Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays from all your friends at Perk-A-Lawn Gardens.  Our showroom is bursting at the seams with Holiday and Christmas decorations and gift giving ideas.  Come in today and let us help you find that perfect Christmas gift for those special people in your life. Wrapping and Bows are available to help make shopping and the holiday season just that more enjoyable.  Perk-A-Lawn Gardens has unique and one of a kind ornaments that will make your Christmas tree extra special this year. If you are looking for a live or cut tree to bring that evergreen smell into your home, we have those in stock. Frasier Fir from 6' to 10'.  Create Christmas traditions and memories by bring in the children and allow them to be apart of picking out your Christmas tree.  A great time for any family.  See you at Perk-A-Lawn Gardens. (Showroom Hours 8-5 Mon-Sat and 12-5 on Sun. all time on EST)

As the Weather Turns

As summers ends and fall sets in, it's time to stop thinking about a fall cleanup and it's time to get out there and get it done. A good clean up is essential for the health and vigor of your garden. A thorough cleanup will help to remove many unwanted tenants from your garden. Fungus, weeds and other undesirable materials will lay dormant through the winter only to rear their heads come spring. Clipping back perennials, removing infected leaves and disposing of your yard waste will be a great benefit to you. Composting is an option if you have the space and the resources. If not, bag your debris up in a recyclable bag and often it can be put out at the street and picked up and recycled. Clipping back perennials and disposing of the cuttings will additionally help you to maintain a clean appearance to your garden while also reducing the cover space for rodents and other small animals that would likely use your garden as a winter vacationing site. Rodents and other small animals can cause great damage to your plants as they gnaw on stems and trunks of your favorite plants. Not to mention the burrowing through and under your plants creating opportunities for your plants to dry out or even worse to freeze out over the winter months.

While you're out cleaning up in your garden stop to ponder how different locations in your garden preformed over the last year or so. Are there spots that needed more color, fuller plants; how about some need for additional evergreen color? These questions and others should be asked as you float from one spot in your garden to another. Take a few moments to think about what would be best for garden and visualize the impact of how some additional plants or bulbs could greatly benefit your garden with needed color and texture.

Spring bulbs are always a plus in the garden. What a wonderful way to bring additional color to some of those in-need areas. With the many types and a cornucopia of colors how could you not add a few for some fun spring color. Daffodils are one of our favorites. Not only do they handle the changing weather conditions fairly well, they also withstand many of our animal friends. Daffodils have come a long way over the last 75 years. You can select from early, mid or late bloomers along with different sizes, shapes and mixed colors. You can never go wrong adding daffodils to your collection of beautiful bulbs. Tulips would also be a great addition as well to any garden. With hundreds of colors, sizes and shapes you can find the right flower to suit not only the location, but your personal taste. Install tulips throughout your garden to create a spring dance of color that will bring warmth and joy to your heart. Hyacinths are a great way to show off color next to entryways. Plant Hyacinths in larger groups next to where people will be walking by. The dramatic effect will have people abuzz about your remarkable gardening talents. Finally the Crocus bulb and flower, one of the smaller bulbs to plant in and around your garden can be quite fun and beautiful if done in the right way. Remember with any bulbs, quantity and location are the two most important factors in creating a WOW look and feel. For fun take a hundred or so Crocus bulbs and toss them into the yard, then plant them where they fall. Do this every year and after several years you will reap the rewards of an incredible drifting effect that comes in early spring. Now won't that make the gardening clubs members drool as they come to see you. Happy planting!!!

Perennial of the Month (June)

Hosta
“Plantain lily”


Size: 15-30”high & 15-60” Wide

Requirements:
Soil: Well Drained
Light: Part sun to shade

Color: Flower colors varies from white to lavender, and the foliage has many varieties in gold, blue, green, and variegated

Attraction: Butterflies

Information: If you have a shade garden, then hosta are most likely your best friend. With the many colors, sizes and shapes hosta are by far a gardeners bliss. Hosta are hardy plants with great disease resistant qualities and make will make a fine addition to you shade garden.

Quiet Trouble

Spring gardening can have its challenges. As our bulbs get ready to bloom, and as the leaves on the trees peek out from their winter slumber these soft gentle creatures begin to appear, their hungery bellies often driving them into new locations and to new delights. Gardeners often do a great job of planting many types and species of flowers and shrubs that bring elegance and beauty to their gardens. But many times these sweet plants are too hard to resist for a hungry deer or family of deers. Not all deer have the same pallet when it comes to eating. In fact deer from one side of the county might munch on something totally different from their family on the other side of the county. Though there is not too many truly deer resistant plants there are several that we can say that deer everywhere seem to consider less desirable. Please see the following link to gaze at plants that you might plant to help keep those pesky creatures from ravaging your garden. http://www.heronswood.com/deer-resistant-plants. If you would like to look at these plants, please stop by our nursery and our staff would be glad to show you many of the plants listed on the website.

Bunnera macrophylla

Variegated Siberian Bugloss

Size: 12-16” Tall and 12-18” Wide

Requirements:
Soil: Moist, Well Drained
Light: Full to Part Shade

Color: Light Blue Bloom, Variegated Leaves

Attraction: Deer resistant, Woodland Perennial, low maintenance

Zone: 2-9

Information: This unique flowering plant offers a garden a touch of woodland beauty. With the many light blue flowers in mid spring to early summer and its heart shaped leaves that provide clumps of variegated foliage this bold plant stands out on its own with a quiet majesty.

New Spring Line

Our 2009 spring showroom is open and ready for business. Our showroom features many one of a kind items found nowhere else in the tri-state area. Take a stroll through today and enjoy the many new water fountains for both inside and outside use. We have a large assortment of wind chimes, glass gazing balls and misc garden decor. Come put a little color into your spring with Perk-A-Lawn Gardens. (Open Monday -Friday 8-5 pm)

And Were Off

Well it's that time of year. Though it might still be cold or even a bit damp, all our crews have eagerly returned to work. The end of February and the beginning of March signify the beginning of the season here at Perk-A-Lawn with many of the maintenance crews cleaning up properties and the landscapers following close behind to make sure that they all get mulched. We hope that you are looking forward to spring and the arrival with all of its color and sounds.

Perennial of the Month (February)

Astible x arendsii
Garden Astible

Size: 20-31”

Requirements:
Soil: Moist, Well Drained
Light: Full Shade to Part Sun

Color: White, Pink, Purple, Red and Peach

Attraction: Lacy Leaves, and Mounding colorful blossoms

Zone: 3-9

Information: If you have a shady area in your garden with rich well drained soil then this is a perennial for you. Excellent for cutting, this beautiful early to mid summer bloomer provides ample color in those darker areas. With many colors to choose from it’s easy to fall in love with the open and fern-like plant. In cooler regions this perennial can be placed in full sun.

Important Notice

Is your drinking water supply protected?

Did you know your backflow unit on your irrigation system must be tested annually in order to be compliant with Indiana State Regulations Code (Section 327 IAC 8-10). Backflow units are to be tested by a state certified backflow technician. These devices are installed in areas where drinking water might come in contact with water from other sources (I.E. Irrigation Systems or Fire Suppression Systems) and contaminate your drinking water.
These state certified technicians must be able to identify all types of backflow units, be able to test those backflow units to make sure that they pass state regulations and when necessary be able to make repairs as needed if the device were to fail. A technician must also be able to tell whether the existing or new backflow unit is within code and is installed correctly.

Q/A: How often do I need to have my backflow certified? Each year a certified technician will need to come to your home and inspect and certify your backflow unit and then report the finding to your local water company, who then in return reports to the state.

Q/A: How will I know when you have checked my backflow unit? Our licensed technicians will leave you a card in your front door informing you of the services rendered the day of certification.

Q/A: What happens if my backflow unit fails? In most cases your backflow unit will be repaired or replaced and then re-tested the same day, so that it can be registered with the water department and in compliance with the state.

Q/A: Can anyone test my backflow unit? No, not just anyone can test your backflow. Your backflow will need to be tested by someone holding a state certification in backflow preventor testing.

Q/A: What is the cost in having my backflow unit certified? The annual cost in having a backflow unit certified is between $55.00 - $80.00 per unit depending on your location and the type of unit you have installed at your property. The $55.00-$80.00 is only the cost to inspect and certify the unit. Any needed repairs and replacements will be billed according to labor rate and needed parts.

Please call Perk-A-Lawn Gardens today to arrange for your backflow to be tested.

1-800-251-5752 or 1-812-882-5752

information@perkalawngardens.com