Landscapes R UsWe provide landscaping services to the Piedmont Triad!

One well hidden secret within the landscape trade is how much a difference outdoor lighting can make to your garden.  For a relatively small investment, adding lighting to the grounds of your business or residence can really make the landscape pop.

Here are some ideas for landscape lighting:

• Work with lighting specialists who really know their trade. Look for people who can work with both elaborate and really simple designs.  For instance, our lighting specialists at Landscape R Us at Highpoint, NC are certified at working with Vista Professional Outdoor Lighting, one of the best lighting products on the market.

• Try up lighting. As the name suggests up lighting is using light to achieve an upward light effect.  This means securing a mounted well type light and tilting it upwards, focusing light on objects such as trees, gazebos or shrubs, basically any object standing higher within the landscape.  The result of this illuminating effect can be quite stunning and dramatic.

• Try down lighting. This is another gorgeous technique offering stunning lighting effects.  You simply place a floodlight or spotlight somewhere high up (such as in a tree, on a pole or on a wall) and project the light downward.  The result is a gorgeous moonlight beam effect across your garden, perfect for the upcoming spring months.

• Shadow lighting. Similarly, when you have a large open area such as a wall behind the area you wish to light, placing a well light in front of an object such as a shrub or bush can create a pretty soft shadow in your garden.

• Path lighting. Illuminating your path not only adds safety to your garden, the pools of light created around your walkway and surrounding garden can make your landscape extra stunning, even romantic.

Landscapes-R-Us provides landscaping services to homes and commercial properties in Greensboro, High Point, Winston Salem and the Lake Norman region of NC. Call us at 704-684-7211 or Contact us to find out more.

Spring has sprung! It’s time therefore to spruce up your residential or commercial landscape to make things more beautiful, neater and fresh. Here are 10 affordable landscaping ideas for spring 2012:

• Tip One: Prune your hedges, shrubs and trees.
  If you own hedges, shrubs and trees then spring is the perfect time to prune these puppies back. Not only will this make a great impression on your visitors, it will look soothing and calming to you, too. Pruning back also avoids overgrowth.
• Tip Two: Spruce up your flower beds.
  By digging over the soil and adding mulch to your flower beds, you are prepping the ground for the new flowers that will come in a month or so. Ask your landscaper about stone mulch. This is a popular option to using pine needles and other forms of mulch and makes a pretty contrast to the flowers.
• Tip Three: Add the color.
  If you want color in your flowerbeds, spring is the right time for adding bright and cheery flowers such as primroses or grown daffodils. Ask your landscaper for advice on what other bright flowers are best planted this spring.
• Tip Four: Spruce up your vegetable patch.
  Spring is the right time for turning the soil in your vegetable patch. It’s best not to just dig it over. Also, add farmyard manure, compost and mulch. The goal is prepping the soil for planting new vegetables next month.
• Tip Five: Tend to the roses.
  If you want your roses looking gorgeous later in the year, then spring is the best time for feeding the soil and roses too. Hold off pruning the roses till March. But definitely get your landscaper in now to add the right nutrients and rose food to the soil.
• Tip Six: Test your soil.
  Sounds bizarre, right? But having your landscaper conduct a quick test of your soil can determine what nutrients are lacking in your soil. This will help improve your chances of a bumper flower and/or vegetable crop later in the year.
• Tip Seven: Consult your landscaper about big projects.
  Seek advice from your landscaper in the spring for any big landscaping project planned later in the year. Your landscaper can advise you accordingly on everything from large paving, installing an outdoor BBQ pit, to large or small planting projects.
• Tip Eight: Consider adding a stone wall.
  With the growing focus on conserving the environment, weathered walls are becoming more popular as a way to retain rain and irrigation water in your garden.
• Tip Nine: Consider adding a water garden.
  Water gardens are growing in popularity too and offer a tranquil place for you and others to sit and enjoy the quiet outdoors.
• Tip Ten: Service your landscaping equipment.
  If you own a mower, trimmer or other heavy duty equipment for maintaining your landscape, spring is the right time to have an expert check all works as it should.

Landscapes-R-Us provides lawn mowing and landscaping services to homes and commercial properties in Greensboro, High Point, Winston Salem and the Lake Norman region of NC. Contact us to find out more.

Many of us agonize over which landscaper to work with. We all want our residential yards to look their best, right? But how to choose from the scores of landscapers advertised on Google? Here are five tips to help you make the right choice:

• Tip One: Find a landscaper within close proximity to your home. This way the landscaper won’t lose time in their commute and has more time to work on your yard. Also, you can drive to their headquarters with ease and check how their company looks.
• Tip Two: Research the landscaper’s reputation, both verbally, by asking your own community and by researching online. Type the landscaper’s company name in on the North Carolina Angie’s List or, see if customers leave reviews and/or testimonials on their website.
• Tip Three: Meet the landscaper and ask to see photography or other records of their work. Excellent landscapers will have photography of their work on their website or, a portfolio of their work.
• Tip Four: Trust your gut. If you like how the landscaper looks and sounds, if you feel the landscaper is listening to your wants and needs, then chances are this landscaper is reliable and does terrific work.
• Tip Five: Look for examples of excellence through the reviewing the kinds of service the landscaper offers. Is the landscaper capable of working with landscape maintenance along with adding outdoor lighting, irrigation, tree removal, installing sod and drainage? Do they use software to show you how your finished project will look? Excellent and reliable landscapers can do it all.

Landscapes-R-Us provides lawn mowing and landscaping services to homes and commercial properties in Greensboro, High Point, Winston Salem and the Lake Norman region of NC. Contact us to find out more.

First impressions are everything, especially when it comes to customers. So when looking to landscape your commercial business, we understand how pivotal it is that the landscape looks superb. Here are five tips to selecting an excellent commercial landscaping company:

• Tip One: Find a landscaper close to your office. This way the landscaper won’t lose time in their commute and has more time to work on your company’s grounds.
• Tip Two: Research the landscaper’s reputation, both verbally, by asking other friends and other business owners in the neighborhood, and by researching online. Type the landscaper’s company name in on the North Carolina Angie’s List or, see if customers leave reviews and/or testimonials on their website. Also look for photography or other examples of their commercial landscaping. Excellent landscapers will have photography of their work on their website or, a portfolio of their work.
• Tip Three: Within that first consultation with your commercial landscaper, pay attention to whether the landscaper listens well. Do they ask questions about what you want and do they seem sincere?
• Tip Four: Ensure the landscaper offers many services. Do they offer turf fertilization, plant flowers, lay mulch and pine needles? Do they use software to show you how your finished project will look? Excellent and reliable landscapers can do it all.
• Tip Five: Look for someone certified. Top notch landscapers will be certified by nationally known companies such as John Deere.

Landscapes-R-Us provides lawn mowing and landscaping services to homes and commercial properties in Greensboro, High Point, Winston Salem and the Lake Norman region of NC. Contact us to find out more.

Your lawn is often one of the first things that people notice about your house. A green, lush lawn can improve your curb appeal and make your home stand out in the neighborhood. Routine and proper mowing of your grass will keep it looking healthy all year long. Understanding proper mowing techniques will enable you to create a beautiful, appealing lawn that is the envy of the neighborhood.

Proper mowing is one of the most beneficial things that you can do to keep your lawn healthy and green. The key to a beautiful lawn is mowing often and at the proper height. It is important that you never mow more than one-third of a grass’s blade at one time.

There are recommended height ranges for most grasses. When the temperatures are hot or there has been very little rain, you should try to keep the height toward the upper end of the range. When you mow the grass too short, you are depriving it of nutrients as you are removing a large part of its food-producing leaf surface. This can weaken the grass, making it more susceptible to disease and insects. The ideal length for most grasses is between 2 and 3 inches.  Lawns grown at these lengths tend to have deeper roots, fewer weeds, and look thicker and lusher.

It is important that you mow your lawn frequently, even during the winter months when there is not much growth. Once a week is a good recommendation for most lawns. During peak growing season, you may want to mow every 4-5 days. When growth is slow, mowing your lawn every 8-9 days will be fine. You will not need to remove grass clippings if you are mowing at proper intervals.

Frequent mowing will get rid of weeds before they are able to seed and take control of your yard. Your grass will grow thicker as competition for valuable nutrients is greatly decreased. There will be less cover for insects and pests as well.

When your grass is kept short, you will need less water because there is less leaf blade to transpire water. This is especially important during those hot summer months when water shortages tend to occur. Plus, less irrigation can prevent fungus and bugs from becoming a problem.

To avoid injury to your grass, be sure that you are using a mower with sharp blades. For an even cut, only mow when the grass is completely dry. Vary your mowing pattern each week. This will allow the grass to grow in an upright position.

Consider hiring a landscaping company that provides lawn-mowing services each week. These companies have the equipment and knowledge to make sure that your lawn looks beautiful and stays healthy. They also offer a variety of other services including thatching, reseeding, fertilization and more to encourage growth and improve the overall appearance of your yard.

When your lawn is healthy, it is better able to recover from drought conditions, disease and insect damage. It can withstand foot traffic without resulting in bald spots. Proper mowing encourages a lush, thick lawn that will be healthy and look beautiful all year long.

Landscapes-R-Us provides lawn mowing and landscaping services to homes and commercial properties in Greensboro, High Point, Winston Salem and the Lake Norman region of NC. Contact us to find out more.