Jake's Designs

01/15/2025

Call us now so you can enjoy your new landscape all spring and summer long!

07/08/2024

If you know a LANDSCAPE DESIGNER in the Colorado Springs area I'd love to talk to them!

05/31/2024

Things are coming to life in Black Forest...finally!

03/20/2023

BIG thanks to Jessica Van Dyne for reaching out and interviewing us about some xeriscape principles! She put a great article together!

There might not be leaves on the trees yet, but that hasn’t stopped Jake Harris from thinking about summer.

03/03/2023

Please keep an eye out for this trailer with this logo. It was stolen off a jobsite last night along with a fair amount of equipment. Thanks....and grrr!

05/18/2022

Plant advice from the people that know it best!

UPCOMING STORM AND YOUR LANDSCAPING
Bit of a lengthy post, but we are getting lots of calls about what to do. So here it goes….

As of now the storm is supposed to be cold and wet. Cold is bad, wet helps to a point. Overnight lows in the low to upper 20s Friday and Saturday nights depending on your location. If we get some wet snow that sticks to leaves and plants that will actually help insulate your plants against the cold. Downside if we get clobbered with snow the weight of the snow can break and damage your trees and plants as well. So here is what we would recommend for the following categories.

Newly planted young trees. They are tough! If they freeze the leaves will turn black and crispy then in a few weeks they will get new leaves. If they are in bloom, they will lose the flowers for this season. If it snows and weighs down branches you can lightly shake them to reduce snow load. DO NOT DO THIS to large mature trees or if you have large mature trees close by. If a big branch breaks and falls you are much harder to replace than a tree! Be careful and use your best judgement. If you have evergreens with new tender growth and the new growth freezes it will turn purple then dry up and fall off. New buds for next season will form at the old bud and you will get new growth from that point next spring.

Newly planted shrubs. Very similar to trees except a few don’t like to get below 32 degrees. Plants like Russian Sage, Switch Grass, Pampas Grass, Maiden Grass, Butterfly Bush, etc may die back to the ground and restart. Be careful covering any shrubs as the weight of snow can crush them if it’s too heavy. If leaves turn black and crispy, they will come back in a few weeks.

Perennials and Ornamental Grasses. Most hardy perennials will come back or be insulated enough from the snow. If you bought it at a box store cover it with a pot if you can. Those won’t be hardened off to our temps yet. If grasses get crushed with heavy snow prune them back and let them flush new growth over the next few weeks.

Annuals and Vegetables. These you need to protect from the cold. If you cover them try to do so with something that has some structure. Just placing frost cloth, blankets, plastic, etc over them may cause more damage if the heavy snow crushes them. If you haven’t planted them move them inside, and plant in June (that might be safe).
Be sure to turn off sprinkler systems and drain your backflows. Unhook hoses from faucets to prevent costly damage to your irrigation systems and homes.

Remember, your plants are tough. Even if they come through this with some cosmetic damage some warm weather and some patience usually prevails. Whisky never hurts either (for you, not the plants). While a late storm like this is very frustrating, we badly need the moisture for not only our plants but our whole ecosystem. At least that is what we keep telling ourselves as we prepare to try and protect what we can. Enjoy the moisture and remember to be safe if you venture out to reduce snow loads on trees. We have delayed some shipments of shrubs and perennials due to the storm and cold temps. We will reload next week for what will hopefully be a very nice Memorial Day Weekend. See you soon!

04/20/2022

True or False? Lawn areas are low maintenance. The pic should give you a tip!

04/14/2022

Pretty fired up about these new truck decals! Look good, feel good!

11/22/2021

It is DRY!!! I know many of you have already blown out your sprinklers but your landscape still needs water to SURVIVE the winter and THRIVE in spring. Use these next to days of great weather to drench your landscape. Here is a blog we wrote about the rules of winter watering for your reference.

Colorado is known as an arid climate with times of minimal moisture year round, including winter. Your landscape plants greatly benefit from winter watering twice a month from October-March.

09/28/2021

Would you like to be part of a team that builds awesome outdoor living environments like this one? Reach out to us to become part of our family!

07/28/2021

We're hiring and looking for great people to join our already strong team! All positions are full time.

Jake's Designs Inc is a landscape design/build firm located in Colorado Springs that installs high end residential landscapes. We are looking to add great people with a high attention to detail to our field staff (foremen and installers) to help ensure the success of our company. Here are the top 10 reasons to work with us!

- Established in 2000, we are well known and respected amongst our community
-We treat each other with honesty and respect, we work as a team
-We have never missed a payroll in the history of our company
-If there is equipment out there to make our jobs easier, we either own it or go buy it
-You get to work outside in the fresh air and Colorado sunshine
-We install badass landscapes including fire pits, outdoor kitchens, ponds/streams/waterfeatures (we're always learning)
-We never run out of work and keep all our staff on year round/full time (we never shut down during Covid)
-We have clear, concise systems that allow for great communication
-We offer benefits after 2 years with our company
-Our pay is above average for our local industry; we are not afraid to pay overtime

Please email resume or contact our Construction Manager, Matthew, at 719-492-8110. Having your own transportation is a must.

06/18/2021

Plants aren't too different than humans. Hot weather, more water!

It's HOT! Water those plants! A new shrub/perennial/or grass can dry out in a day in this heat. Anything that was grown in a container will dry out faster than one in a heavy clay rootball. Remember when the temps go up and humidity is low stuff dries out much faster. Cooler temps are in the forecast.