The new landscape gallery provides a novel way for visitors to view past projects based on clickable tags. The gallery showcases the company's work in a way that will be more relevant for visitors with specific interests.
Visitors interested in a specific location, or design aspect such as "water feature" can simply click the tag to view the related projects. The gallery includes high-quality photos and job descriptions from various landscape design and maintenance jobs around the Sarasota area including the barrier islands.
If you have never heard of the Rugose Whitefly then count yourself lucky. This pesky insect is causing problems for many tropical plants in Florida landscapes including gumbo limbo trees, banana trees, black olive trees, mango trees and palm trees. This Whitefly is also a problem for shrubs including copperleaf, cocoplum, wax myrtle, and other plants.
You can spot this pest as the leaves of infested plants will be covered with a whitish waxy substance. The larva of Rugose Spiraling Whitefly arise from eggs attached to the plants leaves in an unsightly spiral pattern. To make matters worse the bugs excrete a sticky goo called “Honey dew” similar to aphids, this intern usually brings black mold which will feed on the honey dew.
Holiday lights add cheer to the season, but if not properly installed and cared for, they can become a hazard. Make your holiday a safe one by inspecting and testing your lights before hanging them. Use caution with placement and use, and never leave the lights unattended if you are not home.
Use extension cords correctly. Do not use inside cords for outside decoration, and do not overload them by putting more than three strings of lights into one cord. Try to use the length of cord that you will need. Current going through the cords can heat them up, so you do not want a cord coiled on the floor in layers. This could be a fire hazard.
Turn the holiday lights off periodically when they are on a Christmas tree, especially a cut tree inside your home. The lights can heat up, especially if there is an undetected crack in the cord, causing a fire. After four hours, give the bulbs a little time to cool off before putting them back on. If you have a live Christmas tree keep it watered, a dry tree is most liable to catch fire from even a spark caused by pulling the cord out of a socket.
Should I use LED lights?
They look just like the standard incandescent holiday that you’ve grown used to, only better. For one thing, they last longer with a 50,000 hour bulb life, they are safer – due to burning at a lower temperature, and are practically unbreakable. But most importantly, the LED lights are more efficient – they use 90% less energy than the lights your neighbor Phil leaves up year-round.
According to the website getwithgreen.com, an average Christmas tree decorated with incandescent string lights will use 75 KW per 30-day period. The same tree using LED lights will burn only 7.5 KW, a savings of 68.5 KW per Christmas tree. Consider if you will, the sheer number of Christmas Trees in your neighborhood, your town, or your city. Throw in the amount of outdoor lighting that we see this time of year as well, and that’s a significant amount of energy being used – energy that could be saved merely by everyone switching to the more eco-friendly LED lighting.
Save Money and be Safer By Properly Storing Holiday Lights
Storing the lights so they do not crimp and tangle is for safety reasons, but also makes it easier for you to use them the following year. Coil them up and keep them in place using bread twist ties and then store them in a plastic bag, freezer bag size. You can also wind them around an empty cardboard wrapping paper roll and then cut a slit in the cardboard to anchor the end. By correctly storing your lights, you will get many years of use from them.
Wash your hands immediately after handling your holiday lights. Many of the cords contain lead, and it can rub off on your hands. There will be a manufacturer’s warning on your lights if they contain this substance.
Happy Holidays and if all of the above sounds like too much work contact Grants Gardens – We now offer a holiday lighting decorating service! Just Call us and we will bring and install a beautiful lighting display that is sure to get your neighbors attention.
Looking to add some additional color to your landscape for your holiday guests?
Grants Gardens can make your home more festive by adding some colorful plantings including beautiful flowers with your landscape maintenance service. We love to add color to landscapes, however please remember it’s the season (as in snowbird season) and you should plan ahead by requesting your next colorful additions at least two weeks.
Why? Grants Gardens always uses the highest quality plants for our landscaping service and that means we do not store the plants for long periods of time, rather we get the plants for your landscape fresh from the nurseries just prior to planting in your yard. This ensures only healthy full plants are used but also means we may need additional time to procure your plants during the busy season.
Another bit of news to consider for Impatiens lovers – the Impatiens crop has been wiped out by a fungus called Downy Mildew so it will take time for growers to get resupplied with resistant strains, however fear not. Grants Gardens can still add bursting color to your landscape this holiday season, we have excellent varieties of Begonias and Geraniums.
Both Begonias and Geraniums come in several stunning colors. Sarasota area residents will find this a perfect choice for decorating this holiday season. Colorful and hardy these beautiful flowers really bring life and color to your garden.
This service will take place twice yearly to coincide with daylight savings to ensure the Timer/Controller is working efficiently before and after the harsh summer.
This service is in addition to the maintenance included in your landscape contract where sprinkler heads/rotators are checked.
1465 Northgate Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34234
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