The hot Georgia summer comes with many benefits, including nights spent outside chatting with neighbors and days filled with outdoor activities. However, the heat also brings some drawbacks, and your lawn may suffer as a result. Instead of surrendering to Mother Nature, keep some tips in mind to maintain your lawn through the season.

Hire Professionals

Taking care of your lawn by yourself is a tremendous task, especially when the fiery sun beats down upon your back. Even if you were raised to maintain your own lawn, consider breaking from tradition and allowing the experts to do the work. You can rest assured that your lawn will still look beautiful, and you’ll have more time to enjoy the weather.

Summer Treatments

Not only do you need to hire a team that knows how to tend to a lawn, but you also have to pick one that has a specific plan for the summer season. Lawns aren’t all the same, and the professionals will tend to your lawn’s specific needs; they also use a method that involves fertilization and weed control to ensure that the lawn stays both beautiful and healthy even in the harsh climate.

Protect Traffic-dense Spaces

When the sun is shining, the kids probably want to play outside, and you likely have relatives and friends over for barbecues. However, this extra traffic can do damage to your lawn. Consider putting down stones or brick on a few areas to direct the traffic away from the grass and toward the hard surfaces.

Whatever steps you take, knowing your lawn and paying attention to shifts in weather patterns is important. One particular method might not work for your lawn, or you may need to revise it in order to deal with inclement weather conditions.

Installing and maintaining a beautiful and successful landscape can be a challenge. Not only does keeping up with a healthy lawn and garden take time, but it also requires knowledge of the plants, trees and other vegetation that you are using. Too often, homeowners become overwhelmed with the task of maintaining their landscape and let it fall to the wayside.

There is no doubt that Walton, Oconee and Gwinnett County are experiencing a revived housing boom. There are housing development signs at all major intersections, and houses seem to be selling quickly after being listed. If you are thinking about selling your home with the market that seems to be picking up pace, then consider upgrading or updating your landscaping. 

As the temperatures in Winder, Georgia continue to rise, so do the mosquito count. These tried and true mosquito-fighting techniques will help rid you of mosquitos and help you enjoy the outdoors again. 

Buy bug spray and use it.

Do not spray it on your clothes and do not slather it on your skin. Just apply lightly. What kind to buy? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends brands with Deet or Picaridin. Reapply according to the instructions.

Remove standing water.

Mosquitoes live to reproduce, but they have to have standing water to lay their eggs. If you have stagnant water in your backyard, you might as well buy towels and curtains for your mosquito nursery. Tires, toys, gutters, pet dishes, plant saucers, bird baths, leaky outdoor faucets, even air-conditioning drains all are likely spots for mosquito larvae. Survey your property frequently. Empty any items that hold water.

Light clothes will help!

Wear light-colored clothing, preferably pants and shirts with long sleeves.

If you’ve tried these steps but you still have swarms of mosquitoes in your yard, call Legacy Group to solve the problem. Our experts will rid your yard of mosquitoes so you can enjoy your yard again!

As the pollen counts rise and winter officially transitions into Spring, it’s time to add color and beauty to your Georgia garden. Here are a few ways we love to show off the many faces of Spring: 

Tulips: Their vibrant colors last but a week and though fleeting they are worth the wait. Tulips come in an incredible variety of colors, height, and flower shapes. Some Tulips are even fragrant.

Creeping phlox: This low growing, clay-soil loving, variety of phlox is the first mass bloomer of spring. Mature plants are like magic carpets of color. Plant them in a sunny spot.

Bearded iris: Iris come in every color, and multi-color combinations. Their aroma is like a dip in a lilac pond.

Pulmonaria and Solomon’s seal: This is a combination for anyone with dry shade that thought they could not have nice spring flowers. The Pulmonaria have striking foliage and mystical blue flowers in mid April. During this show your Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum) will be starting to spring forth. By mid-May the Solomon’s seal will flower and have blooms that look more like dancing bells floating below the leaves in a long string of subtle showiness.

Ajuga: This ground cover is showiest in the worst of soils and shady conditions. It thrives in a multitude of conditions and will even take on a bit of east or northeast sun.  A great ground cover for tough spots, in spring it magically explodes with bunches of 4-6 inch spikes of purplish-blue flowers.

American Dogwood: This tree is making a comeback after a severe infection linked to cool, wet spring and fall weather. Drought and winter injury weaken trees and increase disease severity. Make sure you put a slow water drip on these trees in dry summer weather. Refrain from watering in spring when possible. And replant these valuable trees, as many have been lost to this infection both in cultivation and throughout our local forests. There is nothing more breathtakingly stunning than a solitary, mature dogwood in full bloom. Amazing.

Need help adding a burst of color to your garden? We’d love to help you. Give us a call for a free consultation today.

A well-manicured lawn doesn’t just happen by itself; but, it doesn’t need to be backbreaking work, either. Landscaping pros understand that a little extra effort can produce a beautiful, healthy turf all season. If you follow these simple tips, you’ll have a thriving yard in no time, without a ton of extra effort. 

Aerate

Just like it needs water and nutrients, grass needs air to thrive. Aeration removes plugs of soil from the lawn, which loosens areas that may have become compacted by heavy use, and lets air get down to the roots. Whether you use a power machine or a hand tool, keep in mind that an aerator that removes plugs is much more effective than one that just pokes holes, which can actually make soil compaction worse. Depending on the type of grass in your yard, you’ll want to aerate in spring, early fall, or both.

Top Dress

After you aerate, top dress your lawn by spreading 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch peat moss over the grass with a rake. The top dressing of peat helps gradually condition the lawn throughout the growing season, strengthening the grass to resist disease and thatch, and reducing the amount of water and fertilizer it needs. Peat moss absorbs moisture and reduces the leaching of nutrients by holding and releasing them slowly over time.

Repair Bare Spots

Discolored patches on the lawn can ruin the look of your whole yard; but, they’re often easy to fix. First, loosen the top six inches of soil in the affected area. Then, work two inches of peat moss into the soil. Scatter grass seeds on the soil, add fertilizer, and water with a fine spray. You can sprinkle a thin layer of peat moss over the new growth to add an extra measure of conditioning, and keep the area moist until it germinates. Spring or fall are good times to tackle reseeding; the cooler temperatures help the grass seeds to grow.

Legacy Group is committed to providing excellent lawn care service to Winder, Georgia and the surrounding areas. Take a look at our packages and let us help you achieve a healthy and happy lawn.