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Just a week ago snow covered
the ground and people were getting tired of winter. For
those of us who love winter – this season has been a
lovely one in CT. Good for cross country skiing, snow
shoeing, shoveling, plowing….whatever makes you happy.
Believe me, all the plowing and sanding has made many a
landscaper very happy this year.
Now, midway through February, the snow is gone.
Greenhouses are warming up in anticipation of growing
annual and perennial crops and with 40 and 50 degree
temperatures outside it is tempting to venture into the
gardens and start planning for spring. It is still a
little early! Winter will make a comeback but now is the
time to prepare for the upcoming season.
Here at Lori Spielman Landscaping our preparation
involves a variety of tasks. Our irrigation contracts
have been mailed out, our taxes have been done and our
maintenance manuals are all up-to-date. The greenhouses
are clean and waiting for the flurry of activity that
starts the first week of March as the annual and
perennial plugs start to arrive.
As in the past, Lori and Kathy have kept the crew busy
not only with residential and athletic field work View pictures, but
also with continued training. Our ‘field trips’ this
year included a Safety Program in March and a Turf
Management Seminar in October at Rentschler Field in
East Hartford. The practice of maintaining and repairing
that huge area of turf is both daunting and challenging
and the talks were very interesting. We also got to tour
the facility – imagine the thrill for the group when we
were allowed access into the locker room of the UCONN
Huskies! Only other group in there - The Rolling Stones!
Expanding on her interest in outdoor kitchens, Lori and
the guys built a pizza oven adjacent to her outdoor
kitchen area View pictures. Roger comes from a long line of masons and
always loves the opportunity to work with stone. A lull
at the end of the season gave Lori the chance to repair
a drainage problem next to the parking area of her
business View pictures. Although the season ended on a quiet
note we had a wonderful year seeing old customers and
meeting new clients.
‘Going Green’ is the theme for the coming year, really
for many years to come. Within the landscaping industry
going green refers to composting and sustainable living,
xeriscaping (or water smart gardening), organic land
management and rainwater harvesting.
What is rainwater harvesting? It is the collection and
redistribution of collected rainwater for landscape
irrigation, for use with water features including water
gardens and fountains, for environmental conservation
such as water run-off from large hardscape areas such as
paver block patios. In the past traditional ways of
capturing rainwater meant large barrels at the bottom of
downspouts. A practical but not beautiful way of
conserving water. Now we can incorporate a sub-surface
storage system that keeps your landscape looking
beautiful but actually works more efficiently to collect
rainwater as it falls.
Keep an eye on our website as we bring you even more
information about this very important subject. But for
now enjoy some of the pictures from last years gardens
as you think about this summer and what you would like
to accomplish in your gardens! |
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