Annual Mulch Sale! It’s August again and that means that our Premium Shredded Hardwood Mulch is on sale again. Shredded hardwood mulch is very beneficial to trees, shrubs, and perennials and can be performed at any time of year. However, during the month of August, we are offering a 15% discount on mulch installations. New orders only please. For a free quotation, please call our office.
Grub Time! Whether you do it yourself or hire Suburban Landscaping to do it for you, now is the time to be putting down your Grub larva preventative treatment. This insecticide application is crucial in preventing the grub infestation in your lawn. Grub damage will be starting near the end of July and will be visible in the month of August. Please call our office if you would like a quote for this treatment.
call our office if you would like a quote for this treatment.
Trimming & Pruning
Proper trimming and pruning of your trees and shrubs can have more than just a visual impact on your landscape. Trimming and pruning can also affect the quality of the blooms, quantity of fruit produced, and the rate of growth of the plants. Trimming and pruning can also help fill out weak or sparse shrubs, direct the growth of shrubs and trees near buildings or parking lots, and help thicken hedges and buffers. The maintenance department is going to be starting another round of shrub trimming soon, call our office to be added to the list.
Mums Are Here
How about planting some Chrysanthemums this August or September? Mums are great for adding some late summer or fall color to your yard or entranceway. Mums can be planted throughout the month of August, so why not call our office for a quote?
Deadhead Your Flowers
Deadheading old flowers on most shrubs and perennials will promote a new flower to grow. Deadheading flowers is simply the process of removing spent flower blooms, and is accomplished by snipping, pruning, pinching, cutting or using any other means to remove the dead (or spent) bloom. All things in nature have a built in desire to reproduce offspring, and flowering plants are no exception. Inside of the flower is where the seeds are produced to create the next generation of plants. Once they have been produced, the plant has satisfied it's need to reproduce. At that time, flower production stops. Sometimes the life cycle is complete, and the plant dies. By deadheading the blooms, you trick the plant into believing that it's reproductive task is not yet accomplished. Often, the plant will then produce another series of flowers. It is usually best to remove spent bloom as soon as the flower has died., and not all blooms can be deadheaded. Roses will, Lilacs won't, Mums will, bulbs won't. Do you know if the flowers in your flower bed will re-bloom if you deadhead them? When in doubt, we recommend you give it a try. At the very least, you will improve the appearance of the plant.
Brick Paver Care Maintain the beauty of your brick paver walk or patio with cleaners, sealants, and polymeric sand. Our staff can quote you all of these services to restore the beauty of your outdoor pavers. Power washing and sealing pavers with a natural or wet look will protect against stains and make cleaning easier. If gaps and weeds are a problem – polymeric sand is the answer. Polymers in the sand harden after installation and won’t wash out. Our sand is water, frost, freeze, and erosion resistant; apply it once to your pavers and say goodbye to weeds and grass! |
ZIMMERMAN PINE MOTHZimmerman pine moth is a common trunk borer in Scotch, Austrian, Eastern White, and red pines. Although it is difficult to control once inside the tree, its life cycle makes it relatively easy to control while on the outside of the tree. Trunk damage appears as white, crusted areas of pitch an inch or two wide at branch whorls. The caterpillars are underneath this pitch and tunnel under the bark and into the tree. Usually the affected branches will die. Tunneling into the trunk for several years weakens the trunk to where it snaps off at that location, causing the loss of the upper part of the tree. Have your Pine trees inspected during this time of year. FROM THE LANDSCAPE DEPARTMENTThe landscape department is booking work now for all of your landscape needs. Let us know if you have any tree removal, mulch installations, dead plant replacements, or brick pavers to be reset. Suburban Landscaping is a full design and build company with 28 years of experience building quality landscape improvements. Jasek Residence, Tinley Park, IL Poison IvyThis time of year Poison Ivy (toxicodendron radicans) is growing rampant. Although it is often recommended that people learn to recognize the poison ivy plant ("Leaves of three, leave them be"), in practice, this is hard to do, since poison ivy and its relatives are often mixed in with other vegetation and not noticed until after the rash has begun. Poison ivy is one of many plants that produce aresin called an urushiol that can cause an allergic rash. The poison ivy rash usually starts one or two days after exposure, though the delay between contact and onset can be longer, up to several days. This may lead to confusion over where exposure took place. The first signs of the rash are curved lines of red, itchy bumps or blisters. These continue to appear for many days, depending on how much resin touched the skin at a given point. This makes it seem as though the rash is "spreading," although the fluid in blisters is just part of the allergic reaction and contains no chemicals or bacteria.
Water Your Trees!
Trees are the long term investment in your landscape and should be your first priority in a drought. Annuals and perennials that are inexpensive and quick growers can be replaced much more easily than an established or mature tree. Woody plants such as trees will not need daily watering in a drought, actually, 1” of water once a week to every ten days should suffice for a established tree, providing the watering is done properly. Trees that are 5-10 years old or more are considered established trees, depending upon the type of tree, and these trees are much more likely to survive an extended drought than newly planted trees. Don’t waste water watering at the trunk of an established tree. The hair roots of the tree, which take in water, are at the drip line, which is the outer edge of the branches and beyond. When watering trees, water the entire area under the canopy, especially the outer edge of the limbs. All trees are genetically programmed to help survive drought stress. Some will shed leaves to conserve water loss, others will sacrifice new limbs in favor of older established limbs. Still others will grow a waxy coating or a pine resin on the leaves or needles to reduce water transpiration. Certain types of trees need more water than others, such as Birch, Tulip, Adler, Pin Oaks, Poplars, and Silver Maples. See our website for a huge article on everything you need to know about watering your lawn and plants. |
FREE LAWN MOWING!Refer a new client to our service and receive a free weekly mowing, it's that simple. If the referral is on the same block that you live, we offer two free mowings. Make sure your referral mentions your name to get your free lawn mowing. BISHOP'S WEED (AGOPODIUM)Also known as Ashweed or herb Gerard, this low perennial ground cover is very popular in Illinois and Indiana. This fall, however, your Bishops weed will probably be looking a little thin and weak. The symptoms are not caused by disease, rather they are caused by weather scorch. The variegated variety of this plant is most common and does not do well in sunny locations. This injury is most common in a period of very hot weather following a time of lush growth The two ways to cure this problem are: periodically mow the plant throughout the season. Mowing encourages new growth and helps keep the plant dense. Or, apply a spring fungicide. Call our office for a quote for next spring. SOLUTION TO SHADY AREASMany people ask how they can grow grass in shady areas. All of the most common types of turf grass require some sunlight to survive. However, there is a "turf alternative" that will grow in shady places that grass wont. This plant is the groundcover Pachysandra. Pachysandra is a low maintenance, perennial ground cover that requires little care after establishment. Pachysandra, as you see in the picture, all grows to the same height and produces a green blanket of foliage. Lawn Disease This year we have been seeing an abundance of the lawn disease Dollar Spot. These small circular patches in the lawn are a curable disease that spreads rather quickly and can jump from one lawn to another. This disease should be sprayed with a fungicide to prevent significant damage to your lawn. If you think you may have a lawn disease, please call Jim Propst in the Maintenance Department.
Call Us – Email Us Summer Office Hours: M-F 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Addresses: Main Office: 1604 East End Ave. Chicago Heights, IL 60411 Mailing: P.O. Box 1145 Homewood, IL 60430 Valparaiso Branch: 1101 Cumberland Trail Drive #200 Valparaiso, IN 46384
Tin Cans With String? Illinois: (708) 799-6228 Indiana: (219) 736-6228 Fax: (708) 756-1122 Email us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |