No mow seed mixes offer an ecological alternative that can reduce the time and money required for maintenance. They are a particularly good solution for commercial properties with a lot of acreage and little foot traffic.

What Are No-Mow Seed Mixes?

No mow mixes are comprised of low-growing, fine fescue turf grasses that grow to form a dense sod and thrive in full sun or partial shade. The bunch grasses are exceptionally drought resistant, thrive in low nitrogen soils, and have moderate tolerance to heavy foot traffic. The creeping fescues spread gradually by underground rhizomes to help fill in between the bunch grasses to create a weed-resistant sod. The creeping fescues also help to fill in areas that may experience turf damage.

Benefits of No-Mow Mixes

No-mow seed mixes can be a great solution for commercial properties because they:

• Grow to form a dense sod
• Thrive in full sun to partial shade
• Require little if any fertilization
• Need minimal watering (only during extended dry periods)
• Are resistant to most turf grass diseases
• Biologically reduce weed growth
• Reduce lawn maintenance dramatically
• Serve as an ecological alternative to traditional high maintenance lawns

An established no-mow lawn requires little if any watering or fertilizing, and minimizes weed growth through its interlocking root system. Best of all, no mow mixes reduce your lawn’s maintenance requirements dramatically because they only need to be mowed once or twice a year (or not at all, depending upon the look you prefer). For a more manicured look, no-mow turf should be mowed every month or so to a height of 3.5 to 4 inches.

Is a No-Mow Lawn Right For My Property?

No-mow mixes are not right for every property, but they are well suited to commercial properties with a lot of acreage and minimal foot traffic. In addition, they can be used in combination with traditional turf grasses to provide coverage on lower trafficked perimeter areas of a property, or in areas that back up to the woods.

To learn more about how a no-mow lawn can help reduce the cost of maintenance on your commercial property, contact us for a consultation.

U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters (Rendering)

E-Landscape is proud to have been selected to carry out landscape construction work for the U.S. Coast Guard Access Road at the St. Elizabeths hospital West Campus  in Washington, DC.

St. Elizabeths was originally established by Congress in 1855 as the Government Hospital for the Insane. In addition to providing mental health facilities for the Army, Navy, and District of Columbia, the facility also served as a hospital for Civil War soldiers. In 1916, Congress officially changed the name of the facility to St. Elizabeths Hospital.

St. Elizabeths is divided into two campuses. The West Campus is owned by the federal government and is under the custody and control of GSA. It is located in the Anacostia community in southeast Washington on a hill overlooking the Anacostia River with panoramic views of Washington and Virginia. The East Campus, owned by the District of Columbia, is located across Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue from the West Campus and is still in use as a mental health facility.

The West Campus was constructed between the 1850s and the 1960s and consists of 176 acres and 61 buildings with approximately 1.1 million gross square feet of space. It is a National Historic Landmark.

The GSA has prepared a Master Plan for the development of the West Campus as a high security campus for federal agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard. The construction of the Coast Guard Headquarters is the first project at the new St. Elizabeths campus. It is currently under construction with plans to acheive LEED v2.2 Gold certification. The project includes over 500,000 square feet of green roof and a storm water management system including wet ponds, bio-swales and step pools to handle storm water runoff for the entire campus.

E-Landscape’s scope of work includes the construction of a rain collection and storm water management system, subdrainage, and the installation of pavers.

Stay tuned for more information and updates on our progress!

[Image Credit: uscgproject.com]

Hilltop Phase I

Our crews are spending more time out in Howard County recently as we begin work on hard and softscaping for Phase I of the Hilltop Housing complex and a new recreation center in Ellicott City, Maryland. The Hilltop site and the new recreation center will comprise the first phase of redevelopment for what will eventually be a larger, mixed income community.

The Howard County Housing Commission plans for the project call for Hilltop Housing on Mount Ida Drive and the neighboring Ellicott Terrace apartments to be replaced by a mix of 273 housing units, some at market-rate and others subsidized. Included will be a new, 45,000-square-foot public recreation center, which County Executive Ken Ulman describes as a “fabulous state-of-the-art recreation center that will uplift not just the immediate community but … the entire area.”

The result will be a new, and so far nameless, community that is to be completed in 2014. Phase I – Hilltop and the recreation center – will be completed first, in 2013.

E-Landscape’s scope includes landscape planting, specialty soil mixes, bioretention facilities, and the construction of segmental walls.

[Image Credit: writing-the-wrongs.blogspot.com]

Korean spice viburnum is well suited for planting here in the Mid-Atlantic region. It likes full sun to partial shade and moist, but well drained, ground. There are six different cultivars of this plant, including some smaller varieties appropriate where space is at a premium.

Because they are unusually fragrant, we like to use Korean spice viburnum near entryways and windows, or as foundation shrubs, where passersby and building occupants can appreciate their scent. They are also a great addition to any property looking to attract wild birds, as their berries are a sought after food source.

Rain gardens are planted depressions that allow stormwater runoff from impervious urban areas like roofs, driveways, walkways, parking lots, and compacted lawn areas the opportunity to be absorbed into the ground instead of flowing into storm drains. The purpose of a rain garden is usually to improve water quality in nearby bodies of water, and they do this by cutting down on the amount of pollution reaching creeks and streams by up to 30%.

Because they reduce the amount of surface water on your property, rain gardens are also an effective way to help control erosion and flooding on commercial properties. Rain gardens can be installed on any low spot on your property, and can be designed to look as informal or as formal as you like.

Here in the Mid-Atlantic region, rain gardening is a common technique used to mitigate pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which would otherwise contribute to algae blooms and other problems in the Bay, are instead put to beneficial use when taken up by the plants in the garden.

E-Landscape has experience designing and installing rain gardens on a number of commercial properties in our area. For more information on adding a rain garden to your property, contact us at 410-798-4224.

Common Chickweed (Stellaria media)

Common Chickweed is a winter annual found in turfgrass, lawns and winter small grains. It has a shallow, fibrous root system and thrives in open, sunny or partially shaded areas. Chickweed tends to run along the ground, rooting at the nodes, with the upper portion erect or ascending and freely branching. Stems are light green in color,with hairs in vertical rows, and small, white flowers tend to grow in clusters at the ends of stems.

Common Chickweed

Clover (Trifolium)

Clover are small annual, biennial, or short-lived perennial herbaceous plants. Typically, clovers are fairly low-growing, herbaceous plants. The leaves are divided into three leaflets which are attached to the petiole at or near the same point. Blossoms usually occur in ball-like clusters (sometimes in clusters of just a few flowers) and may be pink, red, white, or yellow, depending on the clover species. In lawns, clovers can form dense patches, crowding out turfgrasses. They do not withstand traffic well. Clovers can also be desirable plants in lawns due to their nitrogen-fixing ability. Increases in clover may indicate soils are low in nitrogen. Bees are attracted to the blossom.

Clover

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

The dandelion is so well known as a widely distributed weed that a detailed description of it is unnecessary. Its golden-yellow flowers, followed by the round, fluffy, seed heads, are a familiar sight in lawns, meadows, and along roadsides. The entire plant contains a white, milky juice. In spring, the tender, young leaves are often used for table greens. The plant has a large, thick, fleshy taproot which extends well into the ground.

Dandelion

Wild Violet (Viola pratincola)

Wild violet is a winter perennial, growing 2 – 5 inches tall. It can have a tap root or a fibrous root system, and also can produce rooting stolons and rhizomes. The leaves can vary but usually are heart shaped, on long petioles with scalloped to shallow rounded margins. The flowers of wild violet range from white to blue to purple and appear from March to June. Wild violet flowers are pansy-like with three lower petals and two lateral petals on long single flower stalks.

Wild Violet

Weed Management

Regardless of the type of weeds growing in your turf, the most effective strategy for reducing and preventing weed growth is to apply Integrated Pest Management principles. IPM is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to weed and pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. Current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of weeds and their interaction with the environment is combined with available weed control methods to manage weed damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment.

If you’re ready to tackle your weeds, or you simply want to learn more about how we apply IPM principles to tackle weed management on commercial properties, give us call!

The ICBN is just one leg of a three-legged stool that is intended to make Maryland the most wired state in the nation. Last fall, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s (ARRA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) granted the One Maryland Broadband Network (OMBN) $115 million. Howard County is managing a $72 million pool of BTOP funds in Central Maryland. The State of Maryland forms the second leg, and is partnering with an agency called the Maryland Broadband Cooperative (MDBC). Together, those two groups are using an additional $43 million to serve the more rural regions in Southern and Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore.

When construction is completed in 2013, it is expected that the overall project will have installed approximately 1,300 miles of fiber and delivered broadband connections to over 1,000 anchor institutions across the state including schools, community colleges, public safety agencies, libraries, government facilities and hospitals.

Once in place, the ICBN will present incredible opportunities for the State in areas such as distance learning, telemedicine, and more. It will also make portions of the network infrastructure available for private sector carriers to utilize so that they can build out the last mile to reach homes and businesses that are currently underserved or unserved by broadband.

For further information about the project please visit our website: www.onemaryland-icbn.org

Research has shown that access to nature and the development of inviting outdoor spaces has many benefits for the health of seniors, including reduced resident stress, improved mood and satisfaction, increased physical activity, better hormone balance and sleeping patterns , and better health outcomes

There is no denying that the physical environment plays an important role in promoting physical activity. The need for safety, as well as the need for exercise and social connection, are all critical to the creation of a healthy and active living environment. When it comes to safety, falling is one of the biggest risks faced by seniors and is the most frequent cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality amongst seniors in ALFs. The danger of falls notwithstanding, exercise and social connection are both critical for maintaining physical and emotional health. Careful consideration of the design of indoor and outdoor living spaces can both reduce risks and enable elderly people to live active, healthy lives.

ADA requirements are now standard at all ALFs and therefore sidewalks, ramps, etc. must meet code. Nonetheless, there are a number of additional factors to take into account when designing and installing landscapes for ALFs:

• Shade, either from trees or shade structures, is an important element due to its ability to protect residents from overexposure to sunlight and heat.
• Seating is also important as it provides areas to rest, affords seniors a sense of control, and encourages outdoor social interaction.
• Careful consideration should be given to plant selection – specifically the use of non-poisonous, olfactory enhancing varieties, as well as the use of color which can easily be seen by residents with poor vision and/or cataracts. In addition, plants that are prickly to the touch should generally be avoided.
• Accessibility is always a concern in ALF environments, and therefore many ALF gardens feature raised planting beds that are easily accessible to wheelchair-bound patients.

One of our favorite ALF landscaping projects is the Alzheimers Garden at Brightview South River. Designed by Floura Teeter for a project managed by Harkins Builders, the garden features a mix of non-poisonous natives, as well as herbs and edibles incorporated.  It is located in a secure, enclosed space that is accessible only by key card in and out, and has raised planters designed to be accessible by wheelchair.

To learn more about creating gardens for senior or assisted living facilities, contact us.

Residents' patio at Town Place Suites

Creating an attractive and functional landscape around apartment buildings presents unique challenges. As with any residential setting, the goal is to create a beautiful, warm, and welcoming environment. However, unlike residential homes, apartments house far more people and therefore require a landscape that is capable of withstanding high amounts of traffic from residents, visitors, and passersby.

Considerations for Selecting Plants for Apartment Building Landscapes

Some of the key considerations when selecting plants for these environments are:

• Durability: They must be able to stand up to abuse and traffic.
• Low Maintenance: Plants that sheer well and tolerate heavy pruning tend to show better in commercial environments where maintenance is less frequent.
• Low Water: By selecting plants that require less water to thrive, it is possible to lower the ongoing cost to maintain the landscape at your apartment complex.
• Readily Available: It is important to select plants that can easily be replaced should they be damaged or fail to thrive.

Suggested Plants for Apartment Building Landscapes

Here at E-Landscape, we have a considerable amount of experience designing and installing landscapes for apartment buildings and multi-family housing and have found that certain plants do well in these settings. Some of our favorites include:

• Plum Yew: These small, coniferous trees and shrubs are great ornamentals. Their long, dark green needles make them attractive as foundation plantings where they provide year-round interest and, once established, thrive with relatively little maintenance.
• Japanese Barberry: An incredibly hardy plant, the Japanese Barberry can take sun or shade, wet or dry, and stands up well to traffic. In addition, deer and rabbits tend to avoid this plant. The Barberry’s thorns are an excellent deterrent to pedestrian traffic and therefore can be used to control the flow of movement around a property.
• Knock Out Roses: The most widely sold rose in North America, the Knock Out is known for its ability to produce consistent, colorful blooms from Spring until frost. These plants are easy to grow, low maintenance and disease resistant. Because of their versatility, Knock Out roses can be planted individually among shrubs, annuals and perennials in mixed beds and borders, or in large groups to create a colorful hedge.
• Inkberry Holly: A slow-growing, evergreen shrub, the inkberry holly has narrow, glossy, spineless leaves and tiny black fruits. The Inkberry is more casual in form than the spinier hollies and can be used in borders, around ponds, as foundation plantings, or in woodland gardens.
• Euonymus: This species comprises about 170–180 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs which boast small groups of dark green and/or yellow leaves with a glossy coating. This is a fast grower that requires little maintenance. It’s green and yellow coloring makes it a great accent plant.
• Panicum family of grasses: Panicum is a large genus of about 450 species of grasses. In general, Panicum tends to be low maintenance and easy to grow. We have been switching from grasses in the Miscanthus family, many of which have been deemed invasive, to those in the Panicum family in order to promote native plant use.

Contact us directly for more information on designing or installing the perfect landscape for your multi-family dwelling!

Winter Jasmine is a fast-growing shrub, sending out trailing branches that will develop roots when they come in contact with the soil, forming new plants. The plant is relatively pest and disease resistant and will thrive in partial shade to full sun, growing best in zones 6 to 10. Winter Jasmine will root easily and can be planted on banks, trained as a hedge, and is dramatic planted in mass. It will generally get 3 to 4 feet high and 4 to 7 feet wide, but can grow larger if trained on a trellis.

Winter Jasmine peaks in late February and early March, but can bloom anytime throughout the winter in response to warm temperatures. It can easily be confused with Forsythia, but there are a few key differences that make it easy to tell the two apart:

• Forsythia is also an early Spring bloomer but blooms after Winter Jasmine
• Winter Jasmine has five to six wavy petals while a Forsythia bloom will have only four petals
• Forsythia’s stems are usually hollow

Recently, we planted Winter Jasmine at Quarry Lake, a housing development on the site of a former quarry outside of Baltimore, Maryland. Because it is a good plant for bank stabilization, we planted it along the top of a steep ledge, where it will trail over forming a blanket of blooms every winter.

(Source and Image Credit: University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture)