By ddmg Do It Yourself • Landscape • Tips and Tricks • 0 Comments

How to Prepare Your Olathe Landscaping For the Fall

July is here. The dogs days of summer are in full-force, but they won’t last long. July and August will be gone before you know it. Soon, it’ll be mid-September and you’ll be wondering what you could have done to prepare your lawn for fall.

Luckily, that’s where we come in. As the Olathe landscaping experts, Huston Contracting is here to ensure your lawn looks lovely as the weather slowly starts to turn. We know how important it is to keep your landscaping looking good. So, we prepared a few tips.

How to Prepare Your Olathe Landscaping For the Fall

After years of handling Olathe landscaping through hot and cold summers, here are a few ways to prepare your lawn for the coming cold:

  • Summer Issues

Make no mistake about it: a hot, dry summer can be tough on your lawn. You need to assess the damage done to your Olathe landscape before fall rolls in. See what plants died, assess how your lawn looks, pay attention to any plants that have overgrown, and make a general assessment of your lawn.

  • Get to Mulching

Many yards need fresh mulch after the hot summer months. You’ll want to add mulch to any spots lacking or where things have dried up a little too much. This is a quick fix that pays a lot of dividends.

  • Get to Replacing

If you planted a lot of summer annuals, it may be time to replace the old with something new. Head down to a nursery and start searching for cold weather plants that can handle what the fall is about to throw at them.

  • Fine Time to Fertilize

Before fall rolls in is one of the best times to fertilize your lawn. Your grass and plants need adequate nutrition to prepare for the cold weather coming. Fertilizer gives them just that and a lot more.

  • Tend to the Compost

If you have a compost, it’s important to pay a little extra attention at the end of the summer. Make sure no diseased plants made their way into the compost, check to see how the area is doing, and offer a little extra TLC.

  • Irrigation Nation

The end of summer is one of the best times to install a new irrigation system, especially if you may use it during the winter months. You want to install the system when there’s still a little heat in the grass and ground. This ensures a little growth before things get too cold.

The Olathe Landscapers You Need

If you’re truly looking to prepare your landscaping for the fall, get in touch. At Huston Contracting, we can help any and every Olathe landscape when the seasons change. We look forward to working with you.

By ddmg Do It Yourself • General Information • Landscape • Management • Renovation • Tips and Tricks 0 Comments

4 Ways to Improve Your Olathe Landscape Without Too Much Maintenance

We all want a stunning looking landscape. If you invest a lot of money into your home, you want it to look good. You want your Olathe landscape to pop. You want that improved curb appeal.

While a stunning landscape is desired, we don’t want to spend all weekend, every weekend working on it. Too much maintenance is never fun. You want your Olathe landscape to look good without a ton of maintenance.

4 Ways to Improve Your Olathe Landscape Without Too Much Maintenance

At Huston Contracting, we get that. While our staff loves to work on your Olathe landscaping projects, we know you just want to relax most weekends. A landscape that requires a ton of maintenance is not the dream.

You want a landscape that looks great without a ton of maintenance. Well, we know how to give you just that. Here are four quick ways to improve your Olathe landscaping without too much maintenance!

  • Stones For Days

Stones don’t require much maintenance at all. You can use them to build Olathe retaining walls or to cover yard space and create a pathway or resting area. Once you’ve created the pathways, patios, or a walled-off garden area – you won’t have to mess with the stones for years.

Stonework is long lasting and requires little to no maintenance. You can even use gravel to fill in the areas around the stones and create unique definition. This project can be completed by our professional staff or done by savvy DIY people.

  • Play to Your Strengths

The easiest way to make Olathe landscaping complex is to force things. Large changes will always require a lot of maintenance. If you want a solid landscape without a lot of effort, play to your strengths.

If you have large trees throughout your landscape, find ways to highlight them. Maybe build a stonewall patio near one of them. If you have a large backyard, maybe consider creating an Olathe outdoor kitchen to take up some of the space.

  • Focus on Foliage

Flowers require effort. Shrubs and foliage do not. Focus on foliage if you want to keep things maintenance-free. You won’t have to do much with your shrubs other than the occasional trimming each season.

  • Leave It to the Pros

The biggest and best landscaping tip we can give you is this: if you’re looking to keep maintenance low, then let the professionals handle the big projects for you. Take care of the small stuff and let Olathe landscapers handle the large projects.

Need an Olathe retaining wall installed? Don’t do it yourself! That’s a recipe for disaster and a lot of maintenance in the future. Call the pros at Huston Contracting and let our staff handle this big project for you.

 

 

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5 Low-Cost Olathe Landscaping Ideas to Boost Home Value

There are a number of cheap Olathe landscaping ideas that can improve the look of your yard while not breaking the bank. Many of these low-cost ideas will improve curb appeal and raise the value of your home.

With many landscaping projects costing between $2,000-4,000, it’s easy to spend a lot on your lawn.

5 Low-Cost Olathe Landscaping Ideas to Boost Home Value

If budget is tight this summer, you can still keep your Olathe landscape looking fresh. Here are five cheap ways to boost your home’s value through landscaping in Olathe:

  • Clean & Tidy

First and foremost, always keep your landscape clean and tidy. This is the easiest and cheapest way to makeover your yard. Power wash your sidewalks, decks, or patios.

Rank up any debris and make sure all grass clippings are cleaned up. Replace any old looking flowerpots. Trim the bushes and make sure all tree limbs are tidy. These little items will take a few hours, but will make a significant improvement in the look of your Olathe Landscape.

  • Mow the Lawn

It’s that simple. Mow your yard. Do it right. Switch from horizontal to diagonal each week. Be consistent with it. Don’t try to cut things too short so you don’t have to do it for a few weeks.

Proper law care has been shown to increase home value more than any other landscaping project. Plus, it’s pretty easy. All you need to do is lace up the old shoes and push the mower for an hour once a week.

  • Go with Perennials

Perennials are more expensive than annuals, but there’s reason for that. Perennials last longer, they look better, offer varying sizes, and unique textures. The combination of these factors offers impressive visual interest – year after year.

  • Seal It All

By taking care of your decks, driveways, and patios – you can offer enjoyment and value to a home. Sealing will reduce rotting while hindering any insect infestation. Plus, a sealed driveway is less likely to have weeds growing through cracks.

Sealing is a once a year project that’s sure to pay dividends when looking at home value.

  • Find the Focal Point

Last, but not least – find the focal point of your landscape. Then take amazing care of this area. Whatever is the most important part of your landscape – invest in it. Make the focal point of your landscape amazing.

For example, if you have an Olathe outdoor kitchen, make sure the space pops. Invest in making this space stunning and unique. This will help your Olathe landscape sell your home when the time comes.

By ddmg Construction • Design • Do It Yourself • General Information • Landscape • Management • News • Outdoor Kitchen • Renovation • Tips and Tricks 0 Comments

Thinking of Doing Some Landscaping This Summer? Let’s Get Started

The summer is right around the corner. The sunshine is fine, and the heat is almost here. It’s almost pool time. Boating season isn’t far off. We’ll all be breaking out the bathing suits soon.

But that doesn’t mean you can neglect your lawn and landscaping. You should pay your yard a little more attention during this time of year. There are a few fun things that are best done during the summer landscaping season.

Thinking of Doing Some Landscaping This Summer?

If you’re interested in doing some summer landscaping in Olathe, Kansas – get in touch. Here at Huston Contracting, our professional landscapers and designers work year around to keep your yard looking great.

A few of our summertime specialties include:

This should come as no surprise. Lawn care and maintenance are essential to keeping your landscape looking good in the summertime. With even a few weeks of neglect, you lush lawn could go from green to brown.

At Huston Contracting, we can help you keep things green and clean. Our experts offer services like:

  • Mowing
  • Pruning
  • Mulching
  • Weed control
  • Cleanup services
  • Irrigation systems

…And more!

There’s nothing better than a good ole’ fashion Kansas City barbecue. Well, except for one that happens in your backyard outdoor kitchen. Put simply – there’s no better time to install an Olathe outdoor kitchen than the summer.

You’ll get more use out of your outdoor kitchen in the summer and fall than any other months. You’ll be able to host barbecues and gatherings with ease – all from the comfort of your home.

For veteran Olathe landscapers looking to take things to the next level, nothing says “pro” like adding a water feature or two to your yard. At Huston Contracting, we can change the focus of your landscape by offering features like:

  • Natural stone waterfalls
  • Pondless waterfalls
  • Koi ponds
  • Natural creek beds
  • Bubbler rocks

…And more!

Remember how amazing the fireplace feels inside your home during the winter months? Adding an outdoor fireplace to your landscape can offer similar benefits during the breezy summer nights in Olathe.

If you’re looking for focal point of your landscape to change, an outdoor fireplace can do just that in the backyard.

No matter what type of Olathe landscaping services you need, we can help change the look of your yard this summer. From irrigation design to natural stone installation to sod installation and drainage solutions – Huston Contracting is a full-service professional landscaping company.

Get In Touch With Huston Contracting Today!

Summer is nearly here. Don’t wait another day. If you’re looking to tackle some big landscaping projects before the blistering heat, get in touch today. Our team looks forward to hearing from you and helping you have the best yard in the whole neighborhood!

By ddmg Do It Yourself • Landscape • Tips and Tricks • • • 0 Comments

5 BIG Olathe Landscaping Mistakes to Avoid This Summer

Olathe landscaping isn’t rocket science. If you can avoid a few big mistakes, your lawn will look greener than it ever has before.

Take a few precautions, and you’ll be well on your way to having the nicest lawn on the block. Now, before we dive into the details. You need to remember one thing. You must have a plan.

Olathe Landscaping Mistakes to Avoid This Summer

Your landscape is your home’s first impression. Without a solid plan, your home will look sloppy and unprofessional. Before you go planning out a design without the help of a professional Olathe landscape artist, let’s look at a few things you don’t want to do:

  • Tall Trees. Tight Squeeze.

While planting new trees throughout your landscape can add a lot of value to your home, you need to careful. You don’t want to plant the wrong type of tree in the wrong area.

Don’t plant trees too close to your home. Make sure to continually prune the branches. Focus on planting hardwood trees instead of fast-growing trees. These trees will grow and raise the value of your home.

  • Wrong Soil Type

Many rookie landscapers make the mistake of planting a non-native plant or three in the wrong type of soil on their property. This ensures the plants don’t grow properly and often lends a hand to a sluggish looking landscape.

If you’re flexible, always choose native plants for your yard. Olathe landscaping can be simplified with this one step. Native plants will coexist with nature and grow quicker in the native soil. They’ll also require less maintenance.

  • Keep Things Low Key

When selecting maintenance materials for your landscaping efforts, the first thing you should consider is maintenance. While the look is important, you don’t want to be dealing with these items all the time.

Try to use things like gravel, stone, composite blocks, and other durable materials instead of woods.

  • Don’t Overdo It

One thing I see Olathe landscapers doing all the time is cluttering things up. You want to avoid clutter. Be selective. Don’t go overboard. Less is often more. A good Olathe landscape designer can often assist in these manners.

Seasons Matter

You never want to plant things at the wrong time of the year. Certain plants need tons of sun. Others need a lot of rain. Some need both.

The Olathe Landscape Designers You Need

If you’re in Olathe and looking for some assistance on a landscaping project, get in touch. Here at Huston Contracting, we strive to provide residents of this great city the best construction, landscaping, and design services.

By ddmg Landscape • Management • Tips and Tricks • • 0 Comments

8 Innovative Ideas and Tips For Your Olathe Landscape

As spring has sprung, it’s time get outdoors and start a little landscaping here in Olathe, KS. There’s no better time than April, May, and early June to spruce up the grounds around your home.

Innovative Ideas and Tips For Your Olathe Landscape

If you’re ready to upgrade your Olathe landscaping this year, you’ll need a few ideas. While you won’t need to be an expert green thumb, these tips are sure to help you avoid some mistakes.

Here are a few ideas for your Olathe landscape:

  • A Front Yard Fence

One of the favorite Olathe landscaping trends this year is adding a front yard fence. While certain homeowners’ associations won’t allow it, this small change can look stunning. With a variety of designs to choose from, you can add this bit of traditional landscaping styling to your home this spring.

  • Water Feature Mania

One of the easiest ways to add value to your Olathe landscape is through a water feature. You don’t need a full-fledged pond to make your water feature pop. Just adding a little waterfall or fountain can change your whole landscape. Many water features are self-contained these days and easy to manage.

  • Outdoor Kitchen Installation

Why not add an innovative piece to your landscape that’s also useful? Olathe outdoor kitchens are very popular these days. You can add a full-fledged outdoor kitchen or just build some preparation space around your grill.

  • Consider Your Furry Friends

Dogs and gardening don’t always go hand-in-hand. In fact, they rarely do. Still, you don’t want your furry friend digging up your garden. One easy way to keep your dog out of the garden is to build them a dog-friendly area, like a sandbox. Then bury treats, toys, and bones in the sand for your furry friend to dig up.

  • Retaining Wall Wonders

One of the harder, but stunning ways to add value to your landscape is through an Olathe retaining wall installation. Retaining walls can change the whole look of your landscape.

  • Flowers For Days

Make sure you keep a lot of flowers around your landscape this spring. One of our favorite ways to add flowers is to keep them by the front door. You should always have flowers to greet guests in the springtime.

  • Dress the Driveway

Adding plants and landscaping features around your driveway will give your home a professional, resort-style look to it that’s hard to compete with. You’ll be the talk of the town once your dress up your driveway with an array of flowers and plants.

  • Hide the Ugly

If anything on your property isn’t stunning, like a shed or outdoor workspace, consider hiding the space with an array of plants and flowers. A beautiful display of plants or flowers can turn an eyesore into a stunning sight quickly.

By ddmg Landscape • • 0 Comments

What is Olathe Landscaping?

You already know what consists of an Olathe landscaping by definition. Landscaping is making or maintaining improvements to a property’s grounds in practical or aesthetically pleasing ways.

Anything and everything on your property that is not part of the home itself is part of the landscape. To break things down even further, anything you can see outside your window that is part of your property is also part of your home’s landscaping.

Different Landscaping Features

As an Olathe landscaper, you know that your grounds can have numerous features. No two landscapes are the same. It’s impossible. No two lawns grow at quite the same speed. But there’s more to it than that.

Each home offers a landscape that has a number of different features. Here are just a few of the features you’ll find in Olathe landscapes:

  • Lawns
  • Shrubs
  • Planting beds
  • Flowering trees
  • Fences
  • Walkways
  • Foundation plants
  • Water gardens

…And so much more!

With such an array of different features, it should come as no surprise that every ground and landscape is completely different. While humans control nature to create a stunning landscape, nature can only be controlled so much. That’s the beauty of Olathe landscaping.

Avoiding Olathe Landscape Mistakes

With landscaping being such an individual endeavor, there’s no way to do it wrong. Your yard is who you are. Your Olathe landscape is a part of your personality.

However, there are a few mistakes you’ll want to avoid. For example:

  • Only Considering Your Tastes

If you plan to live in a home forever, then you should only worry about your personal landscaping tastes. Get crazy with it. Do whatever you feel like. However, most of us live in homes that we will one-day list on the market. If that’s the position you’re in, then don’t forget to consider potential buyers and place curb appeal at the top of your list.

  • Don’t Remove Trees

While you may find that big tree in the middle of your landscape to be an eyesore, you don’t want to remove it. If you do, you’ll be hindering curb appeal and resale value significantly. Mature trees help sell houses. You should think twice before you ever cut one down on your property.

  • Don’t Always Do It Yourself

As Olathe landscapers, we see it all too often. You take on a big project, like an Olathe retaining wall installation, only to realize that your skill set isn’t exactly there yet. Then we get a call asking for help. While we are certainly happy to oblige, we try to warn people of the perils of doing too much yourself.

Ideal Olathe Landscapers For You

If you’re thrilled that spring has sprung and ready to get a grip on your Olathe landscaping, get in touch. Here at Huston Contracting, we’re here to help your lawn look its best. No matter what your landscaping needs are, we guarantee honest and dependable work.

By ddmg Construction • Landscape 0 Comments

Is Springtime Ideal For Olathe Retaining Wall Installations?

Olathe Retaining Wall

While seemingly simple, Olathe retaining wall installations can become surprisingly complex. There’s a lot of science that goes into taking uneven terrain and building a stunning wall to even it out. Olathe landscape designers often have their hands full when a new wall is under construction.

The Best Time For Olathe Retaining Wall Installations:

While our professional staff here at Huston Contracting can install a wall whenever you need it, there is an ideal time. During the right timeframe, retaining walls can be installed quicker and better than during other parts of the year. So what time is absolutely ideal?

To determine that, let’s take a look at precipitation and temperature. Ideally, we’d like to perform Olathe retaining wall installations during dry months with spring-like temperatures.

With that premise in mind, a quick dive into Olathe weather on Google should give us a decent answer. Olathe’s rainiest months come in May and June. Thus, it may not be the best idea to schedule a retaining wall installation during these periods.

However, the months with the least precipitation December, January, and February – which can also be problematic due to the cold weather. While hot streaks are becoming more common during these months, they aren’t the best months for such a job. That title goes to March, April, and October. 

There’s Wiggle Room

While we at Huston Contracting do believe March and April to be some of the best months for Olathe retaining wall installations, there’s some wiggle room from a temperature and precipitation standpoint.

You can install a retaining wall at any time of the year if you’re working with professional landscape designers who know what they’re doing. The key is to do things properly no matter what time of year it is.

Retaining Wall Tips and Tricks

If you’re about to tackle an Olathe retaining wall installation alone or with the help of a professional, there are a few things you want to consider. Some of the most important aspects of any wall include:

  • Always incorporate the retaining wall into your lifestyle and design of your landscape.
  • Any wall over four feet should require some professional attention from an engineer.
  • Manufactured blocks and stones keep things simple and remove the guesswork out of installing. Plus, they look natural and fantastic.
  • Creating a solid base before doing anything else is essential.
  • Make sure you account for drainage.
  • Backfills are essential for full support.

The Retaining Wall Professionals You Need

If you’re looking to add a stunning retaining wall to your landscape this spring or summer, get in touch. At Huston Contracting, our landscape designers and engineers are ready and willing to help you create a beautiful retaining wall. We look forward to lending a helping hand to the landscape of your dreams.

By ddmg Landscape • Tips and Tricks • • • 0 Comments

8 March Landscaping Tips For Olathe Gardeners

Spring has sprung. Wild winds are here, and the flowers are about to be blooming. It’s landscaping season, again.

Here are eight March landscaping tips for you to do at home this Spring in Olathe:

  • Remove Winter Debris: First and foremost – make sure you remove any and all winter debris from your lawns, landscaping beds, and garden. Give your landscape as much sun as humanly possibly while they start to grow this spring.
  • Mulching & Pruning: March is the month to mulch and prune. The best landscape beds are tended to in the early spring before too much blooming takes place. Do some research on the types of plants in each bed and see if they need a good pruning in early spring or not.
  • Fertilize Trees Please: Except for a few rare types of trees, you’ll want to fertilize them with a high-nitrogen fertilizer in March. This will ensure they bloom properly as the warm weather comes around.
  • Set Blades High: Never cut the grass too low in the early spring. You want your lawn growing and staying healthy. Try and keep your blades as high as possible during this time. At least 3″ or higher is essential to prevent brown spots from forming.
  • Don’t Delay Hand Weeding: Stay on top of your garden and landscape with a little elbow grease. Hand weeding in the early spring can offer a lot of benefits to your landscape, including keeping weeds from growing out of control.
  • Stay Hydrated: As spring rolls in, your plants will start to get plenty of water. Rainfall will happen in the spring in Olathe. However, if there’s a dry period, make sure to continue watering religiously. Your plants desperately need water during these important times of growth.
  • Avoid Over-Fertilizing: Hit your trees with a solid fertilizer in the early spring, but go light on the rest of your landscape and lawn. You’ll want to use a little during the spring, but save the heavy fertilizing until later in the season – as you don’t need it during the springtime initial growth rush.

The Olathe Landscaper For You

Landscaping in the spring certainly isn’t confusing, but you need to do it right. If you’re looking for a professional Olathe landscaper to help you with any projects, please get in touch. Here at Huston Contracting, we strive to keep Olathe looking green and lovely as the seasons change.

By ddmg Landscape • News • Tips and Tricks • • • 0 Comments

5 Olathe Landscaping Trends to Pay Attention to in 2017

Winter is here, but it’s about to be long gone. We may have a few more snows here and there, but the frost will be an afterthought in a month or two. Soon the sun will shine down, and spring will be here. I don’t know about you, but that excites me. When spring has sprung, it’s time for landscaping fun.

Now, you already know your landscaping and gardening efforts should have been taken care of before you the first frost hit in the winter. Preparation is essential, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about. Nope! It’s time to talk about some Olathe landscaping trends in 2017.

Olathe Landscaping Trends to Pay Attention to in 2017

It’s time to talk about what all the “cool” gardeners are going to be doing this year. It’s time to talk about what will be in your garden in 2017. Here are five landscaping trends to pay attention to:

  • Your Home is Your Garden

Times have changed. Back in the day, only old cooks used to keep a ton of plants in their house. Indoor gardens just weren’t that cool. Nowadays, it’s completely different. Many of the popular landscaping mechanisms call for your outdoor garden to seamlessly flow into the inside of your home. Having a lot of plants inside your home is definitely popular in 2017.

  • Edible Landscapes

One trend for the coming year is incorporating edible trees and plants into your whole landscape – not just in the garden. These blended views not only look great, but they taste awesome, too. Try adding a few fruit trees throughout your landscape to start.

  • Quality is Key

While price is always important, Olathe landscaping is like a lot of things: you get what you pay for. Using higher quality stones, mulches, and materials will always pay off down the road. You don’t want to undertake a massive landscaping project with low-quality materials that break down after five years. That’s just a waste of time and money.

  • Water Features

While water features have never gone out of style, there seems to be a spike in their popularity these days. Water features are being added to Olathe landscaping more than ever, but nowadays these features are becoming a focal point of the lawn – not an add-on. Fountains, streams, waterfalls, fish ponds, and more are all exceptionally popular, especially as spring rolls in.

  • Outdoor Living Spaces

This one shouldn’t surprise anyone. We’ve been talking about the popularity of outdoor kitchens for awhile now. Outdoor living is excellent, and each year, more families are coming around to the idea of incorporating living areas into their Olathe landscaping. We’ve yet to meet a family that didn’t love spending time in their new outside space once completed!