Is your outdoor living space set up to enhance your landscaping and create an inviting environment for your guests? Outdoor lighting can make all the difference when entertaining.
Extends Your Living Space
When summertime rolls around, you want to extend the party outdoors and with the right outdoor lighting features, you can do just that. Adding lighting to your deck, patio, or yard are just some of the ways you can extend that indoor living space to the great outdoors.
One factor to consider is what areas you want to be the focal point. Also, which areas need more lighting for safety reasons? For example, you might need more light for cooking and less for lounging. You could increase the light where people play games on the lawn and make it dimmer if you have an area with a fire pit. You can also illuminate walkways, stairs, grassy areas, and more with the right lighting system.
Add Ambiance
With the right lights and installation, you can add depth and shadows, highlight prominent features, and build an oasis that has everyone hoping for an invitation to your next summer event. One of the biggest benefits of outdoor lighting is creating the ambiance you want for the events you host.
Plan to spend time inside and outside your home well into the evening while enjoying all your outdoor living space this summer. The team of professionals at W.P. Law, Inc can help you design the perfect summer event lighting. Give W.P. Law, Inc. a call today.
Following a fertilizer program is a great start to figuring out the best time to fertilize your lawn. With a program, you will have access to a detailed plan customized to your lawn type and goals–no more troubleshooting or second-guessing the best steps to care for your lawn. Even a homeowner inexperienced in lawn care can achieve a gorgeous, healthy lawn with one of our fertilizer programs.
What to Expect from Our Fertilizer Program
Your individualized program will provide a guide to help you care for your lawn based on the specific grass you have. It will cover an easy-to-follow schedule featuring application rates that take the guesswork out of proper fertilization and weed control.
A sound fertilization program will include detailed information on the following:
Soils: A primer on how soil factors impact your lawn’s management, including ideal pH levels, soil applications, and soil testing options.
Watering: Details about watering requirements for your grass type and suggestions for using irrigation controllers and other solutions to maximize your watering tasks while practicing conservation.
Mowing: Guidelines for proper mowing height and schedule.
Pre-emergent herbicides: Best practices for using pre-emergent herbicides to prevent annual weeds from germinating in the lawn.
Aeration: Recommendations for aerating the lawn to loosen soil and prune the roots.
Management: Information about best practices for mowing, scouting, and fungicide applications to prevent insect and disease problems from taking hold in your lawn.
Troubleshooting tips: Proven troubleshooting methods for your specific grass type.
Month-by-month steps for insect control and weed prevention: Details regarding what steps to take each month to keep your lawn insect and weed-free and healthy.
Join W.P. Law’s Fertilizer Program to Achieve a Beautiful Lawn
Keeping your lawn looking its best doesn’t have to be a headache or a struggle. At W.P. Law, Inc., we are dedicated to helping you establish the right maintenance program to achieve the lawn of your dreams. Contact W.P. Law, Inc. today to get started with a fertilizer program best catered to your lawn.
Are you worried about your chances of having the yard of the month? Getting your lawn and garden looking their best this time of year can be a struggle. The weather is hot, life is busy, and the last thing you want to do is spend endless hours working on lawn care. The good news is that a beautiful lawn does not have to be backbreaking work. We’ve got you covered with these five lawn care tips that will have the neighbors trying to keep up.
Tip #1: Dethatching for Better Growth
Hand-held and power rakes are the essential tools for dethatching, which involves removing the dead grass and leaves from the top of the dirt under your lawn that builds up during the winter. Some thatch is good for your lawn, but too much of it prevents sunlight and nutrients from reaching the roots of the grass. Dethatching lets fertilizer, sun, water, and oxygen reach your grass for a healthier lawn.
Tip #2: Aerate in the Spring
Aeration every spring helps loosen up compacted soil where your grass grows. When the dirt gets too packed, it’s difficult for oxygen, nutrients, water, and fertilizer to reach the roots. Aeration opens the soil, allowing rapid and effective absorption instead of washing away.
Tip #3: Use the Right Fertilizer and Weed Prevention Products
Weeds can choke out the grass in an otherwise healthy lawn, hindering growth and leaving you with a less-than-award-worthy yard. Weed prevention can seem like a constant battle, but the right products are easy to apply, safe, and effective. Talk to your local landscape professional for tips about the right product and application for your grass type.
Tip #4: Keep on Mowing
One of the worst things you can do for your lawn is forgo mowing. Regular mowing ensures healthy grass that’s not so long it blocks the roots from getting sun but not so short that it damages the roots or burns in the summer heat. It’s essential to mow when the grass is dry and try to use the two-inch rule – when the grass is at least two inches tall, it’s okay to mow.
Tip #5: Overseeding Builds a Lush Lawn
Overseeding is spreading grass seed on an existing lawn without tilling the soil. Whether your lawn has patchy grass or not, overseeding is a great way to build a lush lawn and fill in any spots that are sparse or need some filler. Of course, you will need to do some soil prep and pay attention to the watering schedule to ensure it doesn’t dry out, but overseeding will help you have a fuller, greener lawn.
Tip #5: Add Some Outdoor Living Features
Now that you know how to make the grass look stellar, it’s time to bump up the outdoor living appeal to help push for the yard of the month. Have you considered adding a pond or water feature? What about landscape lighting or an outdoor kitchen? When your grass and garden look amazing, you want to enjoy them as much as possible. Adding some outdoor living features can make it more comfortable and enjoyable to be outside all summer and extend your indoor living space into the great outdoors.
Lawn care tips are just part of what can make your yard qualify for best on the block. When you’re ready to make it the best it can be, use the tips above, and consider calling in the pros for backup. Contact the W.P. Law, Inc. team for advice on outdoor living and the professionals to get your outdoor space ready for summer.
Are you thrilled that your garden is finally starting to bloom? Are your plants green and leafy and thriving? Don’t get too excited. The summer heat is gearing up to make a mess out of things. Hot weather can cause stress for your outdoor plants, and it’s important to know how to protect plants from the heat. If you want your garden to survive the scorching sun, you must have a plan. We’ve got you covered. Here are three ways to keep your plants safe from the heat this summer.
#1: Mulch is Your Friend
Mulch is helpful for your garden year-round by preventing moisture loss and soil erosion. In the summer, it also helps protect against extreme heat. Mulch acts as a barrier between the soil and the elements. It keeps the direct sun from hitting the dirt and heating the roots of the plants, and it helps the soil retain moisture, which is crucial to keeping your plants safe when the weather gets hot. Choosing a light-colored mulch can reduce the temperature even more because it helps reflect the sun, so the soil absorbs less heat.
#2: Time Watering Carefully
It might seem like your plants need the most water when the heat index is highest in the middle of the day, but that’s not the best way to protect plants from the heat. Watering when it’s hottest and the sun is high in the sky leads to excess evaporation, meaning you’re not only wasting water, but your plants aren’t getting as much as you think they are. Water in the early morning or evening when it’s cooler out. The water will reach the roots more effectively, giving them the moisture they need to tolerate the midday sun. Water at least three times a week, and deep watering is best if you can. A buried drip line can get the water close to the roots, where they absorb it most quickly. If you don’t have a drip line, a soaker hose close to the plants is another great option. It’s worth the time to have a landscape professional assess your current watering situation and recommend improving your irrigation.
#3: Provide Shade When You Can
One of the biggest challenges when figuring out how to protect plants from the heat is avoiding sunburn. The simplest way to prevent this problem is to plant sun-loving plants in the sun and plants that tend to burn in partial shade. Growing in pots can make it easy to move things around to provide the right amount of sun and shade. Another option is to use shade cloth over especially vulnerable plants. Then pay attention to the shade factors for your plants to ensure they aren’t covered too much or too little throughout the day.
The summer heat in South Carolina is no joke, but just because the weather is scorching hot doesn’t mean you can’t still have a fantastic garden. Try these other tips and tricks to keep your favorite plants safe from the heat. For more ideas on keeping your lawn and garden happy and healthy this summer, contact the experts at W.P. Law, Inc. for all your lawn care and irrigation needs.
Looking at home trends the last few years, you’ll find that outdoor kitchens are a constant, especially for homes in the South. They’re a great alternative to cooking and entertaining indoors when the weather is nice, but are they worth the investment? We’ll help you decide with this breakdown of the benefits.
Extending Your Living Space
Many families yearn for just a little more room in their homes. One way to create it is by designing an outdoor living space that extends your indoor space. Of course, if you lived in a northern state with long, cold winters, it might be a different story. But here in the South, with our mild climates and nearly year-round ability to spend time outside, an outdoor kitchen is one way to make your house feel bigger.
Room to Entertain
Do you love spending time with friends and family but hate getting stuck in the kitchen while everyone else is outside? A great solution is an outdoor living space that includes a kitchen. Whether it’s a built-in grill with a counter or a full-blown second kitchen, having room to cook and entertain without being separate from your guests makes it more likely you’ll entertain and more likely you’ll spend time enjoying your outdoor space.
Add Value to Your Home
Many home projects have estimated returns on the investment depending on what it is. But, fairly consistently, adding an outdoor kitchen tops the list when it comes to adding value to your property. Estimates range from 100% up to 200% return on the investment, proving an outdoor kitchen is a sought-after feature for home buyers even in today’s market.
Do you have more questions about investing in an outdoor kitchen? Talk to the pros who’ve been designing and installing them for years in South Carolina by contacting W.P. Law to get started.
Your landscape lighting system is a piece of your outdoor living space that highlights your yard, garden, landscaping, and home’s architecture. Unfortunately, your investment is at risk if you don’t take steps to prevent damage to the lights. Here are three tips to help keep them safe and in one piece.
Tip #1: Consider Location, Location, Location
Where you put your outdoor lighting is the most important factor in damage prevention. The first step is to ensure they’re not in the path of the lawnmower or other landscape maintenance equipment. As your landscape matures, lights will need to be adjusted or moved to prevent light blockage.
Tip #2: Use the Right Fixtures
We’re lucky with our mild climate that we don’t have to worry about mountains of snow and cold, but we do have our share of extreme weather. Investing in durable weather-proof fixtures will help ensure they’re long-lasting and can stand up to the elements.
Tip #3: Ensure Proper Installation
It can be tempting to do a DIY landscape lighting installation, but if you have more than a few lights, it’s best to leave it to the professionals. A reliable company can design the lighting system and install it to highlight your landscaping and home without exposing the wires, lights, fixtures, or components to damage from plants, insects, weather, traffic, and more.
Reach out to the outdoor living experts at W.P. Law, Inc., for more information on landscape lighting design.
Winterization of your water feature can mean different things depending on the climate. For example, in South Carolina’s mild climate, we can still get cold and even freezing temperatures in the winter months.
Winter Water Feature Care Dos
Do consider leaving the system running through winter. It still requires maintenance, whether you shut it down or leave it on. However, when you keep it running, you get to enjoy the aesthetics of your beautiful water feature every season.
Do- clear away the leaves, grass, and debris from the water and filter regularly, especially in the fall when the trees are still shedding their leaves for several weeks.
Do trim foliage and landscaping around the stream, pond, fountain, or water feature to reduce the risk of damage.
Winter Stream Care Don’ts
Don’t shut the water feature down when a cold snap approaches. In frigid climates, shutting a water feature down in the winter is essential to prevent the pipes from freezing and bursting. However, the water running through the lines in our mild climate keeps it from freezing, even when the temperature dips.
Don’t neglect to invest in a pond heater or deicer, especially if you have fish. It will open a bigger hole than the pump alone will.
Don’t hesitate to call on water feature experts if you have any questions or concerns during the colder winter months.
You can winterize your water feature to prevent damage and avoid a complete winter shutdown. With proper water feature winter care, you can enjoy your feature year-round. Contact the W.P. Law, Inc. team to learn more about how to prep your water feature for the cold.
Taking steps to irrigate before cold weather can be a crucial step to protect your lawn and crops from frost and colder temperatures. It may seem counterintuitive, but experienced farmers know irrigating crops will initially cause the temperature in the fields to decrease as evaporation occurs and then increase as the air temperature lowers during a cold front. However, once you understand how it works, you can use irrigation to your advantage as the temperatures drop.
Here are two noteworthy benefits your plants and lawn experience when you irrigate before cold weather:
#1: Frost Damage Prevention
Because water releases heat at a slower rate than air, watering your lawn can provide natural insulation that prevents frost damage. Irrigating one or two days before a cold snap will allow enough time for saturation and thorough insulation from frigid temperatures. In addition, with the slower heat release, the plants and grass blades have more warmth for longer periods, protecting them from frost.
#2: Root Hydration
Did you know drought-stressed plants are more susceptible to cold damage? Irrigation provides your lawn and plants the moisture they need to become stronger and healthier. Think of pre-freeze irrigation as an immune system booster! The healthier the plant cells are, the stronger the plants are and the more quickly they can fight off damage from frost and cold weather.
Implementing proper irrigation is an excellent way to keep your lawn and crops healthy all year. Contact the friendly irrigation experts at W.P. Law to get started with a plan to irrigate before a cold front and give your plants all the protection they need.
Are you looking for tips to achieve successful outdoor kitchen winterization? Just because winter is on its way doesn’t mean you have to close your outdoor kitchen for the season. Instead, taking some steps to winterize will allow you to maximize your outdoor kitchen winter use—even in the colder parts of the country. Here are our top tips to guide you, depending on the climate in your area.
#1: Cold Climate Outdoor Kitchen Winterization
For colder climates like in the northern parts of the U.S., here’s how to protect your kitchen and keep using it once winter hits:
Use Higher Cooking Temperatures: You can continue cooking in your outdoor kitchen during the coldest season. However, you may have to crank up the cooking temperature for your favorite recipes.
Wear Warm Clothing When Needed: Is snow falling? No problem. Bundling up will help you stay safe and comfortable as you work your culinary magic in the outdoor kitchen.
Protect Kitchen Surfaces from Winter Weather: Protect surfaces like islands, countertops, and cabinets, from winter precipitation and freezing temperatures by covering them with a breathable material that doesn’t trap moisture underneath.
Winterize the Refrigerator: If the temperature outside is consistently below 40ºF, you will want to remove all food and drinks, clean it out thoroughly, and unplug the fridge. Running the refrigerator during cold weather can damage the appliance’s compressor.
#2: Mild Climate Outdoor Kitchen Winterization
Although you may not experience the prolonged hard freezes they encounter in the northern climates, you’ll still want to perform some basic outdoor kitchen winterization:
Maintain Grill and Surfaces as Usual
Cover Exposed Kitchen Surfaces as Needed
Winterize the Refrigerator
These steps are similar to what you would do in colder climates, but you’ll only need to take precautions if the temps drop. Many homeowners in mild climates can continue to use their outdoor kitchens, as usual, all year long.
Keep on Grilling with Proper Outdoor Kitchen Winterization
The growing season is over, but have you taken steps to winterize your irrigation system? Doing this is a crucial part of your annual lawn care that many homeowners neglect and then regret.
If you forget to winterize irrigation, it can lead to a damaged irrigation system that won’t work correctly when you need it again in the spring. Take a closer look at the benefits of winterizing your irrigation system and the steps to take for a successful winterization process.
Cold Climates: Winterization for Northern Areas
In the frigid temperatures of northern areas, your irrigation system won’t stand a chance without proper winterization. Water remaining in the pipes will freeze and expand and can cause everything from pipes and backflow devices to sprinkler valves and heads to burst or crack. As a result, you may have to deal with costly repairs and replacements.
Mild Climates: Winterization for Southern Areas
Even the mild climates in southern areas have the occasional hard freeze during the early morning hours. Maybe it doesn’t freeze for long, but the water remaining inside the irrigation system can still create irreparable damage to the system. That’s why winterization is crucial to protecting your irrigation, even if you live in the south.
Schedule Expert Services to Winterize the Irrigation System
Professional winterization will ensure the entire irrigation system is empty and ready for the winter, so it will start back up without issues in the spring.
Let the experts at W.P. Law, Inc. help you winterize your irrigation system effectively. Contact W.P. Law, Inc. today.
