Harbor Bay Landscaping

Thanks for the adjustment last week, Dr. George. I really appreciate your patient appreciation day and will be there this month, too.

Many homeowners in the metro Atlanta area didn’t know they had water drainage problems until the heavy rains last fall. Don’t wait until there’s a problem! Find out how well your yard is draining water now. Here’s an easy way: - Dig a hole about 1 foot deep. - Fill the hole with water and let it drain. - As soon as the water drains, fill the hole with water again. Check to see how long it takes for the water to completely drain the second time. Results: Less than 1 hour: Excellent Drainage Less than 4 hours: Good Drainage Up to 12 hours: Adequate Draina

If you are thinking about creating a new bed in your yard, get out your garden hose! Your garden hose is a great tool for marking out where you want your new bed--especially if you are planning a round or curved shape. Once you have designed a shape with the hose, use spray paint to mark the area on the ground. Plus, if you are going to use any type of border (like a small decorative fence), it's much easier to mark the area with the garden hose, then straighten the hose and use a measuring tape to find out how many linear feet or yards of the border you'll need. The garden hose

It may be sweltering hot outside right now, but fall is coming soon! This is the perfect time of year to install a backyard fire pit so that it will be ready for you to enjoy when the temperature starts dropping a little. If you are thinking of making a fire pit yourself, here are some things to keep in mind: - Choose a place in your yard that is clear of overhanging trees and branches. - Dig a hole a minimum of three feet across and 10-14 inches deep, depending on whether you will be using wood or running gas to the fire pit. - Dig a trench six inches below the bottom of t

Thanks, Monti!

Here’s an easy way to kill weeds in beds before you plant fall annuals or ground cover: Cut the weeds close to the ground with a weed-eater or mower. Then, cover the area with clear plastic. Put rocks, soil, bricks, etc. around the edges to hold the plastic in place. The clear plastic will act like a magnifying glass and use sunlight to kill the weeds. When all of the weeds have died, remove the plastic and the bed will be ready for planting!

Very true. One thing leaves are good for is your compost pile. The other elements you mix into it help break down the leaves and turn the whole mixture into rich soil for planting.

I just saw a few of the wedding pictures on your website...they look GREAT! Good job!

The summer’s heat can be extremely detrimental to newly planted vegetation. If you are planting or moving plants, try to wait until the fall. If you really need to plant now, try to do so on a cloudy day or on a day when there is a light rain. Remember to give the plants a significant amount of water before and after planting. Also, make sure to water heavily at least once a day for a few weeks until the plant is established and looks healthy. Don’t neglect your existing plants and trees in this heat, either! Make sure they get more water than usual to combat the high temperatures.

John is a great instructor and I highly recommend this course for women and teenage girls. Guys, get your wives and daughters to it!

After 16+ years of landscaping, I've never found termites to be a problem with mulch. As long as your termite treatment is current, it's certainly not a problem. Plus, termites like bigger pieces of wood to eat. Little scraps of mulch don't make much of a snack for them.

Yes, I would definitely recommend using mulch as opposed to the pine straw on top of the dead leaves. Way to recycle, though!

For realS!

That's easy enough. I'm there all of the time!

Don’t Trash It! Compost It! Here are some great ingredients for composting: Fruit and Vegetable Scraps Grass Clippings Shredded Newspapers Coffee Grounds Dried Leaves Weeds and Yard Waste Pine Straw Composting is a great way to recycle! Less goes to the landfill and you get FREE fertilizer!

Thanks! I just sent you a pm.

You would be surprised at how many people don't quite grasp this concept! I guess most don't realize that new plants need A LOT of water until they get established.

Summer maintenance keeps your flowering bulbs coming back beautifully every year! - Remove dead flowers and yellow/brown leaves, but leave healthy leaves intact - Fertilize after flowering - Treat for disease and insect pests - Divide large plants to maintain healthy growth - Water deeply, as needed - Steak large plants for support

I'm thinking about adding some skylights in my living room. I'm just trying to figure out how many, what sizes and what type to get. Any suggestions?

Good for you! And I agree that the mulch gives the yard a nicer appearance.

If you have small pinhole leaks in your hose, don’t throw it away! It’s really easy to repair. First, insert a wooden toothpick into the leak, just about as deep as the wall of the hose. Then, break the toothpick so that it is even with the outside surface of the hose. Next, use electrical tape to cover the toothpick. Wrap the tape around the hose, but make sure the ends don’t overlap. Make the tape tight over the repaired leak, but loose around the hose. This gives the hose room to bend and expand. Once you’ve made this repair, use your hose as you normally do. The water will ma

I am so excited about my cruise through Cruise Planners of Paulding! We're going to Mexico this fall and it's only costing us about $375 per person for 4 days...INCLUDING GRATUITIES! Thank you, Cruise Planners!

Helpful humor--that's what we're going for. Funny, but useful. Glad you liked it.

Harsh chemicals may kill bugs quickly, but they may be worse for your yard in the long run. This is because they also kill the beneficial insects that naturally control the harmful ones. A yard without ‘good’ insects is an invitation for the ‘bad’ ones to invade and destroy at will. So, here are some environmentally friendly suggestions to try before resorting to chemical pesticides. - Plant flowers and herbs that attract ‘good’ bugs. These include fennel, marigold, cilantro and alyssum. - Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth around plants. Diatomaceous Earth is compo

I saw some senior pictures on your website and they look really good. It's great that you're offering parents and their seniors an option besides the standard (boring) pictures that look the same as everyone else's at the school.