Blog Archives

Retaining Walls

6/18/2015

Recently, while on a few jobs in Marshfield and Hanover, we've seen a few retaining walls that are nearly collapsing. Retaining walls are structures designed and constructed to resist the lateral pressure of soil when there is a significant change in ground elevation. Some of the walls we've seen may not have been installed correctly or some may just be nearly a century old. Gardenin' Angels can build retaining walls from timber or stone that last a lifetime.

Here are a few of our philosophies on retaining walls:

- Design and build the wall with your family's needs in mind. How will it fit in with your lifestyle and the way your family functions?

- Create a solid base and plan for drainage. A retaining wall should not solve a problem on one area only to create a problem in another area.

- Ensure the wall is level and use backfill to add support.

- Incorporate creativity. Adding curves, lighting, stairs, or built-in planters are some options to add beauty, function and value.

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Caring for your lawn amid crazy weather

6/4/2015

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In the last few weeks we’ve experienced temperatures in the 40’s as well as the 80’s! I guess that’s typical spring weather in New England, but it never gets easy. It’s challenging to get comfortable or even know what to wear on a given day, and it can be challenging for our lawns as well. Inconsistent weather has made it difficult for the ground and grass to slowly warm up and emerge.

In addition to the wild fluctuation in temperatures, we’ve also had a long period with no rain, followed by nearly three straight days of rain. Even with attentive care, some of lawns throughout the south shore are having a difficult time. If your turf isn’t quite where you want it to be at this time of year, don’t worry. Most of the lawns we have seen at Gardenin’ Angels are having difficulty adjusting after an extreme winter and an inconsistent spring, but they will thrive. Hopefully, more moderate and consistent weather is in store for New England and our lawns will flourish. Here are a few tips to help your grass get there:

As summer heat arrives, you may have to start watering your lawn every other day. You do NOT have to water your lawn daily, unless you’ve planted new grass that you’re trying to germinate or we are getting extremely hot temperatures AND no rain.
Sharpen your mower blades to minimize disease potential. You’ll also see fewer white tips on your grass.
Adjust your mower height to 2.5 - 3 inches through spring, then at 3 – 3.5 inches through summer.
Stay on top of weeds by hand-pulling them or spot-treating them with a selective broadleaf herbicide. Even if the sight of them doesn’t bother you, they are hogging the nutrients that are needed by your grass, so don’t ignore them. Also, flowering weeds like dandelions, will drop their seeds, resulting in more weeds. Get them out of your turf early and stay vigilant.

If you have questions or concerns about your lawn, give us a call at Gardenin’ Angels.

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Retaining Walls

Caring for your lawn amid crazy weather

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