Buying and moving into a newly built home comes with new landscaping surrounding your property. Your Better Built Justin Gray infill Home comes with a beautiful landscape plan in which we work with a great partner to create. Here we discuss some tips on maintaining and getting the most out of your home’s new landscaping.
Fresh Sod & a Lush Lawn
Landscaping is dependent on the season, so when it comes to Alberta grading and completion typically takes place during warmer summer months. We wait until the frost is out of the ground and rain falls to settle the earth to ensure everything is ready for the landscaping to be completed. New sod is laid down but requires aftercare for it to properly root and turn into the lush green lawn that all your neighbours will be pining after. Sod takes about three weeks to properly root, so until then a regimented watering plan is critical to ensuring the life and longevity of your grass.
As soon as the sod is laid down you should look to watering it thoroughly. Continue to do so twice a day ideally first thing in the day and in the afternoon until it has rooted. Once it has fully rooted you can water less frequently, but definitely monitor the weather in your zone based on temperatures, hours of sunlight and rainfall. When watering, be sure to cover all areas including edges which are prone to drying out.
You can mow relatively soon after it’s laid and when it looks like it needs to be cut, not a problem, just make sure it’s not wet! Also be careful to only use a push mower and never a ride mower which could easily tear up the newly laid sod. Many people question whether or not to leave the grass clippings on the lawn or collect and discard them. The truth is, save your time and energy and leave your clippings on your lawn! By doing so, water and nutrients are returned to the earth helping with the continued growth of your lawn. Scotts has some great information on using grass clippings as mulch for your lawn. If you do wish to collect clippings and some cases warrant pick up, In Edmonton we are now fortunate to have the curbside collection where the yard waste is collected twice in each the spring and fall; however this is more for seasonal clean up. That being said, you’re welcome to top up your food scraps cart with your yard waste as needed. For long term maintenance, you should fertilize a few times a year, being late spring/early summer, mid-summer and in fall to prep it for next year.
Plants & Flourishing Flowers
Within your landscaping plan we incorporate greenery by planting trees, small bushes and perennials. These are relatively easy to maintain and your trees and bushes will bud annually with proper care. Perennials add diversity and colour to your garden each year, adding character to your home’s exterior. We top up the garden with mulch as it not only looks great, it helps maintain water and nutrients in the garden and prevents watering and heavy rain from eroding the dirt away. If you wish, you’re more than welcome to add annuals into the mix! We recommend some beautiful pots and planters along your verandah to create a welcoming walkway and entrance to your home.
While we have beautiful landscaping plans for each Justin Gray Home, if you wish to upgrade for additional landscaping features, we can work with you to create an outdoor space that aligns with your vision and budget. Contact us for more info on building your next custom homes, or explore Available Homes.
