Winter protection for roses
Hybrid roses, beautiful but sometimes intimidating, can bloom year after year with a little protection during the winter. Mound soil about a foot high around the base of the plant; place hardware cloth tight to the ground and wrap around the plant, filling with oak leaves or straw. This will help to protect from freezing temps and rabbits feasting on the plant. To help avoid desiccation, don’t prune back canes of the plant until spring.
Mary Kowalski
More info on Hybrid rose winter care
Shrub rose winter care
Welcome home
The entry steals the show for this newly built home in Mequon. With an English made fountain as the entrys focal point, natural materials such as patterned bluestone, (full range), and tumbled cobbles were used with a unique interwoven design. Landscape lighting completed this installation making the space beautiful both night and day.
Plant now for the beauty of Spring Bulbs
Don’t forget to plant those spring bulbs in fall. The following are some that I incorporate in my designs which are super hardy and deer resistant. I love Grape Hyacinth, Giant Hyacinth, Daffodils, Allium, Snowdrops and Glory of the Snow. Have fun and plant some bulbs!!
Getting the most out of a quaint backyard
Hawks created a beautiful raised patio/rear entry for this home in Wauwatosa. The project included custom cut curved limestone steps, an upper brick and bluestone patio, a lower brick patio as well as a built in grill/bar for entertaining. A limestone wall with bluestone caps along the side acts as both a railing as well as a seat wall.
Increasing access to more of the yard.
This Wauwatosa project had inefficient steps accessing the lower yard.
Hawks reshaped the stairway and installed lannonstone steps with a landing. A firepit
area was included at the bottom of the hill using irregular limestone.
Curb Appeal
Once you have the necessary landscaping completed, start thinking what you can do to make your front yard special. The front yard is so important to the value and look of your home. Begin by thinking how you get from the driveway to the front door. This is your chance to think about a brick walk, a small place to sit, perhaps even a wall if there is an elevation change. Paths can lead to pergolas, sitting areas, plants and flower pots. The front yard is also a great place for night lighting. All of these landscape elements can accent the front of your house. ...
Landscape lighting
Landscape lighting has come a long way in recent years. Including super-efficient LED lamps (for both new and existing systems), more sophisticated timers that adjust not only for daylight savings but, also for longer and shorter days! New, more elaborate systems can adjust/dim light levels, control individual lights, be controlled from your phone and even change colors. How about “setting up your holiday décor” by simply adjusting your landscape light colors via your smart phone!
Pachysandra problems Volutella disease
Pachysandra is a wonderful ground cover, but a stem and leaf blight can wipe out an entire planting. Brown to black blotches on the leaves and stems and unusual large dead patches of plant is what to watch for. If you catch it early enough, three early spring applications of commercial strength fungicide will help keep the disease under control.
Brookfield great escape
Hawks created this great escape in Brookfield for these homeowners who wanted to sit and enjoy the small pond in their backyard. We used all natural materials including lannonstone outcropping walls and steps, full range bluestone (both patterned as well as irregular), and tumbled lannon cobbles. The patterned bluestone “rug” set in the irregular bluestone sets off this great space when viewed from inside.
Pruning Big Leaf Hydrangeas (macrophylla)
The timing of pruning is very important on this plant. They bloom on old wood, so pruning is done in summer before next year’s flowers start to set. You may prune as the plant is flowering. Weak and poorly formed branches should be removed and on well-established plants, some good branches could also be removed to force new growth that will have flowers next year. Don’t prune after July! Flower bud hardiness is a concern, sometimes because it is too cold, other times because the plant breaks dormancy too early.
