While we often have occasion to encourage some of of clients to consider options for reducing the amount of lawn on their property to save on maintenance costs, turf remains an important part of many landscapes. Healthy turf begins with good soil. Building good soils, using our own compost and other amendments creates a foundation for good turf health for many years. Our care for existing lawns includes periodic soil testing, topdressing with compost, application of amendments from natural sources, overseeding, and proper mowing. Good care results in vigorous, healthy turf which naturally resists most weeds. When needed, we apply minimal amounts of herbicides to control problematic weeds.
Eastern also installs complete soccer, football, and other athletic fields, from grading and base preparation through soil preparation, and seeding. We can also follow through with ongoing maintenance. Our care program uses far less pesticide than in traditional programs.We can also consult with your maintenance staff to move toward a reduced pesticide program.
As part of our complete land-care service, we source, deliver, install, and maintain woody plant material. In our designs and recommendations, we emphasize the use of natives and non-natives which do not pose a threat of being invasive, and which have minimal maintenance requirements. We offer naturalistic pruning service and pest and disease control using environmentally sensitive materials. We can also offer advice on replacing damaged trees or shrubs, or ones which have chronic pest problems that require intensive, annual treatment. For care of larger trees, we work with a network of qualified, certified arborists.
Increasing the amount of locally grown food is good for everyone. Unbeatable freshness, access to interesting varieties not usually available in stores, reducing environmental costs, educational opportunities for people—and especially kids—to learn first hand how nature makes our food…there’s a lot to like about growing food in your yard or nearby in your town.
There are many ways to incorporate edible plants into our landscapes, and we can help with all of them. Traditional vegetable gardens are familiar to most of us, but there are many other options. Consider fresh fruit in the form of a raspberry patch or a clump of blueberry bushes, or a small orchard of apple, pear, peach, or cherry trees. Edibles such as strawberries and various vegetables can be incorporated right into the landscape to complement the more traditional landscape plants. And there is a wide variety of edible, perennial food plants to experiment with, including some familiar ones like elderberry and asparagus, and some less well known like New Zealand spinach.
Eastern is experienced in all types of stone work—patios, walkways, walls, driveways, etc. Few things can boost the utility of a property as much as thoughtfully designed and well-built walkways and patios. Combining these with other amenities such as outdoor kitchens and arbors opens up new options for outdoor living and entertaining by creating inviting and useful outdoor rooms. Eastern also builds pools and other water features which can further enhace your outdoor living experience. And low-voltage lighting can enhace any of these outdoor features. Let us help you make your yard an inviting, “staycation” destination!
In addition to full-size athletic fields mentioned in the turf section, Eastern also designs and installs other types of recreation or playing surfaces. Squash courts, batting cages, bocce courts, etc. can widen the recreational possibilities for your property.
Repairing and improving areas that have been degraded or damaged from construction, disturbance, neglect, erosion, etc. has become an important part of our work. Degraded wetlands, overrun fields, neglected edges of parking lots, etc. can all provide restoration opportunities. These damaged areas often become choked with weedy or invasive plants, reducing habitat for birds, animals, and beneficial insects.
With a well-planned program, the ecological function of these areas can be restored and maintained. Each site is different,a nd requires a different approach, but, often managing invasive plants and other undesirable vegetation is the first step. Vegetation control can involve a number of techniques, but, often chemical herbicides are the most practical, effective, and economical tool available. We use these carefully, in a highly targeted manner, and only in amounts needed to achieve management goals.
Once the site is prepared, a community of native plants suited to the locale can be established. These will stablize the area and help restore the ecology. Properly designed, these restoration plantings can also be very visually attractive, as well.
Designed, natural plantings based on native plant communities are another way to both enhance a property’s aesthetic appeal as well as to provide food and habitat for birds, essential pollinators, and butterflies. We can design, install, and maintain native meadows and woodland gardens which can be a valuable enhancement for any property of any size, and which often cost less in the long term than many traditional landscaping options
We understand that soil is often the most important factor in landcape work. A living, well-balanced soil is the basis for healthy plants, and eastern has the expertise to improve existing soils to maximize performance. We test the soil for a range of physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. Soil can also be tested for contanimants or pesticide residues if needed. Based on soil test results, we can add the amendments necessary to balance minerals levels, adjust ph, and enhance organic matter. After good soil conditions are initially established, our fertilizity maintenance programs susain the ongoing health of the soil. Soils are re-tested every few years to monitor conditons. We can also custom design and manufacture soil media for specialize applications, such as for planting boxes and containers, green roofs, bioretention applications, etc
We think that water should be treated as a resource and not a problem. Often, water is regarded as a nuisance to be moved “away” by pipes, drains, or some other mechanism, often to storm drains or into natural water bodies. When this water has picked up f ertilizers, road salt, or other contaminants, this can cause a range of problems.
When possible, we look for ways to hold water onsite, and to facilitiate its infiltration slowly back into the soil, where the microbes in the soil and plants can remove or break down contaminants. Eventually the cleaned water re-enters the water cycle via groundwater, or underground flow to rivers or streams. Rain gardens, bioretention areas and subtle changes to grading are some of the ways to accomplish this.
Complementing these approaches—or, standing on their own—the stormwater management services provided by our sister company, groundscapes express, inc., utilize compost-based materials to control the damage caused by excessive rainfall. Applied to soil as a blanket, or used to create berms, our fiberroot™ [[ is this the name we’re using now?? ]] mulch can stabilize soil against erosion and control stormwater flows.
On larger properties undergoing development, the epa now mandates that measures be put in place to control the movement of stormwater and to limit damage to exposed soils. Our comprehensive and innovative approach can help property owners and managers meet epa regulations using best management practices at costs that are competitive with traditional methods.
Irrigation practices offer an often significant opportunity to use our increasingly scarce water resources more responsibly. Properly designed, installed, and maintaned systems can save large amounts of water compared to systems that are mis-sized, broken, or in disrepair. We have audited and evaluated a number of existing systems and have made changes which have saved thousands of gallons per month of water use. We offer complete irrigation service for all types of applications—lawns, flowers and shrubs, vegetable gardens. Regular inspections after installation ensure that the sytem is operating properly, and waste is eliminated.
Eastern also installs water features such as ponds, swimming pools, and waterfalls.
Seasonal decorations in the fall and at holiday time in December can provide cheer and interest after the green of the summer has disappeared. We can install (and later remove) corn stalks, pumpkins, gourds, and hay bales at harvest time in October, and all manner of lights, garlands, wreaths, and antique sleighs at Chirstmas time. At other times of the year, we can provide decorations and set-up for parties, graduations, and other special events. This can include complete set-up including tents, chairs, tables, etc., along with containerized plants, supplemental planting in the yard, etc.
Some disease and insect problems are inevitable, but these can often be minimized by choosing plants that are known to have minimal susceptibilities, and by utilizing good, ongoing care practices in maintaining the health of the soil and plants in a landscape. When problems do occur, we use control measures that have minimal environmental impact and are highly selective for the targeted problem. These and other measures, such as regular monitoring and record keeping, are part of a pest-control strategy known as Integrated Pest Management, or IPM. We apply no chemical materials on a scheduled basis, but only after careful evaluaton of the need to control a particular problem.
Eastern also offers a deer-deterrent program to discourage deer feeding damage to susceptible landscape plants, and a tick-management program to lessen the numbers of deer ticks in areas where people may come in contact with them.
