greenery

Top 3 Reasons to Plant Trees in the Fall!

Top 3 Reasons to Plant Trees in the Fall!

Tara

 

The air is getting colder, but your garden’s soil is actually warmer now than it is in the spring. That means that with the right care, roots will happily grow right up until the ground freezes. Here are a few great reasons to start your planting in autumn:

 

1- Fall has its share of rainy days, which means free drinks for your garden friends.

 

2- Trees get a bit stressed when they’re moved or planted, and fall’s cooler air is kinder to them. Plant trees in the fall and they’ll have all of autumn to develop their root system, giving them a head start in the spring.

 

3- Planting and designing your landscape now will ensure a beautiful spring bloom. Rather than starting from scratch once winter finally abates and waiting for the results, you could be smiling at pretty pink blooms as the first signs of spring in your yard.

 

Types of Trees to Plant:

 

For Gorgeous Fall Colours:

 

 

Ginkgo:

 

If you love yellow, Ginkgo is your tree. It offers up gorgeous yellow fan-shaped leaves each fall. The umbrella-shaped ginkgo tree is also great at resisting insects and disease.

 

Autumn Blaze Maple:

 

Fall’s most famous tree offers a stunning array of red, orange and yellow leaves. The maples that make us gasp from the roadside are often huge but these beauties come in a variety of sizes, so they can work in any landscape. There is also a lovely, lacy-leaf Japanese maple for smaller spots.

 

Red Twig Dogwood:

 

This great tree has it all: clusters of pretty white blooms in the spring, plum-colored fruit that attracts birds and beautiful red leaves in the fall. Bonus: ruby red stems that continue to impress once the leaves have dropped. They are gorgeous even when peeking through the snow around your home!

 

For Heathy Treats:

 

Apple:

 

Enterprise is a great apple tree! This bright red apple has crisp, juicy flesh and excellent flavor. It ripens in mid to late October, and offers 3-inch apples that sweeten in storage. Store them in the fridge and they’ll keep their crunch for five to six months. Other great apple tree options include Gala, Freedom, Empire, Golden Delicious and Liberty varieties.

 

 

Cherry:

Cherry trees produce either sweet or sour cherries. Their white blossoms bloom in the spring, followed by the pretty red cherries in the summer. For a sweeter taste, try Empire Francis, Hartland and Stella. Prefer sour? Try Balaton or Montmorency.

 

Plum:

Plum trees prefer full sun and moist soil. They bloom in the spring and form fruit in the summer. Some tasty options include Seneca, Stanley, French Damson and Early Golden.

For Phenomenal Flowers:

 

Flowering Dogwood:

 

There is so much to love about dogwood, especially its abundance of white or pink flowers in the spring. It also offers pretty reddish-purple leaves and glossy red fruit in the fall. Its spreading, horizontal branches offer a unique look during winter months, too!

 

 

Flowering Crabapple:

 

A flowering crabapple has impressive blossoms that open from pink or red buds then create a stunning, fragrant pink cloud for several weeks each spring. For a full season of enjoyment, try the Asian crab apple specimens. They are most popular because their fruits are more colorful and last into the winter, providing food for grateful birds.

 

Redbud:

 

Best known for its lovely profusion of pink flowers in the spring, redbud also offers pretty golden heart-shaped leaves in the fall. Bonus: unlike most showy trees that love sun, redbud will grow in light shade.

 

 

Serviceberry:

 

This gorgeous tree flowers in the spring, produces beautiful green foliage all summer, and has a brilliant orange shade in the fall.

 

We can help you choose the best types of trees for your needs and create a planting design to suit your landscape. Call us today! 514-683-6644

5 Commercial Landscaping Ideas to Enhance Your Property!

5 Commercial Landscaping Ideas to Enhance Your Property!

Tara

 

As we head into fall, now is the time to consider landscape enhancements for your commercial property. Why wait until spring, which is the busiest season for landscaping companies, when you can put a plan in place now? A great place to start is to ruminate on ways to improve safety, sustainability and the overall experience for guests. What projects have you put on the back burner? Do you need to address plants that have outgrown their spaces, or replace tired shrubs with young natives that have low-water requirements? What about outdoor seating and walkways?
As you consider the possibilities for your landscape, ask yourself: How do people spend time outdoors on your grounds, and what could you add to make landscaped spaces more comfortable? There are so many options. We’re seeing more modern seating and a lot of work-play focused designs, such as patio spaces equipped for cooking, bocce ball courts or putting greens. These features can be added to your landscape design, for blowing off steam mid-day and staging team-building activities at the office!
So take a moment now, to tour your own property and look at the landscape as if you were the guest, employee, pedestrian, shopper or even passer-by.
Here are 4 more tips that might come in handy:
1- Update Your Signage:
Weather, especially our fabulous winters, can take a toll on even the most high-quality signage. As well, styles evolve over time and your current signage may be out of date. Crisp, modern signage that is easy to read both day and night is an asset because it guides people to your commercial property. Entry signage can definitely be spruced up with tiered landscaping. Think of hardscape elements, mixes of plant sizes and textures, as well as differing colours! These can all draw attention and attract the eye of guests, shoppers or passers-by.
2- Invite Them To Stay Awhile:
 
Outdoor seating is clearly a benefit for any commercial property. It can turn a landscape into a gathering space. Seating gives employees a place to take a break from work to re-energize or even meet in small groups to discuss projects. They can eat outside and enjoy nature. Outdoor spaces are proven to reduce stress and can be a great place for team building exercises. As well, seating in retail areas encourage guests to linger longer! Shoppers might be inclined to have a leisurely experience rather than simply running in and out, keeping visitors on your retail property longer.
Beyond seating, commercial property managers further enhance their grounds with walking trails and common areas. Seating is a good start but by creating a complete outdoor environment with these additional landscape features, you can increase property value, attract and retain tenants, and improve your company culture.

3- New Growth:

Plants that looked vivacious and abundant years ago can begin to look a little weary. The result is a messy looking plant bed and compromised plant health. Sometimes, the best way to tame a bed is to start from scratch, especially if the existing plants are consuming valuable maintenance time and resources. Adding new plant life to your landscape is a great way revitalize your property’s aesthetic appeal!

Alternatively, plant containers come in a range of styles and sizes. They can be a fast way to update and add color to your landscape. Plant annuals for spring, summer and fall in containers. You can even plant trees or shrubs in large containers, providing shade where it’s needed on your property.  Containers are versatile and give property owners a way to keep their landscapes relevant without investing in replanting entire beds.

 

 

 

4- Safety First:

Take a moment to examine your property’s landscape. Do you see uneven surfaces that could cause pedestrians to trip and fall? The roots of mature trees can grow through almost any surface. They’ll push up pavers and concrete, and even cause buckling at sidewalk joints. Weather takes a toll on even the toughest surfaces! Pavers can settle, asphalt can crack, and concrete can heave. Addressing these trip-and-fall hazards should be a priority so you can ensure the safety of people who visit your commercial property.

Another important safety aspect is lighting. Are walkways, parking lots, entrances and other pedestrian and vehicular passages well lit at night? Not only does lighting enhance safety, it also improves appearance. Beautifully designed lighting features can  entice the public to spend more time on your property and attract more clients.

 

Plan Ahead: 

Investing in landscape projects like seating, lighting and plants can boost property value, increase tenant occupancy rates, invite more guests, and enhance the experience people have on your property.

Now is a great time to consult with a Groupe Paramount commercial landscape professional! We can offer design ideas and suggest where you’ll get the most return on your investment. It’s best to tackle these projects before spring kicks in and everyone wants to be out enjoying the landscape. Call us today! 514-683-6644

5 Landscaping Tips – What To Consider Before You Begin!

Tara

You’ve finally decided it’s time to revamp your back yard, front yard or maybe even both. Maybe you’re thinking of adding a pool or you have an old pool that is in need of an upgrade? Whether you are interested in completely redesigning your landscape or simply making a few changes there are some important factors to consider before you start your project. Meeting with a professional landscape designer, pool designer or landscape architect  is the best place to start. Here are 5 things that you should know before you go into that meeting that will help the designers design your dream environment!

Who Will Be Using It

Start by thinking about who might be using the space that you’re designing. Do you have young children or is it primarily an adult retreat/oasis? Are there pets to consider when planting/designing? Creating a list of all family members, their ages, and the outdoor hobbies they may have can be extremely helpful to your designer when planning your new landscape.

What They’ll Be Doing

What activities will the space be designed for? Will you be using the space for cooking, relaxing, reading, or gardening? Perhaps you plan to entertain large groups of friends and family or are you more focused on recreational experiences such as swimming, basketball or games of touch football? How you plan to use the space outside your home is an important factor to consider.

When our clients have young children, we always look to conserve some of the grass area for play space. As fencing around a pool is a provincial requirement, we try to ensure kids have access to the play area of the yard without having to first access the pool area. As well, when designing a pool, creating  a “beach” is often a fun upgrade with younger children!

Style

What aesthetic appeal calls to you? Modern? Contemporary? How do you want your landscape to look? A good place to start is by considering your interior design and then trying to create unity with the exterior. Try to compliment the lines and styles of your home’s architecture to bring into your yard. This can guide which hardscapes, structures, decor and plantings you might like to select. Are you someone who prefers neat, geometric shapes and structures or do you prefer softer lines with a more natural feel to your space? Perhaps you want your yard to include only specific colours. Your landscape is an extension of your home and these questions can help to unify your unique design style!
 

Existing Issues/Attributes

There may be areas of your current landscape that you already know you want to change. Every person has differing tastes! You might hate a row of evergreen trees that blocks a particular view from your house but your designer might love the way they accentuate a part of your landscape. Unless you let us know, they might not get changed in the design. Create a list to work from during your consultation with your landscape designer so that you are sure to mention all areas that you want addressed. As well, it can also be beneficial to create a list of existing attributes that you would like to focus on and accentuate in the design!
 

Master Plan

When beginning a large landscaping project, it can be tempting to address it in steps or phases, particularly where cost is concerned. While this can work well, it is still wise to first begin with an all-encompassing master plan and then breaking it in phases. The planning costs is usually almost identical and can ensure that your property design doesn’t appear piecemeal. This will help to put you on the path to creating a beautiful, cohesive and thriving landscape.

 

Top 5 Landscaping Trends for 2017!

Tara

Mother nature may have just graced us with a huge helping of winter weather, but spring IS just around the corner – we promise! With renewed enthusiasm for the outdoors, Montreal’s homeowners are embracing thoughtful design, stylish plantings and smart technology to enhance their landscapes as extensions of their homes. As you start planning your landscaping projects for the warmer days ahead, take a peek at some of the top trends in landscape design for 2017 and get inspired!

Bringing Hygge Outside

Homeowners have become more interested in holistic landscapes that promote well-being. The Danish concept of coziness (Hygge) has recently become very popular in interior design and this year, you’ll be seeing more and more of it incorporated into backyard landscape designs. Spaces accentuated with outdoor fireplaces, quaint patios, and cozy gathering places are all going to be sought-after this year pictured above.

Design it Green!

“Greenery” was selected by Pantone, a leading provider of color systems, as its Color of the Year for 2017. Instead of going the conventional route of colourful flowers, using different textures and shades of greenery, such as a formal hedge of green velvet boxwood, a border of green lilyturf and dense ivy-covered trellises, can create quite the impact.

Mixing of Materials

More landscapes in 2017 will feature an integration of several forms of materials. From pebble paths leading to paving stone patios, to wooden decks adorned with iron gates, stylish pairings of different hardscapes can create an elegant approach to landscaping. Some of the most popular exotic woods are Ipe, Teak and Red Cedar. Take a look at this Ipe designed pool area (pictured above)! This is a wood that can be oiled for a rich array of brown shades or it can be left to grey out, which requires almost no maintenance and has a more organic aesthetic/texture.

Full Outdoor kitchens

Hosting a summer party is so much easier when you simply bring the kitchen outside! It can be be cumbersome to carry food from the house to the patio, especially when entertaining a larger group of guests. For this reason, more homeowners are loving the latest high-tech outdoor kitchens and the conveniences they provide. Grills, ovens, sinks, fridges and more! Well beyond the basic BBQ stations and dining sets, they can also be equipped with the latest technology, such as next generation outdoor sound systems with in ground sub-woofers, mobile app-controlled LED lighting and ovens integrated with Wi-Fi.

Pollinator Attracting Plants

Did you know that bees pollinate up to a 5km radius of their hive and that consuming honey from the bees that pollinate in your neighbourhood can provide you with a resistance to seasonal pollen allergies? Without bees, global fruit, vegetable, and nut crops would yield about half of their current amounts while some food species (such as almonds) would not exist at all. There couldn’t be a more perfect time to do your part for the ecosystem and incorporate plantings into your landscape design that will attract pollinators! Bees are most attracted to purple, yellow and blue flowers. Lavender is a lovely choice, both for pollinators and property owners, alike. At Groupe Paramount, we are taking it a step further by adding a bee hive to the mix. The lovely people at Alveole have supplied us with our hive and are teaching us the ins and outs of maintaining it. We’ll soon be adding 10,000 new employees to our team!