Author Archives: Martin John Company

WANT TO ENSURE THAT YOUR PROPERTY SURVIVES THE DEEP WINTER? WE CAN HELP

With winter having arrived, many homeowners will be thinking about cozy evenings by the fireplace or being able to enjoy hearty meals with family and friends. However, this is also the time for them to be preparing their yards and outdoor spaces so that they will be able to withstand the harsh winter weather conditions as best as possible. Below are some aspects that we can assist you with that will help prepare your home to withstand the cold weather.

1. Planning Ahead and Getting an Early Start
The earlier you get started with winterizing your lawn, other plants, trees, shrubs, and irrigation system, the sooner you will be able to have your yard looking good when spring arrives. Your lawn and plants will also be able to absorb more nutrients this way. Waiting until there is snow on the ground to do this could result in your lawn and plants looking less than their best later on, or even dying in some cases.

2. Finding the Right Lawn Winterizer
Your lawn and garden will more than likely not survive the harsh winter months without having the correct winterizing products applied. Although most winterizing products contain similar ingredients to those found in other lawn food products, it is essential to obtain a product containing the correct ingredient ratios for your lawn. Our professionals will be able to advise you regarding which products will be best for your lawn and plants.

3. Removing Plant Debris
When left on your lawn for extended periods of time, leaves and other plant debris will cause dead and dry spots to develop. Allowing our team to assist you regularly with raking everything off your lawn and removing it from your property will help ensure that it remains aesthetically appealing and healthy.

4. Covering Flower Beds
While preparing your lawn to survive the cold winter months, it is recommended that your flowerbeds be covered with burlap sacks or fabric. This will provide your plants with much-needed protection against the cold and if you have not already done this, you should do so right away.

5. Taking Small and Fragile Plants Indoors
Some herbs, smaller pants, and delicate bulbs may not be able to survive to be out in the cold. Our team will be able to help you move these indoors so they can continue growing. However, you will need to act quickly if any are still outdoors at this time.

6. Preparing your Irrigation System
Chicago’s winter temperatures often drop to well below freezing, meaning that any water remaining in pipes, valves and other working parts of your irrigation system can suffer substantial damage if they are not correctly drained. In most cases, they will also need to be blown out with high-pressure air to ensure that no water remains anywhere. We will be able to advise you in this regard or perform this service on your behalf.

Our team is committed to helping you to keep your lawn and garden looking beautiful all year round. If you would like to find out more about the various landscaping and other services we offer, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team today. We look forward to hearing from you.

WHY NOW IS THE TIME TO FIND A COMMERCIAL SNOW REMOVER FOR CHICAGO’S TOUGH WINTER

If there’s one thing that can be said for winters in the Midwest – especially in Chicago and near the Great Lakes – it’s that winters can be incredibly harsh and unpredictable. It is not uncommon for a foot or more of snow to fall overnight, blanketing everything from your front steps to your car in a pile of pure white. It is always beneficial to start thinking about your snow removal needs prior to the first snowfall, and there are plenty of reasons to hire outside help, too.

You’ll Need to Get In and Out of the House Safely

Snow is definitely beautiful, but for many homeowners all across the Chicagoland area, it can be quite dangerous – especially when it comes to leaving your house. You can use rock salt to help prevent the front steps from freezing, but this only works up to a certain point, and it won’t stop inches of snow from piling up. Unfortunately, numerous injuries occur each year when people attempt to make their way out the front door after a snowstorm. Securing snow removal services now is a great way to prevent this.

You Have to Keep Your Sidewalk Clear

Plenty of HOAs and areas of the Chicago area (and its suburbs) require you to keep your sidewalk clear of snow for public safety reasons. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to clear the snow on their own within the given timeframe. Snow removal services respond on a first-come, first-served basis, so the sooner you choose to hire someone, the better off you will be.

You May Need to Get Your Car Out of the Driveway

When snow really piles up, you might decide to park your car in the garage overnight to spare yourself the cleaning in the morning, but if the snow has built up on your driveway just outside the garage, it may be difficult – if not impossible – for you to even get your car on the road. Snow removal services will clear your driveway from the road or street to your garage, making it much simpler and safer to get to your destination.

You Don’t Have the Time or Ability to Do it Yourself

Finally, it is important to remember that not everyone has the time or the able body required to remove snow on their own. Elderly homeowners may not have the ability to go outside and hook up a plow or use a snowblower, and people who work long hours simply do not have the time between work and sleep. If either of these scenarios sounds familiar to you, or even if you simply prefer to hire a professional to remove snow, now is the best possible time to make the call and learn more about the services that are available to you.

Winter is on its way, and that means cold temperatures and wintry precipitation are just around the corner. By securing a snow removal service early on, you can ensure that your driveway, front step, or even sidewalk – or maybe all three – remain clear and safe despite the weather.

DON’T WAIT FOR A SNOWSTORM TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR MULTIFAMILY UNIT – FIND A SOLUTION NOW

Do you own or manage a multifamily residential unit, like an apartment building? If so, winter probably presents some very specific challenges for you- especially snow and ice. Waiting until that snow and ice are already on the ground to figure out a removal solution is not beneficial in any way. Finding a solution now – long before the first snow hits – truly is.

Reduce Slip-and-Fall Injuries

Every single year across the US, there are a staggering 12,000 deaths due to slips and falls caused by ice and snow. Many of these are among older adults. Fortunately, there are things everyone can do to reduce it. When Mother Nature decides to come, in full force, at your multifamily complex or building, make sure you have a plan in place to keep things under control. Preventing slips and falls before they happen is always better than reacting to them after the fact, and your tenants will undoubtedly thank you for it.

Reduce Auto Accidents

If your apartment building or multifamily complex is served by a parking lot for residents, then this presents a brand new set of challenges. Parking lots are notorious for wintertime accidents, especially with snow and ice on the ground. All too often, property managers fail to prepare their parking lots for the incoming snow and ice. Ideally, you should keep a close watch on the weather, anticipate wintry precipitation, and prevent accumulating ice whenever you can. For large snowfall events, hire a professional snow removal company to keep things clear.

What Professionals Can Do for Your Multifamily Buildings

Whether you own just one apartment building or several buildings spread across the city; there are numerous advantages in hiring a professional right now to help you when the snow starts to fall. Some of the services they provide include:

  • Salt Application: Apply salt to parking lots, walkways, and sidewalks in anticipation of a winter weather event. Your tenants will be more comfortable, and safer without the accumulation of salt and ice. Your employees will also be grateful.
  • Plowing: Removing snow from parking lots and curbsides can be time-consuming. Yet hiring a company once the snow is on the ground can put you in a long, long queue. This means your tenants will likely be waiting a while before they can go anywhere. The earlier you find a solution, the better off you will be in this case. Did we mention your tenants will be happier, too?
  • Snow Removal: Sometimes there simply isn’t enough room on your property for the piles of snow that result from a professional’s plowing efforts. Make sure that the company you choose also offers complete snow removal.

Hiring a company that will salt, plow, and remove snow from your multifamily property this winter is a good idea. But you should not wait until Mother Nature unleashes frozen fury. In fact, doing it right now will help you ensure that your property is a priority – and that makes your tenants and your employees a priority, too.

Why Now is the Time to Think About Your Snow Removal Needs

If there’s one thing that can be said for winters in the Midwest – especially in Chicago and near the Great Lakes – it’s that winters can be incredibly harsh and unpredictable. It is not uncommon for a foot or more of snow to fall overnight, blanketing everything from your front steps to your car in a pile of pure white. It is always beneficial to start thinking about your snow removal needs prior to the first snowfall, and there are plenty of reasons to hire outside help, too.

You’ll Need to Get In and Out of the House Safely

Snow is definitely beautiful, but for many homeowners all across the Chicagoland area, it can be quite dangerous – especially when it comes to leaving your house. You can use rock salt to help prevent the front steps from freezing, but this only works up to a certain point, and it won’t stop inches of snow from piling up. Unfortunately, numerous injuries occur each year when people attempt to make their way out the front door after a snowstorm. Securing snow removal services now is a great way to prevent this.

You Have to Keep Your Sidewalk Clear

Plenty of HOAs and areas of the Chicago area (and its suburbs) require you to keep your sidewalk clear of snow for public safety reasons. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to clear the snow on their own within the given timeframe. Snow removal services respond on a first-come, first-served basis, so the sooner you choose to hire someone, the better off you will be.

You May Need to Get Your Car Out of the Driveway

When snow really piles up, you might decide to park your car in the garage overnight to spare yourself the cleaning in the morning, but if the snow has built up on your driveway just outside the garage, it may be difficult – if not impossible – for you to even get your car on the road. Snow removal services will clear your driveway from the road or street to your garage, making it much simpler and safer to get to your destination.

You Don’t Have the Time or Ability to Do it Yourself

Finally, it is important to remember that not everyone has the time or the able body required to remove snow on their own. Elderly homeowners may not have the ability to go outside and hook up a plow or use a snowblower, and people who work long hours simply do not have the time between work and sleep. If either of these scenarios sounds familiar to you, or even if you simply prefer to hire a professional to remove snow, now is the best possible time to make the call and learn more about the services that are available to you.

Winter is on its way, and that means cold temperatures and wintry precipitation are just around the corner. By securing a snow removal service early on, you can ensure that your driveway, front step, or even sidewalk – or maybe all three – remain clear and safe despite the weather.

Landscaping Mistakes Homeowners Make During the Winter Months

Homeowners have the best intentions when it comes to winter landscaping. In some cases, they just don’t want their lawns to look desolate and bare, but in others, they’re willing to accept a less-than-attractive winter lawn in exchange for bright green and beautiful blooms this spring. Below are five landscaping mistakes that many homeowners make during the winter months and some tips for doing the right thing instead.

Failing to Water the Lawn and Plants

Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean your plants won’t dehydrate. While they don’t need as much water through the winter months, they do still need at least some. Whenever your area isn’t getting rain or snow, and whenever the temperature is above 40 degrees, make sure that you are giving your lawn and your plants a good soaking water. They will thank you for it come springtime.

Skipping out on Raking

Homeowners think that once all the colors of fall have disappeared, they no longer need to rake. This is simply not the case. Though it may be tedious, and while it may not be your favorite job, it must be done. Mold and fungus can grow rather easily under leftover leaves and other debris, so be sure that you’re raking them up whenever you have the opportunity. Better yet, save them, and you can use them as free mulch! If you don’t feel like raking, you can always hire a professional to do it for you.

Not Checking Mulch Depth

Many plants struggle to tolerate subfreezing temperatures, and once frost hits the base of the stem or the roots, they may never recover. Building up mulch around these plants to a depth of about 3” is ideal. Though, between winter storms and wind, and thanks to your neighbors’ pets, you need to check your mulch throughout the winter, to make certain the depth is still correct. If it isn’t, just add more – or use some of the leaves you raked up! If you have a professional landscaper, this is something he or she should check for you regularly, too.

Forgetting About Pests

Homeowners mistakenly believe that when the cold air sets in, pests are a thing of the past. This isn’t the case, especially for rodents like mice, who rely on your lawn and, ultimately, your home to stay alive when it’s freezing outside. Keeping your grass cut short (1” to 2” – or a maximum of 3” for certain varieties) can prevent mice from nesting in your lawn. It will also keep them off your property altogether, so they are less likely to make their way inside.

In short, failing to water your lawn, skipping out on the raking, skimping on your mulch, or forgetting all about the existence of pests like mice can really wreak havoc on your landscaping. The best way to avoid these issues is to call a professional landscaping service who can handle these tedious tasks on your behalf and provide you with the peace of mind you need and deserve.

How to Keep Your Landscaping Looking Nice Even During the Winter Months

During the spring and summer, landscaping is a big focus for many home and business owners. However, once winter sets in, this seems to change. You might think that making your landscaping look nice during the winter is impossible, but the tips below can do just that.

Don’t Stop Raking

If you stop raking for the season after the first snowfall, you certainly aren’t alone. However, even though there aren’t quite as many leaves on the ground during the cold of winter, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist at all. When snow piles on top of those leaves and dead plant matter, the resulting environment can breed mold and fungus. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to rake your lawn now and then – especially where you can readily see the buildup.

Wrap Trees with Thin Bark

Trees with especially thin bark are susceptible to damage in the winter. This applies not only to certain species of trees but also to saplings and very young trees. A phenomenon is known as “sunscald” is a very real thing, and it occurs when there are large temperature fluctuations during the late fall and early spring. Use a light-colored wrap – even burlap – to prevent it.

Cover Shrubs to Protect from Salt

If your home or business is close to the road, and if any of your shrubs or plants are in what is known as “high-traffic” areas, it is worth your while to cover them with a tarp or sheet to protect them from road salt. In fact, if you are going to apply salt to a sidewalk or walkway near your plants, be sure to use it sparingly, and avoid using it near tree roots unless there’s no other choice for safety reasons.

Mulch Your Beds (And Check Them Often)

Mulch is much more than just a means to make your flower and plant beds look pretty. In fact, it can go a long way toward preventing frost from reaching plants’ roots. You can choose mulch in any color you prefer, or, if possible, you can even use the leaves you collected during the fall as mulch. Make sure your mulch is at least three inches deep to really protect the plants.

Keep Your Grass Cut Short

If you haven’t already mowed your lawn for the last time this season, now is the perfect time to do it. Just be sure that you lower the blade on your mower so that grass is no more than 2” tall – and ideally 1”. Grass can get frostbite just like your fingers and toes, and this results in dead patches or brown grass in the spring. What’s more, keeping your grass short through winter can also prevent pests like field mice from calling your yard home.

As you can see, there are plenty of things you can do to make sure your landscaping looks nice all winter long. Though many of these tips aren’t directly aesthetic, they will protect your trees, shrubs, plants, and flowering plants so that when spring rolls around, everything blooms as it should and nothing appears brown or dead.

Insects that can Actually Help your Landscaping

Believe it or not, not all bugs and creepy crawly critters are harmful to garden plants, shrubs and bushes. Several insects can in fact be highly beneficial to have roaming among your favorite flowers, and a few examples of these will be mentioned below.

Ladybugs

Although these are usually quite attractive looking insects and often depicted in children’s storybooks as friendly characters, ladybugs are in fact quite predatory. Before their pretty colors start showing through, they start out as rather ugly larvae and their primary food source is aphids. The average ladybug larva can eat as many as 40 to 50 aphids per hour, making them an excellent visitor among your rose bushes.

Praying Mantises

While praying mantises may not look like the prettiest bugs around, they sure deserve their place in virtually every garden. They are not only able to devour those pesky grasshoppers that destroy your plants; they have been known to make short work of some species of moths, flies and beetles as well.

Keep in mind though, that while praying mantises may eat grasshoppers, they have also sometimes been know to attack butterflies and bees.

Hoverflies

These flies may look like miniature yellow jacket wasps, but they are missing the stinger completely. Hoverflies feed on nectar and pollen and as such, are considered to be important for pollinating the plants in your garden. The larvae from these flies are also rather predatory in that they kill caterpillars, aphids and some types of beetles.

Honeybees

Honeybees are by far one of the most beneficial insects to have living in your garden – regardless of the types of plants and flowers you have. These busy little visitors are known for pollinating several of the plants that are responsible for producing the food we eat, so it’s crucial that they be protected in any and every way possible.

Some plants and trees that bees are responsible for pollinating include apples, broccoli, asparagus, cranberries, various types of melons and many other types of fruit. It has been suggested that humans would be without most sources of grown food within as little as four years if honeybees were to die out completely.

If you’re keen to attract bees to your garden, the first step is to provide them with a variety of flowers and plants that they can obtain pollen from. Popular offerings include poppies, clover, oregano, zinnias, marigolds, asters and geraniums.

To ensure that bees become regular visitors in your garden, you’ll need to provide them with a source of fresh drinking water along with the plants. A shallow birdbath with a little fresh water in can provide the ideal rest stop for these visitors while they’re hard at work gathering pollen in your yard.

If you have insects in your garden and you’re unsure whether they are beneficial to your plants or not, it can help to speak with an expert. Contact our experienced landscaping team today to find out more about attracting useful insects to your yard today.

Want Something Different on your Lawn? Try a Rain Garden

If you’ve been living in your current property for more than a few years, chances are that you’re becoming tired of seeing the same old garden and lawn year after year when looking out of your windows – but you may also be at a loss as to what else can be done to provide a little extra natural beauty in your yard. One option that can provide a fabulous focal point on your lawn is a rain garden.

What is a Rain Garden?

A rain garden is that which consists of various native perennials, shrubs and flowers that have been planted in a small depression and it is usually formed on a naturally sloping part of a lawn. It’s designed in such a way that it can temporarily hold and soak in rainwater runoff from driveways, roofing, lawns and patio areas.

Rain gardens have the ability to remove up to 90% of chemicals and 80% of sediments from rainwater runoff and when compared to a regular lawn, this enables as much as 30% more water to soak into the ground than before.

Types of Rain Garden

Three types of rain garden can be created in your yard, namely simple, intermediate or advanced.

Simple

On the average residential property, a simple rain garden can be something as plain as a depression in the ground where plants and grass grow and help filter any water that accumulates after it has rained. A low-lying area in a yard with lawn that isn’t growing too well can be converted to a rain garden by choosing a few native plants that will thrive in either extremely dry or highly swampy conditions.

Intermediate

Larger rain gardens can often look like detention ponds, with the only difference being that it is effective at absorbing and filtering runoff. Once again, choosing the right combination of plants will help create a rain garden that can also act as a natural habitat.

Advanced

When a water quality system is incorporated into a rain garden, it allows it to become functional piece of green infrastructure that can be linked to a property’s current storm water system. For instance, it can be constructed with a settling area that has a natural filtration system to capture trash and sediments that would otherwise end up in a city’s drain system. In some cases, these setups can include a collection bag that will need to be emptied out at regular intervals.

Benefits of Rain Gardens

They prevent rainwater runoff from going into sewer systems
They can filter runoff before it reaches waterways and sewers
They can increase the flow of groundwater
They can create various natural habitats for wildlife, butterflies, birds and insects
They beautify neighborhoods, public parks and yards
There’s no need to think that creating a rain garden is going to take too much time and effort or be too expensive. Simply contact our team of experienced landscapers and an appointment can be set up to discuss the options that will be best suited to your yard.