Since we want your trees, shrubs, and perennial flowers to be healthy when they enter your landscape beds.…

1. All the flowering trees and shrubs as well as evergreens that we deliver to our clients are purchased from reliable nurseries that handle material grown north of mid Indiana, so that they are accustomed to winter.

2. We try to alert our customers to any insect or disease problems that a particular plant may experience and assist in the timing of preventative treatments whenever possible. For insect or disease problems that arise during the season we advise on the most appropriate treatment and timing of application to have the maximum results for the plant.

3. We try to make sure our clients know how to handle both container and burlap balled plants, especially plants that may be root bound in the pot when they come.

Because New Vistas Landscaping wants our trees, shrubs and perennials flowers to remain healthy on your site…..

1. We recommend that all trees, shrubs and perennials have clean compost mixed in with the backfill of the soil on site at planting time. For groundcover and annual beds we recommend 1” of compost topping over the soil bed prior to planting.

2. We also recommend that each plant, large or small, is fed with root stimulator or blossom booster at the time of planting.

3. If a plant would benefit from special additives to lower or raise the ph of the soil at the time of planting we will make sure clients have this information as well.

To make your new landscaping easier to take care of…..

1. New Vistas often recommends the use of a weed barrier fabric on landscape beds where shrubs and trees are planted. Our favorite is “Weed X” which is a composite material with three layers bonded together to work at preventing weeds from rooting through from the top or growing through from the bottom.

2. Perennial plantings, on the other hand seem to perform best without a barrier fabric, allowing plants to broaden their clump size without being choked by weed barrier or being forced to root in the mulch on top of the barrier. However, we do have clients who really want weed barrier in the perennial beds and so the design for those perennials gardens has more space between each plant. Over time, clients may need to widen the openings in the barrier as the perennial clumps widen.

3. We recommend an edging material to keep grass from creeping into landscaping beds. Our designer will discuss many options including some edgers that stand up above the grass several inches and some that are only ½” above the grass and can serve as a mowing strip. If a black vinyl edging is desired, we recommend the black diamond professional grade vinyl edging because it has one of the highest ratings of UV light stability for long lasting performance. It also has a v-groove that is staked in place to avoid heaving with the freezing and thawing of ground in the winter, and connectors that help to prevent ends from moving apart.

4. Mulching landscaping beds is definitely recommended by New Vistas. Whether the mulch be stone or wood is often a customer preference.

4a. If stone is desired, designer, Judy De Pue can assist with a choice that will have the right weight for easy care where lots of leaves fall, as well the best coloring to coordinate with the home and plantings. She can also recommend the depth of the stone depending on its size and the application.

4b. When wood mulch is desired there are several options. The shredded types do less moving out of the bed where they are put. Of the colored varieties, New Vistas recommends a darker color so as not to compete with the coloring in the plant material. The “chocolate” coloration seems to look the most natural over time as it fades. Beware of the recently shredded tree and shrub cuttings as the piles are often still “steaming” when they are delivered and the decomposition process will rob the soil of nitrogen, causing plants to suffer.

4c. If the wood mulch is to go over weed barrier, New Vistas recommends the use of a professional weight of cypress mulch because it is the longest lasting of all wood mulches. This is especially important because a fast decomposing mulch will turn to dirt on top of the weed barrier. As new mulch is added to help prevent weed growth the depth of material on top of the barrier fabric increases. Unless this decomposed mulch is shoveled off the barrier every three to four years, the roots of the plants will become so buried that they will not get the oxygen they need to stay healthy.

4d. Shrubs and trees receive a 3” deep covering of wood mulch (except right up near the bark at the base where the mulch should not touch to allow the bark to breath). Perennials are given a 2” covering around their bases. 1” is usually best on annual and groundcover beds.

5. Trees out in the lawn which do not have circles of edging around them do well with a bulk wood mulch put down 3” deep in 5’ or 8’ diameter circles depending on the ball size of the tree at planting time or the spread of an evergreen tree's lower branches.

6. Since a tree develops stronger roots when it is not staked, only those trees that shift after planting, e.g. from a strong windstorm, and need this support, will be staked. (When trees are dug with big enough root balls, they rarely need staking.)

7. Plant care instructions are given to customers verbally, or can be purchased in written form for a nominal fee. Tips are given on watering, trimming, care of blossoms, and possible disease or insect problems to watch out for as well as how to treat them.