Balsam Lake Pro-Lawn, Inc

Fall clean-up is all the rage and hub of activity lately – we’ve been blogging about it, our customers are asking about it, and our crews are preparing for it. 

Today, we will focus on leaves and lawns: we’ll discuss best practices for fall leaf clean-up and lawn care, while describing the importance of these practices to maintain the health of your lawn and garden.

Leaf Removal – Turf: When leaves fall and accumulate on the lawn, they prevent sunlight from reaching the grass, creating brown and/or dead patches in your lawn. Leaves also maintain moisture, and while some moisture in your lawn is good, accumulated leaves can trap moisture in your lawn resulting in fungus issues. Remove all diseased leaves, like those with apple scab or leaf spot, to avoid re-infecting your trees and new leaves the following year. Rake or blow leaves off your lawn.

Leaf Mulch – Garden Beds: As mentioned above, leaves maintain moisture and decompose quickly creating a rich, organic material. When used as a mulch in your landscaping, leaves add important nutrients to soil, prevent weed growth, retain soil moisture, and acts as insulation for soil and plants over the winter. Shredded leaves make the best mulch you can then use around trees and in gardens. Many people are concerned about oak leaves, which are relatively acidic. According to the University of Minnesota Extension, oak leaves decompose more slowly than other types of leaves and are best used for mulch or compost. Their slower rate of decomposition makes them well suited for use as mulch (www.extension.umn.edu).

Lawn Care: In addition to removing leaves from your lawn, mow your lawn short (around 3 inches) to prevent fungus problems. To maintain the health and vitality of your lawn, apply a fall fertilizer (Winterizer) to your turf. This ensures turf roots remain healthy and allows the lawn to store food for winter. It also replenishes the nutrients used up over the summer and allows the plant to re-estabilsh itself after heat stress. Most importantly, the energy stored from fall fertilizer promotes better spring green-up the following year.

 

To cut or not to cut, that is the question! Autumn brings about a number of important, and sometimes mind-boggling, questions regarding fall care for perennials and shrubs. Do you cut back those straggly daylilies? What about those grasses? In today’s blog, we will discuss what to cut and what to save!

Grasses: If your grasses are tall and stately with feathery tops, you might consider saving them until spring. Many grasses provide beautiful winter interest and natural habitat for birds and wildlife. Shorter or unruly ornamental grasses can be cut in the fall, late winter, or spring. If you choose to keep your grasses through the winter, be sure to cut them back in the spring. Clear debris from the centers of the grasses to encourage new growth.

Sedum: While sedum lose their foliage in the fall and can look rather gangly, the remaining blooms are snow-collecting platforms that turn to billowy, pillowy snow puffs in the winter. If you just can’t stand the look of sedum sticks in the fall, go ahead and cut them to the ground once the flowers die.

Dogwood Shrubs: Many varieties of Dogwoods can become huge and overgrown. You can reshape your dogwoods in the fall to keep its size more manageable. However, the twigs of Dogwood are found in shades of deep red, crimson, and yellow and make a wonderful, colorful addition to brighten a winter garden. If you do cut your Dogwood shrubs in the fall or early winter, be sure to keep the twigs for winter arrangements, window boxes, or outdoor patio pots with pine boughs and pine cones!

Hydrangea: Now is the time to cut your Hydrangea blooms for floral arrangements and for dried flowers! Pruning your hydrangeas varies for each type of Hydrangea shrub. Before you prune, find out what kind of Hydrangea you have to ensure the health and re-bloom of your shrub!

• Annabelle Hydrangeas can be cut to the ground in the fall, winter, or spring when only the sticks remain.

 

• Limelight, Vanilla Strawberry, Strawberry Sundae, and other Paniculata varieties can be cut up to 1/3 in the late-fall, winter, or early spring to maintain its shape and size. 

 

• Endless Summer and Quickfire Hydrangeas set blooms on their old growth in the fall. If you prune them in the fall, you run the risk of cutting off the flower buds set for the spring. It is best to lightly prune these Hydrangeas right after they are done flowering, before August.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn is an important season for turf management. During shorter days and cooler nights, turf begins to grow vigorously, filling in open areas, becoming more dense, and accumulating carbohydrates efficiently.

Experts agree it is important to apply a final round of fertilizer before the on-set of winter. This ensures turf roots remain healthy and allows the lawn to store food for winter. It also replenishes the nutrients used up over the summer and allows the plant to re-estabilsh itself after heat stress. Most importantly, the energy stored from fall fertilizer promotes better spring green-up the following year.

September is the best time to apply granular fertilizer to your lawn while overseeding. The benefits of this added step will increase energy reserves, build deeper roots, improve spring color, and reduce diseases. A well-developed grass root system can slow or prevent leaching of chemicals and some nutrients. Our Winterizer is a 8-9-6 and does have some phosphorus, so it is best to apply at the same time as your are overseeding your yard! Our stock has just arrived: stop in soon to get your winterizer and grass seed!

 

For DIY overseeding, we recommend 4-6 lbs of seed per 1000 sq ft. If you are installing a new lawn, we recommend 7-9 lbs of seed per 1000 sq ft.

 

Apply Winterizer at 5 lbs per 1000 sq ft. and apply at the same time you are overseeding, or seeding an entire lawn.

One last thing: stop in to pick up your bag of Winterizer and grass seed soon!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us: info@balsamlakeprolawn.com or call us at 715-485-3131

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daylilies are incredibly hardy and reliable perennials. With just a bit of fall maintenance, these long-blooming plants will be sure to provide your gardens with prolific flowers for years to come.

Here are a few quick tips to keep your daylily plants looking fresh during the autumn season and healthy for the winter.

 

Deadheading: After daylilies bloom, they leave tall, unsightly stalks. Cut all yellow or brown stalks as low into the foliage as possible, to thoroughly hide any signs of those dead-looking sticks. Deadheading helps rejuvenate and restore the plant, as it sends more energy into its roots and healthy leaves.

Caring for Daylily Foliage: Daylily leaves frequently dry out, turn yellow, and/or flop to the ground. Easily remove dried-out foliage at the base of the plant with just a quick sweep of your hand. Cut away yellowing leaves with a hand-pruner. If your daylilies have flopped over, cut the foliage back to the desired height. For fall clean-up, cut all daylily foliage to 6 inches. Removing old foliage allows your daylilies to reserve energy for their roots for the winter and reduces the amount of work required for spring clean-up the following year. 

Transplanting: Early fall (right now!) and early spring is the best time to transplant or divide your daylilies. To divide, find a section with at least 3 to 5 fans. Dig around the outside edge of the section you need, and sever the roots from the main plant. Replant the division and space at least 18″-36″ from other plants.

If you have questions about care for your daylilies, stop in and talk to our specialists at the garden center!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Going back to school is a big deal for a lot of people right now: parents, teachers, students, kids. For better or for worse, your life and your schedule has been turned upside down! We are here to make your back-to-school transition a fun and an easy one.

Back-to-school gifts for your kids: Make your kids’ day a happy one with a surprise bouquet, a silly balloon, or a simple reminder that they are loved. Check out our huge selection of 20% Off Fairy Garden items, if you are looking for further gift ideas!

Back-to-school ideas for parents: Many parents rejoice when they’re kids are back in school! It’s back to the daily grind for your kids, but it gets them out of the house and back on a regular schedule. It’s also back to sports, extra school activities, and a lot of running around. Give yourself a much needed treat for your hard work. Get that garden decoration you’ve always wanted or give yourself a bouquet to brighten your day!

Back-to-school ideas for teachers: If you are a teacher and looking to welcome your students, mylar balloon bouquets make for a lively, long-lasting display in the classroom. Dish gardens and fairy gardens also brighten a room and add interest. Small houseplants, seasonal blooming plants, and tiny bouquets fit small spaces and make great gifts for students to give to their new teachers!

If you need an idea to make your back-to-school season special, stop in and visit our friendly Balsam Lake Pro-Lawn garden center crew!

 

 

 

 

Roses! Everybody loves them, but they can be such a fickle flower in the garden. Here are a few tips on a the spectacular, easy care, cold-hardy rose shrub variety “Campfire”.

Campfire Rose is a First Editions shrub rose for zone 3 to 7, making it a hardy option for Northern gardeners. Growing 3 ft wide by 3ft tall, this shrub features a compact habitat that fits easily in with new gardens or into well-established landscape. 

The flower buds emerge with vibrant, coral reds and yellow swirls. As the flower opens, it blooms with dark pink edges and pale pink petals. As a repeat bloomer, this shrub flowers from early summer until frost. With regular pruning in the early spring to keep your rose shapely, and with consistent dead-heading, this disease resistant shrub will be the highlight of your garden! (These are NOT deer-resistant shrubs! If you are concerned about deer damage, we recommend an easy-to-apply, deer-resistant product called “Deer Scram” available in our garden center.)

We have a new shipment of Campfire Rose in stock! Stop in to pick yours up today, and mention this blog to receive $5 off your purchase!

Here is a quick photo-guide to deadheading:

Step 1. Recognize new flowers

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2. Recognize old flowers

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3. Prune old flower clusters back to where new growth begins, or to the first set of 5-leaf stems. (The image below shows new flower buds, however, it is the 5-leaf stem you will look for when dead-heading)

 

 

Today’s topic of conversation is one we hear all too many times in the garden center and out in the field: “No-Maintenance” Landscaping!

People are always saying: “I want a no-maintenance garden. What can I do?”

 We feel most  garden designs have been based on principles of beauty rather than control. As a result,  gardens can become tangled nightmares.  Which is why people turned to the theory of “no” maintenance. The idea of “no-maintenance” is unrealistic. Instead, we believe in “know-maintenance” landscaping and “low-maintenance” plants.

We like to think the more you “know” about the maintenance of your garden, there will be “no” more tangled nightmares.  Every plant needs a bit of care to keep it strong, healthy, and looking good. Knowing when your perennials and shrubs require a haircut will help keep your gardens looking clean and manicured.

We offer a huge selection of “low-maintenance” perennials and shrubs. Easy care plants include ornamental grasses, daylilies, black-eyed susan, echinacea, ferns, astilbe, goatsbeard, ligularia, and snakeroot. “Low-maintenance” shrubs include spirea, ninebark, burning bush, hydrangea, and lilacs. Again, every plant and shrub in landscaping requires a certain amount of care in order to grow. However, pruning these plants once a year ensures healthy growth, beautiful blooms, and a maintained look. Remember to “Know” when to prune prior to cutting!

If weeds are an issue in your landscaping, add a thick layer of mulch to your beds every year, or every other year, for weed suppression and moisture-retention. Leaves or wood mulch are great options!

Finally, one sure way to have a “no” maintenance garden is to hire our enhancement crew throughout the season to keep it untangled. We do the work so you don’t have to! Give us a call at 715-485-3131 or visit us at our garden center to discuss your plant and landscaping needs!

  

 

 

Have you heard of “Sem Ash Leaf Spirea?” This beautiful, fern-like deciduous shrub is great for full-sun to part-shade locations. It is a “Must-Have!” featuring multicolored foliage of pinkish-red, orange, and green with showy creamy-white plumes appearing in July and August that attract songbirds and butterflies.

This variety grows 3-4 ft tall and makes a great naturalizing shrub for hillsides, slopes, hedges, or foundation planting. With it’s variegated foliage and beautiful plumes, use this shrub as an accent plant in your perennial garden for added interest, texture, and color.

“Sem” is deer-resistant and cold-tolerant (zone 3 to 7). Prune this shrub annually in the early spring, and remove root suckers to control size and spread.

The “Sem Ash Leaf Spirea” is blooming on the bench right now, so stop in if you need to add late-summer interest to your gardens.