Is Artworks Landscaping licensed and insured?
Yes. Mike is a registered landscape contractor (#1429) with the state of N.C. and Artworks Landscaping & Design is fully insured protecting your property as well as our employees while on your property working. Mike is also a Certified Plant Professional recieved by The N.C. Association of Nurserymen. We are proud to be licensed pesticide applicators and you can be assured that all chemicals are being handled properly while at your house and applied according to the laws of N.C. We are also ICPI Certified to install interlocking concrete paver walkways, patios and driveways.
Do I need a landscape design drawn for me?
It is usually a good idea to have some sort of drawing or sketch done by our designer who will meet with you day one, especially if you are interested in having large or multiple areas worked on. However, if you are comfortable with your designer or the area is small a drawing may not always be needed.
How much does a landscape plan cost?
Typically a landscape plan is charged at $80.00 per hour. Our "Quick Design" service usually takes between 2-4 hours to complete. A large, to-scale drawing, similar to what an architect would provide as a blueprint, takes between 6-10 hours to complete. Whether you're a "do-it-yourselfer" or you want us install it, both plans provide all the needed information to create a beautiful landscape (plant list, patio materials, walls, etc...). Click here for a link to an example of each.
Will I need to bring in new soil?
For trees, shrubs, and perennials/annuals the answer is almost always: "absolutely!" The native soil in our area, for the most part, is a heavy red clay, the stuff bricks are made from. Native plants grown from seed and spread by Mother Nature obviously do well in this soil but a new tree or shrub grown in a container will typically stress heavily when planted in this soil type. We build up new beds with a certified compost blend of turkey/chicken manure, compost, soil conditioner, and screened topsoil. There are always exceptions of course and some yards we have worked in have nice native soil and our plants have thrived, but, 9 times out of ten, the existing soil needs help. When laying sod (warm season or fescue) or seeding (fescue) the answer varies. Believe it or not clay is not always a bad thing as long as it is either heavily aerated when seeding or lightly tilled when sodding.
When is the best time to plant?
The general answer to this question is: fall. The misconception people have is that it is bad to plant trees and shrubs at any other time of the year... and that is wrong. Spring is a fine time to plant and the winter is great too. Our winters are typically very mild and the ground rarely freezes here and there are many winter months where the guys come to work in shorts or shortsleeved shirts. The reason fall is considered the best time to plant is because the air has cooled from the summer but the ground is still warm... this encourages a good root system to form prior to the next growing season. Our recomendation is to never plant when the ground is frozen or if it is mid-July to August and you feel like you are on the Equator.
Should I be using a warm season grass or a cool season grass?
Recently we endured the worst drought in 100 years of historical records here in NC. The warm season grasses (Zoysia, Bermuda, & Centipede) all made it through pretty well. Fescue (our only true cool season grass) did not do so "hot" and most Fescue lawns were pretty much gone by the end of the summer. This does not mean we are warm season endorsers... we are big fans of fescue as well. Both warm season grasses and cool season grasses have their own pros and cons that you will ultimately need to weigh out: Warm season grasses are drought tolerant and look great May/June-Sept but they turn brown in the winter...they need to be mowed often in order to prevent scalping...usually laying sod is the best way to get a new warm season lawn and that is costlier than seed...they will fill in dead patches within the lawn by creeping but it will also creep into your planting beds...their color tends to be brighter like apple green and weeds are easier to see in warm season lawns...water requirements are minimul. Fescue is not drought tolerant but if watered sparingly in the summer it will thrive and make it to the fall...fescue is a dark green year round except when very hot or dry for several days...fescue should be overseeded annually in the fall to keep it looking it's best and this is usually the only way to fill in dead patches...fescue can be seeded or put down as sod with great results either way.
What are the pros and cons of the different patio materials?
There are a lot of material options these days for patios and walkways and, from a design standpoint, they all have a right or wrong place to be used in a lndscape. Interlocking concrete pavers, pattern flagstone, irregular cut flagstone, stamped or dyed concrete, and your everyday gray poured concrete all have a unique look. The costs of each in the order of lowest expense to highest expense is as follows: Poured Concrete, Stamped/Dyed Concrete, Interlocking Concrete Pavers, Irregular & Pattern Flagstone. Durabilty can be debatable but from our experience pavers last the longest. In order from longest lasting to the shortest the materials are: pavers, poured concrete and flagstone set on a concrete slab. The reason that flagstone does not last as long is because flagstone is typically set on a concrete slab below the stones and concrete may crack as it settles. If it settles at two different heights then the stones will seperate from the slab below and create a disaster to repair. Click here to see some of the patios we have created from these materials.
What is so great about interlocking pavers?
Interlocking concrete pavers have been around since the days of The Roman Empire and a lot of their paver streets are still around and used to this day. Pavers have a lot of pros as compared to their few cons. They are "middle of the road" in cost coming in slightly higher than poured and stamped concrete but much cheaper than a flagstone patio would cost. They are set on a compacted aggregate base instead of a concrete slab and this allows the entire patio to expand and contract with the heat and the cold so there is never any cracking. The material we use between each paver called Polymeric Sand hardens like mortar when dry but it allows water to penetrate so water does not stand or freeze on top of the patio. Pavers come in a wide assortment of size and color and there are even pavers that look like flagstone now. Pavers are strong and can definitely be used as a driveway material. We do recommend sealing your paver patio with a Paver Sealant because they do not repel clay stains, grease, oil, or other hard to remove substances. The sealant not only repels stains but, depending on the finish chosen (dry, matte, or wet-look), it can also draw out more of the color within the paver block as well.