Football season is here, and the town is painted red every weekend. One of the best places to hold a watch party is in your outdoor living area. As you get ready to entertain, here are some things you can do to be prepared.
Lighting
The sun has started going down earlier. Check all your lights to make sure your guests won’t get lost, stumble over a plant, or end up in the pool. If the lights have gotten knocked about while you enjoyed your landscape during the summer, spend some time aiming the lights so they illuminate the correct spots again. Now is also a good time to run a damp cloth over the lights while they are off and cool to clean the lens. You want them as bright as possible, and a dirty lens prevents that.
Gas
Do you have a gas BBQ grill or fireplace? Now is a good time to check that the gas in each works. If you use propane, don’t forget to fill the tanks and get some extra. You don’t want the BBQ grill to stop cooking at the worst time possible.
Food
What is a party without food? With an outdoor kitchen, you can cook while you visit with your guests. A BBQ island is another good move so you can cook and talk to the boys.
Drinks
BBQ goes best with beer. We can install a beer trough that you can fill with ice and beer so your guests can grab one and go. Sodas and water will work, too, for the little ones. Beer troughs keep guests out of your refrigerator while you are trying to cook.
Entertainment Center
Of course, the entertainment center is key to watching football. We can mount a giant television on a wall so your friends can see every detail of the game and each play. We can mount one over a fireplace if you want to enjoy a nice fire while you watch the Chiefs win.
Stereo
Television isn’t much fun without sound. You will want a world-class stereo system to play music during the day and broadcast the television sound during the watch party. We can install a great outdoor system, which uses special weatherproof components to withstand the various elements of our Midwest climate.
We Can Help
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can help check your lighting, gas, entertainment center, and stereo. We can install everything from a wall to a complete kitchen and living room for you and your friends to use. Give us a call at (816) 825-2524 or schedule a consultation for more information. Go Chiefs!
The heat of summer is finally starting to fade, and Labor Day is over. That means it is time to swap your tattered summer flowers for new fall ones. Here are some of our favorite flowers to plant for fall color.
Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums are spectacular bursts of color. Originally a golden yellow, chrysanthemums have been developed that have almost any color of flower you desire. The blooms come in three forms: single, anemone, or decorative. Single mums look like daisies, with petals around a central disk. Anemone mums have a row of petals, then a disk-like row of florets that point upward, then a central disk. They have a cushioned appearance. Decorative mums have so many florets that they hide the central disk. Any of these types of mums will add a welcome pop of color to your landscape or planter. They need full sun to perform their best and last the longest.
Asters
Asters are related to chrysanthemums and also have florets around a central disk. Asters are native to North America. Plant breeders have made several improvements on the wild aster, including expanding the range of colors they come in. Asters have some of the truest blues of any plant. Butterflies like asters for their nectar. Asters, like mums, are brought into bloom when the day shortens. Most plants respond to long nights, but asters need short days to bloom. They also prefer full sun.
Pansies and Violas
Pansies were bred from violas. Pansies have four petals pointing up and one petal pointing down in their flowers, while violas have three petals facing up and two facing down. Both pansies and violas have been bred to come in many color combinations. Pansies are the flower that is always in bloom somewhere. In the winter, they bloom in the Southern United States, and in the summer, they bloom in the Northern United States. In the Kansas City area, the cool temperatures and abundant sunshine of fall are ideal for both pansies and violas to bloom. They need full sun as well to shine their brightest.
We have also found that pansies tend to overwinter in our climate and come back with great color in the cool spring season around easter and up through to Mother’s Day. What a treat they could be for the special someone in your life😊
While it is hot now, fall is coming. Remember, fall is the best time to plant shrubs in your landscape. Look around at the shrubs that have not survived the intense cold and then intense heat this year. Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping recommends the following shrubs to replace your dead or dying ones, or to create an entirely new landscape area for your home as well.
Drift Roses
Drift Roses are a low shrub with beautiful large flowers from apricot to coral red. The leaves are dark green. The flowers are 1.5 inches across with up to twenty-five petals. The plant gets up to two feet tall and three feet wide. Drift roses have excellent disease resistance making them a very low-maintenance plant. Plant in full sun. Deadhead spent flowers for the best results and continued blooms.
Ninebark
Ninebark shrubs vary in size and leaf color depending on the variety. The young stems are brown while the older stems have exfoliating bark. Leaves are dark green above and lighter green below. The small flowers range from white to pink and are replaced with red fruit that stays on the shrub through the fall. Depending on the variety the shrub can get from 3-8 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide. The fruit attracts birds and other wildlife. Plant in full sun.
Spirea – Gold Flame
This showy plant has small pink flowers and golden-colored leaves. New leaves are gold, and mature leaves are green gold. This hardy shrub will tolerate partial shade but does better in full sun. It is resistant to deer. Spirea Gold Flame grows up to 3 ½ feet tall and 4 feet wide. The flowers attract butterflies and other pollinators.
Crape Myrtle
Crape Myrtles are a wonderfully versatile landscape plant. They bloom all summer, come in a variety of colors from hot pink and red to white, come in sizes from ground cover to tree, and have interesting bark. In our area, crape myrtles reach shrub size. However, you can find a crape myrtle cultivar to fit almost any space. Plant in full sun for a very showy plant.
Butterfly Bush
Butterfly bush is another plant that flowers in a variety of colors ranging from yellow to orange to red to purple. The leaves vary from deep green to gray-green to silverish gray. As the name implies, the bush attracts lots of butterflies and other pollinators, including Monarch butterflies. The bush grows 6-10 feet tall and 4-10 feet wide and has a pleasing arching form. The size, flower color, and leaf color vary by variety. It requires full sun. One of our favorites is the “Miss Molly” variety.
Rose of Sharon
Rose of Sharon has big flowers that come in blue, red, pink, lavender, purple, white, or a combination of these colors. Some flowers are double blooms, while some are single blooms. The leaves are bright green. Different varieties come in different sizes, but the largest can grow up to fifteen feet tall and wide. Bees and hummingbirds love Rose of Sharon flowers. Rose of Sharon will grow well in partial shade but has more and bigger blooms in full sun.
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Oakleaf hydrangea has large, showy green leaves that turn bronze or other colors in the fall. The flowers are ivory-white when they first come out and may blush pink as they age. The bark on the stems is fuzzy and brown at first, maturing to a cinnamon color. The bark exfoliates its outer layer, lending interest to the stems. Oakleaf hydrangea size varies by variety but is typically 4-8 feet tall and as wide. Dwarf varieties may top out at three feet high. These bushes do best in partial shade or dappled sun. They attract pollinators with their flowers.
Can’t Decide?
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping’s Garden Care Specialist, Jess Jones, can advise you as to which of these beautiful shrubs will best fit into your landscape. She can help educate you on the alternatives, as well, if none of these strike your fancy. You can call our office at (816) 825-2524 or schedule a consultation to have us come out and help you evaluate your landscape and suggest new plants for your needs.
It is no secret that we are in the middle of a major drought and an historic heat wave. Our landscape plants need water to survive the heat and drought. Here are some things we at Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping suggest to keep your plants and landscapes in good condition this summer.
Trees
Trees add the most value to a landscape of any plant. They take the longest to grow, too. Many trees do not show drought stress until they are already in trouble, so you may not see signs your tree is hurting now. They are definitely stressed between the extreme heat and the drought. Trees use water to cool themselves and will literally cook without an adequate supply of water.
Younger trees that have been planted in the last three years are especially at risk. To prevent that, make sure to water your trees thoroughly. Trees need two to three gallons of water per inch of trunk diameter two to three times a week during their first three years. During a drought, they can survive on one to two inches of water two or three times a week to get them through the summer to the fall.
Established trees should be watered deeply with two to three inches per inch of trunk diameter, especially when they show drought stress. These signs include dropping or wilting leaves, small or malformed leaves, yellowing of the leaves, and browning tips of the leaves. Always water in the morning before ten if possible so they dry out by nightfall. This helps prevent fungus and other diseases.
Foundation
We have clay soil that can become a hard, impervious rock during the summer when there is little rain. Your soil will pull away from your foundation when it shrinks in the heat. When it does rain, the cracks between your soil and your foundation fill up and can cause damage and flooding. To prevent this, water around your foundation during the summer. Running your sprinklers twice a week early in the morning will keep your soil moist and protect your house from problems.
Check Irrigation
Speaking of sprinklers, have you checked to make sure all your sprinkler heads are working properly? A busted head can cause a problem anytime. During a drought, you risk plants dying around a head that no longer emits enough water or even erosion problems from concentrated water flow in a specific area. Most homeowners typically check their sprinkler system in the spring when it is turned on and again in late fall when it is turned off. We suggest adding at least one to three summer checks of your system. Ideally, you would check it once a month to ensure the heads are functioning properly and the program schedule fits the climate conditions. If you can’t do it monthly, then maybe a few times during the hottest and driest seasons will make a big difference to the health of your landscape and turf.
We Can Help
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can connect you with irrigation specialists that can come and check your system this summer. They can repair any problems with the system, so you are sure all your plants and your foundation are getting the water they need to survive the summer and the drought. Call us at (816) 825-2524 to get help managing your landscape this summer.
For hardscapes to look their best, they need regular maintenance. Hardscapes consist of the non-permeable parts of the landscape like pavers and concrete. Lack of maintenance makes these features dirty and could even destabilize the pavers over time.
Sweep or Blow Clean Regularly
The first maintenance item is to sweep or blow clean your hardscapes regularly. We recommend at least once a month during the season. This removes debris before it has a chance to accumulate. When it rains, debris forms a wet spot that can lead to stains on pavers and concrete. Wet spots can break down the sealant on the paver joints, allowing the sand to erode over time.
Power Wash
The next level of maintenance is the power wash. We typically recommend it at least every year. Be careful when using a power washer on pavers to keep the washer moving and never focus on the joints, so you do not force the sand out of the joints. You want to wash the dirt off, not blow the joints out. Concrete needs power washing, too, to look its best. You can rent a power washer from a tool store if you do not have one.
Chemically Cleaning and Sealing
The next step is to chemically clean and seal pavers and concrete. We use chemical cleaners to clean and prep pavers for sealing or even to strip the old sealer off of the hardscape and really clean the pavers and concrete off. We let this dry, then we touch up the paver joints with new sand, if needed, as mentioned in the Paver Joints – Techniques and Expectations article. We then apply a sealer to protect the pavers from fading in the sun or stains. Most all our clients prefer the wet-look sealer to enhance the color of their pavers and give it the wet look. This process also stabilizes the joints around the pavers and makes the pavers shine. Our wet-look sealer also contains an anti-fungal agent to help prevent moss from growing on your patio in those stubborn shady areas. For concrete, the sealer makes the concrete shiny and silky looking while repelling stains.
We Can Help
Chemically cleaning and sealing pavers and concrete requires special chemicals and equipment to do it right. Since most people only need this done every two to three years, owning such equipment is not cost-effective. We have a program where we will power wash your pavers and concrete every year. We will chemically clean your pavers and concrete, touch up the joints, and seal the pavers and concrete every second year. We already have the specialized equipment and knowledge to do this maintenance safely, so you don’t have to. Contact Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping at (816) 825-2524 or schedule a consult to get on our schedule.
