Monthly Archives: July 2021

Insects that can Actually Help your Landscaping

Believe it or not, not all bugs and creepy crawly critters are harmful to garden plants, shrubs and bushes. Several insects can in fact be highly beneficial to have roaming among your favorite flowers, and a few examples of these will be mentioned below.

Ladybugs

Although these are usually quite attractive looking insects and often depicted in children’s storybooks as friendly characters, ladybugs are in fact quite predatory. Before their pretty colors start showing through, they start out as rather ugly larvae and their primary food source is aphids. The average ladybug larva can eat as many as 40 to 50 aphids per hour, making them an excellent visitor among your rose bushes.

Praying Mantises

While praying mantises may not look like the prettiest bugs around, they sure deserve their place in virtually every garden. They are not only able to devour those pesky grasshoppers that destroy your plants; they have been known to make short work of some species of moths, flies and beetles as well.

Keep in mind though, that while praying mantises may eat grasshoppers, they have also sometimes been know to attack butterflies and bees.

Hoverflies

These flies may look like miniature yellow jacket wasps, but they are missing the stinger completely. Hoverflies feed on nectar and pollen and as such, are considered to be important for pollinating the plants in your garden. The larvae from these flies are also rather predatory in that they kill caterpillars, aphids and some types of beetles.

Honeybees

Honeybees are by far one of the most beneficial insects to have living in your garden – regardless of the types of plants and flowers you have. These busy little visitors are known for pollinating several of the plants that are responsible for producing the food we eat, so it’s crucial that they be protected in any and every way possible.

Some plants and trees that bees are responsible for pollinating include apples, broccoli, asparagus, cranberries, various types of melons and many other types of fruit. It has been suggested that humans would be without most sources of grown food within as little as four years if honeybees were to die out completely.

If you’re keen to attract bees to your garden, the first step is to provide them with a variety of flowers and plants that they can obtain pollen from. Popular offerings include poppies, clover, oregano, zinnias, marigolds, asters and geraniums.

To ensure that bees become regular visitors in your garden, you’ll need to provide them with a source of fresh drinking water along with the plants. A shallow birdbath with a little fresh water in can provide the ideal rest stop for these visitors while they’re hard at work gathering pollen in your yard.

If you have insects in your garden and you’re unsure whether they are beneficial to your plants or not, it can help to speak with an expert. Contact our experienced landscaping team today to find out more about attracting useful insects to your yard today.

Want Something Different on your Lawn? Try a Rain Garden

If you’ve been living in your current property for more than a few years, chances are that you’re becoming tired of seeing the same old garden and lawn year after year when looking out of your windows – but you may also be at a loss as to what else can be done to provide a little extra natural beauty in your yard. One option that can provide a fabulous focal point on your lawn is a rain garden.

What is a Rain Garden?

A rain garden is that which consists of various native perennials, shrubs and flowers that have been planted in a small depression and it is usually formed on a naturally sloping part of a lawn. It’s designed in such a way that it can temporarily hold and soak in rainwater runoff from driveways, roofing, lawns and patio areas.

Rain gardens have the ability to remove up to 90% of chemicals and 80% of sediments from rainwater runoff and when compared to a regular lawn, this enables as much as 30% more water to soak into the ground than before.

Types of Rain Garden

Three types of rain garden can be created in your yard, namely simple, intermediate or advanced.

Simple

On the average residential property, a simple rain garden can be something as plain as a depression in the ground where plants and grass grow and help filter any water that accumulates after it has rained. A low-lying area in a yard with lawn that isn’t growing too well can be converted to a rain garden by choosing a few native plants that will thrive in either extremely dry or highly swampy conditions.

Intermediate

Larger rain gardens can often look like detention ponds, with the only difference being that it is effective at absorbing and filtering runoff. Once again, choosing the right combination of plants will help create a rain garden that can also act as a natural habitat.

Advanced

When a water quality system is incorporated into a rain garden, it allows it to become functional piece of green infrastructure that can be linked to a property’s current storm water system. For instance, it can be constructed with a settling area that has a natural filtration system to capture trash and sediments that would otherwise end up in a city’s drain system. In some cases, these setups can include a collection bag that will need to be emptied out at regular intervals.

Benefits of Rain Gardens

They prevent rainwater runoff from going into sewer systems
They can filter runoff before it reaches waterways and sewers
They can increase the flow of groundwater
They can create various natural habitats for wildlife, butterflies, birds and insects
They beautify neighborhoods, public parks and yards
There’s no need to think that creating a rain garden is going to take too much time and effort or be too expensive. Simply contact our team of experienced landscapers and an appointment can be set up to discuss the options that will be best suited to your yard.