Sweeneys Custom Landscaping Articles
What’s Wrong with My Evergreens?
Sweet, sultry September invites each and every tree to the grand Autumn ball where Summer’s verdant robes are shed for the opulent, jewel tones of the season. Although we tend to think only of deciduous trees, evergreens too undergo change in Fall. As you know, waning daylight and cooler…
First Steps: Spring Clean Ups
Like a receding glacier, Winter began to wither and melt, leaving behind a scarred and battered landscape. Its tenuous grasp was loosening, and its legacy becoming more apparent, but March would surely deliver us unto Spring. Spring officially arrives March 19th, and Winter will be nothing more than a distant,…
Sowing Seeds in Winter… Outdoors
The air was thin and brittle, like paper. It sliced through flesh, wrinkled with every breath, and crumpled under foot. It was as if nature had been wrapped in a thin layer of cellophane, restrained and crinkling with every movement. It was a bitter and unforgiving landscape that stood stark and…
Surviving Winter Scientifically
The clouds descended onto the ground, swallowing the land, tree tops first, and the snow swirled upon the wind before the horizon became entirely blurred. A wondrous and eerie site. Winter was beginning to flex her muscle. Winter can be a brutal but beautiful season, chiseled from marble, dramatic yet…
How Birds Survive Winter
Finally snow! Sugar coated shrubs and lace capped trees refreshed the tired and gray landscape. And word has it, there’s more on the way followed by bitter temps. Winter has arrived! As we gaze upon the beauty of Winter from the safety and warmth of home, we ponder nature’s ability…
DIY Bird Seed
The sun settled into the saddle back of the hill, and tumbled off into the twilight. The shorter Winter days gave way to blushing lavender sunsets, cool and terse. Welcome January. As we begin to settle into our Winter routines while looking forward to Spring, why just fill our bird…
The Benefits of Snow
Delicately laced trees rose above the downy blanket of snow that quieted and comforted the landscape. It was, at once, beautiful and welcomed. Snow, for many, is merely a nuisance. Although the aesthetics are undeniable, the beauty, for most, does not outweigh the hassle. Snow is very much a four…
8 Tips for Selecting & Caring for Your Live Christmas Tree
The last of the Oaks discharged their leathery leaves, and the deciduous canopy was completely absent from the landscape. Stark and exposed, their skeletal forms seemed vulnerable and fragile in contrast to the lush, green boughs of the Evergreens who seemed to stand a bit taller with great hubris and beauty….
Feed Them, and They Will Come
The cloudless sky bore the sun’s full potential while the earth exhaled and uncoiled, basking in its warmth and affection. The landscape seemed to soften and stretch in the golden rays as all of God’s creatures took advantage of her benevolence. A rare gift indeed. During early Winter to early-Spring,…
Light My Fire: Fireplace Safety & Tips
November is like a bridge, offering us passage into the season ahead. As the landscape sheds its autumnal overcoat and bares its stark and barren beauty, we linger before winter’s slumber. We take stock of our lives, and the people we care for, and the comfort of hearth and home….
Preparing Trees & Shrubs for Winter
November extinguished the landscape ablaze, leaving only a few smoldering embers amongst the ashes. The trees stood unadorned and humbled as their Autumnal attire laid at their feet. The great sentinels now stood vulnerable and exposed. With Winter nipping at our heels, and the threat of consistent hard frosts (even a…
Put Your Leaves to Work
October caramelizes the landscape with deeply saturated tones and sweet, mellow flair. The static display of Summer foliage turns dynamic, each species unique in color, smoldering in the brisk, cool air. In addition to vivid displays, trees drop their leaves in an effort to conserve energy and nutrition for…