Spade

The first and most simplistic landscaping edging that you can give your landscaping bed is a good old fashioned shovel spade. Trimming off the overhang of the lawn into hard or landscaping areas gives it that finished look. Like a well groomed marine.

Unlike what a deck of playing cards would have you view as the shape of a spade, the shovel spade is actually the rectangular flat ended shovel. Coming in varying lengths, hip height is the most common. The open handle allows a happier grip for it’s downward jab. See this example on Home Depot

Light jabs into the edge of the lawn, just into the crease that divides the lawn from the hard or landscaping surface, will do the trick. Any attempt to drive the shovel deep into the earths inner crust will definitely be too much. Just a quick jab and a sudden stop as the trimming is done. 

Of course you could use a weed wacker or an edge trimmer too.

The weed wacker need to be tilted to the side. Some are built with that ability, and a small adjustment to it’s positioning is all you have to make. Expect to go through a lot of wacker string, as you will constantly be gnawing it off with harder surfaces that grass blades. 

If you happened to have obtained an edge trimmer, either by accident or on purpose, you might have the slickest tool of choice, and the surest way to fit in a few rounds of golf for the day. We won’t go into using this tool right now, but if you have one, you’ve plenty of time to wait for the next article which will discuss tips on using it. For now, enjoy browsing a couple of youtube videos of engineering fails.

Have fun with your landscaping edging!

I tore up the broken concrete. What a beast. The demolitions aspect of landscaping. A hired hand and pickup truck was helpful. Once I got into the swing of things, hauling that long handled sledge over my head made me feel like John Henry. (I just hope I don’t get buried in the end under the walkway.)

Getting rid of the concrete was not less difficult. The pickup truck was almost touching it’s hitch to the road. I had to pay for it to be dumped. But it’s gone now. I think it cost $350. At least that’s what the guy I hired with the pickup said it cost.

The dirt was easier to get rid of. Neighbors were willing to come and pick it up for Phil, who ever he is. Maybe he’s a local landscaper. I never realized before that clean dirt didn’t have to be like top soil; it just needed to not have concrete or chemical spills in it. It just kills me to think of all the time I’ve wasted throughout the years picking pebbles out of the dirt just to qualify it as clean.

There is currently a deep dirt path in the front of my house. The concrete is gone and I’m not putting more back in. I could just call it Rustic. I’m contemplating which paver stones to cover the walkway in. Unfortunately, it is not a straight path, it widens. Not like the thickness of the concrete that I tore up, which varied in how thin or thick it was, but in it’s width. Which means I’ll have to cut a lot of pavers to make them fit properly.

No, I’m not going to just use concrete instead.

The landscape around your home, after 20 or 30 years, may not look as nice as it once did. Overgrown and dying plants detract from your home’s appearance.
Whether you’ve lived there for decades or are a new homeowner, looking to put your personal stamp on your new home, eventually, every landscape should undergo renovation. Resist your first impulse to rip everything out. You may be able to reuse some items. A landscape professional can help with this project.
First, take inventory of existing trees, shrubs and perennials. Know what you have. Consider reusing valuable and desirable plants. Will they work in their present state or pruned back; right where they are or should they be transplanted to another location on the property?
All too often, I see perfectly healthy plants that have been discarded by folks, who don’t realize that they have better options. If a plant is not desirable to you it may be to someone else. Start with family, friends or a neighbor may be looking for just such a plant. Your landscaper has a file full of scores of properties in his head and can come up with the right new home for just about any healthy, desirable plant.
It may turn out that nothing can be reused, but you won’t know unless you find out what you have.

Here’s a message from our director

Spring is the perfect time for fresh starts. Winter is long since over and cleaning up the outside is a great way to feel good about where you live and how others see your home. It’s time to prepare your beds for fresh mulch. If you don’t have a physical border between the lawn and mulch beds, simply cut a crisp edge with a sharp spade.

Here’s a message to our supporters

This is our 32nd year in business. We are honored to be able to do our best work for you and humbled to have known all the fine folks who have crossed our path over the years.

Here’s a message about the future

We will continue to provide excellent personalized service for you and hope you will continue to trust us. If you are new to Twelve Oaks, know that you are not a stranger here, but a friend that we haven’t met yet. We are excited about some new offerings this year: One new service added is water feature installation, including pondless waterfalls and various non-traditional fountains. Please contact us to set up a presentation. Also, we would like to initiate a plant rescue/recycle service. Rather than trashing shrubs or small trees that are unwanted, we can evaluate and recommend how they can be utilized on your property or somewhere else.

Now that Chick-fil-A is opened in Flemington, I’ll have another place to stop for lunch while I’m our landscaping the town green. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the food and service and am anxious to give it a try.

Landscaping Spring with a keyboard and monitor

A February chill means one thing, Spring can be too far away, right? Twelve Oaks Landscaping is counting on Winter leaving us sooner than later, and wants you to be ready as well. 

In the cyber-landscape our fingers are already planting and watching for new growth. We started up a Facebook page to help facilitate communication with our friends, and are moving up the search results pages with an improved website – but then you noticed that, didn’t you.  Let us know what you think of it.

We are taking orders now for planting bulbs in October! 

Daffodils are DEER PROOF!