Spring Is About To Spring! Begin Preparations For A Year of Beautiful Flowers, Gardens & Lawns

Nothing is more exciting to many here in the Northeast than beginning to smell spring in the air.      It's becoming lighter earlier, darker later.  The melting snow is starting to show the ground you haven't seen in months.  You hear more birds chirping      Before you know it, trees will start to bud and bulbs will start to peek out of the ground      Which means it's time to start preparing your gardens and lawn.

    "We stress to our customers to start thinking about their gardens and lawn right after Groundhog Day (February 2)," said Ralph Dinizo, President of Truesdale Nursery & Landscape Services of Berkeley Heights, N.J., one of the area's premier landscapers.  "Just a few simple steps in anticipation of the warm months just around the corner will pay amazing rewards with beautiful landscaping and a few more dollars in your pocket.
     As well, this preparation stage is one of the most critical to ensuring healthy and happy plants and lawn growth.
     Concerning your flower beds, shrubs and trees, sketch out your plans for what you'd like to include this year.  Plants look forward to getting fed after the colder months.  Remember, a slow six month nitrogen release is a good type of fertilizer to use.  Keep it simple.
     Touch up your garden and beds with fresh mulch, pine straw, or add some decorative stones for appearance.
    With your lawn, put a plan in place for a season of thick, green grass.  If you're doing it on your own, research the proper steps and intervals for aerating, fertilizing and watering.  If you use a lawn service company, make sure you're both on the same page in terms of proper care.
     Also remember to put your mower setting on a lower notch in the early months, then raise it once the heart of summer arrives.  All this will provide gentleness to your lawn.
     Don't forget little things, too, like sharpening your mower blades (for healthier growth), and changing the oil (for a better running mower).
     Are you thinking about adding anything else to your property this year like a walkway, planters, retaining walls, koi ponds, etc.?  Simple web research is bound to supply you with many new and fresh ideas.
     "We really love working with homeowners in making their properties the jewel of the neighborhood," added Dinizo.  "The excitement on their faces when a new plant blooms, or when their lawn is as thick and as green as ever, or when that new walkway gives the home even more tremendous curb appeal, makes it all worth it to us."
     But above all, enjoy the planning and the preparation!  After all, this is what owning a home is all about, isn't it?

Wait Until Spring To Assess Winter's Damage To Your Trees & Shrubs Removing Snow Can Often Result In Additional Damage

With this winter's snowfall here in New Jersey on record pace, many homeowners and businesses are left to wonder -- and hope -- if whether or not their beautiful trees and shrubs will be able to survive yet another round of Mother Nature's cruelest season. But in most succinct of terms, here's your answer . . . have patience.

   
 "We tell our customers to let the season run its course, then assess the situation in early spring," said Ralph Dinizo, President of Truesdale Landscape Services & Nursery of Berkeley Heights, N.J.  "Trees and shrubs can be very resilient, and while they may not look to be in great shape covered in snow and ice, then can rebound quite nicely with the change of the season."
     Dinizo suggests waiting until the first half of March to begin an initial assessment of winter's impact.
     For example, while snow damage can appear to be worse on evergreens because the foliage holds the snow on the branches, these are strong trees that will usually bounce back after the snow melts and they regain most or all of their original shape.
     And on shrubs like like Boxwoods, Yews and Azaleas, the outer branches can become weighed down with snow, separated from the center and pinned to the ground.  Likewise, removing the snow can often result in more damage to the shrub, so again, the best practice is to allow the snow to melt off naturally.
     "Take your time when doing inventory of your trees and shrubs in the early spring, as every species handles the elements differently," stressed Dinizo.
     Some other handy tips:

• If branches don't bounce back into place after the snow melts off, they can be tied back into place with sisal twine.  In this case, it's best to tie the shrub in three places (bottom, middle and top), but not too tightly, and leave it this way for about a year.  This works well on shrubs, but if it's a hedge, it's best to rather drive metal fence posts along the hedge every 8-10 inches, then stretch two or three levels of wire between them (depending on the height of the hedge) to pull the branches back up and hold them in place.

• If a smaller tree branch has split or cracked slightly and the damage is not too severe, it can actually be held together with first-aid tape or plastic electrical tape to hold it together. The layers will knit together over time, and the wound will eventually heal.

• Broken branches and those severely damaged or split should be cut off completely.  And remember, additional pruning to re-shape the tree may be necessary.

• Some evergreens, such as Pines, Firs, Spruces, Arborvitaes and Junipers, cannot be cut back hard because there are few or no dormant buds in their barks.  But the good news is these will likely jump back into place once all snow melts, so again, wait until the early spring to make these determinations.

• On the other hand, such shrubs as Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Hollys, Yews and Boxwoods enjoy dormant buds in their barks, and will produce new growth when pruned in early spring (while these buds are still dormant).

• And always remember to fertilize shrubs after severe pruning.

     "With the proper TLC, the vast majority of your trees and shrubs can be restored after a particularly harsh winter like the one we're in the midst of," concluded Dinizo.  "Don't rush to judgment.  The old saying 'patience is a virtue' can save much of the beautiful landscaping you've worked so hard to build, grow and enjoy."

Truesdale Landscape Services Nursery Re-Launches Website

　

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Truesdale Landscape Services

& Nursery Re-Launches Website

Expanded Service Offerings, Additional Galleries Highlight
Work Of The Garden State's Premiere Landscape Designer

Berkeley Heights, N.J. (February 14, 2011) --- Truesdale Landscape Services & Nursery, New Jersey's premiere landscape designers and nursery for both residential and businesses needs since 1993, is proud to announce the re-launch of its website, www.TruesdaleLandscaping.com.

"As Truesdale Landscape Services & Nursery continues to expands its services and increase its business throughout the area, we felt a more enhanced website with countless example of our working was in order," said Truesdale President Ralph Dinizo. "With our new website, customers can find exactly what they're looking for, and even be inspired with ideas from our work."
Truesdale Landscape Services & Nursery's world-class offerings include:

 

Walls

Patios & Walkways

Landscaping

Estate Management

Drainage

Computer Imaging

Lawn & Tree Fertilization & Disease Applications

Lawn Maintenance

Shrubs & Bed Maintenance

Annual & Perennial Applications

Snow Plowing

"Our new website truly provides one-stop shopping for those businesses and homeowners looking for terrific examples of our work, and how we can apply our services to meet their exact needs," added Dinizo.

About Truesdale Landscape Services & Nursery
 
Founded in 1993, Truesdale Landscape Services and Nursery of Berkeley Heights, N.J., is a full service custom landscape design and construction company with the added advantage of being nursery specialists. This insight into various plant species and types, as well as a deep understanding of non-invasive and invasive plants, gives Truesdale an extra edge when planning landscapes.

Truesdale designs, maintains and manages residential and commercial properties throughout New Jersey. From walls to walkways, landscaping to plantings, drainage to patios, maintenance to management -- Truesdale is fully equipped with the staff and experience to service all such needs of any scope.

For more information, visit www.TruesdaleLandscaping.com, or call (908) 834-2675.
-- TLSN --