Shrubs and Trees - Little thoughts that make a big difference

Shrubs and Trees - Little thoughts that make a big difference

By:Jonathan Manning, CLT
A Better Garden Maintenance, LLC
Denver, CO

A Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) has an amazingly brilliant red fall color. It adds interest to your landscape just like the Aspen (Populus tremuloides) clumps which set ablaze our Colorado mountains with gold. Another popular shrub which has a bright red fall color is aptly named “Burning Bush” or Winged Euonymus (Euonymus alatus). Bushes and Trees are ever present in the garden. Many have color branches or beautiful flowers. There are bushes and trees for all situation presented by the Denver landscape.



When installing shrubs or trees in the Colorado landscape it is important to dig a hole which is two to three times (2x-3x) the size of the pot or root ball. Amending the soil is required in certain municipalities for commercial landscape installations and is a water conservation practice. It is heavily recommended to amend all Denver soils by A Better Garden Maintenance, college professors and other professionals. It is important to recognize the water and light requirements of all plant material being installed into a Denver garden prior to planting into the landscape. The amount of shade and sun differ depending on the type of plant. If you like we can develop a plan together which fits your unique landscape’s needs. This can be done during regular garden maintenance or as a special enhancement project.



We attempt to be flexible to fit your schedule. If you want to have a garden installed in your back yard or just need to reclaim and restore your existing landscape, call us. We can give you an estimate on the cost or just setup it up to perform the services on a time and materials basis. We operate across the majority of the Denver Metro Area. We service the Denver Highlands, Golden, Lakewood, Highlands Ranch, Lonetree, Greenwood Village, Centennial, Belmar, Bo Mar, Littleton, Stapleton, Englewood, Wheatridge, Arvada, Washington Park, Congress Park, and other areas in between for sprinkler repair, weekly lawn mowing, weekly garden maintenance, seasonal pruning of shrubs and garden renovation & cleanups. Call today to start service. We look forward to helping you in pursuit of A Better Garden.

Annual Flowers - Spring Color

Annual Flowers - Spring Color

By:Jonathan Manning, CLT
A Better Garden Maintenance, LLC
Denver, CO

When people hear Spring Color, they think everything from flowering fruit trees, spring bulbs and the flowers people plant after the last spring frost(around mother's day in Denver). The first two, fruit trees and spring bulbs, need to be planned and planted way before spring. Flowering trees can be added while they are blooming and usually do well. Yet today, we will talk about the immediate effect of Annual Flowers.



Annual flowers are the best idea to add constant color to your property. They accent not only you garden, but the crisply cut grass as well. Yet, not all annual flowers are the same. The reason they are called annuals is, for the most part, they need to be newly planted every year. I say mainly because such flowers as snapdragons, dianthus, and even some petunias may overwinter and be growing come spring time. Some even re-seed throughout their growing season. As an annual, the only goal they have is to make more seeds to further their germplasm. Either way it is important to choose the right annuals for the location, cost, and texture.



There are lots of spring annuals to choose from to give your commercial or residential garden a burst of color. Some are better in a container garden, while others look amazing in large displays on the ground. Below are some geraniums which look amazing when well maintained (deadheading & ground aerated by hand).







Some annual flowers, such as petunias, are by far the cheapest, quickest spreading and most vibrant display of color for which you can ask. The brillant display comes with a heavy price, a lot of flower maintenance. All these petunia flowers produce seed pods, after being germinated by bees, wasps or other insects, which need to be removed. It is important to note that the whole seed pod needs to be removed, not just the dead petals & sepals. When these seed pods are removed, known as deadheading, the plant then attempts to produce more seeds. This is done by first producing more flowers for you to enjoy.



Remember, some annual flowers are specifically grown in shade or sun. Some are available because people like the unique texture they bring. The more exotic flowers should generally only be planted into flower container gardens as other flowers will highlight the complexity and uniqueness. Before planning out your annual flowers consider the height, shape, color, and other characteristics which will affect your spring color planting.



A Better Garden Maintenance, LLC just wishes to remind everyone we both install and maintain annual flowers. Please contact us for more information.