Sweeneys Custom Landscaping Articles
Finding Your Way: Creating a Garden Path
Through the clotted and frothy clouds, a blue fissure had appeared, providing a passageway in which the sun could traverse, and we stretched and reached for her benevolence. Garden paths can be purely aesthetic, functional or both. They can be invitations to the garden visitor to explore the landscape or…
Much Ado About Mulch
A cacophony of bird songs filled the trees and permeated the air, serenading each bud and bloom in Spring’s warming embrace. Sleepy tulips sprouted forth, bravely stretching towards the vernal sun. The landscape was stirring, and our souls awakening in its midst. Along with Spring Clean Ups and Lawn Renovations,…
Supplemental Watering: Why, When & How?
Wilted and withered, Summer began to rot on the vine. Her once dewy, fresh face grew sallow and somber under the impossible weight of hot, humid temperatures and lack of moisture. Her youth and vigor were fading fast. As season’s change and weather cycles, rain can seemingly turn off…
Combatting Heat Stressed Plants
The humidity enveloped the landscape, constricting ever tighter, until flora and fauna wilted. Breathless, lifeless, and defeated, Summer had officially arrived in all its oppressive glory. Heat stress is a real thing and can adversely affect our plants. When temperatures start to top 85 degrees, plants will begin to wilt and curl…
Tree Hugging Optional
This is Bruce. He is a tree – a mighty Oak, nonetheless. He is magnificent and statuesque. He is wise and witty. I’m sure there are times Bruce is simply not in the mood to listen to me prattle on. I’m sure there are times he would like to throttle me…
Got Mulch?
A cacophony of bird songs filled the trees and permeated the air, serenading each bud and bloom in Spring’s warming embrace. Sleepy daffodils sprouted forth, bravely stretching towards the vernal sun. The landscape was stirring, and our souls awakening in its midst. It’s almost go time, and along with Spring…
Spring Tidings & Tasks
The once lethargic and hushed landscape became frenetic and boisterous with the jubilant sound of chirping and twittering birds who seemed to have a season’s worth of gossip to share. The squirrels too descended in mass from the trees to forage and romp. The landscape had come alive and intimated a welcoming narrative…
5 Yard and Garden Resolutions for 2018
Brittle like parchment, the arctic air sliced through the landscape with little resistance as it slashed and gnawed at flesh like a hungry, rabid beast. It was fit for no creature, great nor small. Experts call it a polar vortex. We call it Winter. So as we skirt into 2018, bright, shiny,…
Important Steps to Prepare Lawns & Landscapes for Winter
The shadow of Winter loomed large in the brooding skies and biting air. Foliage lay fleeced in the icy dew of the killing frosts. Birds and squirrels hasten their preparations as nature shifts to self-preservation mode for the long, cold season ahead. We too must heed nature’s call by preparing our lawn…
Hardscapes: Alternative Materials for Patios, Walkways, Etc.
The dark-eyed Juncos bobbed and darted through the perennial garden as they pecked and nibbled at the soil floor. They were almost wholly camouflaged, save for their crisp white tail feathers and petite tannish-pink beaks. Although they are considered a “snow bird”, soon they will migrate to their breeding grounds after…
Much Ado About Mulch
Overcast and ashen, the clouds stiffened and steeled until the sky was wholly displaced by an expanse of gray while a thin ribbon of geese peppered the sky, shifting from one configuration to another. They honked and trumpeted as they passed overhead, announcing their return North and Spring’s imminent arrival. …
Marching Towards Spring
Affable February pirouetted in on cloying assurances and saccharine ambitions. She was poised to ensure March’s arrival would be gentle, like a lamb, but instead, she nurtured the beast, and took her final bow in a puddle. Hello March. It would appear the old adage may be true this year…