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Category: Landscape Solutions

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27 Apr 2021
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt February 2021 Freeze Solutions, Landscape Solutions, Plant Recommendations , ,

Our Favorite Plants For Landscape Projects

The worried calls we received about freeze damage from the February storm have turned to questions about replacement plant recommendations.

In these videos, Ken recommend what we feel are some of the best plants that we use for our landscape projects.

Keep in mind that there is currently a nationwide shortage of plants. Plants are literally being rationed! The joke around our shop is that plants are harder to find this spring than toilet paper was a year ago!

All kidding aside, the shortage is the result of the growers losing a lot of plants because of the February freeze and increased demand for replacement plants for many North Texans. The demand has quadrupled!

If you are looking for plants recommendations for your lawn or landscape be sure and watch all the videos in this series.

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27 Mar 2021
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Landscape Solutions, Landscape Tour , ,

Landscape Tour: A Richardson Reservation Home Re-Imagines Front Lawn

Steve and Cathy are a couple I’ve known for many years (our now-adult daughters were in Arapaho United Methodist Church Youth Group together.) When it came time to re-imagine their front landscape at their home in Richardson’s Reservation Neighborhood, they gave me a call to see what Village Green could do.

Steve and Cathy had a list of things they wanted to address in the re-landscape. First and foremost was the lack of grass in their front yard. As is the case with many Richardson homes, mature trees didn’t allow enough sunlight for the grass to thrive as it once did. Our solution was a combination of groundcover coupled with a nice sitting area they could enjoy. Another major issue was an area in their lawn that would form a pool after heavy rain from the water coming off of their roof.

Our first step was having our stonemason, Andres, lay a beautiful circular flagstone patio with a pathway made from large stones. After this was complete, we worked with a gutter company to install an extra downspout connected to pipes that drained out to the curb, which stopped the water from the roof from flooding their front lawn.

Other features of the project were Edward Gaucher abelias added on the corners to frame the home with red, flirt nandinas in front of their windows to add some color and feathery texture for our landscape plantings.

We used Colorado euonymus as a ground cover, and in front of their long porch, we used cast iron plant.

This project’s final piece was their sprinkler system, which they thought would need to be replaced. After inspecting the system and chatting with Steve, I convinced him that their existing system would be fine. With a little TLC and a day’s work by Village Green, we were able to fix a wiring issue and replaced most of the sprinkler heads to get their irrigation system working efficiently.

I’m happy to report that Steve and Cathy love the look of their new front landscape. Steve had nothing but nice things to say about Hannah and our entire landscape team, complimenting their work and flexibility to make changes as needed.

The best compliment, though, is Steve and Cathy’s plan to have Village Green help them re-work their backyard in the future. Thank you, Steve and Cathy, for letting us share your story about all that Village Green could do to transform your front landscape.

If you have a project in mind Village Green would love to earn your business. Founded in 1980, we are a family-owned and operated lawn and landscape company specializing in worry-free landscapes that start at $2,500. To learn more give us a call at 972-495-6990.
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23 Mar 2021
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt How To, Landscape Solutions ,

Our Annual Plea To STOP Crepe Myrtle Murder

Mid-winter and early spring is the time of the year when many of your neighbors believe they should dramatically prune their crepe myrtles, so they will have extra blooms come summer. They may call it pruning. At Village Green, we call crepe murder.

The thing to remember about crepe myrtles is that they are a tree. And like any other large tree on your property, you only prune them as needed. You would never think to chop off of the top of your oak tree at 20′ each year. The same is true of your crepe myrtle. The only thing you are doing is creating an ugly tree that will end up with spindly branches that have a hard time supporting the weight of its summer blooms.

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If you want to see an example of proper crepe myrtle pruning, check out the Dallas Arboretum. Their crepe myrtles are so well maintained that they used to host a tour for the blind because of the beautifully sculpted feel of their crepe myrtles untrimmed trunks.

If you have any questions or need additional help with your lawn or landscape give us a call at 972-495-6990.

15 Mar 2021
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Ken's Quick Tip, Landscape Solutions , , ,

Important February Freeze Update

We have received many calls and emails from people asking if their plants will survive our February deep freeze. But by far, the number one question is what is wrong with our Live Oak Trees, and will they survive.

Sadly many plants will not survive our record-breaking cold weather, but the good news is we see signs that many will survive.

If you are curious about your Live Oaks or any plants you’ll want to watch my North Texas February Freeze Update videos below. Please feel free to share our videos with family and friends who may find this information helpful. If you need additional help with your lawn or landscape, give us a call at 972-495-6990.

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12 Mar 2021
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt How To, Ken's Quick Tip, Landscape Solutions, Lawn and Landscape Care , ,

How To Know If Your Plants Survived The Winter Storm

We’re getting many calls and emails from customers trying to determine if their plants survived our epic February 2021 winter storm in North Texas.

Sadly many plants will not survive our record-breaking cold weather, but the good news is we see signs that many will survive.

Curious if your plants will survive or not? Watch this quick video where I show you how to perform a simple test to see if we feel a plant will come back.

If you need additional help with your lawn or landscape Village Green would love to earn your business. Founded in 1980, we are a family-owned and operated lawn and landscape company. Call 972-495-6990 or email me Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com for more information.

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04 Mar 2021
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Landscape Solutions, Landscaping, Uncategorized , , , , , ,

Village Green Neighborly Landscape Guarantee

As we start looking at how our landscapes weathered the snow and frigid temperatures we had in February, I know we have many customers worried about their new landscapes.

What is our guarantee after all this extreme winter weather?

It’s the same as it always has been. Village Green will do the right thing for you. We’ve been in business since 1980 because we are less concerned about what the warranty says and more concerned that you are pleased with your landscape and believe you have been treated fairly. If you have had plants die from the recent cold weather, give us a call at 972-495-6990 or email me at Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com.

We promise to treat you right. That’s our warranty.

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25 Feb 2021
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Dallas Lawn Care, How To, Ken's Quick Tip, Landscape Solutions , , ,

Important Lawn & Plant Freeze Damage Update

Last week we experienced some of the most extreme winter weather I have ever seen in North Texas.

With temperatures that went from 0 to 70 in a matter of days, coupled with heavy snow for our area, our plants and lawns had to withstand some brutal conditions. Now that we’re warming back up and heading into March, we are getting many inquiries about short-term and long-term freeze damage.

Below are two videos that I hope you find helpful. The first one covers what we’re seeing with local plants and landscapes. The second covers what we see in lawns with varying types of grass in our area.

Thank you for trusting Village Green with the care of your lawn. If you have any questions or need help to diagnose an issue, you can send us your photos via email or, better yet, give us a call at 972-495-6990. We also welcome you sharing this with family and friends who may find this information helpful.

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13 Feb 2021
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Dallas Lawn Care, How To, Ken's Quick Tip, Landscape Solutions , , ,

Important Tips To Weather The Arctic Blast

With extreme cold and wintry precipitation in the forecast for North Texas, we wanted to share some some essential lawn and landscape tips and info to make sure you are ready to weather the arctic blast.

Below are two videos that we hope you find helpful. One is all about what you can do to protect your plants from the extreme cold temperatures. The second video is one I hope you won’t need but valuable information regarding what tools to have on hand if you experience a pipe bursting from the extreme cold.

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Below are a few tips to help you prepare.
Water
It seems counter-intuitive, but plants with moisture do better in extreme cold than those that are under-watered.

Cover Sensitive Plants
We recommend you use a cloth sheet (old sheets make a great cover.) Don’t use plastic. The idea is to trap heat against the ground, so plastic doesn’t help. When the sun comes out, it can make things worse by scorching your plants. If you have pansies, you don’t have to worry about covering them to keep them alive (although covering will prevent their blooms from being damaged.)

Turn Off Your Sprinkler
All cities in our area require a freeze sensor on sprinkler systems. If you aren’t sure about yours, the simple solution to preventing dangerous icing is to turn off your sprinkler system (remember to turn it back on once the cold snap has left our area.)

Thank you for trusting Village Green with the care of your lawn. If you have any questions, give us a call at 972-495-6990.

16 Jan 2021
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt GreenTalk, How To, Ken's Quick Tip, Landscape Solutions, Landscaping, Lawn and Landscape Care , ,

Our Top 5 Quick & Easy Landscape Improvements

If you want to improve your lawn and landscape and don’t know where to start, consider these five quick and easy tips. We think you’ll find that dollar for dollar, they are the easiest, more cost-effective ways to improve the look of your lawn and landscape quickly.

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REPLACE RUSTED STEEL EDGING AROUND LANDSCAPE BORDER
We like to put in a stone border using the dry stack method, which is where we lightly trim the stone and put them on decomposed granite. This method will hold the stone securely in place, allowing you to easily and quickly reposition the stone if needed in the future. This quick update isn’t costly and makes an excellent addition to the old, rusted steel edging many people have in their landscape. The cost of this type of update depends on a few things, but a general price range is $2,000 to $2,400.

ADD RIVER ROCK IN UNDER THE TREE(S) IN YOUR LAWN
These areas often won’t grow grass because of an abundance of shade, and river rock with a stone border make the area look very nice. And better yet, the stone grows well in the shade! The cost of this type of update depends on a few things, but a general price range is $2,400 to $2,800.

CONNECT YOUR DOWNSPOUTS
One of the biggest problems we see with landscapes is not under-watering, it’s overwatering. Connecting your downspouts to a drainage system and running the water out through the curb is a great solution and will resolve over watering in your beds. The cost of this type of update depends on a few things, but a general price range is $2,500 to $3,000.

ADD DECOMPOSED GRANITE TO YOUR SIDE YARD
Often, grass has a hard time growing between the home and fence, and these areas are nothing but mud pits. If you added decomposed granite pea gravel and nestled in flagstone, your side yard will be more usable and drain properly. The cost of this type of update is generally $3,000 to $3,700.

ADD MULCH TO YOUR BEDS
The recommendation is always to have 2 to 3 inches of mulch in your beds. Village Green does Seasonal Bed Maintenance where we install the mulch, lightly weed, and trim any shrubs that need it. We also will add weed preventative and fertilizer. The crucial part of this, though, is adding the mulch. Two to three inches of mulch will insulate your plants’ roots from the heat and cold and hold in moisture. Having a couple of inches of mulch also will help cut down on the weeds in the bed. The cost of our Seasonal Bed Maintenance program depends on a few things, but a general price range is $1,100 to $1,300 a year.

These are the top 5 small landscape jobs we do that can significantly improve your lawn and landscape.

If you have a landscape project in mind, Village Green would love to earn your business. Founded in 1980, we are a family-owned and operated lawn and landscape company specializing in landscapes that start at $2,500. Call us at 972-495-6990 or email us at Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com for more information.