Heritage's New Mulch Blowing Truck

This week Heritage purchased a used mulch blowing truck. Mulch provides an alternative to pinestraw. Some benefits of using mulch are it stays in place during high winds and it's a natural bi-product of the tree industry. This Finn truck also has the ability to blow topsoil to washed out areas.  

A dedicated crew is trained to operate this equipment. In the picture below, our guys are applying a fresh layer of mulch to this bed. 

Please contact Robert or Ashley if you are interested in this option for your property. We continue to seek out ways to best serve our customers. 

Readying the fields for the annual dove hunt

Each fall, Heritage offers a dove hunt on Robert's family's farm in McBee, SC, on the Saturday after Labor Day. While we (Ashley and Anna and the boys) were in McBee today, we checked out the field that has been prepped for the dove hunt. Corn and millet are growing well!

The boys loved running down rows of corn. 

What a beautiful day. We're looking forward to sharing the hunt with you in a couple of months!

Ultimate Landscaping Machines

In an effort to save on fuel and personnel costs, Ashley and Anna recommend that Heritage take a truly green approach to landscaping. 

Please see the picture below, which offers a glimpse at the new prototypes for the ultimate landscaping machines. We'll have to determine what to do with our current equipment and our managers' job tasks may change, but we know this will be better for the environment ultimately.

Ha ha!

Meet Waylon and Ziggy, Ashley and Anna's new Dwarf Nigerian Goats. They had fun the other evening checking out one of the Heritage trucks while Ashley mowed the grass.  They will eventually be used to help keep the brush "mowed" down around the house. You can read more about their farm life on Anna's blog, Okra Hill Farm. 

A Bucket of Fun

One of the perks of being a landscaping family is the kids get to ride on and in all sorts of equipment. Case in point, here are most of Robert's grandkids in the bucket of Kleck's front-end loader. What fun!

Left to right: Weston, Mallory, Ryan, Levi, and a neighbor, Kennedy. 

Almost March: A Walk Through Our Yard

After a month or two of dormant plants and little color, our home landscapes are livening up with crocus blooms, daffodils, and Carolina jasmine. When these first flowers appear, we know that spring won't be too far away. This year the first day of spring is March 20.

In many areas, crocuses pop through the snow. We've been lucky this year to avoid the wintery weather--but still appreciate seeing those yellow, purple and white blooms. These crocuses are at our house (Ashley and Anna). Levi likes to call the striped ones "zebra crocuses." Crocus is a genus in the Iris family.

Another favorite spring bloom is the daffodil. It is one of the most hardy bulbs--even the most inexperienced gardener should have no trouble growing a group of these. Squirrels and other pests leave the bulbs alone and according to the American Daffodil Society, daffodil bulbs should outlive the gardeners who planted them. Although this flower is sometimes called a "jonquil" in the South, that term really only applies to a certain species of daffodil. 

Also blooming this time of year is the native Carolina Jasmine. Our state flower, the Carolina Jasmine is a trailing/climbing vine that is recognized by its yellow blooms. Ashley and Anna have several of these vines growing on their property. 

We hope the blooms around town and in your own yards lift your spirits as we wrap up this winter!

February Lawn Maintenance Tips

We would like to share some monthly lawn maintenance tips for keeping your yard looking its best for February:



-Fertilize and mulch all trees and shrubs.
-Water pansies, trees, shrubs, etc. as needed during dry spells.
-Cut back ornamental grasses: Miscanthus, Pampas, Liriope.
-Lightly prune all crape myrtles.
-Prune 'Knock Out' Rose
-Use dormant oils to control scale or bores on maples and fruit trees.


Here is a great article about some of these and other tips...

Amy’s February Horticultural Tasks

Written by Amy Bledsoe 

Annuals
Sick of winter?  Start planning for color in your yard. Even those with physical limitations can have a garden by using colorful planting containers. Window boxes, hanging baskets, and pots placed near the entrance welcome visitors to the home. Limit use of annuals to those that can be planted easily in a small amount of time, and use perennials that return each year to provide the bulk of the color. 

Turf
Relax. Enjoy the break from the heat and mowing. Have you had a soil sample taken yet? Don’t procrastinate any longer!

Perennials
Cut back ornamental grasses now and plan for new plantings of ornamental grass in the spring.  Consider these wonderful
choices:

• Pampas grass is great for making a statement in a larger space but does have sharp blades of grass that can cut.
• Muhly grass is a smaller option that has soft leaves. Sweet grass baskets sold to Charleston tourists are made from this grass. When in bloom at the end of the summer, the pink plumes resemble floating cotton candy.
• Other great choices are all in the Miscanthus family of grasses such as ‘Adagio’, ‘Gracillimus’, ‘Yaku Jima’, and ‘Morning Light’.
• Choices for dwarf grasses include ‘Little Kitten’, ‘Hameln’, and ‘Mouldry’.

There are many more choices - you can’t beat the low maintenance and drought tolerance of these ornamental grasses.

Roses  February is a perfect time for planting roses! Instead of buying cut roses for your loved one on Valentine’s Day, buy a rose bush to be enjoyed over a lifetime.

Shrubs  One of the best winter blooming shrubs is the Flowering Quince. For a small space try ‘Texas Scarlet’. These shrubs do have barbs, so consider placement carefully. This prickly bush can prevent trespassers and provide fruit for making quince jelly!

You can see the rest of this article here: Amy's February Horticultural Tasks. These are just a few suggestions. Feel free to ask questions or add to the list in the comments section.

Merry Christmas from Our Heritage Family

From the staff at Heritage Landscape Services and our family, we wish you all of God's blessings, the joys of a Merry Christmas, and wonderful New Year. Thank you for your continued business!

Pictured in the above photo:

Front row (left to right): Weston Harman, Mallory Harman, Levi McLeod and Ryan Harman

Middle row: Robert McLeod holding Mason McLeod, Debbie McLeod holding Parker Harman

Back row: Carey Harman, Kleck Harman, Ashley McLeod, Anna McLeod and Holly McLeod

The Newest Grandchild for Robert and Debbie

On Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011, Carey and Kleck welcomed their fourth child into our world, Parker Bryce Harman. He was a healthy 11 lbs 7 oz. Carey had a great delivery and they're all home now, adjusting to life as a family of six. Parker will have plenty of playmates with his with big brothers Weston and Ryan and big sister Mallory. Once all the Harman and McLeod kids have their driver licenses we can have a new Heritage crew taking care of our customers!

Here is proud daddy Kleck holding the sixth grandchild for Robert and Debbie. Congratulations to everyone!

In Our Yard: October's Beautyberry, Rose Hips, and Sasanqua

This afternoon the boys and I toured Robert and Debbie's yard to see what October looks like in their neck of the woods. Come along to see for yourself. Thanks to Debbie for the photos and plant information! 

Fall leaves pop against this weathered fence post. 

The Camellias Sasanqua creates stunning blooms in the fall. 

Commonly used in herbal tea, Rose Hips provide a nice reddish-orange color. 

American Beautyberry is native to South Carolina and adds a vibrant purple to landscapes this time of year. 

The chickens are always a favorite stop when we're outside at Debbie's. These girls lay great eggs and pair perfectly with the mums during their fashion shoot. 

We're thankful for the past couple of rainy days lately but are looking forward to more fall (sunny) weather. Park Seed Company has some helpful information about yard tasks for October and other fall months. Read here to learn more. 

In Our Yard: September

Although Robert and Debbie's well-established fig tree produced an amazing crop of figs this August, our new trees are still bearing fruit at the end of September. Which explains why it seemed suitable to discuss figs in this September yard post. 

The fig tree makes a lovely addition to your yard. They prefer to be planted near a building that offers some protection. Once established, the tree can grow to be quite large (as seen in this picture below of the fig tree at Robert and Debbie's).

These figs are ripe when they turn a brownish-purple color and are somewhat soft to touch. They should detach from the tree easily if they are ripe. You won't see many fresh figs in large grocery stores because they're a very fragile fruit.

Ah...but if you have the chance to try a fresh fig, certainly do! Their sweet taste pairs well with cheese. Or just bite in and enjoy it plain. Figs were one of the first plants to be cultivated by humans. To learn more about the common fig varieties, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_fig

As always, check out Amy Bledsoe's September's Horticultural Tasks to see what important things you should be taking care in your own yard.