Fall Cleanup time is now

Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year in New England. The leaves are changing colors, and there is a crispness in the air that makes for perfect weather. But before you get too excited about all of this, it’s important to remember that it’s also time for fall clean up.

The leaves on the ground can be a nuisance, but they also provide nutrients for the soil. Aeration is important because it helps to break down these leaves and release their nutrients. Fall clean up can be done in many ways, but aeration and brush clean up are essential.

If you live in an area where leaves are naturally removed by the wind, then you’ll only have to worry about any fallen branches or leaves on your property. Removal of fallen brush not only helps your property show its true beauty as the leaves change and the weather cools but also helps with the health of the landscape.

Fall clean up in New England can also include tackling the following

Cleaning out gutters
Cleaning up leaves and other debris from the lawn or driveway
Cleaning out the garden beds
Dealing with any clutter that has accumulated in any part of your yard

Having a professional handle these chores not only guarantees that it is done well but it also frees up your family to enjoy the most beautiful time of the year.

Commercial landscaping should not be ignored

Consumers are always judging businesses based on how they look and how well they’re maintained. Consumers also pay attention to business landscaping. Good landscaping is a subtle but important detail to consumers that a business is thriving.

If you’re a business owner who would like your business to grow, then you should be maintaining the landscape around your business just like you maintain the interior. Knowing why landscaping is important and what you can do to improve your business landscaping can help you take your business to the next level.

Landscaping Boosts Curb Appeal

Curb appeal is what your customer sees before they even know about your business. The best professional landscaping should be designed to show off your property and accentuate the positive attributes of your surrounding environment.

Maybe your business sits in a wide-open space with few trees and other features in the area. To show off this space, a quality landscaper may choose to install pathways, lights, and clusters of shrubs and flowers that flow from one side of your lot to the next, leaving open green spaces in between.

Alternatively, perhaps your business is positioned near a creek for other focal point. Your landscaper should choose to surround the area near your creek with water-loving flowers and trees that thrive in those wet conditions.

Curb appeal can attract customers to your business and boost your sales as customers will be more inclined to interact with your landscape.

Good Landscaping Can Instill Confidence

Customers judge your business before they ever set foot on the property. Good landscaping shows that your business is well-maintained, and that can instill confidence in your business practices and the quality of your services or products.

What You Can Do to Improve Your Business Landscaping

There are many things you can do to improve your business landscaping. If you’re new to working on and maintaining your commercial landscaping, here’s what we recommend.

Know Your Landscaping Goals

Before hiring a landscaper, devise your landscaping goals. Do you want to install pathways, so employees and customers can safely walk on your property? Is easy-to-maintain landscaping important?

Knowing what you want is important to express to your landscaper so your goals are met and your property can be the best it can be.

Commit To Maintaining Your Landscaping

Nearly all landscaping requires some kind of maintenance in order to look its best. Updating your property and letting it slowly fall into disrepair is a waste of your efforts. Understand and plan for the maintenance of your property.

This is something your contractor will need to know during the initial consultation, as it will affect the ultimate design. If you’re planning to maintain the landscaping on your own, be sure to know what is needed to maintain the property. If your property will be professionally maintained it is important to know what that will entail as well.

If you have a plan for your commercial space and know what you want to do with it over time you will not only be able to attract additional business but also foster a better more positive environment for your employees and that type of win-win decision will surely pay off.

2022 Landscaping Trends

Natural stone landscaping in home garden with steps and flowerbeds

Edible Gardening

Kitchen gardens and edible landscapes have made a real comeback ove the last few years as people have spent more time at home cooking. What is better than walking out to your back yard to pick a few fresh herbs or a vegetable right off the vine?

It is a great way to not only reduce your carbon footprint by reducing your trips to the market and also teach your family about what sustainability. The best part though may be satisfaction of knowing where your food comes from and knowing you have sourced this from you own home.

Wildlife corners

While a beautifully manicured lawn is a wonderful goal around any house, having a wild corner with some more natural growth and some shocks of wild flowers might make it even more satisfying.The juxtaposition of the manicured lawn next to wild and unruly grasses and wildflowers really gives the sense of being in one with nature.

Buzzwords like rewilding, nature scaping and curated wilding really help underline the concept of bringing nature into the yard but to do it effectively you must do it cleanly. Rewilding does not mean you let nature turn your yard into an overgrown meadow that allows wildlife to run rampant and pests invade your house but rather allows for a restrained utilization of the concept to give a focal point to your yard.

Recycling and upcycling

Today’s socially and environmentally conscious homeowners are always looking to reduce their carbon footprint while maintaining a beautiful space to live. A recycled material can add a focal point to your landscape or hardscape space. The sky is the limit provided you are careful in the utilization. No one wants their yard to look like a junk yard that has old furniture or materials strewn around.

One effective way to recycle is to use pre-owned outdoor furniture or devising new uses for decorative accessories to add character and interest. Old windows can become cold frames. Plastic water bottles can become cloches to protect seedlings from wind and cold. Old building materials can be used as screens to block neighbor views or machinery. The list goes on.

Splash of Color

One of the most important components of an effective landscape design is to have a focal point in the yard. Nothing delights the eye like an unexpected burst of color.

Whether you’re picking out tropical plants, bulbs, annuals, or perennials, this is the year to choose bold, vibrant colors in daring jewel tones to add positive energy to your landscape. Explore the seasons and keep in mind when the blossoms reach their peak. Red, orange, magenta, lime, and deep purple are expected to be big this year. You can bring in butterflies, hummingbirds or other eye catching pollinators with a splash of color as well.

Bringing the inside outside

The last two years have forced everyone into their houses and it is time to break back out into the garden and enjoy your property with those you love. Blur the lines between inside and outside by building outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, and pergolas that can be curtained off to create a private room. Some outdoor living spaces even include televisions, refrigerators, and outdoor sofas. Tall shrubs can add privacy, while strings of light can add ambiance. Enjoy the cool nighttime breezes or warming sun while embracing the sounds and smells of your yard.

Ideas for Stone Wall Landscaping in 2022

Stone arch entrance wall with ivy in the garden.

Many homeowners and business use stone walls primarily for retaining walls. However, stone walls can add creative flair to any garden with the proper landscaping design, with trees, shrubs, and flowers. Thinking of adding a stone wall to your landscape? Green Leaves Landscaping has the professional team to help you get started. We’ve compiled a list of stone wall ideas you can use to elevate your lawn or garden this spring!

Natural stone wall and pink phlox. Corner detail of retaining wall layered with round boulders and rocks of different shapes and sizes, beautifully weathered.

Fieldstone Wall

This classic New England stone wall is ideal in every landscape. In general, stone walls create a barrier while looking stylish at the same time. For this type of wall, fieldstone offers a natural material for gardens. You can either dry stack the stone or use mortar. For a natural garden look, this is a classic option.

Stacked Block Wall

This stacked block wall is an excellent option for a cleaner stone wall. This wall style is uniform in shape due to concrete blocks. This wall will form a clean and established line, making it a great choice for the front of the house or courtyard.

Natural stone landscaping in front of a house

Flagstone Wall

Slimmer in look compared to its cousin, this flagstone wall is just as classic in any garden or landscape. This look is more structured than fieldstone, and it is just as charming. While stone thickness may vary, the clean, flat top of a flagstone wall adds a uniform line of view while maintaining character.

Entrance gate to a rustic, english house in the forest with stone wall and cobblestone driveway

Stone Wall Entrance

Add a stone wall entrance to your driveway for a more dramatic look! Whether you go big or small, a stone wall creates a pronounced statement that is hard to beat. Mortared stone and the right landscaping style will create a striking entry for any home or business.

worker rides a stone wall on a traditional renovation site of NOIRMOUTIER, FRANCE

Stone Wall Landscaping from Green Leaves Landscaping

If your landscape lacks structure or needs a unique facelift, contact the most trusted masonry contractor, Green Leaves Landscape. Our dedicated and experienced team will work hard to create a unique stone wall design that will add character for years to come.

Design your Stone Wall Landscaping today! Contact us today to see what we can do for your landscaping (508) 393-0005!

4 Exciting Trends in Patio Installation

A quick internet search for “patio installation” will tell you that summer and fall are the best times to get started on your patio construction. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t start designing and planning in the spring! At Green Leaves Landscape, we want to help you design your dream yard so that you can enjoy the outdoors in comfort and style. Outdoor gathering spaces have increased in popularity in the last few years. Here are some patio trends that we are excited to see this year.

Easy Herb Gardening

Whether you prefer to cook indoors or outdoors when it gets warm, fresh herbs are great to have on hand. Instead of edging your patio with a simple stone wall, consider turning a segment of it into an herb garden. By adding a few feet of depth to a stone wall, you can install a long planter and have fresh herbs whenever you want them. If herbs aren’t really your thing, flowers are a decorative option.

Bold Color Choices

Patios are often a single neutral color, and while there is beauty in simplicity, color is an attractive choice, too. Match or complement your home with stone in browns, grays, and reds. To add some visual pop to your patio, combine stones of different colors to make custom patterns.

Outdoor Food Prep

Whether you like to flip burgers or fix yourself a drink, you can build that space into your patio design. Outdoor entertaining spaces have always been popular in the spring and summer, but the last few years have made them a necessity. You want to chat with your guests while you cook, so why not bring the kitchen outside? Modern grills have all kinds of features. You can prepare an entire meal without setting foot indoors.

Cozy Fire Pits

While the summer is peak outdoor entertaining season, there’s no reason you can push it into the fall or start earlier in the spring. By including a fire pit in your patio installation, you can have a little outdoor climate control. Build in a warm place to set so that you can stay outside even when it’s a little chilly.

Patio Installation with Green Leaves

You have a vision for your perfect patio, and we want to design and build it with you. Even if we have to wait until the ground thaws and the weather gets drier to start your patio installation, spring is the time to decide on your design. Our hardscape and masonry experts will work with your to design your patio with all the features you’ve been dreaming about.

Are you thinking about patio installation? Contact us today at 508-393-0005 to start planning your perfect outdoor space.

How Your Masonry Contractor Is Keeping the Outdoor Season Going

While many people are pumped thinking about the upcoming winter seasons, others are missing the warm days of summer. Whichever side of the fence you stand, your trusted masonry contractor can keep your outdoor season going – just the way you like it.

By customizing an outdoor fireplace fit for your needs and requirements, you will have the perfect gathering spot for family, friends, and those nights that you feel like staying in and cozying up with that someone special! Here’s a closer look at a few of our favorite designs here at Green Leaves Landscape.

Everyone needs a firepit in their life.

As a top masonry contractor in Massachusetts, our team at Green Leaves Landscape can say one thing is for sure – outdoor fireplaces are worth the investment! With fully customizable designs and layouts, this element is perfect for any space and any budget. Stone fireplaces, in particular, provide a durable, inviting, and unique outdoor atmosphere perfect for year-round use. From summer gatherings to the winter months, the ambiance is truly unmatched.

Let’s talk about stone for a moment.

As mentioned, natural stone provides endless options. The hardest part is choosing which stone is best for your needs. To begin, we always recommend our customers consider their budget and the overall aesthetic they’re hoping to obtain. Once these two factors are settled, the stone selection process becomes much easier.

Some of the most common choices include pavers and granite. However, if layering your fire pit, you can utilize a fire-resistant material on the inner lining to allow use of a less resistant material on the outer layer. For example, fire brick is ideal for the inner circumference of a pit, while traditional brick is best suited for the outer layer.

Now, it’s time to find the best masonry contractor in the region.

Whether you research and plan your new outdoor space on your own or with professional help, the time will come that calling in a masonry expert is a necessity. Be sure to check out our previous article highlighting four questions to ask before signing the contract!

Or, you can keep things simple and give the professionals at Green Leaves Landscape a call! Our team is happy to consult and recommend the best design for your desired goals. Give us a call today at (508) 393-0005 and start your winter season off on the right foot! Or left, whichever you prefer!

Retaining Walls: Which Material Is Best For Your Project?

Natural stone landscaping in home garden

As the number one masonry company in Massachusetts, our experts at Green Leaves Landscape are often called in about retaining walls. As one of the best elements to turn unusable land into a usable landscape, retaining walls come with options. Before jumping into your project, knowing these options and understanding the benefits is crucial. Here, we are taking a look at a few of the top requested materials and why they are appealing.

Fieldstone

From garden features to walkways, fieldstone is also an extremely popular choice for retaining walls. The varying size and textures make for one of the most unique, one of a kind results. Besides the originality, fieldstone walls can last an upwards of 100 years with proper installation, care and maintenance.

Cobblestone

As a timeless classic, cobblestone is often associated with roads and walkways. However, cobblestone is also an excellent choice for stone walls. This natural material provides a historic feeling and some of the most versatile color variations available.

Pavers

From classic to modern, let’s talk pavers. Like many options, pavers come in a variety of styles, making them one of the most versatile options for nearly any masonry company to work with. Made from a combination of concrete, this material is moldable to almost any pattern and size. Furthermore, pavers provide excellent drainage, slip-resistance and offer a relatively easy install to keep your costs lower.

When it comes to building a new retaining wall, finding an experienced masonry company is a must. At Green Leaves Landscape, our professionals provide decades of expertise to ensure your project delivers the ultimate, most durable, and visually appealing result. Whether paver or fieldstone, we can help.

Contact Green Leaves Landscape today to schedule your consultation. Our team is happy to discuss the many options that may work best for your needs and requirements. Call us today at (508) 393-0005 to learn more.

It’s Time For Fall Lawn Maintenance

bright fun autumn. girl and dog Corgi lie on a plaid on the lawn and read books

Now that it’s September, it’s time to start thinking about your fall lawn maintenance plan! The key to a green, healthy lawn doesn’t end after the summer season. To survive the harsh New England winters, your lawn needs a little bit of TLC!

Green Leaves Landscaping can help you with all of the lawn landscaping projects you need to take care of before the first snow, like leaf cleanup and fertilization. Here are the top care tips to guarantee your lawn will flourish next spring.

Fall Cleanup

As life get’s busy, cleaning up leaves and branches from the fall season can get put on the back burner. While it’s not quite the leaf-peeping season yet, there’s nothing wrong with planning ahead. Green Leaves Landscaping is here to help you make sure your lawn is ready for whatever the winter season plans to throw at it, which includes cleaning up piles of leaves for you. Leaving debris on your lawn throughout the winter can damage your lawn once the ice and snow begin to melt. It can lead to dead spots and poor grass growth.

Fertilization & Aeration

Most people have heard about fertilization, obviously. It’s an important part of keeping your lawn green, thick, and free of disease. But have you ever considered aerating your lawn? Aeration is the process of perforating your lawn with many small holes. This way, water, air, and the necessary nutrients can seep into the soil and penetrate the grass roots directly. Consequently, the roots can grow deeper, strengthening the lawn.

If your lawn is frequently used, it’s likely ready for aeration this fall season. Heavy use can compact the soil, especially after months of play and outdoor activities! So, the beginning of the fall season is perfect for aeration when the weather is cooler. To top it off, fertilizing afterward will promote healthy grass growth in the spring.

Fall Lawn Maintenance

If you haven’t figured it out yet, fall lawn maintenance is imperative to the upkeep of your hard-earned lawn. By making sure your backyard is ready to go in the fall, you’re already a step ahead of the game for the spring season!

We can take out the hard work for you. To set up your lawn maintenance appointment, visit our website or give Green Leaves Landscaping a call at (508) 393-0005.

The 3 Best Late Summer Lawn Maintenance Tips

During the late summer season, lawn maintenance is more critical than ever. Proper care and practice will help maintain or revive your lawn. Now that it’s August, the shorter days and cooler nights mean that it’s the perfect time to reinvigorate the lush grass your home deserves. Green Leaves Landscape can help maintain your lawn, so it’s ready to make last through the cool, fall weather! Thus, let’s hop into common late summer lawn maintenance tips from the experts!

Lawn Aeration

Core aeration is one of the easiest ways to revitalize your lawn. After a summer of fun and lots of foot traffic, the soil can become compacted. When this happens, water and essential nutrients the grass needs to grow don’t reach the earth. Thus, it results in low-quality grass. But, aeration can fix this issue! During the core process, small plugs of soil are removed. Therefore, moisture and minerals can start to move throughout the ground easier!

Overseeding

Are you finding patches of thin or stressed grass? It might be time for late-season overseeding. Late summer and early fall are ideal for establishing the base for overseeding a thin and damaged lawn. But what does overseeding accomplish? The extra seed will help increase the density of the grass and help the lawn fight back against erosion, damage, and disease. Plus, when overseeding is done in conjunction with aeration, it will have incredible results!

Fertilizing plants, lawns, trees and flowers. Gardener in gloves holds white fertilizer balls on background of green grass

Fertilization

One of the key late summer lawn maintenance chores is the last round of fertilization. Spreading a good fertilizer over the grassy terrain before the cold sets in prepares it for spring! Some of the most common benefits from late-season fertilizer are allowing nutrients to be store over the winter, encouraging a healthy root system, and providing hardiness against the cold weather.

Green Leaves Landscape Lawn Maintenance

Just because it’s technically not fall yet, doesn’t mean you can’t start preparing for the change of seasons! Doesn’t it feel like everyone dreams of having a beautiful, green lawn? But lawns cannot grow like that with just water and mowing! With aeration, de-thatching, overseeding, and fertilizing with proper nutrients during the last of the growing season will guarantee your lawn will hold that green from spring to fall, surviving the worst that winter can throw at it.

For more information or to make an appointment for Green Leaves Landscape to help you take care of your lawn, call us at (508) 393-0005.

Top Five Perennials For Landscapers in Hudson

Young female planting flower in garden,aerial view

Are you serious about upgrading your curb appeal but don’t want to deal with the upkeep and maintenance because life is too busy sometimes? We understand. The crew at Green Leaves Landscape are the number one landscapers in Hudson, NH. So, if you’re in search of fuss-free flowers and plant bed upgrades, you know who to call. Let’s hop into the top flowers and shrubs for low-maintenance alternatives in your home garden.

Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)

The Foamflower is native to Eastern forests and woodlands. Plus, it’s one of the best shade perennials that also happens to be deer resistant. That means Foamflower won’t be the deer’s first choice, and your garden will stay growing beautifully! These flowers are perfect for shady areas near trees or around the home.

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

This rare species of flower is native to open and sandy areas across the East. Butterfly Milkweed is a gorgeous perennial plant that is perfect for well-draining soil areas. Furthermore, the spring orange blooms offer butterflies and other pollinators a delicious sweet meal.

Carpet Bugle (Ajuga)

Also known as Bugleweed or Carpet Bugle, the Ajuga plant is a ground-covering perennial perfect for low-traffic ground cover. Due to its small structure, it’s easy to grow. In addition, it prevents the growth of weeds because the plants grow in dense colonies. Plus, it can handle various levels of the sun, making it ideal for all areas around the home.

Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta)

Black-eyed Susans are one of the most popular wildflowers grown in North America. These tough perennial plants are known for their bright yellow petals are dark brown centers. Furthermore, they attract butterflies, bees, and other nectar-loving creatures. But, they can squash out other plants, so it’s best to keep them in a dedicated section.

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis)

Despite its strange yet beautiful flowering bloom, the Bleeding Heart plant is surprisingly tough. This flower loves shady or full-shade areas and blooms only once a year. But, the flowers last for a few weeks before waiting until the following season.

Landscapers in Hudson – Green Leaves Landscape

From a beautifully manicured lawn to a new planting bed, the landscapers in Hudson at Green Leaves Landscapes are capable of it all. We can take out the hard work for you while keeping your planting beds neat and vibrant all season long. For more information give us a call at (508) 393-0005.