mdlandscaper – East Coast Landscape Design

Landscape Design in Silver Spring, MD: Catch Basins

If you notice sitting water in your landscaping, you may consider adding catch basins to your landscape design in Silver Spring, MD.

Reducing the surface area water in your backyard can minimize plant illness and assist keep your plantings healthy, along with aid avoid leakages and wetness in your house’s structure and walls.

Catch basins gather excess surface area water from grass locations, hardscaped locations, planter beds, and other landscape functions. Excess water streams into a surface area drain system through catch basins, which gather particles and avoid pipeline obstructing.

Catch basins can be found in a variety of various designs to accommodate drain throughout locations in your landscape. For instance, round catch basins and drain gates are set up in grass locations, while square catch basins and grates are utilized around pools and hardscape locations, such as driveways and pathways.

Catch basins need routine upkeep, consisting of frequently cleaning out particles and debris, to keep the drain clear. Every now and then, utilize a trash can and rubber gloves to clear out such particles as leaves, yard, sticks, and mud. It’s a great idea to routinely clear out catch basins in the fall, a time throughout which leaves have the tendency to accumulate rapidly.

For more details on how catch basins can solve water problems with your landscape design in Silver Spring, MD, please contact the experts at East Coast Landscape Design.

January 31, 2017mdlandscaperlandscape design, Silver Spring MD

Landscape Design in Rockville, MD: Small Yards

Landscape design for small yards in Rockville, MD can be challenging – but the outcome can be amazing.

You may think that small yards are meant to be plain and “open” in order to seem bigger. But here’s the thing – your yard can seem so much bigger if your landscape design is well-planned and makes the most of your small Rockville, MD yard.

Building Up, Not Out
Great small yard landscape design includes horizontal and vertical features. For instance, you can:

Use your fencing and home as colorful backdrops for your landscaping
Hang plants on the fence, shepherd’s hooks, or a lattice panel
Add a water feature – such as a water wall – which takes up little horizontal space, but adds a lot of drama to your small yard’s landscape design.
Build a pergola – which is a fantastic design feature for a small space. Adding lights and climbing plants to the pergola can add romantic charm and a feeling of a “get away” to the landscape design of your small yard in Rockville, MD.
Integrate raised beds for your plants, and use colors that pop
Add a tall focal point to your small yard design – such as a tree or bamboo
Install a floating deck in the farthest part of the yard; add a winding pathway to enhance the feeling of a destination

Enhance your Space with Color
Cool colors (like blues and greens) actually make a small space look larger. Therefore, if you would like your yard to feel and look larger, choose the colors that make it look that way.

Plants like silver king and evergreens can give your yard a feeling of largeness. Blue spruce and Alberta pine are good examples of plants that add a decorative touch while helping your property look bigger. In fact, Alberta pines are rather small trees, so they do not take up very much space while at the same time conferring a feeling of maximum space.

Layering in various shades of greens will also give an appearance of depth and richness to the landscape design for your small yard in Rockville, MD.

For more information about landscape design for your small yard in Rockville, MD, please contact East Coast Landscape Design. For over 30 years, East Coast Landscape Design has actually been Rockville, MD’s leading certified landscape specialist.

January 13, 2017January 28, 2017mdlandscaperlandscape design, Rockville Md

Outdoor Kitchens: Great Additions to Rockville, MD Homes

As more homeowners are entertaining their families and friends outdoors on decks and patios, some are thinking about if they want to add outdoor kitchens to their Rockville, MD houses.

These homeowners are pretty smart – and here’s why that’s a good idea:

Outdoor kitchens are something different
Outdoor kitchens have the same high-quality appliances that indoor kitchens have; imagine cooking, then loading and running your outside dishwasher – no mess to clean up inside
Outdoor kitchens are seen as a luxury upgrade when homeowners sell; homeowners are finding that they can enjoy their outdoor kitchens while they own them, then re-coop the costs when they sell their homes.
Outdoor kitchens keep homes cooler in the summer, and can reduce electric bills
Outdoor kitchens can be constructed so they take up little space, but provide maximum benefits
Outdoor kitchens expand dining and entertainment possibilities, allowing family and friends to be involved in those activities
Outdoor kitchens allow the hosts to stay engaged with their family or visitors – cooks are not stranded in the kitchen
Outdoor kitchens allow for your outside space to be used most – if not all – year round.

For more details about outdoor kitchens in Rockville, MD, please contact East Coast Landscape Design. We specialize in custom design and precision construction of outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, and fire pits, with patios and stonework that have come to characterize East Coast Landscape Design artistry. We pride ourselves in attention to detail in the quality and precision craftsmanship we provide, adding not only beauty but immeasurable value to your home.

November 29, 2016November 29, 2016mdlandscaperoutdoor kitchens, Rockville Md

Manage and Use Fall Leaves in Silver Spring, MD Landscaping

Raking leaves on a day when you’d rather be doing anything else is tough – but the chore is done more easily, if you keep in mind that those fall leaves can be put to good use in other areas of your Silver Spring, MD landscaping.

Leaves are an important natural deposit due to the fact that they include 50 to 80 percent of the nutrients a plant extracts from the soil and air throughout the season. It’d be a shame to bag all those nutrients up and send them to a landfill.

Here are some methods to manage and use your fall leaves to benefit the landscaping of your Silver Spring MD home.

Trimming: if you’ve just got a light covering of leaves and you have a mulching lawn mower, you can leave the shredded leaves on the turf.

Mulching: is easy and reliable, utilizing your lawnmower with a bagging accessory to gather and shred the leaves. Take the shredded leaf mulch, and disperse it throughout your landscape. A 3 to 6 inch layer of shredded leaves around the base of trees and shrubs will work well enough – don’t go overboard, though – too much mulch will rot or mildew. With yearly and seasonal flower beds, a 2 to 3 inch mulch of shredded leaves is finest.

Improving soil: utilizing a till, work a 6-8 inch layer of leaves straight into the garden and flower beds. This will enhance the aeration of a clay soil, and will assist light sandy soil with maintaining water and nutrients.

Composting: with or without a bin, you can produce abundant composting for your landscape. You’ll have to layer 6-8 inches of leaves, then include an inch layer of soil, then spray some fertilizer. Repeat these actions and keep the garden compost moist.

For more info on landscaping in Silver Spring MD, please contact East Coast Landscape Design. For over 30 years, East Coast Landscape Design has actually been Silver Spring, MD’s leading certified landscape specialist.

November 16, 2016November 29, 2016mdlandscaperlandscaping, Silver Spring MD

How to Get the Perfect Patio for Your Kensington, MD Home

You’ve seen some of those magnificent patio areas on television or the Web– and East Coast Landscape Design can develop the Kensington, MD patio area of your dreams.

Rest ensured that the knowledgeable experts at East Coast Landscape Design can create and develop your Kensington, MD dream outdoor patio. Here’s how:

Our professionals will work with you to determine how you want to use your patio – now and in the future.
We will help you choose products for your Kensington, MD outdoor patio that compliment your house.
The expert craftsmen at East Coast Landscape Design utilize a large range of products consisting of stone, brick pavers, interlocking bricks, and stamped concrete.
Our design engineers know how to carve out a patio using seating wall, where others might not know how.

For more information on the perfect patio for your Kensington, MD home, please contact the experts at East Coast Landscape Design. The professionals at East Coast Landscape Design will work with you to design a gorgeous patio that you and your family will love for many years to come.

October 29, 2016November 29, 2016mdlandscaperKensington MD, patio

Landscaping in Bethesda, MD: Consider these 5 Great Small Tree

Have a small space to fill in your home’s landscaping in Bethesda, MD? Consider these 5 great small trees.

Amur Maple (Amur ginnala) – Mature height, 15-18 feet:
One of the first maples to get their leaves in the spring, this tree has a wide-spreading canopy. It can either be a large shrub or a small tree, but it’s more often limbed up to show off its strong sculptural form.
Cornelian Cherry Dogwood (Cornus mas) – Mature height, 20-25 feet tall, 15-20 feet wide: A lovely small tree that produces bright yellow flowers in early spring. It usually branches to the ground, but can be limbed up effectively.
Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia sp.) This tree comes in a wide range of sizes, from dwarf (a few feet tall) to the typical tree, which is 20 to 30 feet tall. The mid- to late-summer flowers come in pink, lavender, rose, almost-red and white. Its bark, shown off on a multi-trunked form, varies from creamy white to gray to sandy brown to cinnamon, depending on the species and cultivar.
Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) Mature height, 15-30 feet tall and wide: multiple varieties from a weeping threadleaf form that looks like a broad mound or the upright form that makes a small shade tree.
Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) Mature height, 20-30 feet tall and a bit wider: welcome spring with an explosion of pink. Grows to 20 to 30 feet tall and slightly wider. The heart-shaped leaves of the species are bluish-green, but ‘Forest Pansy’ has burgundy leaves that fade with hot weather. Adapts to a wide range of soils as long as they’re not permanently wet.

For more information about great small trees for your landscaping in Bethesda, MD, please contact East Coast Landscape Design. For over 30 years, East Coast Landscape Design has designed and installed beautiful landscape and hardscape projects around Bethesda, MD, and surrounding communities.

October 12, 2016October 30, 2016mdlandscaperBethesda MD, landscaping

Landscape Design in Rockville, MD: Five Trees that Bring Curb Appeal

If the landscape design at your Rockville, MD home looks ho-hum, here are five trees that can enhance curb appeal. (All the trees we’ve recommended here grow well within our USDA zone.)

The Smoke Tree (Cotinus coggygria): A smaller tree (height 10-15 ft., spread 12 ft.) that works well with others in groupings, hedges, or windbreaks. Adds interesting textures and add a punch of color in small spaces. In summer, they sport wispy, pink bloom clusters; in fall, the foliage turns yellow, orange, and red. The rest of the year leaves are purple, gold, or green. This tree is heat and drought tolerant, and do well in a wide range of soils.
The Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana): A medium-sized tree (height 20-30 ft., spread 25 ft.), tolerant of most soil and temperature conditions. This tree puts on a show in March, with beautiful, fragrant white and purple flowers.

The Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum): A large focal-point tree (height 60-75 ft.,
spread: 40-50 ft.) that is a great replacement for ash or elm trees. Provides great shade, and gorgeous gold and red fall foliage. This tree does well with most soil and temperature conditions. Don’t plant near a road or drive which will be treated with salt.
The Japanese Flowering Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis): A larger ornamental tree (height 40-50 ft., spread 25-40 ft.) happiest when it has moist and well-draining soil, planted in full or partial sun. Delicate, beautiful flowers make this a stand out tree, which really attracts attention when it’s planted in groups.
The Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens): This majestic evergreen tree attracts birds, and provides shelter for small animals year round. This tree does well wherever they are planted, provided that they have enough room to spread out (height 50-75 ft., spread 10-20 ft.).

For more information on landscape design and curb appeal in Rockville, MD, please contact East Coast Landscape Design. Our landscape design experts can create lasting beauty and value for you Rockville, MD home.

September 20, 2016October 30, 2016mdlandscaperlandscape design, Rockville Md

Manage Erosion with Landscape Design in Silver Spring, MD

There are a few ways to manage erosion with landscape design in Silver Spring, MD.

If the erosion is mild, then adding new plants to the landscape design, will go a long way to stabilizing erosion problems.

Depending on where the erosion is located, various groundcovers or hardy native shrubs should be considered for these erosion-prone areas. Mulch or compost can be used in tree and shrub beds, or in areas where vegetation is difficult to grow.

These new plants should be appropriate for the sunlight, shade, moisture, and soil conditions of the erosion site. The plants should have roots that will hold on to the soil (no shallow-rooted plants).

Before replanting, the fill soil may need to be amended. Amending the soil may consist of mixing in compost to make the soil more fertile. Or soil with high clay content may be mixed into the fill soil to give it more density and weight. In order to protect your new plants and give them time to take root, your landscaper may redirect water runoff from that area.

For places in the landscape with erosion and heavy foot traffic, stepping stones, gravel or mulch path can be used to cover and protect eroded areas. Plants and shrubs lining the pathway can offer additional protection against erosion.

If you have a slope with erosion problems, the slope can be terraced or retaining walls built, to hold back the soil and redirect the flow of water through a drainage system.

For large areas with significant erosion, the landscape design at your Silver Spring, MD home may need to undergo some significant changes. In addition to new sod and other vegetation, your landscape designer will want to divert water from erosion-prone areas, redirecting it to a pond, French drain, or an area that where it will cause no harm to your landscape or your home.

For more information on landscape design in Silver Spring, MD, that prevents home flooding, please contact East Coast Landscape Design. We use erosion control applications to Maryland state specifications. Our landscape design experts will outline how to protect your home and create a landscape that creates lasting beauty and value.

August 17, 2016October 24, 2016mdlandscapererosion control, landscape design, Silver Spring MD

Landscape Design in Silver Spring, MD Problem-Free Native Shrubs

As simple as it sounds, the most effective landscape design for your Silver Spring, MD is one that puts the right plants in the best place for them. This prevents disease and plant loss. An additional way to prevent plant loss is to use problem-free native shrubs.

What do we mean by problem-free? Well, these native shrubs are relatively insect and disease free. Put them in the right place in the landscape design, and your Silver Spring, MD yard will look great.

Here are some problem-free native shrubs to consider for your landscape design in Silver Spring, MD

Cephalanthus occidentalis (buttonbush) is a large shrub that produces white flowers in globular heads in June, July, and August. It does best in moist soil and does not tolerate drought.

Clethra alnifolia (sweet pepperbush) grows very slowly, and has very fragrant white flowers that open in July. It is tolerant of wet soils.

Fothergilla gardenii (dwarf fothergilla) is a medium, slow-growing multi-stemmed shrub species. It has beautiful flowers (April) and very showy fall foliage, and best in full sun. Dwarf fothergilla requires a moist, well-drained acid soil and does not tolerate drought.

Hydrangea arborescens (smooth hydrangea) is a medium native shrub that produces pretty white flowers in July. It prefers partial shade, but can be grown in full sun with supplemental water.

Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac) is a large shrub or small tree that is known for being “hard to kill” and has very showy fall foliage color. Female plants have persistent, showy, red fruit stalks. Staghorn sumac tolerates dry soil, but does not do well in poorly drained areas.

Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood viburnum) is a multi-stemmed, dense, large shrub. It is adapted to a variety of soils and can be grown in sun or partial shade. It’s know for durability and white flowers.

July 30, 2016September 1, 2016mdlandscaperlandscape design, Silver Spring MD

Information About Flagstone Patios in Rockville, MD

You’ve probably heard about flagstone patios if you live in or around Rockville, MD. When done well, flagstone patios are beautiful and last a long time.

What is Flagstone?
Flagstone is a sedimentary rock composed of feldspar and quartz. It is a layered quarried stone, held together by silica. It is harder than sandstone – and that’s important in our climate of heat and hard freezes.

Flagstone comes in many gorgeous colors: blues, browns, tans, grays and reds. Some homeowners choose to mix colors, some go with one color, with slight variations (darker or lighter). Homeowners should choose a color or colors most complementary to their homes.

Things to keep in mind when you are choosing the flagstone for your patio:

Pick a flagstone that comes in as many shapes, sizes and thicknesses as possible.
Glittery flagstone can lose this sparkle under wear and tear.
Brightly colored stone may prove softer than more uniform muted tones.
Stone which is quarried nearest to your site will cost less to ship.

Flagstones can be in their “natural” form, or cut into geometric shapes (i.e., squares or rectangles) to be used in patterns. The shape of the flagstones in dependent on your patio design. Here are some ways flagstone can be quarried or cut:

Ledgestone: Relatively flat strips of stone for stacking.
Milled: Flagstone cut to an edge on one or more sides.
Mosaic: Patterns made up of random pieces.
Pavers: Cut flagstone into square or rectangular units.
Steppers: Flat stones used as pathway step stones.
Sawn Bed Veneer: Stone cut to a certain depth with natural surface on one side.
Slabs: Large flat pieces of stone with irregular outlines.
Snapped Veneer: Stone snapped to provide flat surfaces on both sides.
Thin Veneer: Flagstone cut to lay on concrete slab.
Treads: Stone machined to suit step treads or risers.
Tumbled: Processed to soften edges.

For more information on flagstone patios in Rockville, MD, please contact East Coast Landscape Design. The East Coast Landscape Design team has over a quarter century of experience in the design, installation, and care of practical and beautiful flagstone patios, walkways, and driveways in Rockville, MD.

July 14, 2016September 1, 2016mdlandscaperflagstone patios, Rockville Md