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Landscaping Bloomington, IL

Bloomington Landscaping:

What To Know For 2023

 

Scott's Exterior Maintenance provides expert landscaping in Bloomington IL, and our team brings decades of lawn care experience. With that said, there is a lot you can do to help keep your lawn looking healthy. Our 2023 landscaping guide is intended to help you do your part in maintaining your home and yard.

At Scott's Exterior Maintenance, we provide landscaping services in Bloomington IL, including lawn mowing in Bloomington IL, lawn care in Bloomington IL, construction, ornamental elements, decorative gates and fences, natural landscape components, water fountains, and much more. No job is too big or too small for our experienced team of professionals, as our landscaping capabilities can be applied to residential and commercial properties. Our local landscaping services are designed to take the stress out of lawn care for you, but if you're the type to want to be involved, we put together this guide to give you some useful tips for taking care of your property.

 

2023 Landscaping Guide

Looking for DIY lawn care tips? Look no further. The secret to landscaping success is tackling the right steps at the right time. Learn what your lawn needs to look its best with our easy season-by-season care guide.

Landscaping By Season...

  • ... In Winter: we aren't out of the woods yet, as winter '23 is still holding on. What you can do: limit lawn traffic, melt ice carefully, prepare for spring (sharpen lawn mower blades, schedule lawn feedings, speak with Scott's Exterior Maintenance to make sure your lawn is ready when spring comes).

 

  • ... In Spring: we're almost there. What you can do: spring cleaning (rake out dead grass, pick up debris), mow high, and start applying fertilizer (speak with Scott's Exterior Maintenance to create a fertilization schedule for your lawn).

 

  • ... In Summer: the season we've all been waiting for. What you can do: mow high, treat for grubs, and water regularly. The team at Scott's can help with grub treatments, fertilizer application, and much more.

 

  • ... In Fall: for some, it's the best season of the year. What you can do: mulch leaves, seed thinner areas, and start mowing shorter.

 

Watering Tips

  • Before watering your lawn, check the soil moisture with a trowel. The top 2-3 inches should feel almost dry before adding any more water.
  • After watering, test the soil. If it isn’t wet 4-6 inches down, continue watering until it is. Grass roots will grow deeper and the lawn will be healthier.
  • Compost improves soil structure, texture, and aeration, and increases the soil’s ability to hold water. Add compost (no more than 1/2 inch) to the lawn to make your grass healthier.
  • Watering between 4 and 9 a.m. helps ensure that the sun won’t rob moisture from your lawn.

Lawn Mowing Tips

  • Avoid scalping grass, which is cutting it too short. A scalped lawn is vulnerable to diseases and weed infestation.
  • Keep your mower blade sharp to get the best results from each mowing. A sharp blade cuts grass cleanly, while a dull blade tears grass, creating a jagged, uneven edge.
  • If you mow during the heat of the day, individual grass plants lose more water and recover much more slowly than if you mow during the cooler part of the day.
  • Avoid mowing in the same direction or pattern each time you mow.

Landscaping With...

  • flowers: layer flower borders, tallest in back
  • mulch: Mulch provides a buffer zone to keep lawnmowers and weed whips away from young trees
  • potted plants: largely the same process as traditionally planted plants, with some special things to consider
  • pots and rocks: rocks add natural, textural elements to landscapes as well as being durable, low-maintenance, organic
  • gravel: versatile and durable, landscaping with gravel 
  • water features: add privacy, texture, and serenity to your landscape

Landscaping Without...

  • Grass/lawn: your options include potted plants, gravel, raised planters, or even artificial turf
  • Plants: focus on hardscapes, ground cover, water features, art pieces, or stones
  • Bushes, flowers, shrubs: another low-maintenance lawn option, similar to landscaping without grass

Other Necessary Lawn Services in Bloomington, IL

Soil Aeration

When dirt ends up being also portable it develops a surface area obstacle that prevents water and other important nutrients, such as nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and oxygen from reaching the plant's roots. This compaction hinders the yard's capacity to produce a healthy root system that will last throughout the summer. The process of core aerating involves making use of equipment suitably labeled an "aerator" to remove small plugs of dirt from the yard and also revealing the plants' roots to air, water, and nutrients.

 

Dirt becomes compacted as a result of heavy foot traffic from people as well as animals. A usual misunderstanding is that property owners could utilize shoes with spikes to do the work, however, this act just produces openings in the lawn while possibly condensing it even more.

 

The usual rule is to aerate your grass a minimum of once each year. If you have a recently built home, it is recommended to aerate your lawn right away.

 

Overseeding

There are lots of little steps that property owners could take as a component of their regular grass upkeep to ensure healthy grass year-round, and one of the most vital is overseeding. This is defined as the act of sowing seed throughout your existing grass.

 

Overseeding can additionally be utilized to supplement your existing yard throughout rough months of the year.

Landscaping FAQs

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Will Landscaping Increase A Home's Value?

Landscaping may not directly affect the value of your home, but homebuyers may appreciate well-maintained or mature landscaping. A beautiful yard may encourage potential buyers to take a closer look at the property.

When you sell a house -- first home, second home, rental property -- you pay capital gains tax on the difference between the sale price and your adjusted basis. The basis is the original purchase price, which you adjust for improvements you've made to the property over the years. If you install new plumbing, remodel the kitchen, or pay for major landscaping work, that's an adjustment.

Can Landscaping Be Deducted On Taxes?

Not exactly. Even on a home where the owner has done landscaping front and back, costs aren't tax deductible immediately and may not be until the home is sold. When you sell a house -- first home, second home, rental property -- you pay capital gains tax on the difference between the sale price and your adjusted basis. The basis is the original purchase price, which you adjust for improvements you've made to the property over the years. If you install new plumbing, remodel the kitchen, or pay for major landscaping work, that's an adjustment and you may see some fortune from Uncle Sam.

Our Landscaping Process

Our landscaping process begins with an initial consultation. In this phase, we visit your site and identify the best approach to achieve your vision, discussing the specific targets for the project and setting the timeframe, budget, and other expectations.

 

Thereafter, we survey your area and establish a base plan to create an accurate design for your landscape. Here, we explore different solutions to a particular issue, preparing conceptual visualizations to help you see the outcome before we start.

 

We then set the final master plan, and we polish every construction detail to ensure that everything goes smoothly as planned. We then involve any construction detail such as patios, natural elements, plant placement, and other considerations.

 

Furthermore, we choose the plants that will thrive in the growing conditions of your area and set them to achieve optimal visual appeal and health. We create a planting plan to ensure that the plants are healthy and beautiful and that they receive sufficient water and sunlight.

 

Moreover, we develop an irrigation and lighting plan to complete your landscape and to keep the plants healthy. Waterscapes are also finalized, and other electrical elements are installed and tested.

 

Landscaping Rocks and stones Versus Mulch

Homeowners have a lot of say in landscaping their homes. One option they have is choosing between landscaping rock and mulch, which each has its advantages. 

 

Landscaping Rock:

Pros

  • Low maintenance: landscaping rock generally doesn't need replacing (though you may need additional layers over time), but the caveat is that rocks don't produce the natural fertilizer that mulch does
  • Lower cost: Because they’re longer lasting, it is generally less expensive to mulch with rocks.
  • Fire-proof: Rocks aren't flammable, unlike their mulch counterpart
  • Weed killer: Rocks can keep weeds away longer.
  • Wind-resistant: Heavy rocks are great at preventing soil erosion in windy areas.

Cons

  • Heat retention: Rocks, especially lighter ones, raise the soil temperature, leading to stressed, thirsty plants.
  • Messy pH: Most trees prefer acidic soil, but rocks create alkaline soil, which can hurt trees.
  • Remove by hand: If you want to remove stones, you must do it manually, which can be tedious!

 

Mulch:

  • Cheaper than landscaping rock
  • Will decompose into the soil, though as a result owners will have to replace more frequently

 

Where To Buy Landscaping Rocks?

You can buy landscaping rocks at just about any typical home improvement store, though if you try your luck at a construction site, a farm, or a road construction site, you just may be able to find some at a reduced cost. Some cities and municipalities have rock available for the public as well.

 

Landscaping ServicesOur Landscaping Services

 

At the beginning stages of our landscaping work, we perform dirt grading, ground leveling, trenching, and hauling to achieve the terrain that is most suitable for the landscape design. To do these, we consider many different aspects such as drainage, electrical wiring, and plumbing. We also perform excavation for sidewalks, driveways, and patios.

 

Thereafter, we design and construct different landscape elements including beautiful and strong fences that match the landscape. With many options of timber, we can achieve the look that you want. We also build decks and patios to enhance the look of your garden. With a wide range of colors and styles of paver blocks, we can install a unique patio for your garden.

 

We also install rock planting beds for a more economical alternative to bark mulch. We layer your turf with mulch to prevent the growth of weeds and to add a decorative touch to your landscape by creating a color contrast in the bedding area. Mulch also provides food for worms, which can help aerate the soil and make it healthy for the plants. Furthermore, we also build retaining walls as a protective and decorative element.

 

Professional landscaping services in Bloomington IL

Professional Landscaping Services in Bloomington IL

 

If you need quality landscaping services in Bloomington IL, then Scott's Exterior Maintenance is the company to trust. Get in touch with us today for more information about our reliable landscaping services or for an initial consultation with one of our experts.

 

 

 

Related to Landscaping In Bloomington IL:

Snow Plowing & Removal

Lawn Care

Exterior Maintenance

 

Expert Landscapers in Bloomington IL - Scott's Exterior Maintenance