The Best Tree Choices for the Houston Area

The Houston area is rather unique in the requirements that this environment places upon its landscaping to grow well. This is true for trees, because the healthy ones must be able to thrive in this setting. The soil here is acidic and dark brown or black clay. With a subtropical climate that brings occasional freezes during the winter, the Houston area has an average yearly rainfall of over 40 inches. However, some years bring drought conditions with much less rain! Trees need to be able to survive in drenched soil mixed with periods of drought, which is a tough requirement. Also, trees must be resistant to fungus and mildew common to the high humidity that Houston is famous for.

So what are some trees that are able to thrive even with these difficult requirements? Here is a list of the best options for trees that will be successful around Houston.

Live Oak

A large spreading tree with very strong branches, live oaks typically grow to be 35 to 50 feet tall. Their spread can be as wide as 75 feet. Live oaks grow very slowly, not being considered a mature tree until age 50. Healthy live oaks can live for 400 years! It is an evergreen whose leaves drop in February, but the tree quickly begins forming new growth.

Shumard Oak

Shumard oaks are most known for stunning Fall color, adding yellow and red leaves to your Houston landscape. Shumards are low maintenance trees that grow to be 75 feet tall with a spread of 45 feet.

Bald Cypress

These tall trees can reach 100 feet in height and 30 feet wide. Tolerant of both wet and dry soils, the foliage turns to a beautiful burnt orange color in the Fall. Sometimes bald cypress trees product knobby growths from their roots that may impede lawn equipment, but other than that the bald cypress is a great landscape choice for the Houston area.

Southern Magnolia

Known for producing great big fragrant white blooms in the late Spring, magnolia trees are drought tolerant but also grow well in moist acidic soil. These trees can reach 90 feet tall with a spread as wide as 50 feet. It is an evergreen tree with broad dark green leaves. Magnolia trees can grow a lovely thick canopy with their large leaves and branches.

Dogwood

The smallest of the trees discussed here, dogwoods reach 30 feet tall and 15 feet wide. They are known for their beautiful white bracts resembling flowers that appear in early Spring prior to the foliage on the tree. Dogwoods grow most successfully when planted beneath other shade trees or areas that are protected from the hottest sunlight.

Sweetgum

Shaped like a pyramid, the sweetgum tree grows up to 100 feet tall and 25 feet wide. With broad leaves that provide outstanding color in the Houston area, they glow in shades of red, yellow, and orange during the Fall. The downfall of sweetgum trees is that they produce spiny balls that may be frowned upon as messy in your yard.

Contact C4 Landscape & Design today for all your landscaping needs.

Landscaping Tasks for Late Winter and Early Spring

There’s one thing you can count on for sure about the weather in the Katy area: you can’t count on it! One day it’s 30 degrees outside and the next it’s 80. You just can’t predict what to expect, especially in February, when the yards of Katy don’t know if it’s winter or spring. You don’t want to jump the gun with your landscaping, only to have another hard freeze undo your work. But then again, you don’t want to be left behind in landscaping tasks that can prepare your lawn and garden for a beautiful spring ahead. Here’s some advice about what you should be doing now, as the growing seasons approach.

Pruning

One of the big keys to gorgeous landscaping in the months ahead is to prune now. Pruning is a regular task in maintaining your plants, and involves selectively removing certain plant parts. Some great reasons for pruning include improving the appearance and health of plants, controlling a plant’s size, training young plants, preventing property damage or personal injury, encouraging flowering and fruiting, and restoring old plants. Here are some guidelines for pruning in February:

• Trim dormant native plants and woody perennials that resemble sticks. This helps new shoots flourish later.
• Prune trees, especially the oaks that are so common in Katy landscaping. Doing this in cooler weather helps avoid diseases like oak wilt. Don’t forget to prune your crepe myrtles too.
• Tend your roses by fertilizing and pruning them to encourage strong, healthy leaves and attractive buds.

Weeding

There’s no way to put this strongly enough….WEED your landscaping now!!! If you neglect this important landscaping task, you’ll be dealing with the seeds for months and months to come. Don’t succumb to using chemicals during this time of year, because they won’t successfully do the job. Weeding needs to be done the old-fashioned way of digging them out with a shovel, getting all of their roots, and consistently watching for new sprouts and yanking them as soon as they appear. It’s also a good idea to mow the lawn regularly to help control weeds, even though you may not think your grass needs mowing.

Preparing

Any planting or transplanting of shrubs and trees should be completed very soon, before the Katy heat kicks in for good. Prepare your gardens and flower beds by testing the soil, adding fertilizer, and turning the soil. Don’t forget to take a good look at your lawn. If you notice any brown patches, treat the lawn in late February with a fungicide. This is the right time to protect your lawn from further damage and to get it in good shape for the warmer seasons ahead.

Contact C4 Landscape & Design today for all your landscaping needs.

Low Maintenance Landscaping

You want your landscaping to add beauty to your home and provide curb appeal, but you also don’t want to have to spend all your free time working in the yard. Just because you desire low maintenance, it doesn’t mean it has to be unattractive. Here are some tips for creating a beautiful outdoors at your home with minimal ongoing effort.

Irrigation

One of the biggest aspects of lawn care that steals your free time is carting around the hose and sprinklers. An automated irrigation system takes care of the watering tasks for you, and keeps everything growing even during the dry spells that hit the Katy area. All you have to do is keep an eye on your yard, and adjust the timer settings as needed for periods of heavier rainfall.

Drainage

A big part of the success of your landscaping has to do with drainage. A professionally designed drainage system will get rid of standing water so it doesn’t build up after a heavy rain. This can damage your landscaping, leading to rotting roots and unhappy plants. And don’t forget the breeding ground for mosquitoes that standing water creates in this part of Southeast Texas! A proper drainage system also inhibits erosion, and makes your yard less muddy.

Hardscapes

Structures created from durable products like flagstone and natural stone will lower the amount of upkeep you must do in your landscaping. These weather resistant materials reduce demands for cleaning and repairs to patios, paths, and driveways. Hardscapes such as these are also aesthetically pleasing, upgrading your landscaping to the next level instead of the use of cheap materials.

Plant and tree selection

Consider planting slow-growth plants and trees, which do not have to be trimmed as frequently as their fast growing counterparts. Quarterly fertilization and trimming can easily be performed to maintain the health of these types of selections. One important thing to remember in the Houston area is to carefully choose your plants so that they’ll thrive in these unpredictable weather conditions. It may be helpful to seek the advice of experts who are well-versed in the best landscaping choices for this extremely variable climate.

Expert help

Not only is it useful to ask landscaping professionals to help you with your plant and tree selections, having them design outdoor areas is a great way to cut down on maintenance jobs. Converting some portions of your yard into outdoor living areas such as patios or decks can help. Such structures resist the elements and require less upkeep by the homeowner. Contact C4 Landscape & Design today to get started on transforming your landscaping into a low maintenance, yet beautiful setting.

Contact C4 Landscape & Design today for all your landscaping needs.

Winter Landscaping Tips

Who says your yard has to be blah in the wintertime? Katy winters often bring chilly nights and sunny days, with a bigger cold spell every once in a while to prove it is winter. This weather combination provides Katy with a perfect time of year for some important landscaping activities. Nearly all trees and shrubs planted during the winter establish themselves sooner than those planted during the spring and summer. Also, plants and flowers provide a splash of color for a vibrant winter landscape.

If you’re looking for some suggestions for cool season color, here are some great plants to consider:

• Pansies – popular, jewel-toned flowers that thrive in cold weather and bloom all winter.  Pansies don’t like heat so wait until evening temperatures get under 70 degrees to plant.
• Violas – similar to pansies in their hardiness, violas usually bloom in yellow, purple, and white. They make nice borders and potting plants.
• Dianthus – grow well in the Katy area and require plenty of sun. Bloom in many shades of pink during the winter months, as well as white, purple and red. Dianthus produce a spicy scent and last well into Spring.
• Calendula – a hardy yellow flower that can tolerate short spells of temperatures below freezing, and may even recover after a severe frost.
• Alyssum – a great cool weather ground cover that forms a fragrant border in sun or partial shade. Blooms in white, rose, or lavender.
• Cyclamen – bright green foliage with blossoms of white, red, pink, or purple. These can bloom as late as April. A light covering with a towel is usually enough to protect these flowers from frost on cold nights, but cyclamen give such great color that they’re worth taking winter precautions.
• Ornamental kale – brilliant leaves in colors like red, pink, lavender, blue, white, and violet. Excellent color plants for beds and containers.

In addition to brightening up your landscaping by using color, there are some other beneficial winter tasks. It’s a good time to prune woody trees, fruit trees, and shrubs. Prune crape myrtles to remove dead or weak branches and suckers. Cut back ornamental grasses to encourage new, unhampered growth in the Spring. Consider aerating your lawn and fertilizing winter-flowering plants, as well as trees and shrubs that are over a year old. Remember to water thoroughly before a freeze is expected. Protect your plants by covering them with a blanket or sheet, and then a layer of plastic. Remove the plastic when the weather warms because heat buildup can damage the plants. Finally, add new mulch to your garden to protect plants during freezing temperatures, plus discourage weed growth and conserve moisture in your soil.

Call C4 Landscape & Design to perform your winter landscaping services, as well as plant beautiful flowers to brighten your yard during the typically drab winter months.

Contact C4 Landscape & Design today for all your landscaping needs.

Spruce Up Your Landscaping for Fall

It’s been a long hot summer here in Katy, but there are some signs that Fall is in the air. Football is underway, Halloween decorations fill the store aisles, and pumpkins are placed on front porches. Now it’s time to think about what this time of year means to your landscaping, which may be looking a little rough around the edges after the summer heat.

Now is the perfect time to take advantage of the cooler temperatures and rainfall to revamp your landscaping. Autumn is the time of year that your plants tend to work on establishment instead of new growth. Lawns, shrubs, trees and flowers relish the warm soil combined with cooler air, and develop a better hold in your landscape. Some of the prettiest landscapes you’ll see next Spring are the ones that were planted in the Fall. Your plants will have time to become established now, have a time of rest during winter, and will revive in Springtime happy and comfortable in their environment. Then your well-established landscaping will be ready for the stress that next summer will bring!

Here are some landscaping tips for this Fall:

• Plant trees and flowering shrubs. Some of them are at their best colors during this season. As explained above, they flourish in upcoming seasons after Fall planting, and you’ll reap the benefits for years to come.
• Consider planting evergreens. Not only will you enjoy their appearance all year, they provide diversity in your landscaping. They add some color, as well as giving wildlife a place to enjoy in your landscape year-round.
• Add mulch to your gardens. A new layer of mulch protects your plants for the upcoming winter, and provides both beauty and texture to your yard.
• Fertilize your lawn with a good winterizer. It will thicken your lawn to get it ready for next Spring.
• Plant perennials that supply instant appeal, as well as establish themselves for future years. You can even use perennials in containers to enjoy on your patio, and then replant them into the ground in late Fall so that the roots are protected during winter months.
• Don’t forget the annual flowers too. Pansies and ornamental kale are great choices in Katy to add bright colors to your landscaping.

Contact C4 Landscape & Design today for all your landscaping needs.

Landscaping Design Styles

When it’s time to spruce up the landscaping at your Katy yard, there’s more to it than just planting some shrubs and flowers. There are many things that you should consider in making choices about your landscaping. Your first decision is to figure out what style you’re going for, and then all the subsequent decisions will fall into place based on that.

So what does landscape style mean? This refers to the look or impression that your landscaping will achieve. Maybe for you that means basing it on your home’s style, family needs, or your personality. Another style option is pursuing a theme for your yard and its landscaping. Many homeowners choose a theme that accompanies their home style or their geographic area. For example in Katy, this might be a Texas theme.

Landscaping with a certain theme or particular style in mind will help you keep the project on track, as well as create unity between your home, landscaping, and garden. Let’s consider some of the most common design styles that you may want to consider for your Katy landscaping. Remember that this is a list of common designs, but your own style is limited only by your imagination!

Southwest

Originally used in Arizona and New Mexico, the Southwest style has become popular elsewhere too. It can be created by plants , garden decorations, and hardscapes.  The plants are often drought-tolerant, which can come in handy in the Katy area.

Mediterranean

As new varieties of palms and other Mediterranean plants are developed that can adapt to different climates, the Mediterranean style is increasing in popularity. This style gets much of its atmosphere from the plants selected. Changes in level are often implemented by terracing, water features, statues, and hedges.

Cottage Garden

In this style, the front path always leads to the front. Vegetables and herbs are planted in neat rows, and rustic materials like dirt paths, native stone, and arbors are incorporated into the landscaping. Plants are group informally and often self-sown, and flowers are abundant in a mix of colors and scents.

Japanese Garden

Some Katy residents desire to bring the Eastern world into their own backyards. The Japanese garden style brings elegance and serenity to your landscaping. It is usually simple and easy to maintain. The Japanese garden artistically includes plants, trees, rocks, sand, and usually ponds and flowing water. The goal with this design is to mimic nature.

Formal

The formal style of landscaping relies on geometrical shapes and straight lines. Usually, this style is very symmetrical. Plants are placed in order and pruned carefully to achieve a formal effect.

Tropical

Sometimes similar to Mediterranean gardens, the tropical style depends on the types of plants chosen. These plants typically have large leaves and flower into intense bright colors. Thick foliage is planted in the beds to create a tropical atmosphere.

Contact C4 Landscape & Design today for all your landscaping needs.

Why Should You Hire a Landscaping Maintenance Service?

Most homeowners enjoy having a well-manicured lawn, and a garden free of weeds but full of blooming plants and flowers. But for many people, it’s a real hassle to achieve that goal. It’s hard to find the time to complete the tasks necessary to maintain a beautiful yard and garden. Or perhaps you just don’t have the green thumb needed to make your garden flourish.

This is when having a professional landscape maintenance service like C4 Landscape & Design can come to your rescue. Professionals will take care of your lawn, gardens, and trees. Let’s talk about some specific reasons that you should consider whether hiring professionals is right for you.

Chores

The bottom line is that to most homeowners, lawn and yard maintenance is a chore. A landscape maintenance service handles the chores that you either don’t have time for or don’t like doing. You come home to a manicured lawn and attractive gardens.

Expertise

Professionals know how to properly mow your lawn and weed your gardens, as well as keep your plants healthy and thriving.

Healthy conditions

A landscape maintenance service can treat your lawn so that the soil is healthy and pests are kept away. They also fertilize your lawn so that your grass is green and can better handle the changing weather conditions that Katy is prone to have. Lawn care professionals know what your yard needs to be the envy of your neighbors all year long.

Cost effective

You might think that hiring a professional landscape company is expensive, but it’s less pricey than buying and maintaining a mower, weed eater, edger, blower, and other important tools. Plus you don’t have to store the equipment, which can take up lots of room in your garage that is bound to be needed for other items!

Design

Remember, if you’re new to your home or would like some change in your landscaping, professionals can help you design exactly what you’ve been hoping for in your outdoor living space. And then, they’ll perform all the hard work for you to make your dream a reality!

Contact C4 Landscape & Design today for all your landscaping needs.