Renovation or Installation – What Do I Need?
Helping customers create their dream garden paradise Knowing some landscaper jargon can help you communicate with your prospective landscape contractor. Landscape Renovations are a “spring cleaning” that gets your garden in shape if regular maintenance hasn’t been effective. Renovations are usually recommended for overgrown yards. This is an economical alternative to re-landscaping when the original […]
The Design Process – Explained
Design services start with a one-on-one consultation at your residence with Kevin or Susan Mulkern. From there, we’ll put the ideas to paper and provide a proposal based on your landscaping needs. Some things to consider when brainstorming landscaping design are: Lifestyle: What do you imagine using the backyard for? Evening events, lunch, games for […]
Fertilizer FAQs
What does N-P-K mean? What are the numbers on a bag of fertilizer? EX: 21-6-5 N – Nitrogen promotes rapid growth, dark green leaf color, improves quality and quantity of foliage, increases protein content of food crops P – Phosphorus stimulates rooting, vigorous growth and fruit/flower formation, hastens maturity K- Potassium improves disease resistance and protein […]
Lawn Care Basics
REGULAR LAWN CARE Mow weekly or bi-weekly, depending on the grass type and climate. It promotes dense turf, suppresses weeds and is great for children. Remove no more than 1/3 of the leaf at each mowing. Water lawns heavily. Allow the soil surface to dry between waterings; this reduces weed seed germination and discourages disease. Remember, tall grass […]
Landscape Design FAQs
“Why do I need a design?” Is a common question from prospective customers. Susan Mulkern answered it best when she said: “It always helps to have a game plan. A design includes specifications for exactly how many plants, how much compost and where everything goes. This prevents possible misunderstandings and helps future contractors work on […]
What’s a Consultation?
Don’t know where to start with your landscape? Any successful project begins with a plan. Landscaping is no different. If you are a little lost, scheduling a Landscape Consultation is the perfect first step. We recommend a more in depth first meeting for people considering landscape designs, installations and renovations. What is a Landscape Consultation? […]
First aid for your water lily or lotus
The boom in aquatic plant sales the last 10 years has brought a boom in aquatic pests. Water lilies, lotus and bog plants all have unique challenges with bugs and diseases but we can adopt the tried and true techniques of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to start cutting down on problems. Careful with plant selection. […]
Kailua Landscape Tips
Kailua Landscaping Tips by Dorothy Mulkern It’s all about Soil Prep for landscaping in Kailua. Soil prep is a combination of cultivating the soil, bringing in compost and adding the right fertilizers before ever installing new plantings. There is no substitute for adequate preparation and this dramatically impacts how quickly new plantings grow, and how […]
Pruning Basics
There are many reasons to prune a plant. Removing dead wood will reduce risk from falling branches and improve plant health. Landscapers usually shape a plant for aesthetic reasons, or to direct growth away from your home. Farmers often prune to harvest fruits and vegetables. Tools of the trade. A few common tools we use […]
Bamboo 101 – Landscape Design
Bamboo Landscape Designs Basics Bamboo is a popular plant well used across Asia, the Pacific and often by landscape designers on Oahu. It’s one of the fastest growing plants in the world and is the largest member of the grass family. That makes bamboo a sustainable choice for building, as a food source, and more. […]