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11 May 2022
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Landscape Tour , , , ,

Take a Tour of Stacy’s Frisco Landscape

Today we’re featuring one of our latest landscape projects for Stacy in Frisco. This home is stunning, but unfortunately, Stacy’s established landscape suffered freeze damage and needed an update befitting the home’s exterior.

Stacy’s landscape had a lot of formally manicured shrubs that had outgrown their locations, so we blended elements of the new landscape with existing pieces she wanted to keep. To frame the home, we used variegated pittosporums, which have creme-colored leaves and reach about 5′ tall. As we worked our way across, we used more medium-sized plants such as abelias and anthony waterer spireas, which have lovely blooms. We used flirt nandina to frame the home’s entry, which is one of our favorite choices because it stays low and turns a beautiful red during our North Texas winter. We also used red yucca, which adds a contemporary feel with the bonus of having nice red blooms during the summer. We used dwarf plants such as giant liriope and perennial dianthus to add a layer in the front. To tie it all together, we installed a band of river rock. Stacy loved working with our Landscape Team of Hannah, Juan, and Manny. She said they were a pleasure to work with and that Village Green made the entire process easy. Stacy added that she especially loved the communication throughout the whole process and that our team would do a thorough clean-up at the end of each workday.
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I want to thank Stacy for trusting us with her project and letting us take a video tour of her landscape.

If you are thinking of a landscape project or update give us a no-obligation call to discuss your project. Our landscapes start at $2,500 and go up to $100,000 + on large scale projects.

29 Mar 2022
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt How To, Ken's Quick Tip, Landscape Solutions, Landscaping ,

Important Tips on Transplanting Plants

In today’s video, Ken shared a couple of tips that are helpful to note when transplanting plants.

When you dig the plant up, if the soil drops off the root ball and the roots are exposed, the plant will likely not survive. If we have a good and large enough root ball, the plant typically will be fine.

The second important thing when transplanting a plant is making sure you give the plant enough water. It is nearly impossible to overwater a transplanted plant, and it is vital to water the plant by hand to make sure it is getting enough water.

Keep in mind that it is common for the leaves to drop off the transplanted plant. As long as you can see some new leaf growth, the plant should be fine.

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If you have a landscape project job in mind for 2022, we would love the opportunity to discuss your project. Our landscapes start at $2,500 and go up to $100,000 + on large scale projects. Call 972-495-6990 or email Info@VillageGreen-Inc.com for more information.

21 Jun 2021
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Good Plants, Landscape Solutions, Plant Recommendations , , , ,

Best Plants Series Featuring Stella de Oro Daylily

Today we wanted to put the spotlight on one of our favorite plants to use, the Stella de Oro Daylily.

We love using it in our landscape projects because it does fine in full sun and is a reliable bloomer. It is flameproof, which makes it suitable for North Texas during our blistering summer months.

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We also like to use these in front of other plants to make a nice lower layer (they will also go dormant in our winter months.)

If you are interested in learning more about our favorite plants be sure and visit our Best Plants Series on our YouTube channel (while you are there be sure and subscribe to our channel.)

And as always, if you are looking for a company to help you get a healthier lawn Village Green would love to earn your business.

Founded in 1980, we are a family-owned and operated lawn and landscape company based in Plano, Texas. Call 972-495-6990 or email me Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com for more information.

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.

21 Sep 2020
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Landscaping, Landscaping Dallas, Lawn and Landscape Care , , , , ,

Landscape Spotlight: Sneak Peak of Phil & Karen’s New Landscape

Phil and Karen’s Dallas project is an excellent example of how we can work with homeowners over time doing the landscape in stages. The first stage of the project was in their backyard and culminated with an attractive water feature.

12 Sep 2020
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Dallas Lawn Care, FAQ, Fertilization & Weed Control, How To, Ken's Quick Tip, Landscaping, Landscaping Dallas, Lawn and Landscape Care , , , , , , , , , ,

Everything You Need To Know About Fall in North Texas

It is hard to believe but fall officially arrives in North Texas in less than a week.

As we wrap up the busy summer season and head into autumn Village Green starts shifting our lawn care focus away from top growth and towards root growth.

Bermuda lawns get a nitrogen fertilizer and our St. Augustine and zoysia lawns have switched to a root feeding fertilizer.

We treat St. Augustine and zoysia differently for two reasons. One is the lawns have been stressed from the summer heat and we want to help the roots become stronger as we head into fall.

The second reason is St. Augustine and zoysia are both prone to a fungus called brown patch that occurs in the moderate, usually wetter weather we have in the fall. Applying a high nitrogen fertilizer to St. Augustine and zoysia lawns is bad, because brown patch thrives on nitrogen.

Later this fall we will begin the transition to a fall pre-emergent to reduce fall and winter weeds.

Ask Ken: Our Top Fall Related Questions

As the weather cools our phones heat up. In the past week I’ve had time in the office to answer many fall related questions that I think would benefit all our customers. I hope you find the answers to these common fall questions helpful!

How much should I water in the fall?
Download our Fall Green Talk Newsletter for our fall watering guidelines.

What should I do with the leaves on my lawn and landscape?
Short answer is that leaves left on your lawn are bad (they can lead to fungal problems in your lawn.) Leaves in your beds are good (think free mulch!)

Should I plant or install a landscape in the fall in North Texas?
I know it sounds backwards, but fall and even in the winter are actually better seasons to plant landscapes in than spring. If you choose the right plants, the weather in North Texas doesn’t stay cold long enough to damage new plants, plus planting at this time of year lets the plants develop roots deep enough to be mostly established before summer which is the most stressful time of the year for plants in North Texas. Deeper and stronger roots is vital because it makes the plant much hardier in extreme heat and they require less water to thrive.

What are the best plants to get fall color into your lawn?
If you are looking to refresh your lawn we recommend these hardy, late-blooming plants. The best part about planting at this time of year is that the plants will have ideal conditions to grow strong roots over winter, so they’ll be ready to sprint into bloom next spring.

Some of our favorites are…

Pansies: If you want colorful blooms over the winter your go-to flower for sunny areas in North Texas are pansies. Pansies are hardy with the ability to weather single digit temperatures and wintry precipitation. In fact, they often bounce back and bloom after a wintry patch of weather after a few sunny days. To maximize their blooms, use a high phosphorous fertilizer (5-30-5 ratio.) Like most flowers, they prefer a loose well-drained soil so they don’t stay wet after watering. An easy way to accomplish that is to add potting soil to the bed. Pansies are like candy to rabbits, so if you have a large population in your area, it may be challenge to grow them.

Violas: They have pansy-like blooms except the blooms are tiny. You can plant these in similar conditions to pansies.

Kale and/or Cabbage: Oddly enough, if you have rabbit problems, you are safe planting kale and/or cabbage. Rabbits would rather eat your pansies versus eating your vegetables! These aren’t as colorful as pansies but they’re easy to grow. To make them look nice later in the spring, trim off the blooms.

Mums: These are wonderful fall plants. Like azaleas, they only bloom a few weeks out of the year, but when they bloom they look great, especially with pumpkins.

Cyclamen: These are beautiful but delicate flowers. I recommend planting a few of them for a nice change of color in your lawn or landscape. Don’t get carried away, as you cold lose them to harsh wintry weather.

Pumpkins: Another tip to introduce a pop or color is to get some pumpkins and/or gourds to place in your lawn and landscape. Our area has many pumpkin patches during the fall season a few well placed add a festive fall element to your yard.

If you are looking for some extra help with your lawn or landscape this fall give us a call. Founded in 1980, Village Green is a family-owned and operated lawn and landscape company celebrating 40 years in North Texas.

Call us at 972-495-6990 or email me at Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com to learn more.

31 Aug 2020
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Landscaping, Landscaping Dallas, Lawn and Landscape Care , , , , ,

Landscape Spotlight: Jason & Melissa’s McKinney Texas Home – Part 1

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Jason and Melissa have been in their home a few years and decided it was the right time to make their front and back landscapes beautiful. The couple enjoys spending a lot of time in their backyard, gardening, and grilling. Part of this project included concrete work in their backyard, so while we waited for that to be done, Village Green concentrated on the front.

A challenge with the front of their property was how to tame all the concrete created by their driveway. Our solution was to soften that look by stretching the beds down the driveway and installing dwarf and semi-dwarf plants such as abelias and nandinas. The beauty of these plants is that they screen the driveway but still frame the home.

Another request from Jason was to get rid of the stackable stone border and do something about the stone wall it created on one side of their property. Our solution was to extend or push the bed, which allowed us to get rid of the wall and only need a single course of stone border. We also added river rock along the driveway to hold the soil and mulch in place.

Other touches were replacing the hedges with more natural plants that are easier for the couple to maintain and add color. Next to the entry, we added smaller perennials, giant liriope, and variegated sedge to give interest without needing to replace annuals regularly.

I’m happy to report that Jason and Melissa love our finished work and bragged about what a great job Hannah and her team did. They were especially impressed when Hannah fixed a couple of issues before they even had time to bring them up to her.

Thank you, Jason and Melissa, for allowing us to re-do your front landscape. We’re looking forward to getting started on the back in a few weeks when the project’s concrete part complete.

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 while handling more extensive projects that can range up to $100,000 plus. Call us at 972-495-6990 or email Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com to learn more.

08 Aug 2020
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Landscaping, Landscaping Dallas, Lawn and Landscape Care , , , , ,

Landscape Spotlight: Dylan & Katie (Re)Make An Entrance in their New Garland Home

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Our latest landscape Dylan and Katie, who are proud first-time homeowners, contacted us about improving the curb appeal of their new home in Garland. The previous owner had allowed the shrubs to get large, obscuring their home and covering a good portion of their windows. The main challenge with this project was that between the crepe myrtles near the city sidewalk and all the plants leaning in their entry, the landscape felt like it was trying to keep people away instead of a more welcoming entrance.

At the entrance, we went with holly ferns and giant liriope for year-round texture, adding color by adding nandinas and dwarf Mexican petunias. We replaced the large overgrown plants that needed constant trimming with dwarf and semi-dwarf plants that won’t outgrow the space and require limited trimming.

Now that the job is complete, Dylan and Katie say they love their new look. They knew that many of the plants needed to go, but had no idea what to use when they replaced them. They appreciated our local expertise with plant recommendation and selection and added that they enjoyed working with Hannah and the rest of our landscape team. The made a point of complimenting them for their excellent job in communicating each day what they had planned and when they’d finish for that day. And probably the best indicator that they are pleased with Village Green, they told me that they’ve already recommended us to a few of their friends!

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 while handling more extensive projects that can range up to $100,000 plus. Call us at 972-495-6990 or email Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com to learn more.

01 Aug 2020
0 Comments By Ken Hyatt Dallas Sprinkler Repair, How To, Ken's Quick Tip, Lawn and Landscape Care, Sprinkler System, Watering , , , , ,

Here’s How you Program a Rachio Smart Smart System Controller

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More and more of our customers are using the Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller. In this in-depth video Ken takes you through the steps to program your Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller for North Texas. If you have a lawn or landscape problem you need help with give Village Green a call at 972-495-6990 or email us at Ken@VillageGreen-Inc.com. We have been helping our North Texas neighbors have healthier lawns since 1980.