3 Great Plants for yourOrange County, NY landscaping

image: www.mainegardens.org

The Hudson Valley area of NY is home to some of the finest gardens in the country. Our landscaping season allows homeowners in Orange County, NY to take advantage of colorful, fragrant, and functional plantings for their outdoor living spaces. Here, we take a look at a few of the favorites of the Landworx of NY team. Use them together for powerful combination plantings! 

image: www.hayefield.com

1. CATMINT Pete Nilsestuen, owner of Landworx of NY in Goshen, NY, was recently quoted in Outdoor Home Magazine explaining that “Catmint provides very nice color during the summer with long bloom times.” There are many varieties of Catmint available, making this perennial very versatile in the design of outdoor spaces. It is also considered deer resistant. 

2. HYDRANGEA Endless Summer- one grower available for Orange County, NY landscapers-says that "Hydrangeas offer everything you are looking for in perennial flowering shrubs: beautiful full blooms, multiple hydrangea colors, low-maintenance care and versatility in planting and hydrangea arrangements. With the collection’s unique re-blooming quality, these hydrangeas will fill your garden with incredible blooms all summer long!" - See more at www.endlesssummerblooms.com. 

3. COREOPSIS Better Homes and Gardens explains this beauty as "One of the longest bloomers in the garden, coreopsis produces (usually) sunny yellow daisylike flowers that attract butterflies." "Coreopsis, depending on the variety, also bears golden-yellow, pale yellow, pink, or bicolor flowers. It will bloom from early to midsummer or longer as long as it's deadheaded" 

The folks at Landworx Landscaping in Goshen, NY include these plant choices in their amazing outdoor living spaces throughout the year. Beautiful and happy in the Hudson Valley garden!

The allure of the modern daybackyard fire pit

Image courtesy of Gardendesign.com

Today’s outdoor spaces here in the Hudson Valley have evolved to become true extensions of the homes we live in. And why not, right? We are fortunate enough to enjoy the beautiful changes of the seasons here in NY,  with spring and fall being awesome times for backyard fire pit fun! But along with the evolution of our overall outdoor spaces, the design options for fire pits have grown up as well. 

Here’s some inspiration for everything from a simple steel fire bowl to amazing linear fire features that will become the center of the party. Check out more from the original slideshow here.

4 Types of Water Features for yourOrange County, NY Landscape

Including water features in your outdoor living design adds movement and sound to the environment, providing a more natural feel to the space. Not only beautiful to look at, water features help to create ideal spots for relaxation, rejuvenation, rest, and stress reduction. Here’s a quick look at 4 types of beautiful water features for your Hudson Valley, NY landscaping.

Pondless Waterfall

Ideal if you are looking for an attractive waterfall with an amazing sound aspect, pondless waterfalls provide a relaxing atmosphere with reduced maintenance. Worked into a bigger landscape design, pondless waterfalls and streams can flow along side patios, into pools, and under bridges, creating a serene backyard retreat fit for your Orange County, NY home.

Pond or Water Garden

Koi ponds are perfect for homeowners who love being outside and enjoying wildlife. Literally creating an ecosystem for fish is a somewhat maintenance heavy endeavor, but the results can be truly breathtaking and calming. Many Koi and water gardening hobbyists form close relationships with their fish over many years and claim great health benefits and reduced stress. 

Fountains

Water fountains can be a great focal point for gardens and landscapes as they draw visitors attention to the soothing sounds and visuals created by the moving water. There are many options in the fountain world including standalone concrete statuary fountains, pool fountains, stunning wall fountains that spill into larger pools, and spray fountains in the middle of water gardens that help with water clarity.

Reflecting Pools

A decorative feature that is generally seen in classic garden designs, reflecting pools are not as common in the landscapes of Orange County, NY.  However, in historical regions like Warwick, Chester, Goshen, and Florida, NY, the geometric and formal shapes of these water features could be a great fit. Plantings can add to the reflective nature of the still water with lotus varieties and water lilies being popular choices. 

Happy Water Gardening!

Preparing for your landscaping project

With the outdoor living season upon us here in the Hudson Valley, it’s time to start finalizing those design ideas and begin moving toward landscape design + installation. Exciting!

Here are some things to check off the list...

Image via Orange County Archives

Interview and hire a professional landscaper

If you haven’t already, research and choose a well respected, professional landscape professional who shows the experience and understanding necessary for your project. Competence and capacity to deliver within your budget and completion time frame is a very critical criterion. The landscaper should hold any appropriate licenses and insurances and should have references available for you to contact if you wish. He or she should also be able to give you information about subcontractors and other partners that will help to complete the project if this is applicable. 

Provide helpful documents

Determine what documents will be necessary to make it easy for a landscape professional to assess your property and create a detailed design. Although the landscaping firm will certainly visit your property and take a walk through the area, a copy of your property’s plot plan and will make the designer’s job faster and more efficient – as well as helping to avoid any obstacles later on in the project. Such documents are especially important with structures like retaining walls, pergolas, swimming pools, and decks for which building permits are often required in the Orange County, NY region of the Hudson Valley.

Decide on your project's DESIGN and confirm your budget

Have a clear picture of your completed project. If you don’t, allow a reputable landscape design/build firm help with the design and planning as soon as possible. Work with the landscape professionals to choose the type of concrete pavers or natural stone for patios and paths, the plant material for garden beds, and the necessary features such as fire pits and swimming pools to suit your family's needs. During this phase, be sure to start thinking about your budget by determining what you are willing to pay based on the benefits the outdoor living space provides for you and your family.

Confirm drawings and designs

Take time to go through all design drawings carefully with your hired landscape professional. Make sure you ask questions about any aspect of the design that you don’t understand. Due to the nature of landscape construction projects, making sudden changes during execution of the project will be costly and will also impact the completion timeline. Take the necessary time before construction begins to make sure you are 100% happy with the landscape design plans!

Agree on maintenance Program

All landscape projects and outdoor living spaces require some form of maintenance. So make sure you discuss and budget for this aspect of owning a beautiful landscape. It’s a great idea to request details on how to take care of all the plants and other parts of the landscape before the construction process is complete.

Amazing Alternatives to Mulch

Photo Courtesy of stonescape

Garden bed mulch helps plants retain moisture below the soil surface by acting as an insulator from the sun and stifles the growth of weeds. Mulch also adds to the aesthetic beauty of your landscape, making it a generally an attractive solution. Most categories of mulch are very difficult to maintain, so they may tire you out quite easily. Contrary to what many folks believe, there are many great alternatives to this type of ground cover.

1. Recycled rubber

This type of cover is a lot better than mulch as it offers a great degree of insulation. The best part of this recycled material is that it's environmentally friendly. One of the main advantages is that water doesn’t dissolve in rubber and hence flows uninhibited into the soil, reducing water loss through retention by mulching material. One of the best parts about recycled rubber – it lasts longer than mulch!

2. Rocks and pebbles

Pebbles and rocks (essentially decorative stones) are especially handy to use in flowerbeds and vegetable gardens. These products help to add to the beauty and consistency of your landscape, especially if other elements of your outdoor living areas have rock and stone in their architecture.

3. Pecan shells

Pecan shells are hardy and very durable. Water has little effect on the acceleration of their decomposition process so you do not have to worry about replacing them too soon. The shells present multiple benefits to the plants they cover. They conserve water, embellish the plant with nutrients, suppress the sprouting of many forms of weeds, and positively manipulate soil temperatures to a moderate level. Studies have shown that pecan shells are very acidic, making them perfect for application on alkaline soils.

4. Cocoa bean hulls

This alternative is very good at moisture retention. In addition, they are very tough and hence do not decompose easily. Always make sure that they do not have chemicals since that can be hazardous to your plants.

5. Combinations

Mixing different alternatives is always a good idea, since most materials may be available for different beds of your garden. Do some research to ensure that materials do not have components that react with each other to ensure that your landscape does not suffer any adverse effects.