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Cool, sunny days in autumn are among of the best times for outdoor lawn and garden work. Sweater weather means you won’t get too hot or cold; it’s both pleasant and easy to spend all afternoon in the garden. Fortunately, there are lots of fall landscaping chores that will help get your garden ready for cold weather. The most notable benefit of these is they also help prepare your landscape for spring.

An afternoon of work in October will make bringing your property back to life in the spring a whole lot easier. Follow our infographic below and get your property ready like a pro. Or let the pros handle it for you and book your appointment with us today.

As winter weather begins its annual migration to our region, it’s important to prepare your home and landscape for cold and freezing. At the very least, all mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems need inspection. This includes water features and garden ponds. While a backyard garden fish pond is an enjoyable addition to your landscape that needs little care for most of the year, there are a few guidelines to follow and maintenance tasks needed before freezing weather sets in.

Though installing your own interlocking paver walkway or patio may seem like a daunting project, with a little advance planning, it is something the average homeowner can handle. While it is not too difficult, there is actual work involved and it is important to do it correctly. Here are the basic steps to constructing your own paver project.

Natural stone is one of the most beautiful materials for home landscape projects. Whether it’s a patio, walkway or wall, natural stone creates an elegant, timeless style that goes well with almost any home. Though stone is a durable material that will retain its natural look and appeal over the years, a little bit of maintenance will protect your flagstone pavers and stone walls from accidental damage while increasing their lifespan. Sealing a natural stone surface, while not mandatory, adds a layer of protection and enhancement to your landscape feature.

A small amount of weekly maintenance is usually all that is needed to keep your garden fish pond clear and clean. Every now and then, it is possible that pond conditions will go bad for no obvious reason. One of the more alarming changes that can happen in your pond is for the water to turn green. If it does, don’t panic. A few steps will typically put everything back on track. Let’s take a look at what turns garden pond water green and what you can do about it. The most common cause of green pond water is algae bloom. This usually occurs in spring when water gets warmer and the amount of daylight increases. Single-celled algae reproduce very quickly. When conditions are right, they can take over your pond before you know it. The result looks like pea soup in your pond. Algae needs nutrients to grow. If single-celled algae have taken hold in your pond, too many nutrients are present. Fortunately, there a few easy ways to reduce excess nutrient levels in your garden pond water.

One of the most frequently asked questions by garden pond owners is if they need to change the water as part of their pond maintenance routine. Generally speaking, garden pond water does need to be changed, but there are several factors that come into play. Here are some suggestions about how often to change pond water, how much pond water to change and how to change garden pond water.

Composting at home is an easy way to produce high quality soil amendments for your vegetable or ornamental garden. At the same time, it’s a small but important step toward reducing the amount of waste that goes into landfills and eliminating the use of chemical fertilizers. Why throw something away if it can improve your garden soil and help you grow tastier vegetables?

Planting and growing your own vegetables is good for your body and your mind. You can get exercise, reduce stress and produce your own fresh, healthy food, all by planting a vegetable garden in your backyard. If you are new to vegetable gardening, it’s not difficult, but there are a few important things to know. A little planning before you start to dig will save frustration and give you a better chance of success.

The type of joint sand used in your interlocking paver patio or walkway may be the biggest factor in how much time and effort you spend maintaining your paved landscape. Polymeric sand is regarded by many landscape contractors as the best choice for the joint sand that goes between pavers. Though it costs a little more upfront, over the long term, using polymeric sand will save you money and time.

What lurks just below the surface of your garden? Hopefully, it’s good quality garden soil. How much do you know about this source of life for your yard and garden? Topsoil holds mysterious secrets and is much more interesting than it appears to be. Here is some strange-but-true information about your garden dirt.

Experienced gardeners know that not all soil is created equal. The quality varies greatly from garden to garden and region to region. Your garden soil is usually the biggest factor in determining the success of your landscape planting projects. It makes sense to learn some basic information about soil and how to determine if it is a good fit for your plants.

Triple mix is always a combination of some sort of top soil, compost and peat moss. You’ll hear the term triple mix often because it’s the best concoction to promote healthy growth of all your landscape plants. Most garden supply companies create their own unique mixes using biomass (or source materials) they know will help plants thrive in the local ecosystem. Van Beek’s is no different. We think our triple mix is the most efficient and effective of any garden supplier in the Greater Toronto Area.

In part 2 of this series we talked about determining the overall scope of your landscape project. In this post we will talk about the areas you’ll be working with.

In the last post, we talked a bit about determining the scope of your project. That simply means the size of the project and where you are starting from. The three starting points are from a fresh start or from the dirt up, replacing an existing project with something new, or adding to or updating and existing project. Each has their own merits and short comings. Let’s take a more detailed look at each.

I’m sitting in my living room looking out the 3 foot snow drift that is blocking our back door to the patio. It is currently -19C with the winds blowing. Is it too early to think about the spring yard clean up? You might think so but the fact of the matter is that we really don’t know when the snow will be gone. As a life-long Scouter, I’ve always lived by the philosophy of “prepare and plan ahead”. So for me, it’s the perfect time to start thinking about the yard for spring. There are several things to consider now so you are ready to get started in the warmer weather.

Estimating construction time is one of the most difficult tasks a contractor faces. It can take many years of experience and completed projects to say with confidence how long a given task should take to complete. Even then, factors outside of a landscape contractor’s control – the weather, materials suppliers and subcontractors, for example – can throw everything off schedule.

Encouraged by a never ending stream of television shows that feature home renovation, landscape makeovers and other DIY projects, more and more homeowners are tackling backyard projects that, years ago, they likely would have hired a contractor to complete. Successful DIY projects will leave you with a sense of accomplishment, more money in your pocket and, most likely, a few sore muscles. If you are tempted to take on a weekend warrior, home landscape project, you may be wondering how much money you will save.