Guest article by Lee Park and Rachael Baihn with natural solutions recommended by Exterior Designs, Inc. Insects in your New Orleans home and yard can drive you buggy. A well-designed landscape includes flowers, plants, and shrubbery that can keep common pests away. Some insects in New Orleans are vital to the ecological balance. But the city has its share of mosquitoes, cockroaches, katydids, stinging caterpillars, crickets, and many others. Blame the heat, humidity, and proximity to Lake Pontchartrain for attracting insects. Bug Biology 101 Most insects have a keen sense of smell — but they don’t detect scents and odors like humans do. Many insects “smell” by using their antennae or other organs. It gives them the ability to sniff out food, potential mates, and to avoid predators. Bugs also produce odors that help them communicate with each other. Many plants are able…
Often when we visit our clients’ homes, we notice they are underutilizing their backyard. More specifically, many homeowners are only using the space directly surrounding their home. Whether they have a front porch, rear patio or outside kitchen, the space being occupied is generally the area under the home’s roof. While this is a nice way to spend time outdoors protected from the elements, the desire to get into the yard is shared by many. Defining the home’s style and considering the flow is of upmost importance when enhancing to your landscape. That’s where Exterior Designs comes in! We want to see our clients using every square inch of their yard, but doing so in style and with purpose. Checkout some of our latest pergola designs and the inspiration behind them. Pergolas Come in Many Styles No wonder the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) listed pergolas as…
Guest article by Peter Goldberg and Rachael Baihn with natural solutions recommended by Exterior Designs, Inc. You’re doing everything right with your lawn. You plant the best grass seed for New Orleans weather. You follow the proper procedures and do what’s best for your yard. But even the most well-kept lawns are susceptible to disease. Learn how to prevent and overcome these lawn diseases that are common in New Orleans. Because we love our pollinators and want to continue to enjoy healthy fruits and vegetables, we will always recommend natural remedies. Here are the seven most common lawn diseases in NOLA and how to deal with them to restore your lawn to greatness! #1: Brown Patch Brown patch is a fungus that attacks most types of grasses but causes the most damage to Bermuda grass, St. Augustine grass, and centipede grass. It…
As a local Landscape Designer and owner of Exterior Designs, I am always interested in hearing about the value of the services I provide to New Orleans and its surrounding areas. I recently read landscaping can add tens of thousands of dollars to the value of a residential property. And it’s no wonder because with time, interior décor generally goes out of style. However, landscaping only matures and becomes more valuable as time goes on. From my experience working with realtors and their clients, among the top things buyers seek the most in a new home is a well-manicured design and large, mature plants and trees. Home buyers typically understand the costs associated with creating a new landscape and many are willing to pay more for one that’s already established. It reduces their out-of-pocket expenses as they can absorb the…
With temperatures dropping and staying cooler, many gardens lack color and life, but they don’t have to! LSU AgCenter suggests adding cool season annuals to your landscape during the winter to “enhance the quality of your garden, increase curb appeal and add color and dimension to a possibly otherwise barren landscape.” Not only will these varieties liven up an ordinarily drab garden, they will also provide much needed nourishment to nectar-loving migrating insects that are preparing to fly south for the winter. Supertunia Vista Bubblegum Petunia According to LSU AgCenter, the Supertunia Vista Bubblegum petunia is one of the most talked-about petunias over the past three to five years, and one of the best petunias in landscape trials at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station. The clear, bright pink flowers have proven to be one of Louisiana’s most durable varieties. They can grow 16 to 24…
Guest article by Ali Sanderson. Photo by Fauzan Saari on Unsplash. Why Faking the Lawn is Worth the Trouble New Orleans set a new record with a temperature of 96 degrees in May 2018 according to the National Weather Service. Tending to your lawn in hot temperatures that come with humid warm air is not anywhere close to pleasant. However, people do spend several hours a week keeping their lawns immaculately manicured so that their grass is always greener than the other side. The reward is people constantly pausing at front lawns just to take a look and some even bending to touch the grass. So it’s not hard to imagine why a “veteran natural lawn-maintainer” would look down on people who go the easy route with synthetic turf. Artificial grass is cheaper to maintain Artificial grass or synthetic grass is simply an outdoor carpet that looks…
Guest article by Ali Sanderson. Photo by Luke Schobert on Unsplash. Planning and developing a beautiful garden is a very rewarding pastime. However, there is one aspect of a successful garden that many people overlook. That is the availability of pollinators. For those who hope to grow fruits or vegetables in their garden, having nearby pollinators, such as domesticated bees, is necessary for flowers to set fruit on plants. Thankfully, beekeeping has become an increasingly popular activity for people with gardens and yards of all sizes. You do not need to have several acres of apple orchard to keep bees. You just need a little planning to ensure you have adequate food resources available for your hive. Creating the Perfect Landscape New Orleans agriculture, plants, and wildflowers depend on pollination from bees. Thus, the fall season is the perfect time to plant and make your…
When is the best time to add a shade tree to your landscape? Beverly suggests fall is one of the best times to add shade trees to your landscape. The soil is still warm, yet the opportunity for rainfall and cooler temperatures allow the tree to establish itself before springtime. When selecting a shade tree for your landscape, a few considerations should be kept in mind. Size how large will the tree become once it’s mature where will it cast its canopy in your landscape, and how will its shade affect other plants Appearance what will the tree look like throughout the year will it fit in with your landscape aesthetic Ecological how your selection will benefit the local wildlife whether or not the tree be a host to destructive insects and disease pests Maintenance what maintenance will accompany your…
Louisiana citrus season is here and for the next two months or so, you will notice an abundance of Louisiana tree-ripened satsumas, grapefruits, navel oranges and lemons at your local grocer and farmers’ markets. When it comes to Louisiana citrus, an ongoing trend is homeowners buying their very own citrus trees to plant in their yards. We consulted the experts at LSU’s AgCenter to find out what to look for and how to maintain a healthy citrus tree in Louisiana. A few tips include: Purchase your citrus tree from a certified nursery; this ensures the health and longevity of the tree. Allow your fruit to tree-ripen before picking. This allows the fruit to absorb the most nutrients from the soil resulting in a sweeter fruit. Do not let the root stock take over the tree. Doing so creates a thorny plant…
Often viewed as a symbol of resurrection and renewal, butterflies are a sure sign summer is on its way. In south Louisiana, we have approximately 55 species of indigenous butterflies, bumblebees, honeybees, ladybugs, as well as 12 species of hummingbirds. Pollinators are biotic agents, like bees, butterflies and certain birds, that move pollen from male to female parts of flowers. They are responsible for assisting over 80% of the world’s flowering plants and play a crucial role in the ecosystem. Without them, food would be very scarce! Why not build a garden to invite these important colorful pollinators to your yard? Size does not matter. Your garden can take up the entire yard or can be as small as a window box or few containers. The most important thing is to choose a mix of native annuals and perennials that…