Root's Nurseries Blog | Lancaster PA Landscape Designer

Winter Home Landscaping Tips

Even though it’s winter, there are still a few important things to do to care for home landscaping in Rossville. For example, did you know it’s important to keep heavy items off of your grass during the winter months? Read on for more tips on how to maintain and care for your home landscaping this winter.

As mentioned, be sure to keep heavy items like trash cans, sleds and toys off of your yard during the winter months. These items can flatten the grass and either cause your grass to grow in horizontally or not grow at all in the spring time.

If your trees need to be pruned, you should make sure it is done during the cooler dormant season. A professional home landscaping company can take care of this for you since it takes a steady and knowledgeable hand to accomplish this correctly and safely. If you prune your trees now, you will help encourage new growth during the warmer spring and summer months.

Along the same lines, if you haven’t done it already, now is the time to “dead head” your perennials. This means you trim off the old and dead growth to make way for the new growth for the upcoming spring months. If you are unsure of how to do this part of your home landscaping tasks, visit us and let us know. We will be happy to answer your questions and show you how to do it yourself.

Because we are having a milder than usual fall and winter (so far!) this year, you can still get new trees to plant to enhance your home landscaping. Visit our retail plant center to learn more and to get recommendations on which trees will thrive the best in your yard and garden. We can tell you how to plant them and give you tips on how to care for them too.

If you need more guidance on how to care for your home landscaping this winter (or any other time of the year), let us know and we will be happy to help you and answer your questions and give you tips on how to make sure your landscaping will grow and thrive throughout the year.

For more information on home landscaping in Rossville or any of the surrounding areas, call Root’s Nurseries at 717-898-0041,visit our Retail Plant Center or you can contact us to get a Free Estimate.

Caring for Your New Landscaping Shrubs

If you just bought some new landscaping shrubs for your Lancaster home, you might be wondering how to care for them during the winter months. Do you have to water them on a daily basis? How much sunlight should they get? What can you do to protect them from Pennsylvania’s harsh winters? We can answer your questions when you visit our retail plant center to browse through our landscaping shrubs, but here is a guide you can also use when you are at home.

Winter can be brutal on your new landscaping shrubs, but it doesn’t have to be with some care and planning on your part.

The winter sun can do almost as much damage to new landscaping shrubs as the spring and summer sun. You can help mitigate a lot of this damage by wrapping the shrubs’ trunks in some type of protective material, like burlap or corrugated paper that is a light color. You want to keep the bark from experiencing extremes in temperature.

You can also protect your landscaping shrubs from winter’s harsh and frigid temperatures by making sure the shrubs get plenty of water in the late fall. Sometimes, temperatures outside are quite cold but the leaves of the shrubs can get warm in the sun, which results in transpiration. That can pull water away from the landscaping shrubs, which means they will not get as much water as they need. A lot of water in the fall can help (the amount of water needed will depend on the specific type of shrub, and we can tell you how much water your shrubs need when you visit our retail plant center), and you can water them on warm days throughout the winter (if we get any!).

Winter burn is a serious threat to new landscaping shrubs. You can keep this from happening by using evergreen branches to form a wind break over the shrubs. Mulch is also another great way to help protect your new landscaping shrubs’ root systems. The type and amount of mulch needed also depends on the type of shrubs you buy, and we can advise you on this as well.

With a few simple precautions on your part, your new landscaping shrubs will be good to go next spring!

For more information on landscaping shrubs near Lancaster, call Root’s Nurseries at 717-898-0041, or you can contact us to get a Free Estimate.

Fall Landscape Checklist from Landscape Designers

Fall is nearly here and with it comes a slew of landscaping related chores you should do before the winter weather hits. As landscape designers near Ephrata, we have some tips on what you should do to prepare your yard for winter’s upcoming freezing temperatures, snow and ice.

Fall is the best time of year to fertilize your grass. Your grass and other plants still need to eat during the winter time, and fertilizing them gives them the nutrients they need to thrive until next spring.
You should mow your grass until it stops growing for the season. Mow it and then keep an eye on it. If it keeps growing, keep mowing. When it stops, that is one chore you can cross off your To Do List until next spring.
While raking leaves is not a favorite chore for most people, it is an important part of maintaining your grass and landscaping. Be sure to do it at least once a week throughout the entire fall and winter seasons, weather permitting. Avoid leaving heavy items like trash bags and garbage cans on your lawn too. They can damage your grass and plants.
Prune your trees and shrubs. Landscape designers like us can help with this and give you advice on the best way to handle pruning. We can tell you how far to cut back the limbs, and we can give you more information on the best time to start pruning.
Cut back any perennials you have in your yard too. “Dead head” them and cut off any dead blooms or stems.
Remove any annual plants and flowers from your yard.
Aerate your soil. This is when you place holes in your yard and pull out some of the soil. This allows water, fertilizer and air to get deeper into your grass and its root system, and it results in healthier grass in the spring. Also take some time to pull weeds, which might help mitigate any weed problems you might have next spring.
Consult landscape designers like us for more suggestions on how to prepare your yard and landscaping for the upcoming winter months.

With a little preparation now, you could help your grass and landscaping thrive next spring.

Would you like more information on our landscape designers near Ephrata? Call Root’s Nurseries at 717-898-0041 or you can contact us to get a Free Estimate.

Summer Tree Care

While it might be the end of the summer, that does not mean that proper tree care can be neglected. You want to make sure that you are giving your trees all of the TLC they need to thrive year-round. You can visit our garden center near Ephrata if you need more suggestions on how to care for your trees during the late summer months, but in the meantime, here are a few suggestions.

Inspect Your Trees

The first thing you should do is take a walk around your property and carefully look at each individual tree, noting if there is any damage or any signs of disease. If you see any signs that your trees are being eaten by a pest or that they might be diseased, visit our garden center to get tips on how to mitigate this kind of damage. Be sure to take note of any branches that need to be pruned too.

Prune Your Trees

Pruning trees is an art form. It takes an experienced and steady hand to do this without causing further damage to your trees. If you have the tools and know-how to do this, prune away the dead or diseased limbs. You can also prune your trees to reduce the density of the branches, to raise the vertical clearance or to decrease the height or spread of the tree. For tips and suggestions, visit our garden center and talk to one of our professionals.

Cable or Brace Weak Limbs

Sometimes, your beloved trees need a little extra help, especially after a severe storm has rolled through your area. When you have weak limbs cabled or braced, that can help your tree survive and thrive. This is also a job that is best left to a professional, and he or she can make sure that your trees get the extra TLC they need to keep growing properly and healthily.

If you are concerned about the trees on your property, or if you are interested in purchasing more, visit our garden center. We can give you advice and help you select the best trees for your garden and landscaping.

Would you like to learn more about tree care and about our garden center near Ephrata? Call us at Root’s Nurseries at 717-898-0041, or you can contact us for a Free Estimate. Or you can visit our Retail Plant Center located on Lancaster Road in Manheim.

Types of Japanese Maples

Japanese Maple Trees are some of the most popular types of trees in this area: and with good reason! They are beautiful, easy to care for and maintain and they can really enhance the looks of your yard and landscaping. Japanese Maples come in several different varieties. Here are a few of the ones we carry here at Root’s Nurseries.

Bloodgood

One of the most popular Japanese Maple Trees, this red-leaved tree is hardy, reliable and beautiful. It requires full sun and partial shade in order to grow properly and thrive.

Emperor

Emperor Japanese Maple Trees are an even more vibrant shade of red than Bloodgood. They tolerate heat very well and also require full sun and partial shade to grow.

Sango Kaku

A low-maintenance tree, the Sango Kaku turns a lovely shade of reddish purple during the growing season. It also needs full sun and partial shade to grow. And its winter bark is a pink color, which makes it a great choice for year-round enjoyment.

Crimson Queen

The Crimson Queen Japanese Maple also looks great all year. It has dark purple leaves in the summer that fade slightly in late summer. Then the leaves turn bright red in the fall. It, too, needs full sun and partial shade to grow and thrive.

Toyama Nishiki

With cream and pink overtones, Toyama Nishiki Japanese Maple Trees are lovely to look at in the spring. During the fall season, you will enjoy bright orange and red leaves. Just be sure they get plenty of sun and partial shade.

Garnet

This beautiful Japanese Maple has bright red leaves that develop best when they are grown in the full sun. If the weather outside is very hot, some shade is advised for these types of maples.

Tamukeyama

With deep red and purple leaves, the Tameukeyama Japanese Maple is one of the most colorful choices we have. The leaves change to a bright scarlet color in the fall, and this type of Japanese Maple is one of the fastest growing.

These are just a few of the many types of trees we sell. Call or visit us to see what else we have in stock!

Are you interested in looking through our selection of Japanese Maples in Manheim PA? Call Root’s Nurseries at 717-898-0041, or you can contact us for a Free Estimate. Or you can visit our Retail Plant Center located on Lancaster Road in Manheim.