Lombard's Landscaping

01/23/2022

Looks great

Our horticulture friend Matthew Chappell noted Encore Autumn Starburst Azalea at the MANTS show in Baltimore. Here are his notes. Our SECOND crop of this great new Buddy Lee variety is coming to availability at Bracy's Nursery in April.

Azalea Autumn Starburst

Encore Azalea just keeps rolling out improved reblooming azaleas and Autumn Starbust was the best in show (that I saw, anyway). Hardy in Zones 6a to 10, the cultivar is on the small side at 3 ft. by 3.5 ft. with deep green foliage and a very good floral display.

Flowers are bicolor with a complimentary coral pink edged with eggshell white. It’s a great contrast and a vibrant look from a distance. Definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for azaleas that fit in tight spaces.

05/25/2021

Ignore your neighbors and visitors when they come and maybe they will pull some weeds for you! Ha!

05/14/2021

HOW TO PROPERLY TOP DRESS A LAWN
One of my clients recently ordered a load of sand and top dressed his St. Augustine lawn. He did an excellent job and after only a week you can start to see new growth coming up through the newly spread sand! Here is a picture of the lawn. Notice the tips of the grass blades are protruding through the sand. This is how a lawn should look after being top dressed.

Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy? I offer FREE LAWN CONSULTATIONS! PM, call or text me 850-240-7935

We donate a portion of our profits to victims of s*x trafficking. If you would like more information about s*x trafficking or how to help victims follow the link below.

www. Lavishedministries.com

02/15/2021

Patiently waiting for Spring! Drinking hot chocolate while we wait. 😁

We are going 32 degrees and below from 6 am this morning until 1 pm tomorrow. Not our kind of conditions. We have as many plants protected as possible. We are ready for spring when spring is ready for us. Be safe everyone.

07/29/2020

Here is a post we have shared before....rehabilitation of an over-mulched oak tree. One of the most shared images of re-habilitation from improper mulching of trees.....GO OUT with MULCH....do not GO UP with MULCH....the tree will thank you...

(original photo for this post is from Erich Saiter, ISA Certified Arborist, Indiana and Jon Zanders.....we wonder how many total contacts for this image....great information that has been shared in large proportions)

03/01/2020

02/17/2020

WHEN SHOULD YOU DETHATCH YOUR LAWN?

Contrary to popular opinion, thatch is not a result of leaving grass clippings on your lawn. Thatch actually comes from the accumulation of too many runners or "stolens" in the lawn. Most southern turf grasses grow laterally as well as horizontally. This lateral growth periodically needs to be reduced or the lawn will become unhealthy and fall into decline. Just as mowing keeps the grass from getting too high, dethatching keeps the grass from getting too dense.
The best time of year to dethatch is in late spring to early summer, after the grass is out dormancy so there is plenty of growing season left for the grass to recover from the dethatching.
The best way to go about dethatching is to rent a dethatcher. Motorized, walk behind dethatchers do a much better job than dethatching lawn mower attachments.
Going over the lawn with a mower after using a dethatcher will reduce the volume of debris you will need to handle from the dethatching process.

Here are some indicators that it is time to dethatch your lawn:
The grass feels spongy and soft when you walk on it.

The lawn is so dense it is hard to
push a mower through it.

It's hard to feel the soil with your fingertips through the grass.

You water and fertilize frequently.

Are you having trouble keeping your lawn healthy? I offer free lawn consultations! PM, call or text me ‪850-240-7935‬!

We donate a portion of our profits to victims of s*x trafficking. If you would like more information about s*x trafficking or how to help victims follow the links below.

www.lavishedministries.com

01/27/2020

Southern Live Oaks - Care for This Southern Heritage Plant

The late winter months through early spring are a great time to provide care and maintenance to your live oak trees. From selecting trees at the garden center to planting, pruning and fertilization, this is the time of year for live oak maintenance.

If you intend to plant a live oak, select a tree with a well-developed central leader system. And be sure the tree was properly pruned at the nursery. Proper pruning at a young age is important for live oaks long term. Most home gardeners should plant trees growing in 3- to 15-gallon containers, although you can purchase live oaks that are much larger. It is hard, however, for an average homeowner to handle planting trees larger than those growing in a 15-gallon container.
Industry professionals now plant amazingly large live oak trees.

When planting, here are some recommendations:

– Make the planting hole the same depth and two to three times as wide as the container in which the tree has been growing.

– Make the sides of the planting hole rough, not smooth.

– Put into the planting hole the same soil that came out of it.

– Do not amend this backfill soil with compost, pine bark or similar materials.

– Water the tree during the planting process to eliminate dry pockets that will desiccate the new growing roots.

– Mulch trees after planting.

Be sure to give your new live oak tree adequate room. Most of the time, live oaks are now planted on 30-foot-by-30-foot spacings. This is, however, way too close. You also see live oaks planted on 60-foot-by-60-foot spacings. This is OK. But ideally, live oaks need to be planted on 90-foot centers. We all see live oaks in front yards that have basically no room for a tree this large. Also, live oaks routinely are planted between streets and sidewalks. Once again, this is the wrong tree in the wrong place. Be sure to plant live oaks where they have room to grow and do what they want to do.

Fertilization of live oaks is not recommended the first year after planting. You can start a fertilization program thereafter. During the first year, growth emphasis on the tree should be directed to the root system. Nitrogen fertilizer applications during this time favor shoot growth at the expense of root growth.

Mature live oaks may benefit from fertilization, or they may not need fertilization at all. The tree needs to be examined for new growth. If new growth, as measured by shoot elongation, is significant, fertilization is not needed. If not much new growth or no new growth is apparent, fertilization or other cultural practices may be needed.

Live oaks originating from local seed sources will perform better than live oaks originating from seed sources a couple states away. For example, trees from seed collected in Louisiana will grow best in Louisiana. Do not expect acorns obtained from a tree in Texas to produce a tree in Louisiana that would grow as well as it would grow in Texas.

Live oaks are one of our most important trees and a big investment. Provide proper care to these great trees and you will enjoy for multiple generations.

(Photo of a Southern Live Oak in Louisiana from William Guion)