Plant of the Week: Peonies

In the D.C. metropolitan area righht now, peonies are blooming all around us, adding lush flowers and foilage all summer long. Peonies are perfect for lanscapes in our region because they reqire little maintenance, enjoy full sun, and relish cold winters because they need chilling for optimal bud formation.  When planted and cared for properly peonies can live longer than you do—some have been known to thrive for 100 years.Their exquisite, large blossoms, often fragrant, make excellent cut flowers and the foliage provides a background for annuals or other perennials. Peonies grow from two to four feet in height and  make fine low hedges and borders to walkways.

Memorial Day and the Red Poppy

There are many stories by which over two dozen cities and towns lay claim to be the first to officially sanction a holiday dedicated to the remembrance of soldiers lost in battle by having women’s organizations  decorate the graves of confederate soldiers lost in the Civil War dating to as early as 1867. In May 1966, when Memorial Day was made a federal holiday, President Johnson gave credit to Waterloo, NY as officially having started the observance of this holiday. 

Traditionally, Memorial Day observances involve lowering the flag to half-mast until noon to remember the men and women who have given their lives in service to the country.  At noon, the flag is raised to full mast to symbolize the resolve to not let the scarifies of those who came before us to be in vain and for those currently alive to continue the fight for liberty. Parades are held across the country featuring the veterans in the community, as well as active duty military personnel.  Visiting the graves of fallen soldiers is common place as well. 

In 1915, John McCrea wrote “In Flanders Fields” to immortalize his fallen compatriots in the attack that took place in Belgium on April 22, 1915:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

The red poppy has since been adopted as the flower associated with remembering fallen soldiers and consequently associated with the official holiday in 1966.  The red symbolizes the spilled blood of lost soldiers.  As the flowers return annually, we are called to remember the sacrifices of the soldiers who spilled there blood on the fields of battle and strengthen our resolve to continue the cause of freedom.

Plant of the Week: Dianthus 'Bath's Pink'

Dianthus are a herbaceous perennial that grow easy in well drained soil and full sunlight. The cultivar 'Bath's Pink' are especially good for the D.C. metropolitan and surrounding suburbs due to their heat, drought, humidity, and deer tolerance. This particular dianthus forms a mat of grassy, blue-green foliage, which produces numerous, fringed and fragrant, star-like, soft pink, flowers. These flowers bloom for a substantial period of time, from approximately May to July. 'Bath's Pink', also knows as Cheddar Pinks, provide masses of color and good contrast for rock gardens, edges and borders. Alternatively, dense mats may be grown together to form an interesting ground cover. They can also be grown on difficult sites such as stone walls or ponds.

Plant of the Week: Mazus

Mazus is a low growing perennial plant that is well suited to moist, shady areas. Mazus makes a fantastic ground cover because it fills in bare areas quickly, but because it is shallow routed, it is not aggressive or invasive.  Our favorite areas to plant mazus are to fill in gaps surrounding dry laid flagstone, in rock gardens, between stone steppers, and at the base of water features. Mazus makes a colorful groundcover with flowers blooming from late spring through mid summer in a variety of colors.

A Kane Mothers' Day Tradition

Josh Kane never has to worry about what to get his mom for Mothers' Day. Back when Josh started his landscaping business in his early teens, his mom asked him to plant summer annuals in their front landscape beds. So for the past 22 years, rain or shine, Josh has planted pink vincas for his mom to show his appreciation for all that she does.

Over the past couple years, Josh has began recruiting his little ones to help with this Kane Mothers' Day tradition. While he may have lost some efficiency with these amateur gardeners, along with the flowers, these two cuties help brighten up the garden and "Mimi's" Day.

A very Happy Mothers' Day to Marli Kane, on of the most loving, giving, and nurturing mothers and grandmothers we know!

Water, Water Everywhere!

Some things you just can’t predict on jobs.  After tearing down a patio that was poorly built by another company (that we will leave unnamed) years ago, we came across this underground spring.  We knew the area just past the patio was frequently wet, however, since we could not find many of the drain pipes that were supposed to have been installed by the previous company (that we will leave unnamed), we attributed poor drainage as the cause of the soggy lawn.  Springs are often more obvious in, well, the“spring” time when the water table is higher due to frequent rains and the snow melts from the winter.  We often find springs in the Ashburn / Leesburg area due to the high levels of limestone in the soil.  Using some creative solutions and a lot of pipe and gravel we will redirect the water coming up from the spring to allow the project to be built properly this time around.

Plant of the Week: P.J.M. Rhododendron

Many people confuse azalea plants with Rhododendrons. So what is the difference? To put it simply, all azaleas are Rhododendrons (the capital "R" signifying the plant genus), but not all Rhododendrons are azaleas. The genus Rhododendron is in the heath family which also includes such plants as  blueberries, cranberries, and mountain laurels. Most members of the heath family need an acidic soil to grow.

This week's Plant of the Week, the P.J.M. rhododendron is considered to be one of the hardiest of the rhododendrons, in terms of withstanding not only cold, but also heat and sun, and are much more soil adapatable. Varieties of P.J.M. are available with either pinkish-lavender or white flowers and grow to an overall size of approximately 4’ x 4’ at maturity. These rhododenrons make excellent foundation plantings especially when grouped together as a shrub border and prefer partial shade to full sun. P.J.M. Rhododendrons are also a popular choice for landscapes because they provide year round interest, with flowers in the spring, green suumer foliage, and mahogony winter color.

Plant of the Week: Lilac

Lilacs are a very popular spring-flowering shrub because they are hardy, easy to grow, and low maintenance. Lilacs produce abundant, colorful flower clusters with a sweet, memorable fragrance. They have deep green leaves and large, oval clusters of compound blooms that come in 7 colors: deep purple, lavender, blue, red, pink, white, or creamy yellow. The fragrant flowers are good for cutting for flower arrangements and attractive to butterflies. Lilac shrubs can grow from 5 to 15 feet tall, depending on the variety so it is important to space multiple lilac shrubs 5 to 15 feet apart, depending on the variety. Also, make sure to plant them in a site where they will get full sun—at least 6 hours. If lilacs don't get enough sun, they will not bloom well.

Outdoor Rooms

Do you ever think of your outdoor living spaces as  “outdoor rooms?”   Just as a house has “interior rooms” defined by walls, ceilings, doors and view windows, an “outdoor room” is similarly defined to create a comfortable and pleasurable experience. 

An arbor can be used to create an entry “door” to your space, 

which could be further defined by spatial "walls created with plantings

boulders,

or stone.

A pergola, 

the overhead canopy of well-placed trees,

or pavilion structure can be used to create  “ceilings.”

All these elements, and many others, can be professionally designed to come together and create an outdoor room with a comfortable human scale that opens up into higher and wider views of interest.  What is the state of your outdoor rooms? 

If you feel something is lacking in your “outdoor room” experience, give us a call at Kane Landscapes, Inc.

and we would welcome the opportunity meet with you to create a vision that excites you.

Plant of the Week: Dogwood Tree

While this March was  lacking in color  due to the  delay in arrival of Spring, we are now  seeing an abundance of color in April, especially with all of the flowering trees blooming at the same time. Normally, at this point in spring, the cherry blossoms would have shed their flowers, and dogwoods would now be at their peak. 

This weeks Plant of the Week, the Flowering dogwood, is a  smaller ornamental tree that typically grows to a height of 35 to 40 feet (10 to 12 m). This low-branched tree produces creamy-white flowers with 4 petals each in early spring. It is a deciduous tree, meaning it looses its leaves in the fall. Dogwoods thrive in forested, shady areas under other hardwoods and pines. If your landscape boarders a wooded area, consider the dogwood to provide year round interest and color, with the flowers in the spring, bright red/purple leaves and fruit, in the fall, and black or brown alligator-skin like bark in the winter. 

Come Alive Outside

On April 22, 2013, Kane Landscapes participated in the nationwide PLANET Day of Service, by bringing volunteers to a home in Dunn Loring, VA, operated by Langley Residential Support Services, serving adults with intellectual disabilities. In the spirit of this year's Day of Service theme, "Come Alive Outside," we celebrated Earth Day by making the outdoor environment for the 6 residents that live at this home more enjoyable by constructing a patio, adding color with plants, and re-establishing a vegetable garden.

Kane Landscapes has a special relationship with Langley Residential Support Services, with our President, Josh Kane, serving on the Board of Directors for the past 2 years. Josh Kane said of the event, “We wanted to donate our time and resources to make the lives of these individuals more enjoyable by providing an outdoor environment they can use.”   

We had a wonderful time with the residents and staff of Langley Residential. We would like to thank all of our employees and other volunteers for  your help in bringing life to their outdoor environment. And a special thank you to Langley Residential and the residents for making this such an enjoyable Earth Day!

BEFORE - Garden area

BEFORE - Patio area

Putting on our gloves

EXCAVATION for the patio

Plant layout around patio

Removing the debris from garden

Dumping debris

Lending a helping hand

Planting fruit, veggies, and herbs  in the garden

The finished garden

Adding life and color around patio

Cleaning off the patio

The finished patio area

Resident and Director of Langley Residential admiring patio

Memorial bricks engraved with donors' messages

Showing off our new shirts

Making new friends

The whole crew

Plant of the Week: Saucer Magnolia

The Saucer Magnolia is a deciduous tree with large, early-blooming flowers in various shades of white, pink, and purple. It is one of the most commonly used magnolias in horticulture. This small, low-branched tree reaches a height of 20'-25', and get's its name from the fragrant, saucer-shaped flowers. Magnolias should be planted in full sun and make for fine specimen plants, meaning they should be planted alone, rather than in masses with other plants for an ornamental effect.

Mo..Mo..Mo..Mowing!

It seems many people try to pick up the art of mowing, and many fail in creating a masterpiece. Most feel this is a goof-proof chore, but the truth is that properly mowed lawns are healthier and more beautiful. There are five key techniques to follow when cutting the lawn:  Height, Frequency, Blade Sharpness, Clippings, and Direction/Pattern.

Height: When servicing the lawn the height is important. The minimum height of the blades should be 3” inches. This allows the root system to be protected from the sun and reduces scalping or cutting into the dirt when you go over an uneven area.

Frequency: Not only is mowing height important, so is consistency of cuts. The minimum requirement for most lawns is weekly cutting. Anything less than weekly, you are harming your turf by removing too much of the grass blade in one visit.

Blade Sharpness: Do you think surgeons use dull blades? Neither do lawn professionals who provide quality service. Sharp lawnmower blades produce clean cuts, and clean cuts promote better grass health. Dull lawnmower blades, by contrast, produce rougher cuts that make the grass more susceptible to disease and cause the tips of the grass to turn brown and die.

Clippings: Recycling grass clippings back into the lawn reduces water loss, lowers soil temperatures, and returns vital nutrients to the soil. A common misunderstanding is that mulching mowers contribute to thatch buildup. Frequent mowing and the right equipment makes all the difference.

Direction: Alternate the direction in which you cut the lawn each mowing. This will help prevent your lawn from establishing ruts from the mower wheels passing  over the same area in the same direction.

If you or your lawn service provider follows the above tips, you will be setting a good foundation for taking your lawn to the next level in health and appearance.

Written By: David Hensel, Maintenance Manager

Plant of the Week: Tulips

Tulips are one of the most popular spring flowers  and come in a large variety of colors and sizes. While tulips bloom in the spring, the best time for planting the bulbs is in the fall, between October and November. While they are classified with perennials and should bloom year after year, for  best results they should be treated as annuals and replanted every year.  Tulips thrive in sandy, or well-drained soil and enjoy full sun.

Fun Facts about Tulips:

• Tulip ranks as the third most  popular flower world-wide, behind the rose and chrysanthemum. 
• There are now over 3,000 different registered varieties of cultivated Tulips.
• Tulips originated in Turkey getting their name from the Turkish word "tulbend" which means turban.
• Tulip bulbs are a great replacement for onions in cooking.
• Adding sugar to your water will help prolong the life of a bouquet of tulips in a vase.

A Donation for Education

On Friday, April 19th,  Holy Comforter Preschool will be holding its annual fundraising event at Westwood Country Club in Vienna. This year's Western theme is Boots and Barbeque and there will be both a silent and live auction. One hundred percent of the net proceeds go back to the school. Funds raised will supply the preschool's music and science program, replenish the school's scholarship fund, be used to put new floor-tiles and sinks in the classrooms, and renovate the bathrooms. 

Holy Comforter Episcopal Church has been a long time client of Kane Landscapes and to show our appreciation and support we have donated a raised vegetable garden for auction. Our donation includes:

• 4' by 8' by 12" tall raised  vegetable garden with composite boards
• A small  animal barrier to help keep the rabbits and chipmunks out
• The removal of turf/mulch, and installation of the garden, including topsoil.
• 12 starter  vegetable or perennials of the bidders choice.

 The auction is a great community-building event and there are many parent volunteer options available. If you would like to get involved or support the Preschool please visit the auction website.

Plant of the Week: Yoshino Cherry

March 20th through April 14 marks the greatest springtime celebration in D.C.; The National Cherry Blossom Festival. In honor of the Cherry Blossom Festival, this week's Plant of the Week is the Yoshino Cherry tree. Besides being known as the main focal point of the festival, Yoshino Cherries are also known for their fragrant white-pink flowers and oriental branching pattern, and rank among the best of spring flowering trees. Cherry trees are native of Japan and the Japanese word for cherry blossom trees is Sakura, roughly translated as "Japanese flowering cherry." The cherry blossom tree is known for its short yet beautiful blooming season which ends with an inevitable fall to the ground. For Japanese people, this symbolizes the way of human life where rising, blossoming, and falling are part of our natural destiny.

Small spaces can be greatly enhanced with the addition of a Yoshino Cherry. That's because it's a relatively small flowering tree usually only reaching 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide at maturity. Because of its compact size it will easily fit into most residential landscapes. The Yoshino is best planted in moist, well-drained soil in full sun. It has a rapid growth rate and typical life expectancy of 15 to 20 years.

Letter from the Owner, Josh Kane

Well, it was another warmer than average winter with little in the way of snow, but hey Spring is almost here!  With the flowers getting ready to bloom and the grass starting to green now is the time when Kane Landscapes goes from being busy to really busy. However, before things really take off I wanted to thank all our returning clients and welcome all our new clients for the 2013 season. 

As the years have gone by and Kane Landscapes has grown I find myself spending more and more time in the office, planning and crunching numbers, and less time outdoors on your properties.  Luckily we have been blessed (and worked hard to find) such a great team of managers and foremen who have really kept that personal touch and high standard of customer service alive.  From Julie and Justin in the office handling your questions, David  overseeing our maintenance crews and setting schedules, to Bobby applying fertilizer, to Jose hand pruning your perennials and shrubs our team is there to help. We strive to not only make the lives of our clients easier and more enjoyable by providing great service, but we really try to treat our team like family.  We have been fortunate that Kane Landscapes tends to be where many make their careers and stay for a long period of time.  This not only helps improve our service but allows our clients to know who is on their property and really get to know them.  I am sure several of our long time clients will notice that the same foremen have been servicing their properties for almost a decade now. 

As we have grown from mowing lawns to designing and constructing entire outdoor environments we have added several new employees.   We are happy to announce the newest addition to our team - Alan Blalack, a registered landscape architect.  Alan had been designing award winning residential landscapes for over 30 years mostly here in Northern VA and Potomac Maryland.  For any of our clients looking to make a substantial change to their landscapes I am sure he will be able to WOW you with his creativity and design knowledge.

As you start to spend more time outdoors and in your yard please let us know if you see anything you are concerned with or notice areas where you just want some ideas on how to improve or be able to use/enjoy more.  And again I truly thank you for letting Kane Landscapes serve you.  Have a wonderful 2013!

Sincerely,

Josh Kane, Owner

Plant of the Week: Redbuds

Despite the wintery weather we are having this morning, we assure you that spring is on its way. In the hopes of bringing in warmer weather, blooming trees, and budding flowers, we are making this week's plant of the week the Redbud.

Redbuds are one of our favorite blooming trees here at Kane Landscapes. Redbuds make fine lawn trees, look great in groupings, and have their place in shrub borders and even foundation plantings. What makes redbuds unique is that they are the only flowering tree that re-bloom on old wood year after year. They generally have a short, often twisted trunk, spreading branches, and grow to be about 20-30 feet tall. Despite their name, the flowers on redbuds are a lovely lavender or purple hue and appear in clusters from Spring to early Summer on bare stems, before the leaves appear. Blossoms are followed by clusters of flat, beanlike pods that persist into winter and give rise to numerous seedlings around the tree. Handsome, broad, rounded or heart-shaped leaves may change to bright yellow in fall, but fall color is inconsistent. 

Shamrocks and Clovers

With March 17^th just a few days away, Kane Landscapes wanted to provide you with a few interesting facts about St. Patrick’s day, and what it means apart from green beer, green clothes, and green beads.  And, most importantly, what the difference is between a Shamrock and a Clover.

St. Patrick was actually born in Roman occupied Briton circa 390 AD.  He was kidnapped by slavers in his teenage years and brought to Ireland to tend sheep.  After 6 years of slavery, he escaped to return to his home.  It was at this point that St. Patrick studied theology.  He would return to Ireland as missionary at which time he would drive all the snakes out of Ireland.  But, in reality, Ireland was probably already snake free.  This popularized myth probably refers to the expulsion of pagan influences.  Some scholars think that he expelled a snake cult called Crom Cruaich, a bloody pagan cult demanding human sacrifices to a snake deity that was particularly popular in Ireland during the time.  And of course, he is most famous for using a shamrock to illustrate the hard to grasp concept of the trinity to those he was proselytizing.  What you may not know, is that St. Patrick’s order used blue as their color, not green.

But as for the difference between what we call Shamrocks and what we call clovers, it might surprise you to know there is much debate on the subject.  A shamrock is the common name for any number of plants that belong to the genus Trifolium, Latin for “having three leaves.”  The plant that is most commonly referred to as a shamrock is actually a small, white clover and comes from the Irish word “seamrog” meaning “little clover.”  The green weed that grows in your yard is actually just a plain old clover, despite the popular misconception. 

So, this Saint Patty’s day, put on the traditional blue, pin on a white shamrock, and go looking for followers of Crom Cruaich to expel from the land.  Happy Saint Patrcik’s Day, everybody.  

Written by: Justin Hill

Plant of the Week: Hellebores

Hellebores are popular among gardeners because they are drought tolerant, frost resistant, and extremely easy to grow an maintain.  These ornamental perennials typically bloom in late winter or early early spring and may continue to bloom through May. In the summer months they make a great evergreen groundcover. In addition, they can be enjoyed as cut flowers in the home. Hellebores are typically planted in shady areas, however, they thrive in areas where they still receive some sunlight. Plant hellebores in front of shrubbery to create interesting contrast, or along walkways and hardscapes to attract guests.