HTTP://www.deehanlandscaping.com/rss/news.xml News about Deehan Landscaping - Falls Church, McLean, Northern VA area - Certified Landscaping Professionals. en-us Sat, 12 Jan 2008 09:24:25 -0700 Sat, 12 Jan 2008 09:24:25 -0700 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss RSS.func 2.2 PHP/MySQL - Programmer Lewis A. Sellers webmaster@cedargrovedesign.com (Cynthia Rosenberry) webmaster@intrafoundation.com (Lewis Sellers) This bright New Year is given me To live each day with zest To daily grow and try to be My highest and my best! I have the opportunity Once more to right some wrongs, To pray for peace, to plant a tree, And sing more joyful songs! --William Arthur Ward In the new year, when many traditionally take the opportunity to "turn over a new leaf", at Deehan Landscaping, we put our energy into planning ahead to ensure that every service we provide is carried out as efficiently and expertly as possible from day one. We realize that the little things in life can add up and over time, become a chore and when it comes to your yard, patio, and exterior home lighting, we're on hand to pick up the slack and keep your home beautiful and a continual source of enjoyment. Pond maintenance is one chore we are able to attend to on your behalf. Although every pond we install is designed to operate efficiently, requiring a minimal amount of maintenance, occasional check-ups and cleaning may be performed to ensure all is running smoothly. In the winter, just as we humans occasionally come down with a cold if we go out in the cold without our coats, the fish in your pond need special handling to keep them healthy and resistant to the changing weather conditions. Here are a couple of tips for helping your fish stay in top health: Koi fish occupying anything from a moderately shallow to deep ponds are able to endure the cold of winter by hibernating at the bottom. During this time, it's important to refrain from feeding the fish as the food will not digest as normal during this period of hibernation, and food left in their stomachs will decay, potentially resulting in serious illness or the death of the fish. During warm spells, if the fish perk up, feed conservatively, however, keep an eye on the forecast. If low temperatures are just around the corner, feed sparingly and when the temperature drops, abstain from feeding once more. Another important consideration during freezing temperatures is to maintain an open airway on the surface at all times. If you're attentive, an opening can be maintained by simply poking a hole in the surface when the pond freezes over. If this is something you think you may forget to do or it's a task too minor to be bothered with, our 1250-Watt floating De-Icer will keep a hole open in the ice all winter long to ensure the health of your pond fish. Not intended to raise water temperature. Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0700 HTTP://www.deehanlandscaping.com/news/151/index.html HTTP://www.deehanlandscaping.com/news/151/index.html Look into the garden, Where the grass was green; Covered by the snowflakes, Not a blade is seen. Now the bare black bushes All look soft and white. Every twig is laden-What a pretty sight! Northern Virginia residents often encounter a less than white Christmas, leaving us faced with a dull gray and brown garden for several months. So what makes a winter garden stand out against the faded winter backdrop? Shapes: pruning of evergreens and topiaries adds visual interest throughout the year Lines: paths and stairs, retaining walls, strong lined junipers, trees, or structures Colors: Evergreens and berries, colored gravel or mulch, lawn furniture, or sculptures Wildlife: attracting wildlife keeps the garden lively and interesting Livening up winter landscaping with a few choice trees and bushes with berries and/or evergreen foliage will bring color back to the landscape and provide food for winter birds. For color, Junipers (Juniperus varieties) have green berries. Yews (Taxus varieties) and Hollys (Ilex varieties) have red berries. A few winter garden recommends: Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) Dwarf Euorpean Cranberry Bush (Viburnum opulus ‘Compactum’) Cranberry Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster apiculatus) Serviceberry (Amelanchier) Virginia Creeper vine Tip: When shoveling the walk and driveway, careful not to pile salted snow onto the lawn and landscaping plants as it may dry them out quickly once the weather clears up. Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0700 HTTP://www.deehanlandscaping.com/news/149/index.html HTTP://www.deehanlandscaping.com/news/149/index.html At a time of year notorious for inspiring lapses of moderation, who better to herald in the New Year than an uninvited flock of wandering Waxwings that suddenly crash at your doorstep and devour every berry in your garden in a single afternoon? Bohemian Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus) are pretty little things with a striking countenance that tend to flock noisily and in numbers. Their eyes are masked in black and their wings, tipped with red... You wouldn't know it to look at them but these sweet, fragile creatures (Waxwings) are comparable to the guest that talks endlessly, ends up wearing the lampshade, eating all the appetizers, and then proceeds to pass out under the Christmas tree! The smaller and more orange-hued cousin, Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum), is attracted by sugary berries and fruits, but most especially the Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana). Cedar Waxwings are known for overindulgence to the point of drunkenness. Highly gregarious in nature, the birds often flock on the branches and pass around berries until one finally swallows it. If the berries have lasted a wee bit too long on the bow, don't be surprised to spot tipsy Waxwings staggering about and even falling from the trees. Some tipsy Waxwings, having lost all sense of judgment and proportion, have been known to feast on fermented berries to the point of death. If you have winter-berry trees, vines, or shrubs in your landscape, you may have noticed these masked bandits flocking about but more likely than not, they'll have come and gone before you know it. You may spare the poor, silly Waxwings from an ignoble fate by ensuring your garden is wildlife-friendly and visited by many species of birds regularly so that your garden berries will be long gone before they reach the point of fermentation. A sober Waxwing is just as pleased with a suet cake as a fruit "cocktail". Tue, 25 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0700 HTTP://www.deehanlandscaping.com/news/150/index.html HTTP://www.deehanlandscaping.com/news/150/index.html