Category: Residential Services

New Year, New You!

The team at Landwork Contractors loves discovering new design trends with our clients. We offer a full range of residential services to turn your dreams into reality. Here are a few of the top trends we’re looking forward to this year!

• Shabby Chic- Shabby Chic combines all the comfort and coziness of the country with simple touches that make your house really feel like a home. Add a few weathered looking pieces, wildflowers, and natural stones to your back yard and you’ll love coming home. Take a look at these design ideas for some inspiration!
• Rustic Farmhouse- If you have a deep love of the country and all things antique, try the rustic farmhouse design. This aesthetic goes along wonderfully with the rolling hills and valleys of our gorgeous region. Add some gorgeous flowering bushes this spring and some reclaimed wood touches. You’ll feel like you are back home on the farm.

• Zen Inspirations- Add some calm to your home  with simplistic touches. You can include Asian inspired design elements like meandering stone paths, water features and a few beautiful pieces of art. When you’re going for zen, less is more. Always consider the flow of the garden as you design the layout and consider plants like Japanese Maples and Azaleas.

• Classic European- Classical gardens have a lot of European touches like mosaics, ceramics, and beautiful floral patterns that mirror their surroundings. Designing these landscapes provides endless opportunities to show off your personal style. You can have intricate mazes or simple lush green plants.

• Coastal Dreams- You can go easy living coastal, full beach, or throw in some fun nautical designs to make your home a beach getaway all year round. Simply add a few ornamental grasses, and little touches like nautical rope, wooden beach chairs, or pier posts. Depending on your tastes, you can add seashells and sand in different areas of the yard as well.

Start the New Year with a New Look for Your Landscape

No matter which style you love or what kind of design you dream up, our team of experts is here to help. Get started on your dream design now. Call Landwork Contractors today at 914-479-2537 or make an appointment online. We’ll turn your backyard into a retreat you’ll love to come home to.

Professional Landscaping Tips to Keep Your Home Beautiful Year Round

Winter is on its way and that means it’s time to prepare your garden and landscaping for the hard weather ahead. The team at Landwork Contractors is here to help. We live and work in the Westchester and Putnam County area so we understand the unique challenges of the region. To help you get started, here are some of our favorite winter prep tips for your garden and landscaping.

• Prune Carefully–  Winter weather puts your trees and shrubs to sleep, so it’s the perfect time for a little pruning. However, if you prune the wrong tree or snip the wrong branch you can have even more trouble. Carefully prune broken branches, diseased limbs, or weakened boughs. Benefits of dormant pruning include:
  • Strengthens Plants Against Ice and Snow
  • Prevents Infestation from BugsPrevents Disease
  • Prevents Overgrowth
  • Encourages Healthy New Growth
  • Creates Beautiful Landscaping Year Round
• Burlap Wrapping– Burlap is an incredibly versatile tool for your garden. You can use burlap all year round, but it’s especially helpful in winter landscape maintenance at home and at work. Wrapping your plants in burlap brings the following benefits:
  • Protection from Bugs and Pests
  • Protection from Cold Winds
  • Easy Wrap to Use Against Frost
  • Insulation Against Snow, Ice, and Cold Temperatures
  • Inexpensive Fix
  • Leftovers Can Be Used for Decoration or Other Projects
• Make Mulch Happen– A nice fresh layer of mulch is one of our favorite things to add to any landscaping or garden in winter. Mulch is a beautiful and reliable option for certain areas of your winter garden. Here are just a few benefits of mulching your winter garden.
  • Provides a Layer of Insulation
  • Regulates Temperatures for Soil
  • Regulates Water for Soil
  • Protects Against Bugs
  • Protects Against Disease
  • Adds Color to Winter Landscape
• Clean Up Before Snow Falls– Before the first big snow, it’s important to pick up all the toys, hoses, gardening tools and everything laying in your lawn.  Items left in your lawn or garden create dangerous hidden hazards once a heavy layer of snow falls. Anything else that lays on top of the lawn can also damage grass and soil just beneath.

Winter Garden Preparations Keep Your Investment Safe

Beautiful landscaping is an investment. With a little extra care, you can keep that investment safe. Landwork Contractors provides your landscaping and garden with all the protection they need. Leave the winter prep to us. Give us a call today at 914-479-2537 or make an appointment online. We’ll make sure your landscaping stays gorgeous all year long.

Professional Landscapers Winterize Gardens and Lawns with Expert Care

Fall trimming requires considerable knowledge, skill, and precision. Trim the wrong thing in fall and you’ll have a bare shrub, tree, or flowering bush all spring and summer. Wait too long to trim your plants in fall and you get diseased, dying, or empty plants in the spring. How do you get it just right? Trust the experts at  Landwork Contractors.  We have been providing expert landscaping services in the Westchester and Putnam County area for 17 years.

The Challenges of Fall Trimming

Trimming can be especially challenging in fall with a wide range of plants, trees, shrubs, and flowering bushes to work with. Here’s what to look for as you start trimming your landscaping:

• Cut Back Perennials- Cutting back perennials can be confusing. Just remember to cut perennials only if they don’t do any of the following:
  • Add Beauty to Your Garden
  • Provide Food for Winter Creatures
  • Benefit Helpful Insects During Winter

• Dead Growth- Dead leaves, blooms, or wood on woody plants, trees, and ornamental shrubs should be carefully removed before winter sets in. Trimming these areas in fall and early winter, when temperatures are cooler, will help protect against disease or pests. Remember to:
  • Deadhead Old Blooms
  • Trim Dead Limbs
  • Remove Dead Leaves
  • Dig Up Dead Annuals

• Crossed or Rubbing Limbs- If you see any limbs that are crossed over each other or have been rubbing against each other, remove them. These limbs create fresh wounds on each other where disease can enter. Your trusted landscaper in Westchester County will help you remove the right limbs.

• Tidying Up- One of the main reasons many people trim shrubs and trees in fall is to tidy up for winter. Removing extra branches or creating a uniform shape actually helps these plants and trees survive winter. Landwork Contractors winterizes your trees and gardens expertly to prepare them for winter.
• Watersprouts- Watersprouts deprive the rest of the tree of nutrients and light. They can also make trees, hedges, or shrubs unbalanced. Remove them carefully.

Taking care of your plants in fall ensures healthy, beautiful blooms for spring and creates a beautiful landscape for winter. The skilled landscaping team at Landwork Contractors understands the special needs of plants and trees in this region. Call us today at 914-479-2537 or make an appointment online.  We love keeping your lawn tidy and healthy all year long.

Westchester County Landscapers Make Spring Cleaning Easy

Before you can plant your first bulb or relax outside, you’ll have to do a little spring cleaning. Landwork Contractors has been providing spring cleaning and landscaping services for the Westchester and Putnam Counties for over 16 years. We offer a variety of commercial and residential services to keep your lawn beautiful all year long.

As spring comes in, we know your lawn needs some extra TLC, so we’re here to share some of our knowledge and experience with you.

Easy Spring Cleaning Guide

Winter can do a lot of damage to your lawn, garden, and even your beautiful hardscaping. If you want to have a safe and beautiful yard, follow this spring cleaning guide to get started.

1) Remove Debris- Walk your property and pick up debris on your lawn over the winter. Dead leaves, forgotten toys, fallen limbs, clumps of dirt, can all damage your lawn.

2) Take An Inventory- Take a look at what needs to be repaired or replaced, including:

• Hardscaping- Decide what can be saved, replaced, repaired or even add new designs. Landwork Contractors offers expert masonry and deck contracting services to help you keep your hardscaping safe and beautiful. 
• Landscaping- Decide which plants stay and which plants need to be replaced. Make a list of your favorites and send them to your landscaper for spring plantings.

• Lawncare- Take note of dead patches or anything unusual. If your lawn seems a little dull, consider professional spring fertilizing treatments.

3) Design Your Dream Lawn- Now you can start designing your dream lawn. Take a step back and notice bare spots, inconvenient pathways, or other areas that need improvement.

Spring Cleaning Without Lifting a Finger

If you need a little help waking your lawn up after winter or want to make improvements, Landwork Contractors is here to bring you the lawn you’ve dreamed of. We’ll do all the hard work while you sit back and relax. Call us today at 914-479-2537 or make an appointment online. Dream big on your designs, we’ll take care of the rest.

Avoid Summer Pests With Easy Tips

Summer is a great time to be outside enjoying the sun and beautiful weather. But, with summer fun, comes some pesky pests like mosquitos, bees, ants, hornets and wasps. There are a few ways to keep these pests away so you can play. Landwork Contractors wants to help you enjoy your summer and avoid these unwelcome guests.

Serious Bite Out of Fun

Summer pests aren’t just an annoyance; they can also cause serious problems. Some of the problems caused by summer pests include:

The best chance of beating these pests are preventing them or catching them early on.

Preventing Pests

The first step in keeping pests away is preventing them. Here are just a few steps you can take toward preventing insects and pests.

• Remove Standing Water– Standing water is a natural breeding ground for mosquitos. Look out for any empty containers, tubs, holes, puddles or ponds where water might collect and become stagnant. Make sure you remove the standing water and keep water features moving. Install drainage if needed.
• Store Food– Properly store all food, particularly when keeping it outside. Use air tight containers. Keep a lid on sugary substances like sodas and desserts that attract ants, flies, hornets and other pests.
• Stay Clean and Neat– Seal cracks, put food away, wipe down after any event and put lids on garbage cans. Be sure to pick up after each event before insects can pick up a trail. Also, store large garbage bins away from the house.

Repelling Pests

Keeping pests away from your home or lawn may feel like an endless battle. However, there are some easy and earth-friendly strategies you can use to fight summer pests once they appear.

Citronella Candles: These fragrant flames can help create a soothing atmosphere and keep pesky mosquitos and other pests at bay. Citronella repels mosquitos by providing natural pesticides within its smoke ring.

Torches and Fire Pits: Other sources of fire and smoke also work to keep bugs at bay. Smoke, in general, is a great deterrent for all sorts of pests. Lining torches along your pool or putting a fire pit in the backyard can help keep pests away and keep your yard looking beautiful.

Herbs: Some herbs also have a good track record of preventing pests. Their strong scent is overpowering for many pests. Plus, as an added bonus, you can use them in your kitchen for fresh seasoning later on. Some herbs that repel insects include:

Rose Bushes:  Another fragrant option is adding rose bushes. Mosquitos are repelled from rose bushes because of their strong scent. Plus, they’ll be lovely to look at.

Outdoor Retreats Without Unwelcome Guests

Don’t let unwelcome guests ruin your summer fun. Make a few adjustments or additions and live your summer without the fear of pests. Landwork Contractors can help you plan some garden additions, fire pit installations or put in the proper drainage. We can help you keep your summer going strong and your home looking beautiful. Call us today at 914-479-2537 or contact us online. We can’t wait to get you outside!

Understanding the Art of June Pruning

Pruning is a vital part of gardening and landscaping, especially in June. However, juggling pruning schedules can be overwhelming. Every species of tree or shrub needs special pruning schedules and techniques. Pruning a plant incorrectly can wreck your plant or even destroy your garden.  Luckily, Landwork Contractors has mastered the art of summer pruning. Our professional and experienced landscapers know exactly when, where and what to prune. We offer a variety of services that will keep your landscape and garden thriving all year long

We know pruning can get confusing, so we’d like to share a few tips about June pruning.

Pruning for a Purpose

Pruning creates continued success and survival of any garden or landscape. With gentle and persistent strokes, we use pruning like a master painter to:

What to Prune in June

Knowing what to prune in June can be confusing. Landwork Contractors can help you know where to focus your lawn maintenance. You will want to closely watch plants that have just bloomed in spring, particularly flowing shrubs, trees and stone fruit. Here are a few examples:

Hydrangeas– Some hydrangeas bloom on last season’s old growth and some bloom on this season’s new growth. Be sure to know which one you have or you could ruin this season’s blooms.

• Old Growth Blooms- These grow on darker brown and wood-like stalks.
  Prune schedule: After their first flowering.

• New Growth Blooms – These grow on softer green stems.
  Prune schedule:  From late May to June for continued blooms. Also, cut the diebacks until early July to control and reduce size.

Rhododendrons- The secret to keeping these blooms coming is to remove them after they’re washed-out. A lot of rhododendron’s energy is used making seed, so those left on the bush will deplete energy quickly. You can remove the wilted blooms by gently twisting the flower.
Prune Schedule: After blooms have faded but still have color on them. Leaving blooms on the bush will lower the output next season.

Azaleas- Bright beautiful azalea blooms are often the first sign of spring. After these blooms have faded, start pruning for future growth and to keep their energetic growth in shape.
Prune schedule: After first blooms fade and up until mid-June.

Rose Bushes- These queens of the garden almost need constant pruning, particularly in summer. But, with roses, you’ll have fresh fragrant flowers all summer long. Be sure to trim just below the five leaf formation on the stem.
Pruning Schedule: After the blooms begin to open to make way for new buds and help the plant continue to grow. As needed throughout the season.

Stone-Fruit and Fruit Trees- Fruit trees need extra care, as you can see from our earlier blog, this includes stone fruits.

Summer pruning is done to reduce heavy growth. Trim any outward growth from the tree to keep fruit producing.
Pruning Schedule: Early summer after the first harvest, to keep overly vigorous growth from starving the tree. For stone fruits, prune up to 50% of new growth after your harvest.

Summer Pruning Made Easy

Don’t get confused or frustrated with your summer pruning. Landwork Contractors can prune your landscaping and garden to perfection with our expert care. We will work to make a summer long masterpiece out of your landscape. Call us at 914-479-2537 or contact us online. You can enjoy the fruits of our labor all summer long!