered, ancient looking steps and walls. Flagstone can seem to have emerged from the grass naturally, suggesting an English cottage or French countryside feel.

We are only limited by our imagination. Something as simple as a stone bench, while clearly offering a value in summer months, takes on a new life as a sculpture when covered in snow.

A very hot trend . . . FIRE PITS

Posted on September 21, 2017 | by siteadmin

Homeowners often ask to incorporate fire pits to their master landscape plans – which we love to do! It brings families together in the evenings. Whether it’s roasting marshmallows or having a glass of wine near a warm, crackling fire it’s a great way to get outdoors during & after the twilight hour. Our designers love to place them as a destination area in the yard, nestled around some vegetation. There are so many styles and materials you can use to make each fire pit stand out & unique. Look at your backyard when you get home, do you see a good spot for one?!

Rustic

Large boulders with gravel seating area – rustic, relaxed style.

Informal

A little more permanent than a gravel seating area – here’s a tight jointed flagstone patio with dry stacked stone fire pit. Love the chairs!!

Formal

A more formal approach would be a dimensional bluestone patio with a mortar stone fire pit. This style is definitely one of the more popular options.

Naturalistic

A great example of a fire pit nestled in the natural woodland setting. So peaceful and private.

Check out more pics on our Pinterest page!

Bringing nature’s beauty to the garden

Posted on June 5, 2017 | by siteadmin

Pollinators (butterflies, bees and birds) are very important to our environment. Without them many plants would not produce the end products we use. But they also bring a sense of calm and enjoyment to the garden. We all want that beautiful butterfly to come to our gardens, planting food sources for your inhabitants is a great way to get them to the garden. Here are a few great plants to include!

Asclepias tuberosa

If you want Monarch butterflies in your garden you must plant this plant (a main food source for the caterpillar)!

Echinacea spp.

Is great for summer bees and butterflies and a good seed source for birds in fall and winter!

Rudbeckia spp.

Is great for butterflies and bees and a seed source come fall and winter for the birds.

Lavender, Salvia and Nepeta

All have a similar type of flower loved by all nectar feeders!

Phlox spp.

This Phlox has a hummingbird moth visiting it!

These are just a few examples, there are many more excellent plants to include in your garden! Want us to create the perfect Butterfly garden for you? Contact us now!

Be sure to include some water sources for you wildlife and you’ll get that added bonus of tranquil water sounds in your garden. Butterflies and bee’s prefer water and rocks. While birds enjoy more open water.

Want to see more water features? Check them out here.

Did you see that?

Posted on January 12, 2017 | by siteadmin

Yeah that stuff under the snow…grass! Maybe spring really is just around the corner! Are you itching to get your hands dirty? Well since we still have a few more cold days on the horizon, tilling the garden might be out for now but a good task to accomplish in the mean time is pruning. Most plants benefit from some sort of regular pruning and maintenance. The trick is to know when to prune. Most flowering and fruiting plants prefer to be pruned while they are dormant, in late winter through early spring. Spring blooming trees and shrubs, will start setting new buds soon after they are done flowering. A good rule of thumb is to prune summer and fall flowering trees and shrubs in the dormant season (late winter / early spring) and to prune spring flowering trees and shrubs soon after their flowers fade.

Pruning in early spring best solves certain problems, even on spring blooming plants. It is always good to remove dead and dying branches prior to new growth coming out in spring. This directs energy to healthier buds. Removal of a few crowded stems each year will open up the interior of the plant, providing better air circulation and light penetration. Just use caution on spring flowering plants; only remove what is necessary to correct the problem. You don’t want to remove those flower buds that will be blooming in the next few months or else you’ll have to wait another 12 to see those flowers.

Still a bit too cold? Our crews can get the job done for you, contact our office for a quote on dormant pruning.

Just because…

Posted on November 30, 2016 | by siteadmin

Just because the leaves have fallen, the grass goes dormant and it’s getting cold doesn’t mean you can’t spruce up your annual pots!

There aren’t any “winter” flowers to add but you sure can display some beautiful winter greens in your pots!

There is quite the assortment of beautiful evergreens in varying shades of green to blue that will last until spring. Add in branches, berries, pine cones and seed pods. For added color you can include ribbons or lights! It’s all up to your imagination, don’t let the winter doldrums limit you!

Don’t want to brave the cold, then call on our team to get the job done for you! Just contact us here: Van Zelst, Inc.

Author: siteadmin