Fall Cleanup Done Right in Lower Cape May
fall cleanup done right in lower cape may 3 TLDR: A fall cleanup is the last structured visit of the season, and done right it covers leaf removal down to the soil surface, cutbacks on the beds that need them, a final shaping cut on the hedges, and a re-cut edge on every bed line. […]
Fall Overseeding Guide for Lower Cape May County
fall overseeding guide for lower cape may county 6 TLDR: Fall overseeding means spreading fresh grass seed into an existing lawn so thin turf thickens back up before winter. In lower Cape May County that work belongs in the late August through early October window, which Rutgers Cooperative Extension identifies as the primary lawn establishment […]
Decorative Rock Landscaping for Coastal Cape May Properties
decorative rock landscaping for coastal cape may properties 9 TLDR: Decorative rock earns its place on coastal Cape May County properties in four applications: bed cover where organic mulch keeps blowing away, dry creek beds that move water on flat lots with a high water table, borders and edge treatments, and accent boulder features. It […]
Mulch Selection for Cape May County Landscapes
mulch selection for cape may county landscapes 12 TLDR: The practical mulch choice for most lower Cape May County landscapes comes down to hardwood, dyed hardwood, pine bark or pine straw, leaf mulch, and decorative stone. Hardwood gives the best combination of soil benefit and staying power on windy coastal sites. Dyed mulch holds color […]
Core Aeration vs Liquid Aeration on Coastal Sandy Soils
core aeration vs liquid aeration on coastal sandy soils 15 TLDR: Core aeration physically removes plugs of soil from the lawn, creating open channels for air, water, and roots. Liquid aeration applies a soil conditioning product intended to improve structure chemically and biologically, with no physical hole. On the compacted sandy and sandy loam soils […]
Belgian Block Edging for Driveways and Walkways
belgian block edging for driveways and walkways 18 TLDR: Belgian block is a cut granite unit used to edge driveways, walkways, and bed lines, and on the sandy soils of lower Cape May County it outperforms every lighter edging material by a wide margin. Its advantage comes from mass and from the footing it is […]
Plant Selection for Coastal Cape May County Yards
plant selection for coastal cape may county yards 21 TLDR: Plant selection for a coastal Cape May County yard runs through four filters in order: salt tolerance, wind tolerance, soil and moisture conditions, and deer pressure. A plant that fails any one of them will fail on the property regardless of how well it is […]
Defending Lawn Quality Through Cape May County’s Hot, Humid August
defending lawn quality through cape may county’s hot, humid august 24 TLDR: August is the month cool-season lawns in lower Cape May County are least able to recover from anything you do to them. Heat, humidity, and sandy soil that dries out fast combine to put fescue, ryegrass, and bluegrass under sustained stress, and the […]
Stone Walkway Design for Coastal Cape May Properties
stone walkway design for coastal cape may properties 27 TLDR: A stone walkway on a coastal Cape May property is designed before it is built, and the three decisions that matter most are width, line, and material. Width should be set by how the walk is actually used, which for a primary front walk means […]
Mulch Depth and Why It Matters on Coastal Beds
mulch depth and why it matters on coastal beds 30 TLDR: On the sandy landscape beds common across North Cape May and the rest of lower Cape May County, mulch depth should land in a two to four inch range, measured after the mulch settles rather than when it is first spread. Too little and […]