Whitefly Infestations Miami

Whitefly Infestations Are Not Plant-Friendly. Find out Why!

Whitefly Infestations Miami

South Florida has been plagued for nearly five years by nuisance whiteflies, but a new strain is turning leaves on ficus plants sticky and stained.

This new species is popping up “in pockets” across South Florida and leaving ficus hedges weakened or unsightly. It’s the third nuisance strain of whitefly to hit South Florida, but the others “never had this icky excrement,” said Michael Orfanedes, a commercial horticulture agent with Broward County Extension Education.

The new species, discovered locally in the past month, is called Bondar’s Nesting Whitefly. They look like white blotches on the top of ficus leaves. As they feed, the flies excrete a sticky goo that leads to black discoloration from sooty mold fungus, said Orfanedes.

It’s too early to know the extent of local damage and how much homeowners will have to spend to replace damaged plants, he said.

About four weeks ago Orfanedes said, he received a call from Charles Livio, the city horticulturist in Oakland Park, to investigate an “odd type insect infestation.” Orfanedes checked it out and thought to himself: “I don’t know what this is, but it doesn’t look good.” He sent a sample to state officials who said it “looked like what had been discovered in Collier County” – Bondar’s Nesting Whitefly.

The bugs leave a “sticky mess,” Orfanedes said. To counteract them, he said, some people are releasing “beneficial” insects like ladybugs and predatory wasps. Certain insecticides can treat the problem, or better yet, “replace the ficus hedge and be done with it,” he advised.

Livio said a city employee discovered the problem in a resident’s front yard.

“It’s very noticeable because unlike the previous Whitefly Infestations Miami, this whitefly is also noticeable on the top surface of the leaf,” Livio said.

The flies present no health concerns for people, but “for ficus, it’s one more nail in the coffin,” Orfanedes said.

Courtyard Garden Design Miami

A Courtyard Design to Keep Your Garden Neat!

Courtyards of Miami

Commonly described as intimate, intriguing, and inviting, front courtyard gardens serve as a transition from the chaos on the streets and in the world, to the serenity of your garden and home.

In areas with warm climates like California or the Southwest, a front courtyard is often used as an outdoor living space. While in the colonial architecture seen in New Orleans and other areas in the South, formal courtyard landscaping is common in entryways.

However, no matter where you live, courtyard landscaping ideas for your outdoor spaces can add to your home’s curb appeal.

Enclosing a Courtyard: 

The most important characteristic concerning courtyard landscape design is the enclosure. You can enclose a courtyard with walls, fencing, or even outdoor gardens. Depending upon the privacy level you desire, your courtyard walls could stand tall or short, solid or transparent.

Enclosing an outdoor room like a courtyard on all four sides is not required, as three-sided design ideas are sufficient. Three sides create the enclosure illusion.

To avoid a fortress-like appearance, many homeowners opt for a low stone wall or partially translucent fencing. This creates a sense of intrigue while welcoming visitors and providing the courtyard with privacy.

A roof, patio cover, and even a front door represent additional ideas the further increase in the overall sense of enclosure. However, too many additions could result in the garden space feeling small or dark.

There is an abundance of ideas for a small garden enclosure to remedy this issue. One way is cutting windows into the walls or fence. Consult a landscape designer to help determine the best way to allow optimal light into your courtyard.

While landscaping a small courtyard may seem easy, it may actually prove very difficult. Homeowners frequently find challenges limiting themselves to smaller spaces as it is very difficult to incorporate provisions like courtyard water features, garden water features, a fire pit, or other courtyard garden designs.

Courtyard Water Features: 

A front courtyard is incomplete without incorporating an above ground water feature. The sound of moving water helps mask ambient noises like traffic and neighbors while helping circulate the water. In a formal courtyard landscape design, classically styled water fountains can serve as a centerpiece. However, in an informal courtyard, a wall or disappearing urn fountain does the trick.

A water feature’s size should remain proportionate to the courtyard’s size. For example, a large tiered fountain could overpower a modest courtyard while producing too much noise for the small space.

A landscape designer or architect can help you determine the proper scale for the courtyard water feature.

Adding Furniture, Plants & Lighting: 

Your courtyard’s size determines how you apply your finishing touches on the space. A large courtyard can possibly accommodate an outdoor dining table with some chairs, and even a fire feature.

Contrarily, a small courtyard is overwhelmed by too many accessories. In this case, it is important to keep things simple. A basic bench and a few potted plants should suffice.

By adding furniture to a courtyard, you can invite guests over and sit comfortably while appreciating your beautiful landscape. Additional plants and lighting in this area ensure an elegant, natural aesthetic that you may enjoy throughout the day into the later hours.

HGTV Dream Home 2018 frequently featured furniture, plants, and lighting in a modern courtyard landscape design. By adding these facets to your courtyard, you can modernize your landscape while additionally affording optimal function.

Courtyard Garden Design Miami

Plants serve as the key to softening the inside and outside of your courtyard walls. You can plant hedges and ornamental grasses that grow along the walls.

Additionally, place container gardens in the corners. Climbing plants also look great because they grow up and over the walls.

Do you live in a climate that allows flourishing bougainvillea? The plant can add a nice pop of tropical color to your courtyard. Ferns and evergreens will also help you establish a Japanese styled vibe.

Finally, your courtyard needs lighting. First and foremost, you should properly light all pathways to provide safety. This extends to yourself, and your visitors.

Once the area is safe and secure you can add additional lighting to your garden water features. This will make your water features a nighttime focal point.

You could also add sparkling string lights or even Moroccan inspired lanterns. These lanterns further add to your courtyard’s ambiance.

Courtyard Garden Design Miami from Blaum Landscaping

You can achieve the courtyard of your dreams regardless if this is a simple intimate courtyard space for your home, or an elegant entryway similar to a New Orleans French Quarter home. Contact Landscaping by Steve Blaum now at (305) 662-7045 or click here for more information on our courtyard garden design Miami services.

We provide our customers with free estimates while making your courtyard landscape design process easy!

Landscaping by Steve Blaum employs our extensive courtyard landscape design experience to ensure your courtyard looks luxurious and elegant while offering you privacy from the outside world.

When we utilize lighting fixtures, water, or fire features, our products demonstrate long-lasting durability against the harsh Florida elements. Blaum Landscaping is not simply a team of landscapers. We represent the preeminent courtyard landscape design company in South Florida.

We want to help you create an outdoor courtyard than transforms your home’s exterior aesthetic. Our focus is entirely on services to optimally suit your needs. When you select Blaum Landscaping, you always receive the service you deserve.

Enlist Landscaping by Steve Blaum and we can show you what is possible concerning transforming your courtyard or entryway. Give off the right impression at your next get-together with a beautiful, functional courtyard. We will meet with you, and harmoniously decide what is best for the courtyard space.

Together, we can make a determination on what works best depending on what you want, and your needs. Blaum Landscaping is the preeminent resource for modern landscaping design services in the South Florida area!

SOURCE: http://www.landscapingnetwork.com/front-yard-landscaping/courtyards.html

Front Yard Landscaping Miami

Upgrade Your Curb Appeal with the Help of Our Best Landscape Designers!

Front Yard Landscaping Miami

A good first impression can make a world of difference when you’re selling your home. By upgrading your curb appeal, you have a chance to influence how potential buyers feel about your home before they even step inside.

While it’s important to balance the money you spend on improvements with a realistic idea of what you can recoup, many improvements to your landscaping can cost little, compared to the benefits of increased home value and a faster sale.

Front Yard Landscaping Miami should be colorful and attractive. But a garden that reads “high-maintenance” can scare people away, so it’s important to keep landscaping neat and uncluttered. Below is a list of some simple ways to improve your curb appeal when selling your home. Also, here is a list of 7 unique approaches to front yard landscaping.

Get a fresh perspective
Before you can choose which projects to start with, it helps to see your landscape with fresh eyes and a broad, overall view. We get so used to our landscaping that it can be hard to pinpoint what others might see. There are two simple tricks to seeing your landscape with a new viewpoint. With both of these techniques, the goal is to forget what you think you know about your landscape and to instead see what is actually there.

The first is an old artist’s trick. Stand back from your landscape, far enough away that you can see all of it at once. Then squint your eyes until they blur, and try to clear your mind.

There may be areas that, when viewed with blurred eyes, appear dark and overgrown. Some areas might feel messy because there are too many small plantings, statues, or pots. Or, you may have an area that is bright and clean, but a little too bare. All of these insights can give you a general idea of which projects to tackle first.

The second technique you can use to see your landscape with fresh eyes is to take some black and white photographs of your landscaping. Taking color away can make a familiar space seem new, so you can see it with objective eyes. Nowadays, most digital cameras have a black and white setting, so this is easy to do even if you’re not a techno-whiz.

Define the borders and add mulch
Clean edges fool the eye into seeing the entire landscape as neat and well-maintained. If lawn has crept into your garden beds and created an uneven line, then defining the border can improve the look of the whole landscape.

Start by laying out a garden hose, or using spray chalk to outline the new border. Don’t make the beginner’s mistake of creating a wavy, “drunken snake” of a line; instead go for broad, sweeping curves that are in scale with the size of your home. Then, use a mattock or pulaski to chip away at the grass until you have a clean, attractive line.

Once you’ve established a neat border, a layer of wood chip mulch adds a refined look. Not only does it help keep weeds down during the selling process, but the bright color is attractive, smooths out an uneven soil surface, and generally gives the landscaping a professional finish.

Prune overwhelming shrubs
While pruning can be tough to tackle if you don’t know what you’re doing, there are a few simple pruning techniques that can make a fast difference.

Just remember that you don’t want to prune anything severely if you can help it, or attack anything with the hedging shears unless the plant is quite clearly meant to be a hedge. That kind of pruning makes it obvious that the maintenance got out of control, which is not the signal you want to send to potential buyers!

Instead, focus on subtler ways of pruning. One technique that makes shrubs look neat with little effort is to “skirt” them. Skirting is when you prune around the base of a shrub, removing any branches that are within 6 inches of the ground. This gives a more open appearance, and works wonders on Rhododendrons and other shrubs that can look moundy and overwhelming when sprawling on the ground

Another good pruning task is to gently prune any plant that is touching the house. Plants that lean on the house can cause chipped paint as well as mold and ant infestations. If your buyer has a home inspection done, it’s a problem that will be noted in the report. Pruning plants 8 inches to 1 foot away from the house will give the landscaping a more open appearance, as well as give you room to power wash the house or touch up paint as needed.

The only shrubs that should be pruned heavily are those that are flopping over a walkway, blocking the view from the street to the front door, or keeping light from streaming into a window. Even then, it’s better to thin plants gracefully or consider even removing them, rather than going in for The Big Chop.

Add color with paint and pots
If a focal area isn’t drawing the eye as it should (think front door, patio and seating areas), a bold shot of color can be just what’s needed. While the obvious solution is to use container plantings, there are a few important points to remember.

First, less is more. Choose just one or two larger pots that have a distinctive color or shape, rather than lots of small pots that can feel cluttered.

Next, go for a simple one- or two-color planting scheme that highlights what is special about your home, like the color of the stone, trim, or surrounding shrubs. This keeps the focus on your home, rather than on the individual plantings.

Lastly, don’t be afraid of paint. If your patio furniture looks tired and worn, it will be hard for potential buyers to envision themselves sitting there. Freshly stained or painted patio furniture can draw the eye and help buyers imagine the great times they’ll have in their new landscape. Choose a color that picks up on some element in the landscaping, and add a few cushions to set the scene.

Ask for help
Most landscape designers offer a one-time consultation service. If you’re having trouble deciding what to focus on, even a short meeting with a professional can help you pinpoint the tasks that will bring the greatest return.

As you can see from these projects, even a small investment in the landscape goes a long way towards increasing your curb appeal and making it more likely that buyers will fall in love with your home.

 Call us at (305) 662-7045
Landscape Design Miami

Design Your Landscape to Perfection! Check out These Tips

Landscape Design Miami

When landscaping a yard, walkways often get overlooked. We concern ourselves with pools, patios, and plant selections, but then we neglect to consider how to connect the different spaces in our yard. By ignoring paths, a garden can become disjointed because of the lack of thought put into the transitions and connections.

Not only do walkways guide people throughout your yard, they can also be used to create a mood or atmosphere. You’ll want to start by determining if you are trying to create a formal or informal feeling. Then you’ll need to make a number of important decisions regarding shape, dimensions and materials, which can range from simple gravel to decorative stamped concrete. Other factors to consider include your budget, the desired traffic flow, the amount of foot traffic your walkway will receive, and safety.

Get these tips

In this section, you’ll find tips from landscaping professionals on:

  • The differences between formal garden paths (characterized by straight lines and right angles) and informal pathways (typically curved and meandering), along with advice on where each style works best.
  • Recommended walkway widths for different traffic flow patterns and frequency of use.
  • Selecting materials for a front yard walkway, considering such factors as curb appeal, your home’s exterior architecture, and safety.
  • Determining the best placement for backyard walkways to create destination zones and a natural traffic flow from one area to another.
  • Using a combination of walkways, patios and planting beds as an alternative to a backyard lawn.
  • Landscape Design Miami tricks for varying the width of a path at certain points in the garden to indicate that the visitor has arrived at a destination, such as a shady bench under a tree.
  • The characteristics and applications for the most popular walkway materials (gravel, brick pavers, flagstone and concrete), along with design ideas for each.
  • Choosing among the many decorative options available for concrete walkways, including adding color by staining or integral pigments, imparting pattern and texture through stamping or saw cutting, exposing the aggregate, and adding decorative borders.
  • Using outdoor path lighting for both safety and wayfinding, including advice on path lighting mistakes to avoid.
  • How to choose among the options and styles available for path lighting, including lanterns, lamps, posts, recessed fixtures, and solar lighting.
  • Using pathway edging to create a manicured look, to keep gravel or other loose paving materials in place, and to keep plants and mulch off walkways.
  • How to emphasize a path’s shape with plantings, such as using formal boxed hedges as a border along a straight-edged walkway.

Don’t ignore the important roles pathways can play in your home’s overall landscape. Be sure to consult with a landscape designer for advice on choosing the best materials and specifications.

SOURCE: http://www.landscapingnetwork.com/walkways/

Lawn Sprinklers Miami

Install Lawn Sprinklers Outside Your Home for Better Lawn Maintenance!

Lawn Sprinklers Miami

Most homeowners take a well-designed and properly functioning sprinkler system for granted. Since sprinklers are all but invisible, until they turn on, it is easy to forget about how important they are to keeping your landscape looking its best. On-the-other-hand, if you’ve lived even a short time without automated sprinklers, you’re likely well aware of their value. Hand watering can be tiring and inefficient for the inexperienced eye.

A professionally installed sprinkler system will provide water for your lawn or plants on a schedule. There are two types of watering systems, overhead sprinklers and drip irrigation. Traditional sprinklers are widely used for lawns, while drip lines work well for garden beds. If you are especially concerned with water usage a drip system is a good option.

Before deciding on the type of irrigation system to have installed on your property you should think about what you will need to water. Watering needs are different for lawns than they are for shrubs or trees. If you have existing landscaping, sprinklers can be installed to support what is already there. If you are planning on installing new plants it is helpful to know the location of certain plant types so that your sprinkler installer can get the right heads or emitters in the proper place.

If your home has an existing sprinkler system it is important to make sure it is maintained and that water waste is kept to a minimum. The biggest signs of water waste are wet pavements and run-off. If you notice these problems on your property it is likely that the design of your sprinkler system is not appropriate for the size or shape of your lawn. The solution may be as simple as adjusting the position of a sprinkler head, but a professional can come evaluate your system and help you be more efficient with your use of water.

Having sprinklers installed is not something you should be overwhelmed by, there are many knowledgeable pros who can help you figure out the best system for your needs. Your sprinklers will be up and running in just a few days. All you’ll have to do is make sure the timer is set right and keep an eye out for any signs of problems.

Having underground sprinklers installed requires that trenches be dug. This may disturb your existing landscaping, so make sure you are clear with the installer about any plants you don’t want disturbed. A drip system is installed above ground so it is an easier process with minimal disturbance. If possible, most landscape contractors recommend installing sprinkler lines prior to any other construction work or planting. This way you don’t have to deal with running water lines under pavement or messing up a freshly planted lawn.

Sprinkler systems are a very convenient way to keep the plants in your yard healthy. They can range from simple to high-tech or be designed to conserve water. Use the resources here to better understand sprinkler system options, design and maintenance.

 Call us at (305) 662-7045