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San Antonio Tree Selection: Choosing the Best Trees for Your Yard

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Windbreaks, Shades and Canopies That Love Central Texas

Planting a new tree in the yard yields instant green thumb gratification. Even the smallest sapling stands up straight with a promise of easy care and future shade. The mild San Antonio climate is very forgiving about your choice in timber, but some trees love the area more than others.

From Understories to Canopies

Trees don’t have to grow tall to be beautiful, and some of our loveliest local choices are the understory species. Mexican buckeyes and Texas redbuds mature at 10 feet, so enjoy these smaller plantings as windbreaks that offer natural landscaping privacy. Taller maples, walnuts and Mexican plums reach ideal heights for keeping your great outdoors shady and comfortable. Count on live oaks, cedar elms and Sabal palms for magnificent, towering canopies that spread over the house, block the sizzling sun and help hold down summer cooling costs.

Fabulous Flowers and Delectable Fruits

The … Read Full Post »

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The Joys of Urban Farming in Dallas

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth

Growing your own food no matter what the season

Did you know that fall and early winter in Dallas are great times to grow some of your favorite vegetables? Even if you don’t have a lot of space, you can take advantage of the mild Texas climate to enjoy fresh produce all year.

Home Garden Options

The best place for a garden is somewhere that gets a lot of sun, contains fertile soil with good drainage, and can be watered easily as needed. You can plant in your front yard, backyard, or even in containers on your porch.

Urban gardening requires getting creative with the space you have available. This may mean utilizing window boxes and hanging baskets or building raised beds. As long as you can give your plants the light, water, and nutrients they need, you’ll be on track for a bountiful harvest.

Benefits of Gardening

Making space to garden in and around your … Read Full Post »

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The Importance of Pruning Shrubs and Trees

. Posted by in • Austin

Don’t let your property’s vegetation get out of control

There are plenty of reasons not to prune back the trees and shrubs that populate your property: You might like the privacy that they provide or enjoy lounging in their shade on warm days; you might even be a fan of the “natural look” that’s so popular these days. However, most Austin-area homeowners let their vegetation get out of control simply because they’re too busy to take care of it themselves. We can help with that. Here are a few good reasons why pruning is a good idea in the first place.

It’s Good for Their Health

It sounds counter-intuitive, but smaller, less densely vegetated plants, shrubs and trees tend to be healthier than their overgrown counterparts. Spaced-out leaves allow more sunlight to reach beyond the canopy and nourish every single leaf. The same principle applies to rainwater: If leaves are too dense, plants’ … Read Full Post »

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Can I Collect Rainwater in Bryan and College Station?

. Posted by in , • Bryan-College Station

The legal ins and outs of a sustainable landscaping solution

There was a time when watering your lawn meant racking up high water bills and straining the water supplies of drought-prone cities like Bryan and College Station. Thanks to some recent legal and technological changes, however, this is no longer the case. Let’s take a look at how the legalities of rainwater collection have evolved and whether it’s time for you to invest in a rainwater retaining system for your property.

Is It Legal to Collect Rainwater in Texas?

It’s generally legal to set up a rainwater catchment system in Texas, including in the communities of Bryan and College Station. This is due to a relatively simple legal framework that forms the foundation of water rights within the state. Unlike many other jurisdictions, Texas limits the state’s control of water resources to natural surface waterways like rivers, streams and creeks. Until it enters … Read Full Post »

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Are You Hungry for a Tastier Landscape?

. Posted by in • Bryan-College Station

Give yourself a greener, healthier yard this year

When was the last time you changed your yard for the better? For many folks in the Bryan and College Station areas, the green space around the house is a place to gather, play with pets and relax on nice days. However, more and more central Texans are discovering the many benefits of yards and gardens that actually give something back. Learn how to turn your property into a health-promoting, money-saving produce patch.

The Benefits of a “Working Garden”

There are plenty of reasons to love a well-tended flower garden. It’s nice to look out the window and see splashes of color at nearly any time of year, and the birds and other wildlife that such arrangements attract can provide untold amounts of pleasure.

That said, there’s also room in many central Texas gardens for plants that bear fruit—literally. Some of the benefits of such a … Read Full Post »

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Who Else Wants Picturesque Hardscaping?

. Posted by in • San Antonio

A beautiful landscape doesn’t have to be green all over

In drought-prone areas like San Antonio, there’s a new landscape design trend brewing: hardscaping. This increasingly popular choice offers a wide range of opportunities for homeowners who want to lessen their landscape maintenance chores, lower their water bills and reduce their environmental impact without sacrificing the beauty or charm that property owners everywhere crave. Hardscaping is a cost-effective choice for virtually every homeowner in central Texas.

Benefits of Hardscaping

The benefits of hardscaping vary by region, but some of the most important include:

•    Stable, supportive surfaces for chairs and other lawn furniture
•    The ability to install permanent design elements that add value to your property
•    Options to integrate traditional landscape elements like annuals and shrubs into hardscape elements like terraces and planters
•    No need to mow or trim
•    Less water use than grass or shrubbery

Common Paving Options

There are plenty of hardscaping options at … Read Full Post »

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3 Functional Landscaping Tips

. Posted by in • Austin

Let your Austin landscape do the work

Whether you’re a dedicated gardener or weekend warrior, taking care of the home landscape means getting your hands dirty. Why not add some smart function to all that lawn care? Here are three tips that can save on cooling costs, control the water bill and keep your yard on level ground.

1. Enjoy the Shade

Trees and shrubs around the house are a beautiful part of the landscape, but they’re also great energy savers because they lower surrounding temperatures by as much as 9 degrees. Tall shades like red maples and cedar elms can save up to 30% on cooling costs. Shrubs do their part to beat the summer heat by shading exterior walls and windows. Esperanza, Texas sage and cenizo are just a few examples of shrubs that thrive around Austin homes, and each one brings a unique look to the yard.

2. Grow More With … Read Full Post »

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Tame the Fight Between Tree Roots and Sewer Lines

. Posted by in • Bryan-College Station

Protecting against a fight for the ages

It sounds like something out of a horror movie, but an epic struggle between tree roots on your property and your home’s sewer line is an alarmingly real possibility. Since tree roots care about seeking moisture and out-spreading the competition, they’re inclined to overtake anything in their path, including manmade objects like sewer lines. This can have serious ramifications for your plumbing system. Fortunately, it can be prevented in many cases.

Why Do Tree Roots Affect Sewer Lines?

Although sewer pipes are made from tough, supposedly impenetrable materials, tree roots can work their way inside them over the course of many months or years. Tree roots seek and grow through sewer lines for several reasons:

•    Sewer lines may be obstructing their natural growth pattern
•    The root may identify the line as a root from a competing tree
•    Sewer lines contain essential nutrients, including water, minerals and … Read Full Post »

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A Weed by Any Other Name

. Posted by in • Bryan-College Station

One person’s weed is another’s wildflower

Flower gardens, with their gorgeous colors and delightful fragrances, are a welcome addition to any property. Plus, they tend to draw butterflies and birds, both of which add another dimension of beauty. Unfortunately, amid all these garden pleasures, one not-so-spectacular thing is certain: there will be weeds.

Weeds seem to pop up overnight, almost cheerfully defying your best efforts to have a perfect garden. However, while most people work relentlessly to rid their gardens of them, you might find weeds far less annoying if you stopped to consider a few overlooked facts. Some weeds flower quite beautifully; in fact, the only real difference between weeds and the other plants in your garden is that weeds grow where you don’t want them, often spreading rapidly in the heat of our Central Texas summers.

Interestingly, many of these unwanted plants were once very desirable not only for their beauty … Read Full Post »

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The Grass Is Always Green in Dallas

. Posted by in , , • Dallas-Fort Worth

How targeted services can help keep your Dallas lawn beautiful

Like most homeowners, you want to keep your lawn in tip-top shape. A beautiful lawn makes a great impression on guests and adds to the visual appeal of your property. Unfortunately, keeping your yard in great shape isn’t always easy. It’s essential to take climate conditions in the local area into consideration when formulating a lawn care plan.

How Climate Impacts Your Lawn

Weather conditions in Dallas have a significant impact on your lawn’s health. While the area enjoys relatively temperate winters, very hot summers can be tough on your yard. Humid conditions can provide a haven for bugs that wreak havoc on grass, shrubs and trees. That’s why it’s important to choose a lawn care service specifically designed for local homeowners. When you take local conditions into consideration, you can develop an efficient and effective watering, weeding and mowing routine.

Essential … Read Full Post »

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