I find myself spending my free time on nice days mowing my lawn. It still doesn't look good, what can I do?

Keeping a lawn healthy, lush, and weed free can only be done successfully by spending enough work time and money for maintenance. Keep the soil at least slightly moist from late spring into early fall with regular watering. Fertilize in fall and spring with a slow release fertilizer. Mow throughout the year to a height of 2 inches when the grass nears 3 inches tall. This may mean at least once a week during the warm growing season. In fall, rake leaves off the lawn to prevent smothering and to allow light in. De-thatch whenever thatch (which is mostly dead parts of the grass plant) clogs the lawn. Aerate the soil if it becomes compacted which often happens in areas with foot traffic.

If you don't want to spend the time and money to keep a lawn healthy, Ginkgo recommends alternatives that save time and money, make your yard more useful, add value to your home, and are more environmentally friendly. A properly designed landscape transforms your yard into interesting outdoor living areas that are more useful and easier to care for than a basic lawn. A well designed landscape may use smaller sections of lawn that are easier to care for and replace heavily used areas with patio and decking material that can take the punishment of being walked on year 'round. Some clients have even opted to replace all of their lawn with a diverse mix of trees, shrubs, and perennials. Apart from adding more visual interest, this meant they could get rid of their lawn care equipment all together which continues to save them time, money, and space. And where a lawn requires at least ten weekends a year to properly care for (usually more), a low maintenance design may require as few as 4 weekends a year!

Give us a call to find out how your landscape can suit you and your family best!