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Finding Inspiration For Your Bergen County Garden

The Jacobsen Blog — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:35:07 EST

As the first days of spring reach northern New Jersey, what better place to find inspiration for your garden than right here in Bergen County? Visiting public gardens is a great way to generate new ideas for your property and see unfamiliar plants, flowers, and trees in a wild setting. So grab the kids, load up the car, and spend the day at one of these local landscaping treasures discovering something new for the upcoming planting and gardening season.

The James A. McFaul Environmental Center, located right in Wyckoff, overlooks a giant waterfowl pond that is bordered with all sorts of native and ornamental plant specimens. Inside the main building there is an auditorium and a browsing library with nature exhibits to teach children about the wildlife that they alone coul

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The Beauty and Simple Elegance of Pondless Waterfalls

The Jacobsen Blog — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 09:09:05 EST

If you are a Bergen County homeowner looking to enhance your landscaping, a water feature can be a unique focal point that will distinguish your property from the others in your neighborhood. Water features are a popular design element in northern New Jersey landscapes, and commonly take the form of fountains, Koi ponds, and waterfalls.

While water features can be quite beautiful, they require a great deal of maintenance and are accompanied by significant liability, especially when it comes to waterfalls and ponds. Koi ponds, for example, require you to protect the fish from predatory animals, maintain a proper aeration and chemical balance, and clean off leaves and algae. For families with small children or animals

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The Perfect Retaining Wall for Your New Jersey Landscape

The Jacobsen Blog — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 12:51:47 EST

Installing a stone retaining wall on your property can improve the functionality of your yard, enhance your property’s value and curb appeal, and distinguish your landscape from the others in your neighborhood. There is a wide range of stone materials and construction techniques to choose from when designing a retaining wall on your property, so be sure to consider the location, purpose, and style that best fits your landscape’s needs. Each retaining wall is unique, but here are the two basic methods used to install a retaining wall in northern New Jersey:

Dry-laid retaining wall: These types of retaining walls use either a natural stone or segmented block that is built upon a compacted base. The key here is to make sure that the base is properly compac

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Good Winter Reading for the Bergen County Gardener

The Jacobsen Blog — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 11:33:31 EST

Like many Bergen County gardeners, I spend much of the cold, bleak winter months reading books about gardening and landscape design. This time of year is a welcome opprotunity for me to recharge my creative energy and develop new design ideas for unique outdoor living spaces.

As your imagination turns toward spring in northern New Jersey, reading gardening books or magazines is a great way to prepare your garden while stuck indoors. Take some time to reflect on what did or didn’t go well in your yard or garden the year before and strategize for the upcoming season. Think creatively about the ways in which you can distinguish your property and landscaping from others in your neighborhood.

Here are some great inspirational reads to build anticipation for the spring and lessen the effects of cabin fever:

You can read the full store at Jacobsen Landscaping Good Winter Reading for the Bergen County Gardener

Keeping your Christmas Tree Fresh and Fragrant

The Jacobsen Blog — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:14:20 EST

by Emil Rostello, Jr., Landscape Designer
Believe it or not, Christmas is only a week away. In the midst of all the cookie baking and present wrapping, it’s also important to make sure your Christmas tree looks its best for when Santa comes down the chimney next week. If properly maintained, a good tree can last a month or even longer. Here are some simple (and critical) tips for making sure your tree is fresh and fragrant on its big day.
Unless you cut down the tree yourself, it’s likely that it was cut weeks before arriving in your living room. If that’s the case, it’s important to make a fresh cut at the base of the tree to allow water to enter through the trunk. If you haven’t yet trimmed the tree, cut a ¼ inch off the bottom of the trunk before putting it in
You can read the full store at Jacobsen Landscaping Keeping your Christmas Tree Fresh and Fragrant

Tis (Almost) the Season!

The Jacobsen Blog — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:15:49 EST

By Mark Milidantri, Landscape Design
Ready or not, the holiday season is right around the corner. As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, it’s time to start thinking about brightening up your home with holiday decorations!
The amount of decorating that you do depends on your budget and personal tastes, and there are all sorts of approaches to take when spreading that holiday cheer around your yard. Are you going for that “Wow” factor, or are you content with a few, old-fashioned wreaths and some lighted pine roping? No matter the size or scope of your decorating ambitions, nothing beats the smiles on people’s faces as they slow down while driving past your home.
If you’re a first time decorator, the first step to take is to decide what type of hol
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Landscape Lighting: Extend Your Evenings

The Jacobsen Blog — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:03:01 EST

By Benjamin Grace, Landscape Designer
So you’ve spent your Saturday working in the garden- every weed has been pulled and every plant has been watered. As you pack up your garden tools, the daylight quickly disappears leaving you hardly any time to enjoy all the work you’ve done. If you’ve found yourself in this disappointing position, it’s time for you to explore the endless possibilities of outdoor landscape lighting.
Many homeowners remain “in the dark” about the basics of landscape lighting, and miss out on the opportunity to enrich their landscape. Illuminating your property with low-voltage landscape lighting is easier than you might have thought, and there are many cost-effective strategies to take as you design and install a custom system for your home. Before
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Sprinkler Smarts: Receiving a Water Saving Audit

The Jacobsen Blog — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:28:13 EST

by Kevin Malone, Landscape Irrigation Manager
The word ‘audit’ has a negative connotation this time of year, and evokes feelings of stress, aggravation and hassle. But there is one type of audit you can receive this spring that doesn’t include a visit from an IRS representative—a water saving audit!
Water restrictions are a fact of life in many local townships and boroughs during the summer months. Water companies increase rates annually, and with the lack of snowmelt this year we can’t expect this summer to be any different. Even if you’re one of the few who has a private well, it is in your best interest to protect ever last drop when things start to heat up. A water audit performed by an irrigation professional can help you cope with summer drought and the increasing regulations that will soon come into effect.
You can read the full store at Jacobsen Landscaping Sprinkler Smarts: Receiving a Water Saving Audit

The Benefits of Winter Pruning: Why It's Worth Bundling Up!

The Jacobsen Blog — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:17:35 EST

By Carmia Schepmoes, Landscape Design & Garden Care
Once winter sets in many gardeners consider themselves off-duty. They stow away their gardening gloves and bury their rakes and other tools behind the snow shovels. But there is more you can do in the winter months to enhance your property than stare out the window at the leafless stubble of your garden. Winter pruning, also referred to as dormant pruning, is a great way to get outdoors and allow your trees and shrubs to reach their full potential in the coming growing season.
There are many advantages to bundling up and grabbing those pruners on a warmer winter day. Pruning during this time is less stressful for the plant and decreases the risk of diseases entering pruning wounds. The winter season i
You can read the full store at Jacobsen Landscaping The Benefits of Winter Pruning: Why It's Worth Bundling Up!

Snow and Ice Safety For Your Home

The Jacobsen Blog — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:05:02 EST

If you were to drive to the mall this weekend and do a bit of window shopping at your favorite clothing store, you’d have no idea that we were in the depths of winter. Even after our first sizable snowfall, the manikins are dressed to anticipate a season of flip flops, short shorts and sunglasses. To be sure, the journey to this point has been bizarre, with unseasonably warm temperatures giving false hope to a year without winter. Yet, our fantasies are crushed as we return to a reality of icy sidewalks, dead car batteries and black ice.
In such a world, it’s important to give some thought to some basic principles of snow safety in your home. Any combination of cold temperatures, snow, ice and slush can compromise both your plans and your safety, so here are a few simple tips (some obvious and some not
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Avoid 'Open Season' On Your Full Sun Plantings

The Jacobsen Blog — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:16:07 EST

by Emil Rostello, Jr., Landscape Design/Sales
As a landscape designer, there are so many beautiful plants I can use to ply my craft. In most areas I do just that, with one exception—deer country! I liken it to the painter being limited in the colors they can use, or the builder being restricted to building only one story buildings. We landscape designers must come to terms with the unavoidable truth that deer devour most flowering plants, especially the cultivated ones. So, as any artist would, I’ve adapted and turned a negative into a positive, and along the way developed a style and design process by which I can create beautiful, dynamic landscapes with a relatively limited plant palette. Here are a few things that I do to make the most of this tough situation:
First and foremost, landscaping in deer country requires a different mindset; it requires the designer to think in bold strokes. With the limited plant palette you need to think in larger
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Winter Burn: Prevent Devastation through Anti-Desiccation!

The Jacobsen Blog — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:17:29 EST

by Jessica Agnello, Landscape Design/Sales
Winter cold and winds can be harsh on your landscape. Temperature fluctuations in the winter result in moisture loss for your plants, which can be devastating on your evergreen trees and shrubs that maintain foliage year round. As the ground freezes, transpiration occurs from the needles and leaves, resulting in an increase in water demand. If the roots of these evergreens can’t keep up with this moisture loss, the result is Winter burn or ‘desiccation’—the needles and leaves will turn brown and crispy due to dehydration of the plant.
The same thing happens to us in the winter, and we accordingly apply moisturizers to protect and restore our skin. Plants need the same kind of attention, which is why you should take action to protect your plan
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Compost: Putting Your Leaf Piles to Work

The Jacobsen Blog — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:51:08 EST

by Emil Rostello, Jr.
Fall is coming and so are the piles of leaves. Did you know that those leaves falling outside your window are a great raw material for making compost?
I can hear it now, “I tried to compost my leaves, but it didn’t work.” The truth is most people have tough time trying to compost leaves, especially if they’ve never done it before. But don’t fret, learning how to compost leaves is not nearly as difficult as you may think. Here are some tips to get those leaves a composting!
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Sustainable Practices: Mowing Tips

The Jacobsen Blog — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:27:17 EST

By Jessica M. Agnello, Landscape Design/Sales
Maintaining a sustainable yard can help conserve the natural resources on your property, reduce synthetic pesticide use, and make room for wildlife. Here are some suggestions for your lawn that will encouarge a safe and balanced environment for you, your children, and your pets.
What kind of mower do you use to mow your lawn? The larger the mower, the more non-reusable fossil fuel it uses. And don't forget, noise pollution can be a major irritant for your neighbors and has a negative effect of wildlife especially during breeding season. Unfortunately, the practice of mowing grass that we have become so accustomed too can have a negative effect on the environment by reducing wildlife habitat, destroying nesting wildlife, and eliminating food for pollinating insects that farmers and nature depend upon.

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Landscape Lighting Survival: Adjusting Your Transformer

The Jacobsen Blog — Sat, 28 May 2011 09:33:14 EST

By Benjamin Grace
The benefits to incorporating outside lighting on your property are innumerable. Whether you want to light up your back yard like Times Square or go for subtle sophistication, there are many different ways to light your landscape. Perhaps you and your family tend to enjoy a quiet evening bbq and accent light your favorite trees or rock outcropping to set the mood. Or you're the social butterfly and host events and functions lasting last long into the night and light the pathways to your pool, the steps in your deck and down light your trees. There is no end to what can be accomplished.
But on daylight savings- DISASTER STRIKES.
It happens every year. The clock changes and the sunset becomes early or later. All accross your town you notice that peoples outdoor lighting turns on while it's still broad daylight or hours after it's bec
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Irrigation Survival Tip #1: Drip Systems

The Jacobsen Blog — Sat, 28 May 2011 09:30:59 EST

As a landscape professional passionate about the environment, it is important to be able to bring a change to the irrigation industry in order to create a more sustainable environment. On the east coast have seen droughts in two out of the last three years and severe rains in the other. Many companies out west have been practicing sustainable design, installations and practices for decades and it's time we catch up. We aren't called the "green industry" for nothing.
Irrigation systems have been around for thousands of years, but the changes that have developed in the past decade have been monumental. In the landscape industry, we have gone from hydraulic timers and valves to timers that can be controlled by computers miles away. Technology has improved to create more efficient ways of irrigating while reducing water consumption, detecting leaks and problems. While you may be hesitant to replace a working timer, the bottom line is that smarter technology will
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