As today’s homeowners forego vacations – and long for a getaway without actually going away –the idea of creating that retreat outside the back door is gaining popularity. “People are looking for a place they can enjoy, and not feel that …
The trees that grace the outdoor spaces at most community properties provide untold value. But have your lovely spring-flowering pear trees lost branches this winter? Are those once-trim blue spruces suddenly blocking the entryway signs…
The most common method of maintaining a landscape has typically been: “mow, apply a generous and regular supply of man-made fertilizers and pesticides to prevent weeds, water and repeat.” But just because it’s the most widespread doesn’t…
Few capital improvements bolster property values as effectively as landscaping upgrades. “It’s astonishing what redoing the landscape will do to the sales and turnaround time at a condominium,” reports landscape designer Thomas Wilhelm,…
Why not cover the roof with plants? It’s such a simple idea; no wonder it’s been around for millennia. The United States, of course, has developed an architecture that exults in its mastery of Mother Nature. We build bridges ac…
An attractive, verdant lawn – or the lack of one – can make a lasting first impression on potential homebuyers. Grounds that are unkempt, weed-infested and showing more brown than green will likely lead visitors to believe that it’s not…
From damp basements to flooded walkways and backed-up storm drains, too much water without a place to go can be a huge problem for condominiums. In recent years, rain gardens have come to the fore as a make-ready solution to those prob…
It seems like a scene from a sci-fi or fantasy movie — giant bugs infesting the trees at the edge of a forest and endangering an entire ecosystem. Unfortunately, there is nothing fictitious about the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB), which …
The current economic climate has associations looking under every rock for cost savings, including their landscaping budgets. Landscaping expenses vary greatly depending on the location, size and terrain of the community prope…