It is almost Mother’s Day and that means it is time for seasonal color. Instead of a bouquet of flowers that quickly wilts, you can give the mom in your life a planter full of seasonal color. We can even swap out the plants in the planter up to four times a year for year-round seasonal color. Here is what you can choose from for your planters.
Just the Right Size
We have four sizes for your seasonal color planter. Small is less than 16 inches in diameter. Medium is 17-21 inches in diameter. Large is 22-27 inches in diameter. Anything over 27 inches in diameter is considered custom. You provide the planter in the size you want, and we will fill it with potting soil, fertilizer, and plants.
Pick Your Pallet
You can pick the color pallet that you like from a selection of complementary colors, monochromatic, polychromatic, or analogous colors. Our plant specialist will design a planter with the colors you choose.
Container Styles
We have five container styles for you to choose from. The Dynasty planter has a classic, symmetrical evergreen plant in the center with annuals all around it. The Renaissance planter is asymmetrical and organic looking. It has an evergreen and annuals as well. The Noble planter has a wispy grass as the centerpiece surrounded by annuals. If you want something colorful from the tropics, order the Crown Jewel planter. The Chateau planter has both mounding and cascading annual. We can also custom design a planter in a different style for an additional cost.
Specials
When you order two containers, you will receive $25 off. For three or more containers, we will give you $50 off. If you sign up for a two-season swap you will save 10% while a four-season swap will earn 15% savings. Let us know if you want to set your properties colorful planters on Auto-Pilot with our subscription programs.
Watering Your Planters
Planters will need to be watered often, especially in the summer heat. To make keeping your planters watered and healthy easy, we can help install drip irrigation from your existing sprinkler system as an additional service.
Curb appeal is how good your house looks from the sidewalk. A 2010 study showed curb appeal accounts for 7% of a home’s value. in a soft market, that amount goes up to as much as 14% of a home’s value. Increase your home’s curb appeal by following these tips.
Replace Overgrown Shrubs
Shrubs that have grown too big for the space they are in can make your home seem smaller than it is. Replace such shrubs with native and adapted shrubs that will be the correct size for the spot they are in when grown. Other than trimming out dead or diseased branches, you should not have to prune a plant to fit in a space. Native plants tend to require less water and other care than nonnative plants. Check out our favorite shrubs here.
Add Annual Color
Annual color can really make your landscape beds pop. Now is the time to add all those amazing colorful annual flowers to your yard. Adding some now means they will look nice for Mother’s Day. Keep in mind that it is a couple weeks early to be sure of a late night frost, so if they are summer heat loving annuals, there could be a chance to have to cover them but by Mother’s Day we are usually in the clear from any threats of overnight frost.
Plant Now
If you need to replace plants that are too big or just aren’t doing well, you need to do that now. In a month or so, it will begin to get hot. Transplanting a plant is hard on it. While fall is the ideal time to transplant perennials and shrubs, spring is the second-best time to do that. Roots can get established before the full heat of summer arrives, and your watering commitments will be less with the spring rains.
Refresh Mulch
Adding an inch or two of mulch around trees and shrubs and in landscape beds can make them look much neater. The mulch replaces the amount that decayed over the year and works to prevent weeds from invading your landscape beds. It also keeps the soil cooler and moist, so your plants don’t have to work so hard to survive.
Lighting
Lighting can be used to accent the positive parts of your outdoor space while hiding the less favorable features. A house that has appropriate lighting looks warm and inviting. In addition, the extra light helps with home security.
Clearing Clutter
A neat yard increases curb appeal the same way a neat inside increases how nice a home looks. Make sure hoses are neatly rolled up, mowers are in sheds, and other tools are put up. Nobody wants to dodge tools when walking around the yard.
Garden Care Your Way
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can help you increase your home’s curb appeal. Enroll in our garden care program and we will replace bad looking shrubs, spread pre-emergent on the landscape beds, and add mulch where it is needed. We make sure the landscape beds look their best. We can also test your lights and make suggestions for the best way to light your landscape. Just call the office at (816) 825-2524 to enroll.
With the spring rains last week, we have noticed many people are experiencing drainage issues. If these are not taken care of, they can damage your foundation and other structures, cause erosion issues, or make your yard a swampy mess. Here are some things to consider making sure you don’t have those problems.
Swales and Berms
Swales and berms work to channel and direct stormwater, so it doesn’t impact your foundation or other hardscape areas. Swales are the valleys and berms are the hills. If you have a row of houses with similar stormwater problems, you may have to work with your neighbors to create a swale and berm system to shield all the homes without making the problem worse for some of them.
Burying Downspouts
A lot of water can move off the roof of your home through the downspout and cause a problem with your foundation. The solution is to bury the downspout and channel that water at least ten feet from the foundation. Alternatively, you can make a rock stream path lined with plants that can tolerate being submerged for twelve to twenty-four hours after a heavy rain, but can also tolerate being dry for long periods. Native grasses work well for this with their thick crowns that resist erosion.
French Drains
If you have a low spot that doesn’t drain well but can’t be filled in, like around the foundation, you may need a French drain. This is a trench that is lined with a fabric barrier. A perforated pipe is placed in the trench and it is filled with rock. Some people put a layer of sod on top, while others leave the rock exposed. The French drain helps the surface water drain instead of standing and providing a home for mosquitoes.
Drainage Plan
Developing a comprehensive drainage plan can help you safely direct stormwater around your landscape. Some jurisdictions require such a plan if you add more than 400 square feet of impervious surface. Comprehensive drainage plans are important to make sure you do not send water into your neighbor’s house.
If you plan on entertaining this spring or summer, you need a beautiful outdoor living space. Here are some tips on making the most of your landscape.
Assess Your Space
Look at your current outdoor space. Take note of the size, how it is laid out now, existing features such as trees, a patio, or landscape beds, and sunlight. Using graph paper, draw a map of your landscape to scale.
Define Your Purpose
What are you planning to use your property for? The layout for a landscape optimized for entertaining guests is different from a yard optimized for kids to play in. The structures and furniture needed are different, too.
Incorporate Native Plants
Incorporating native plants into the landscape saves money on water and fertilizer. You do not have as many problems with your plants dying when you use varieties adapted to the Kansas City climate. Native grasses like little bluestem, wildflowers such as purple coneflower, and native shrubs can form the basis of a low-maintenance landscape. Working with an experienced professional can really add value as they know what plants are hardy in your area and will stand the test of time.
Create Zones
Divide your outdoor space into zones based on purpose and function. For example, you may have a grassy area your kids can play in, a football-watching party area, and a dining area with a table and chairs. Do you want a roof over your space? This protects people from the elements and allows you to add a fireplace and big-screen television.
Add Comfortable Seating
Buy furniture designed for outdoor use. It will last longer and be more comfortable. Materials such as weather-resistant wicker, teak, or metal with comfortable outdoor cushions will do better than furniture for indoor use. We have found that investing a little more in higher quality can pay off in the long term, as you won’t have to replace pieces every few years.
Provide Shade
Summers can get hot, so shade is important. You can build a pergola, a roofed area, or use a shade umbrella or shade sail. Trees planted around the yard can work well, too. Trees can shade out grass, so place them in places where that won’t be a problem.
Illuminate the Space
Lighting up your outdoor living space not only extends the time you can enjoy it but is a great security feature. There are many ways to illuminate a space from string lights, lanterns, LED lights, or fixtures in the covered part of your space. Lighting up edges enhances safety, too. After all, you don’t want guests falling in the pool.
Incorporate Water Features
Speaking of pools, adding a water feature can help the local wildlife. A fountain can create the soothing sound of running water. That masks street noise and promotes relaxation. Water is a life giving element and it has tremendous effects on the health and wellbeing of your family.
Personalize Your Space
Display your personality with the rugs, furniture, and art you incorporate into your outdoor living space. Personal touches tie the landscape together and let everyone see who you are. We often specify focal features that can be sculptures, fountains, large planters, or even a specimen plant.
We Can Help
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping is a full-service landscape design company. We will be glad to come out and talk with you about maximizing your outdoor space. Once you are happy with the design, we can build what you need to make your space suit your activities. Simply schedule a consult to get started.
Reviews help people find businesses that meet their needs. Your reviews of Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping help people who need landscaping design find us. Here are some reasons why your reviews of us are important.
Reviews Influence Consumers
When you need a product or service, the first people you ask are friends and family. If they don’t know, then most people start searching for what they need online. How do you know if a particular company is reputable? Most people read the reviews online to see what other people’s experiences with the business have been. If the business doesn’t have reviews, most people move on to the next business.
Reviews Give Us Feedback
When we read our reviews, we often find constructive criticism that we can use to improve our business. We value this information. We can’t continue to improve without feedback on what works and what doesn’t work very well. We read and consider every review.
Reviews Allow Us To See How Competitors Are Doing
Nobody is perfect. While we read our reviews, we also read the reviews of other landscape design companies. These give us ideas to improve our business and reach more people.
Reviews Help Increase Website Traffic
Reviews on popular services like Yelp! And Google help drive traffic to our website. The more people who find our website, the more people we can help. Of course, that helps us because we do need to eat and pay our bills.
Will You Help Us?
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping would really appreciate our customers writing reviews on popular sites such as our Yelp! Page, Google Business Pages, the Better Business Bureau, and other review sites. We want everyone to enjoy their outdoor living space and the more reviews we have, the more people we can help.
