Root’s Nurseries Blog

Looking Ahead to Landscaping for Spring 2013 in Lancaster PA

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Despite the cold, spring will soon be here. So, you should be doing what you can to prepare for the upcoming landscaping, and the experts at Root’s Nurseries, Lancaster County’s favorite plant center, offer these tips:

  • Look at how your flower beds are shaped. If they are all just straight lines, consider adding curves to the edges, or putting in boulders to help break up the flat lines.
  • Evergreens are a great plant choice, as they stay green all year round.
  • Be sure to trim your plants to get the most out of them. Those that are dormant over the winter should be manicured so they look amazing once the weather begins to warm up.
  • Gardening prep should begin while the weather’s cold. Plan where you want new flowers and flowerbeds.

Click here to learn about our landscaping services.

Winterizing Your Landscaping in Manheim PA

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If you get joy from your planting beds in the warm months, then you’ll want to winterize your Manheim landscape to get that same feeling next year. There are a number of chores associated with readying the lawn for the next growing season, and here is a quick synopsis of what you should be doing to make sure your landscaping looks just as beautiful next year as it did this year.

Don’t let your lawn get forgotten in fall
Just because the weather has cooled doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop trying to improve the health of your grass, or at bare minimum trying to keep it as healthy as it is. Be sure to remove broadleaf weeds, have a soil test done and rake leaves.

Winterize annual and vegetable beds
At the top of your agenda should be fall garden care. Take the time to remove old plant matter and use it as compost. Rototilling, while not an absolute necessity, can make spring gardening much easier. If you decide to go forward with rototilling, then apply lime if your pH is too low. Also protect your topsoil with a cover crop or a mulch (great for smaller beds).

Trees and shrubs
One of the best things you can do to get your trees and shrubs through the cold Manheim temperatures is to water the in the fall. Much of the damage they sustain is the result of the inability to draw water from the frozen earth.

Perennial garden beds
These should be cleaned up and mulched. Both of these go together, so you need to do both for your efforts to be rewarded.

Compost bin
Cover up your compost with tarp. To insulate it from the winter weather, put a layer of leaves on top and all around the perimeter.

Also …
Don’t forget to bring in your garden hose and turn off the hose’s water source. Take the time to get your snowblower ready with new oil, a spark plug, belt inspection and a tank of new gas.

Lancaster PA Landscape Designers Turn Yards into Elegant Gardens

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Well-designed landscaping can make the difference between just having a nice yard and having an elegant Lancaster PA estate. It takes experience and expertise to determine the proper balance between trees, shrubs, plants and open space. It’s difficult for the inexperienced to design landscaping that will turn your outdoor space into a grand courtyard, or a delicate Japanese garden. This is exactly what landscape designers can do for you.

You’ll want to have the right kind of shade trees and perhaps some evergreen trees to provide a certain amount of privacy. Lancaster landscape designers can help you make the right choices for these, as well as pick the best shrubbery and plants to give your garden vibrant colors all season long. They will also be able to help you attract songbirds if that is what you would like.

You may already have some idea of what you would like in your landscaping scheme. If you do, write it down or make a rough sketch of your ideas. Landscaping designers can do a better job for you if they have an idea of what you already like.

Be sure to include any ideas you have for garden benches, fountains, waterfalls and fish ponds. Your expert Lancaster PA designer will evaluate the lay of the land and suggest how it could best be arranged. Doing a little advance planning will help them arrive at your ideal landscape design more quickly, and it will be more closely aligned with your desires.

Your best option is usually to find landscape designers that are associated with a large nursery. When you have an experienced designer that can also supply, and put the plan in place, you can often get good pricing and better results. The single source/total package eliminates confusion and the finished job will more likely match the plan.

Find a Good Lancaster PA Nursery: What Do You Do?

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It’s important that no matter where you do business at, you develop a relationship with the staff. This way, you’ll be able to find out information before the rest of the general public about upcoming specials and promotions, as well as receive valuable tips and information about certain products. By developing this relationship, you help both the business and yourself.

When it comes to Lancaster PA nurseries and plant centers, however, what do you do to develop this relationship? The first step you’ll need to take is to find a well-run operation. What should you look for, you ask? Here are a few tips and questions to keep in mind when shopping around for “your” Lancaster nursery.

  1. Is there a good variety of plants? 
    There should be more than just the normal perennials and annuals anyone can get at the nearest big box retailer. You should be able to find plants other stores in the area don’t have.
  2. Does the staff know their stuff? 
    Check to see how long the employees have worked there. You’ll want to deal with people who have experience, and not someone who’s just doing it as a part-time job to earn some income.
  3. What condition are the plants in? 
    Any good nursery will take good care of the plants in stock. The condition of the plants will tell you a lot about the business. Are they in good health, or do they appear to be neglected? If it’s the latter, is that the kind of place you want to give your business?
  4. Do the employees seem enthused and want to help you? 
    Most of the true, die-hard plant loves will want to share their expertise and use it to help others. This will be evident in how the employees treat you while you shop.
  5. How are the prices?
    Of course, you have to be able to afford what’s in stock. If the prices don’t match your budget, then it’s probably best to take your business elsewhere.

Root’s Nurseries Blog is Live!

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As a locally owned and operated business in the South Central Pennsylvania area, we at Root’s Nurseries have always prided ourselves on our work, and illustrating why we’re one of the area’s top companies for your horticulture needs.

Because of the pride we take in our work, we’re happy to today launch our blog. It will be frequently updated with information on trees, shrubs, annuals and perennials. We will also use this blog to showcase projects – past and present – the Root’s Nurseries staff has worked so very hard on.

Not familiar with Root’s Nurseries? Please visit our home page to learn more about our company and services, or if you’re looking around at different South Central PA horticulture companies. We look forward to working with you!