Bermuda grass is a wonderful selection for anyone who lives in the Atlanta, Georgia climate desiring a turf grass that can withstand the harsh sun and still survive with minimal amounts of water. Care for your South Atlanta Bermuda is simple: it loves to be in the sun but does not do well in shady areas. Bermuda is a low-growing grass that provides good  ground cover and can withstand constant use from heavy traffic.

Bermuda grass spreads naturally in your Douglasville landscape by producing seeds. It can spread through above ground shoots called stolons or below ground shoots referred to as rhizomes. This ability to spread can be a blessing for some and a curse for others. While the aggressive growth of Bermuda grass insures a wide ground covering, the below ground rhizomes sometimes get in flower beds, frustrating a lot of folks.

Bermuda grass is a perennial grass and therefore reseeding is not often necessary. It has a rich green tone with a medium to fine texture and is well suited for lawns. It is often the grass that grows on the putting surfaces or fairways of golf courses throughout the south. It should be noted that the particular variety of Bermuda grass used for putting surfaces is a hybrid which was developed for that particular purpose and is only available as sod. The normal variety of Bermuda grass grown in the southern regions of the United States is available in over a dozen varieties and can be selected based on the particular circumstance of each purpose. For instance, a prospective grower can select a variety based on wear tolerance, color, suitability for a slightly cooler climate in the more northern reaches of the south or mowing the height desired.

During cooler months Bermuda grass turns brown and while the root system is still alive, the blades of the grass appear dead. For some, this is a major disadvantage of this grass. Nevertheless, the moment spring and summer begin to arrive the grass will return to green and grace the owner with a lush carpet to enjoy.

Minimal maintenance, aggressive growth, sun, heat and drought tolerance are the strengths of Bermuda grass. The weaknesses are the inability to grow well in the shade and the brown color that descends upon it in the winter months.

Have questions? Contact the pros at Estes Landscape for more information! Please check out our web site at www.esteslandscape.com.

Welcome to Spring! Estes Landscape looks forward to interacting with you this season
Here are some ideas for your springtime landscape projects:

Landscaping brings out the creative side in people. Creating your own designs and being able to get your hands dirty is rewarding.

Home landscape improvement can be made by planting blueberry bushes or fruit trees. Blueberry bushes are neat bushes that stay colorful year round. Apple trees are also a pretty tree that adds color to a yard. For small yards a peach or crab apple tree would be a good choice.

An unusual landscaping idea we have seen is using a large old fashioned bathtub full of flowers. An alternative to the bathtub would be to use an old wheel barrow. Many folks have one of these just lying around from years past. The effect is great and makes a great fit!

For your yard, they seem to have a neater appearance if grass is cut one direction one week and another direction the next week. For example, mow the yard sideways one week and long ways the next. If you’d like a real challenge(with good looking results), try mowing the yard diagonally.

An inexpensive idea is to edge your flower beds by using a spade. Once you get the grass out by the roots, there will be less work in the long run.

Give Estes Landscape a call at 770-253-5323 or contact us through our web site for any questions for your Fayette County Landscape or Peachtree City Landscaping ideas.

One of the easiest to grow and maintain plants in Georgia is the Knockout Rose. The original Knock Out® Rose was introduced in 2000 by The Conard-Pyle Co./Star® Roses. Created by rose breeder William Radler, the knockout rose is a plant that is cold hardy, disease resistant and incredibly floriferous. Knock Out® is cold tolerant to zone 5, heat tolerant throughout the U.S., reliably resistant to disease and produces a bevy of blooms every 5 to 6 weeks from spring until the first hard frost.

Recommendations on pruning Knockout Roses

Start by deciding on how high you want your roses to be in summer. A popular height is 36 inches tall so to achieve that, prune to to 18 inches in January or February. Unpruned Knockout Roses will likely grow to five feet tall, but tend to look unkept and ragged at that size and height.

Cutting Tip: Cut out any dead branches first, then any that cross through the middle.

Give us a call or contact us through our web site for any question on this or other Atlanta Landscaping ideas.

Properly done outdoor lighting can increase your property value and gives your landscape nightlife. We covered Holiday Lighting last month but wanted to pass along ideas for those who are considering adding Outdoor Lighting to their home. Estes Landscaping offers professional outdoor lighting to the South Atlanta area and is very experienced. We’ve learned quite a few things over the years! Check out the following tips to get the best results for your Peachtree City, Fayette County outdoor landscape lighting needs.

• Seek professional guidance. Estes Landscape offers creative expertise, years of experience, ideas and can provide examples of special effect lighting. Contact us today to learn how we can help.

• Determine what you want your lighting to accomplish and identify focal points in your yard that you want highlighted.

• If you are currently building a house, consider including outdoor lighting in the landscape plan. Pre-planning can help with placement of the transformer, pipes and wires.

• Provide your landscape lighting professional with the following:
1) a plan of the property,
2) Your landscape design, if you have one,
3) Pictures of your home and its surroundings. Be sure to note where your outdoor
electricity is located.

• Although we hope you will choose Estes, it is smart to get two or three bids. This allows you to check out creativity of consultants as well as their cost.

• Make sure that you have a large enough transformer to handle all your outdoor lighting needs; both now and in the future. Plan on buying one if not.

• Should you decide to add landscape lighting in stages, run all the power in initial phase so that you only disrupt the landscape once.

• Work with a licensed, bonded and insured electrician who stands behind their work.

Estes get calls this time of the year from customers wondering “what should I do to protect my yard for the winter?”. Here are some easy ideas for just that!

Idea 1 -  Pull and throw away annual plants; such as flowers, herbs, and vegetables. Green-stemmed perennials should be cut back to a little higher than the soil line. All of these are susceptible to insects and disease.

Idea 2 -  Check your yard and beds for any lingering weeds and eradicate them. Spread  compost (get it from Home Depot or other garden centers) over your beds to insulate them from winter’s freezing and thawing cycles.

Idea 3 -  Pull and throw away plants and potting soil from pots and other containers. Be sure to store them inside a garage, a basement, or a shed so they don’t crack during the winter cold. Move your potted perennials or evergreens to an unheated garage or shed.

Idea 4 - Last but not least, drain and remove your garden hoses. Roll them up and store indoors to extend their life span.

Be sure to visit our web site at www.esteslandscape.com for more information.

Fall landscaping can be just as productive as your spring and summer efforts. Just like plants that only flower in spring and summer, there are several landscape plants that only flower in the fall. You can also dress up your landscape in creative ways! Let’s get into it:

The number one landscaping idea for fall is to plant mums. Mums are a great addition to any fall landscape and so much wonderful color. They are, for the most part, hardy and can take low temperatures and frosts. Wow your south Atlanta neighbors with a beautiful, mums-filled fall landscape. As an alternative to mums, you can use Coleus, Sedum, Firethorn, Snap Dragons, and Pansies to add stunning beauty to your landscape.

A second great idea for Fall Landscapes is to spruce up your lawn with beautiful trees. Not only are they beautiful but also require less work than your summer-time plants and trees. Hickory, redbud, sugar maples, and birch trees create marvelous landscapes of fall color. Take a break from summer flowers and let nature take over your landscape using beautiful color changing trees.

Our third great landscaping idea for fall is to decorate. Halloween, Thanksgiving and
Christmas are coming, so give your green thumb a break and use ornamental pieces to create a stunning fall landscape. Take advantage of the harvest season! Use hay bales, pine straw, pumpkins, gourds, cornstalks and potted plants for a beautiful fall landscape.