Residential Landscaping: It’s Global Warming to Your Plants!

As the Global Warming debate heats up (no pun intended), several of your plants are wilting from a record sizzling summer season -call it Global Warming, accuse it on El Nino, but don’t overlook it -least you squander your most loved plants. The primary important thing to identify is, any sustained temperature above 90 deg. F is life threatening to non-tropical plants. Here are 6 quick bullets to cut out and paste on your to-do list, frig, or note-board: - Mulch and water the base of your plants to keep the soil cool around plants. - If you can provide shade, do so. Every person can identify a sagging plant. Get water to the roots and provide some coverage for the plant if at all achievable. Remember plants need sun, but not constant scorching sunlight, so a mesh type shade appliance will work best -talk to your landscaping company or neighborhood nursery. - Water in the morning on days that are anticipated to be scorching. And when cooler temps are probable, you might want to back off on the quantity of watering -too much can be just as problematic as too little. - Look at nationwide weather reports to find out if a heat wave is pending your way -don’t plant during a heat wave. - Consult your local nursery for proper plant exposures. An inexpensive compass will help with determining appropriate exposures (Northern, Southern, Eastern, or Western). - Fall fertilization will assist plants recover from a sizzling summer season. In addition spring fertilization will give them a nice start for the summer season. These six helpful hints are a nice starting point for helping your plants survive the dog days of summer -we’ll let the “experts” figure out whether this is a trend due to Global Warming -our responsibility is to sustain the beauty of our environments without adding to the problems in our environment. So pick natural fertilizers that are “Green Safe.” Landscapers routinely work with home owners who initially started their landscaping project on their own, but soon realized the job required a professional! This is especially true if you’re landscaping and hardscaping project involves the integration of a patio, pool, pond, waterfall, irrigation system, and shaded structures and walls. A landscaping expert will work directly with you from the initial design and plan, converse your objectives, family needs and budget, determine the amount of sunlight your house gets and at what time of day, in order to ensure the right plantings will grow in the right place, and bring to fruition the continuing adornment of your outdoor space to be loved by friends and family for decades.