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

The Do’s and Don’ts of Summer Landscaping in Olathe

It’s here. The warm weather is almost upon us. Gone are the days of freezing cold weather and ugly brown Olathe landscapes. Coming are the hot months, pool days, and lavish landscaping weather.

If you take Olathe landscaping seriously, like I imagine you do, then you’ve prepared for this weather all year around. You planted seeds in the fall. You kept things tidy during the winter months.

When spring rolled around, you were more than ready to pay your dues and get those thumbs green. Your lawn has already started to look good, but you understand that the coming months are key to a solid landscape from June through October.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Summer Landscaping in Olathe

Let’s dive in and see exactly what to do and what not to do this summer:

Don’t Water When It’s Not Needed

There’s many times in the spring and early summer where your lawn won’t need any watering. So, don’t give it any.

There are too many times we see lawns and Olathe landscaping looking awful because of overwatering. Just don’t do it. Only water your lawn when it needs it. This means when they’re newly planted or if they start to look slightly unhealthy, starting to wilt, or brown.

If your lawn looks nice and green while there’s been consistent rain, leave the sprinklers off for a change. Your lawn will thank you.

Do Water Deeper

When you believe your plants and lawn need a little watering, then do it right. A typical sprinkler often doesn’t do much in the warmer months – because the water simply evaporates before the roots of any plant can get to it.

Instead, try using a soaker hose with a full stream of water. This type of watering will penetrate deeply into the ground and ensure the roots of plants actually receive the water they need to succeed.

Don’t Ignore Those Weeds

If you ignore the weeds in your lawn and let them seed, then they’ll soon spread. What was once a few weeds will become a massive problem.

Never ignore your weed issue. Always pull all the weeds you can find with a legitimate weeding tool – not just your hands. You need to get the roots out of the lawn.

Do Fertilize Your Lawn

Always. Be. Fertilizing. This is especially important during the rapid growth times of spring and early summer. During these months, your Olathe landscape can turn from good to great. You just need to add a little fuel to the fire.

By fuel, we mean some great fertilizers. Use fertilizer when the weather is a little cooler, either in the spring or in the morning during the summer months. This allows your plants and landscaping to absorb the nutrients and fight the summer heat.

Get Your Olathe Landscaping Down Pat!

With the do’s and don’ts above, you’re sure to have the best looking lawn on the block. If that doesn’t happen for some reason, just get in touch. Our professional team here at Huston Contracting will have your lawn looking lovely in no time!

 

 

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

How to Clean Up Your Landscape After a Brutal Winter

Make no mistake about it! The winter is not easy on your lawn. From the brutally cold temperatures to the lack of sun, it’s easy for a lawn to go from green to lean when the winter months roll in. The good news is there are a few simple solutions.

By properly cleaning up your lawn after the tough winter months, you can get your lawn back on track quickly. That’s where we come in. At Huston Contracting, we specialize in getting your lawn looking great again – and fast! That’s what professional Olathe landscapers are supposed to do.

How to Clean Up Your Landscape After a Brutal Winter

With that in mind, we wanted to talk a little bit about how to clean your lawn up after winter and share some tricks and tips to make life easier. So, that’s exactly what we did. Below you’ll find a detailed guide for cleaning up Mother Nature’s mess after wintertime:

Get Rid of Debris

First and foremost, you must get rid of any and all debris. Seriously, winter can spread trash, branches, road gravel, and so much more all over your lawn. All these items look bad, but that’s not even the worst part. They can affect how your grass grows and looks.

Don’t let debris fester throughout your property. Clean the stuff up before spring has sprung and flung. Or hire a team of Olathe landscapers to do it for you. Either way, this is the first step before moving on to anything else on the list.

Fresh Fertilizer

Once you have a clean and debris-free yard, it’s time to get your lawn looking even lovelier. This means adding a little fuel to the fire by laying down grass seed and fertilizer. You want everything looking good as summer rolls in and a little fertilizer will surely do just that.

Some people opt for professional help here. At Huston Contracting, we offer fertilizing services in and around the Olathe area. For landscaping veterans, you could also do this yourself.

Add New Life

Once the lawn is cleaned up and the fertilizer laid down, it’s time to add to your Olathe landscape. This means bringing new plant life into the fold. Spring is the ideal time to add elements to your landscaping.

One of our favorite ideas? Spring is the perfect time for annual flower designs and installation. A few fresh flowers always make a landscape look lovely, especially when blooming.

Quick Springtime Tips, Impressive Results

Here at Huston Contracting, we’re all about quick tips that get great results. By implementing the three ideas above, you’re sure to turn that wintertime frown upside down and have your lawn looking amazing before the heat hits us.

If you need any Olathe landscaping help, we’re always here. Just reach out to the professionals at Huston Contracting and we’ll be in touch.

 

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

Going Green! 5 Ways to Conserve Energy Through Landscaping

Going green has become popular in nearly every industry. We’re all trying to be environmentally-friendly these days, and that’s a great thing. However, most industries have to make huge changes to help the environment while improving their operations.

With Olathe landscaping, things are a little different. See, by changing your landscape just a little bit, you can also help the environment. There’s tons of ways to do this. Why? Because your landscape is the environment.

A tweak here and a change there can mean hundreds in savings for homeowners. Plus, the environment wins, too. A true win-win situation!

5 Ways to Conserve Energy Through Landscaping

So without further ado, let’s dive into the five ways you can conserve energy with your Olathe landscaping:

  • Shade Over Everything

The easiest way to save money on your landscaping is to shade your home. When the sun beats down on your home, things heat up inside. In the summer months, this means your home continually gets hotter and hotter. A hotter home always equates to higher A/C bills.

By using leafy trees to shade your home, you can drastically lower your utility bills in the warmer summer months. At Huston Contracting, we believe this is the best way to go green. Add some large trees to your property.

  • Wild Wind

In the winter months, the cold wind actually does more damage to the inside temperature of your house than just the cold. As such, you’ll want to insulate your home from the wind as much as possible.

How do you do that? Simple, add some evergreen trees and shrubs around the sides of your home. These plants will take the brute force of the cold winds and keep your home as warm as can be. This will lower heating bills.

  • Landscape Design

One costly concern for landscapers around the world is water. In Olathe, there are many months that our lawns need water. As such, many Olathe residents spend hundreds of dollars a year watering their lawns.

There’s nothing wrong with this, but it’s certainly not a “green” principle. Luckily, there’s a simple solution. By working with a landscape design professional, you can incorporate drainage solutions and irrigation systems into your landscape.

By adding these two things to your landscape, you’ll be able to significantly lower your water bills in the hot months. We believe this is one of the more efficient ways for Olathe landscapers to truly go green.

Go Green Today!

If you’re looking to increase efficiency within your home through landscaping, get in touch today. At Huston Contracting, we have dozens of ways for specific homeowners to lower energy bills through their landscape.

We look forward to hearing from you!

By ddmg Construction • Design • General Information • Landscape • Renovation • Tips and Tricks • • • 0 Comments

4 Low Water Usage Olathe Landscaping Ideas

Some think your lawn can’t look great unless it’s April through July and the grass is as green as it’s ever been before.

At Huston Contracting, we know that’s just not true. So we wanted to show you a few low water usage Olathe landscaping ideas. Using these unique ideas, you’ll be able to improve your lawn and keep your landscape looking good.

It won’t matter if the rain isn’t falling or you’re looking to cut back on the watering, you can still implement these ideas.

Low Water Usage Olathe Landscaping Ideas

Let’s take a look at these ideas and how you can improve your Olathe landscaping without using much water:

  • Create an Outdoor Environment

This is the easiest way to improve your Olathe landscape without using a ton of water. You can add features like an outdoor kitchen, retaining wall, or a covered porch. These unique features won’t cost any water and will add significant value to your landscaping, especially in the backyard area.

Don’t delay, though! By investing in an outdoor kitchen early in the season, you’ll be able to enjoy it even more this year.

  • Find the Right Plants

Certain plants require water every single day. If you don’t water some species of plants daily, they will look withered and weak. On the other hand, there are some plants that look great year around – whether they get a ton of water or not.

If you plant species like Agave, Sage, Lavender Cotton, and more – you won’t have to water these plants often. These species simply don’t require a lot of water to look great, especially in the spring and summer.

  • Walkways Galore

Walkways are one easy way to change the whole face of your landscaping without using much water or breaking the bank. Using natural stone to create unique walkways to your covered porch, outdoor kitchen, or a sitting area is a great Olathe landscaping idea for the coming months.

  • Maybe a Little Mulch

Ok, this idea might be a little basic. We get that. But there’s really never a bad time to add a little mulch around your landscaping. Fresh mulch looks exactly like it sounds – fresh! You don’t need any water to add a little mulch and this small change will add a lot of life to your landscaping like never before.

Create Your Ideal Landscape…Today!

You don’t need to waste water all the time to keep your lawn looking ideal, especially around this time of the year. Just get in contact with Huston Contracting. As the Olathe Landscaping experts, we’re here to help you create the lawn of your dreams. We look forward to working with you!

 

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

There’s No Better Time Than Now! 3 Springtime Olathe Landscaping Tips and Trends

Spring has almost sprung for Olathe landscaping. The afternoons are starting to get warm and the sun is creeping out behind grey skies. It’s time to start focusing on the landscape once again. With that in mind, we wanted to talk about some amazing landscaping ideas for the spring.

With 2018 in full swing, we’ve had time to see what landscaping ideas will turn into trends this spring. We believe we’ve pinpointed exactly how to turn your Olathe landscaping from dull to darling in the least amount of time.

There’s No Better Time Than Now! 3 Springtime Olathe Landscaping Tips and Trends

Instead of waiting around, it’s time to take action and make the Olathe landscape of your dreams a reality. It’s time to get in touch with Huston Contracting and take control of your lawn. Here are a few ideas on how to do just that:

  • Climate Focused

Climate matters in 2018, especially in Olathe, Kansas. If you’re making landscaping changes in the spring, you’ll want areas and spaces that you can enjoy through every season. At Huston Contracting, we found a few ways to help you with that.

If you’re building an Olathe outdoor kitchen or a covered porch, you could also consider an outdoor fireplace. The fireplace design and area could be close to the kitchen or porch and provide ideal heating for the space during the cooler months.

  • Water Management

Managing how much water you use on your lawn and landscape is a huge trend coming into this year. You need to focus on low water usage Olathe landscaping trends. Obviously, an outdoor kitchen or patio won’t use much water.

You can also build walkways, incorporate an energy-efficient irrigation system, and add plants that don’t require a lot of watering. Sage and Lavender Cotton are two of our favorites here at Huston Contracting.

  • More Tech, Newer Spaces

Keeping with the theme, eco-friendly innovations are all the rage in the landscaping world these days. Things like low emission lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and more have taken over the market.

The best way to help the environment while still keeping your lawn looking great? Install an irrigation system that use smart technology to keep the lawn watered, but conserve as much of it as possible.

At Huston Contracting, we’ve recently started installing some of these systems and have seen insanely positive results. Many of our customers who have said systems have cut their watering bills in half – while their lawns look better than ever before. Suffice to say, we’ve got a lot of great feedback from these systems.

Let’s Tackle These Trends Together!

With spring upon us, it’s time to start paying attention to your Olathe landscaping. If you’re ready to take your lawn to the next level, then get in touch with our team at Huston Contracting. We look forward to working with you this year!

 

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

How to Find the Perfect Commercial Landscaping Designs in 2018

The winter has come and almost gone. Spring is sure to be here sooner than later. It’s time to get your landscaping in order, especially if you’ve neglected things this winter. Luckily, that’s what we’re here for. At Huston Landscaping, we’re here to help you design the commercial landscape of your dreams in 2018.

With that in mind, here are a few tips, tricks, and trends to lookout for this year:

  • Outdoor Functionality

Each and every year, more companies are focusing on giving employees access to outdoor spaces designed for functionality. Most corporate areas have tons of unused space, especially outdoor.

If you have a rooftop, it’s not too tough to turn the space into a roof garden filled with unique landscaping elements and green space. Outdoor sitting areas are also very popular. Every employee needs a wireless area throughout the day and many commercial landscaping projects are taking this into account.

  • Place-making

Speaking of making use of unused spaces, place-making does just that. Many commercial landscapes feature vacant spaces between buildings or structures. Instead of letting these spaces go to waste, many companies are incorporating place-making.

Place-making is the art of using these spaces to create sitting areas filled with fountains, sculptures, and more. Many times these spaces can change a corporate, commercial space into something uplifting and relaxing.

  • Native Plants

In many a roof garden or sitting area, it’s easy to incorporate native plants and flowers into these spaces. At Huston Contracting, this is one of our specialties. We can help you add plants to all your commercial landscaping spaces in Olathe, Kansas.

  • Energy Efficiency

Green commercial landscaping has become a priority for many a business. Most companies have a green initiative in place to help them add plants, landscaping, and more. Occasionally, these plans include increasing the efficiency of a space with solar panels and more.

  • Concrete Designs

Gone are the days of just black and grey concrete and asphalt. While these are still used, many commercial landscapes also incorporate concrete that features different designs and colors. This is especially true in entrance ways and other areas with a lot of foot traffic.

If your commercial landscape could use a little sprucing, but you don’t have many green spaces options – we suggest stained concrete. This creates a unique contrast and can look absolutely stunning when installed properly.

  • Responsive Irrigation

At Huston Contracting, we always recommend commercial landscaping includes responsive irrigation. Often, commercial spaces are vast and hard to take care of. With responsive irrigation systems, you can stay on top of watering the green spaces without breaking the bank and wasting resources.

These systems often only provide irrigation when it is totally necessary. If Mother Nature is doing her job, then the system simply conserves resources. If responsive irrigation is what your commercial landscaping in Olathe needs, we’re here to help.

How to Find the Perfect Commercial Landscaping Designs in 2018

If you’re looking to improve your commercial landscaping in Olathe, get in touch today! At Huston Contracting, we have numerous design options available in 2018. Plus, it’s the perfect time as spring is just around the corner.

By ddmg Design • Do It Yourself • General Information • Landscape • News • Tips and Tricks 0 Comments

When Is It Time to Redesign Your Landscaping?

With spring coming, many people are wondering when is a good time to redesign their Olathe landscaping. While we’re firm believers that there’s no bad time to redesign a landscape, there’s a few rules to follow that ensure you get the most out of your time and money invested.

At Huston Contracting, we’ve seen some amazing Olathe landscapes. We’ve also noted some horrific lawns that could use a redesign. Here’s how to ensure you redesign your landscape at the ideal time:

When is the best time to redesign your landscaping?

You can begin redesigning your Olathe landscaping whenever you please. There’s different ways to improve your lawn and landscaping in every single season. However, certain jobs are better completed at different times.

For example, you’ll want to plant most plants towards the beginning of spring or the end of summer. This depends on the plant, but generally gives them the best chance to plant roots and grow during the mild temperatures of spring and fall.

In the winter, you have a great opportunity to improve your landscaping infrastructure. Spaces like outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, and more can all be installed during the winter months when there’s no snow around.

In the hot summer months, your landscaping is easiest to mold. You can do a lot of projects during this time. We often recommend completing projects like irrigation systems, retaining walls, and more during these warm months.

How Do You Know When It’s Time?

Now, every single landscape is different. There’s no perfect or exact time to redesign your landscaping. Generally, it all comes down to the individual or family. It comes down to when you’re ready to redesign your Olathe landscaping.

You have to be ready to invest your time and potentially, your money, into your new landscape design in Olathe. If you’re not willing to invest resources, then it’s not a good time to redesign. If your landscape is enough of a priority to invest resources, then it’s time to get going.

Huston Contracting and Landscaping is here for You!

For many Olathe residents, the landscape becomes a priority in the springtime. This means the sun starts shining, weather warms up a bit, and you realize that the lawn needs a little love and care.

We’ve been there, too! If that’s you, then it’s time to get going. Make a list of landscaping projects you want to complete. Decide which projects you can do by yourself. Then see if anything would require professional help.

If so, get in touch with the pros at Huston Contracting. As the premier Olathe landscaping contractors, we’re here to make your lawn look great, again. Just get in touch. We look forward to helping you with projects like planting, outdoor kitchens, irrigation systems, and so much more!

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

Landscaping Without the Lawn! 4 Fun Ways to Spruce Things Up

Your Olathe landscaping is so much more than some grass and a few shrubs. In fact, the greenery is only one part of an amazing landscape. There’s just so much to it once you really dive in.

At Huston Contracting, we get questions all the time about how to make landscaping improvements with bad weather, what changes to make in the winter, and so much more. 

4 Fun Ways to Spruce Things Up – Without the Lawn!

So, we put our landscaping minds together and came up with a short list of ways to improve your landscaping that have absolutely nothing to do with your lawn. Here are four of our favorites:

  • Outdoor Kitchens

One of the best ways to make the most of your landscape? Add an outdoor kitchen to your home. Outdoor kitchens have been all the rage as of late. Why? Because they look absolutely fantastic when done properly and they’re functional.

With a full-scale outdoor kitchen, you’ll be able to cook, clean, and eat meals outdoors while entertaining guests. That’s a huge value to any home and landscape. If you’re looking to make a big landscape change in 2018, an outdoor kitchen might be exactly what the doctor ordered.

  • Water Features

We may be biased here at Huston Contracting, but we’re huge fans of water features. There’s not much that can completely change the face of your landscape without working with green spaces. Water features are one of the few elements that can do that and so much more.

Koi ponds, pondless waterfalls, and natural creek beds are all stunning ways to alter your Olathe landscape without touching the lawn. While these aren’t quick fixes and require professional help, there’s no doubt your landscape will be upgraded once complete.

  • Outdoor Fireplaces

One of the best ways to make your outdoor spaces a place to gather and spend time with family and friends? Add an outdoor fireplace or fire pit. There’s just something about fire that brings people together.

Whether wood burning or gas, your new outdoor fireplace will change your whole landscape. While fire pits look fantastic as a standalone piece, many add outdoor fireplaces to their outdoor kitchen for added benefit.

  • Concrete Structures

Sometimes you need to add some concrete to your landscape. It could be to create a patio or a sitting area. Maybe you want to create a walkway from your outdoor kitchen to your koi pond. It all depends on your needs.

No matter how you utilize it, concrete is another great way to change your landscape without much worry about the lawn.

Your Landscaping Without the Lawn Experts

If you’re looking to make Olathe landscaping improvements before the grass turns green, get in touch with Huston Contracting. Here at Huston, our professionals specialize in creating your dream landscape – no matter what that may be!

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

What’s New in Landscaping For the New Year?

The New Year is finally here and it’s cold as can be! You walk outside and the cold air hits you like a ton of bricks. You shiver and shake as you start the car and wait for it to warm up. While those five minutes in the morning might be miserable, that’s all day, every day for your Olathe landscaping.

Luckily, the cold won’t last forever. Within a few months, the winter weather will be gone and spring will have sprung. The grass will green, again, and soon you’ll be sweating when you step outside.

What’s New in Landscaping For the New Year?

Before the grass gets green, it’s time to prepare your landscaping for the New Year. But, how do you do that? How do you capitalize on landscaping trends in 2018 and create an amazing yard?

Well, that’s where we come in. At Huston Contracting, we work to keep our clients ahead of the landscaping curve. As such, here are a few unique trends we’ve noticed:

  • Embrace Small Spaces

While you may have a ton of Olathe landscaping to work with, don’t neglect the small spaces. With a little attention to detail, you can take any yard and turn it into the amazing landscape you’ve always dreamed of.

One easy way to take a small landscape and make it look incredible? Add Japanese garden elements into your landscape. Japanese gardens focus on nature and completely natural spaces while incorporating streams and flowing water elements.

  • Stick Together

If you’re creating a stunning garden space throughout your landscape, it’s important to not spread yourself or your plants too thin.

What does this mean? Well, a lot of things. In 2018, one of the trends we noticed is planting same species plants in close proximity to create a “social network” within your garden. While plants can talk, that doesn’t mean they don’t communicate in some fashion.

We’re not trying to get too “new age” on you here. Just stating that it’s often beneficial for species to be plants close together. It’s great for the health of the plants, but it can also make your garden pop.

  • Water Features

Each and every year the popularity of water features throughout Olathe landscaping tends to increase. There’s just something soothing about watching water move while sipping a hot cup of coffee on a spring morning.

So, what type of water features are popular these days? Well, we’ve seen a couple trends. Most people are opting for pondless waterfalls or natural creek beds. Both offer a stunning, yet natural addition to landscaping.

Let’s Create Your Ideal Landscape in 2018!

If you’re ready to take your Olathe landscaping to the next level in 2018, then you’ve come to the right place. Get in touch with our landscaping professionals here at Huston Contracting and let’s put together the perfect plan.

By ddmg Construction • Design • News • Outdoor Kitchen • Tips and Tricks • • 0 Comments

5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Olathe Outdoor Kitchen

While wintertime may not be the ideal time to build an outdoor kitchen, there’s no reason you can’t improve the one you’ve got. With that in mind, we wanted to detail a few ways our clients have been adding, improving, and updating.

At Huston Contracting, we specialize in Olathe outdoor kitchens. We know how important an outdoor gathering space can be for families and friends. We also know a few minor tweaks can take your space from a place to cook to the premier gathering spot in the neighborhood.

5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Olathe Outdoor Kitchen

With that in mind, here are a few different ways you can improve your Olathe outdoor kitchen in the coming year:

  • Strip Lighting

One quick and simple way to add a ton of value to your outdoor kitchen? Strip lighting. Use strip lighting to highlight stairs, walkways, and so much more. You can even put lighting under fixed seating areas and storage units.

Strip lighting partially makes a space look great, but there’s another aspect to it. Strip lighting is a safety feature when it’s dark out.

  • Fire Pits For All

One way to add huge entertainment value to your outdoor kitchen area? Add a stunning fire pit that the whole family can sit around.

These days there’s a fire pit for every size and situation. They have some that can be moved around to different areas, while others are designed to stay in one place. They even have fire pits that can double as coffee tables.

  • Build the Bar

Often, a family builds an outdoor kitchen with cooking and socializing in mind. Building an outdoor bar is often an afterthought. But maybe it shouldn’t be.

Most Olathe outdoor kitchens would only need a few minor updates and additions from a professional, like our staff here at Huston Contracting, to turn your outdoor kitchen into a bar/kitchen combo space.

  • More Stone

At Huston Contracting, we’re a little partial to outdoor kitchens with natural stone. While you can build with any style you please, we’ve found natural stone truly compliments the outdoors better than almost any other material. If you’re looking for a quick improvement, add a little stone around the area.

  • Covered Porches

Ok, this is a little bit more than a quick and simple improvement. In fact, most will want to work with professionals to add a covered porch to their outdoor kitchen.

But, there’s no denying the benefits of adding covered space. Many families start to use their outdoor kitchen more and more each passing year. Instead of taking the food inside, they want to eat it in the great outdoors – where it was cooked.

That’s where a covered porch comes in. Instead of baking in the sun or worrying about the rain, you simply cook the meal outdoors and then eat it under the comforts of your covered porch. A true win-win!