They are known for being one of the largest and most respected companies in all the United States, and definitely one worth considering if you want to get an irrigation system installed in your yard.

They have over thirty years of experience in the irrigation industry and so they have the knowledge and expertise that you should be looking for in an irrigation company.

The Company

The Elite Lawn Irrigation Company has a fantastic management team, along with their experienced, certified sales and design staff. Overall they are an ideal company to go through for something like an irrigation system, because you know that you can trust in them to do a proper job of installing the system.

The last thing you want is to go with an irrigation company that is going to destroy your lawn only to have the irrigation system break down a few months down the road, so take the time to choose a respectable, reputable company, such as Elite Lawn Irrigation.

Your Elite Lawn Irrigation sprinkler system will employ the very latest in design techniques and it will contain the very latest in technology in high quality components. This ensures that your irrigation system will be working for years to come and that you will have few to no problems with it over the years.

This is very reassuring, especially when you consider the rather large initial sum of money that has to be paid for the system to be installed in your yard.

Elite Yard Irrigation is by far one of the most dependable and reliable irrigation companies in the United States, and they are available all over the US, so if you are planning to have an irrigation system installed you will definitely want to consider them as your installation company of choice.

You may also want to take a bit of time to find out what other companies are available in your local area and then make your decision based off this. You want to choose an irrigation company that has experience, which uses high quality parts for their systems, and that is going to fit into your budget.

Now, lawnmowers are everywhere. More often rotary today, they still cut the grass to within an inch or four in height and are usually gas powered. But beyond that, choosing a good one takes some research.

Acquire a few brochures or check out the websites of the brand you’re considering. Find out what their failure or replacement rates are and how often they have to be maintained. Manufacturers differ. Some have engines that almost never need tuning and lawn mower oil replacement may be needed rarely.

Lawn care professionals often use a type of reel mower that shoots cuttings out the front, leaving a fine mulch. The result can be a golf green smooth lawn. But they’re more expensive. However, if you have a very dense, short blade grass such as Bermuda or St. Augustine they’re worth investigating.

The more common type is the power rotary, invented in 1939. The push-type will typically be about $100 less than the self-propelled variety. For most lawns they will do a fine job and the extra money for a self-propelled type may not be justified.

Self-propelled lawnmowers will save a lot of pushing effort, but they still have to be turned so the benefits are limited. The amount of turning can be so frequent that having the mower propel itself saves only moderate effort, in some cases. Whether the extra cost and potential maintenance issues are worthwhile is a matter of personal taste and reliability or reputation.

Consider the type of lawn you have and whether you want to pick up grass or leave it down for mulch. Even today many are designed as if the engineer never used one. Whether the bag should be in back or the side depends to some degree on preference. But much depends on the size and shape of your lawn. A wide open area can accommodate a side bag easily, but that’s less common today.

Rear bags will typically hold more clippings, but that can mean pushing a heavier mower as it fills up. Side-bag units are often lighter and less expensive. When considering which to buy, try to test out removing the bag and replacing it to see how easy or difficult the task is. Apart from the effort, this also gives you a clue to whether the manufacturer has used solid quality parts.

Once the plastic components of a bag are broken, replacement is usually your only option. Bag replacements are not cheap and sometimes impossible to find a year after the initial purchase. Here again, the final choice is a matter of preference.

Check out the blade and other metal parts. Steel costs less, but rusts more readily. Aluminum doesn’t rust so readily, though it does oxidize this is less of a problem here. Some modern decks on which the motor sits are heavy duty plastic polymers and very sturdy.

Select carefully and your lawnmower could last 10 years or more. Given the high cost of a mower, it’s worth the effort to do some homework before purchasing.

Electric models are available, just as they are in standard push mowers. The batteries are sturdy and you can generally get a 1/2 acre or more mowed before recharging is required. They’re quiet and don’t produce any fumes. But they don’t have the power of gasoline-powered tractor mowers and can get stuck in thick brushy areas.

Some models of ride on lawn mower have reel blades that shoot cuttings out the front, but those are usually designed for professional lawn care specialists. If you don’t have a golf link to mow, the rotary type is for you. The mowing blades are usually below the deck on which the seat resides, which does produce a bit of vibration. But a good soft seat will minimize that to well below an acceptable level.

The smaller types are often called ‘riding mowers’, but the design is essentially the same. The difference is often just in physical size and horsepower of the engine. More horsepower is usually better, but efficiency comes into play. If you have a well built model, it doesn’t require as much horsepower to do the job.

Also, if you have a very smooth, level yard less horsepower is required. Conversely, if your area is hilly with several slopes, more may be required to maintain those. For that, the lawn tractor is the preferred choice.

The engines are in the 10-15 horsepower range which is still considerably less than the 150-300 horsepower range of the typical car engine. In general, you pay more money for those with more horsepower. Be sure you need it before laying out the extra cash.

Prices tend to be higher also for those with wider cutting areas. Lawn tractor blades can range between 38-42 inches (96-107 cm). The wider blade will usually cut more lawn quicker, getting the job done sooner. But keep in mind that the difference is only about 10% and the inaccuracy with which you steer it may more than make up for the difference.

Of course, it’s possible to get a garden tractor, with 20 horsepower or more and up to 60 inch mowing blades. Few will need that, but the extra power can be handy if you use it to haul dirt, brush or tree parts around in an attachable trailer. Here again, you’ll pay more to get more.

Check out the turning radius on the model you’re considering. You may pay more for a very tight, or even zero, radius model, but unless you have areas that are very difficult to navigate the feature probably isn’t worth the extra cost.

Sit on a unit, get a feel for the steering mechanism and controls. Ensure that they’re within comfortable reach and made from sturdy materials. A riding lawn mower or tractor can easily cost from a few hundred to $2,000 or more. So, you’ll want one that makes the job easy and pleasant, while being reliable for years to come.

They’re not only beautiful, but they have many practical uses, too. They have been used for ages to treat all sorts of ailments. They’re also used to making perfumes, and for flavoring baked goods and confectionaries.

The tannin contained in rose petals can be used to control bleeding. An infusion of rose petals can be used to treat diarrhea. Rose oil and rose water are an ancient Chinese remedy for colon and stomach issues. Roses have been an important part of medical history.

Roses belong to the same family as plums, apples, and almonds. They are of the family Rosaceae, and the genus Rosa. There are thousands of varieties of domestic and wild roses, and they come in a rainbow of colors.

Although hybridizing has created all of these thousands of beautiful varieties, it has unfortunately caused many rose varieties to become weak. When certain features are enhanced, others can decline.

Today’s roses are often less resistant to attack by diseases and other pathogens. This means you’ll have to keep an eye on these weaker species, so you can take action if a problem arises.
The oldest known roses lived about forty million years ago.

Rose fossils were found in Colorado in the United States that date back about that far. They have been growing naturally for millions of years in most of the northern hemisphere. They grow wild in the United States and Canada, Egypt and India, and even in Siberia! They do grow in the southern hemisphere, but they don’t seem to be native to that area.

Roses have been cultivated by ancient Egyptians and Chinese, as well as the Grecians and Romans. It is believe the Romans might have brought roses to England and France, and they were being cultivated there by the 15th century. They were then brought to the Americas by sometime in the 16th century.

Roses can be used for a lot of different purposes in your yard and garden. You can use climbing roses to accent fences, walls, and arbors. Rose bushes can make beautiful accents for lawn edges and corners, along the front or side of your house, and around the mailbox. Certain types of roses can be used like hedges. They can also be planted in a large area to create and entire rose garden.

If you grow long-stemmed varieties, you could earn a bit of extra money by selling your roses. You could sell them on your own at flea markets, shop meets, or farmers markets. You could also sell them to flower shops, but you’ll probably make a lot less money from them.

Flower shops usually pay wholesale prices for flowers. But if you sell directly to individuals, you can make more per flower. Still, selling to a flower shop is probably more stable money. Choosing the varieties you wish to plant will probably be difficult.

There are so many to choose from, it may be very hard to narrow your selection down. Just remember to stick to a color theme. Don’t plant blue roses with pink and yellow roses. Stick to colors that mesh well.

Anyone with a garden will save him or herself hours of labor by installing a simple soaker hose system. Not difficult or expensive, they do require a bit of thought. A good soaker hose doesn’t spurt, water oozes out small holes. That makes getting it close to the plant you want to water essential.

But for a soaker hose to be effective in those two ways requires getting quality material, and that can be difficult. Much soaker hose is stiff, decays in a season and cracks. The holes become enlarged, causing too much water to emerge from one area, reducing the effectiveness everywhere else at the same time.

Good material will also be flexible, reducing cracking and making it easier to get around those tight bends in the garden. That will allow you to accommodate any design you have. Winding the soaker hose around plants is simple, and clamping it with plastic or metal tines into the ground is easy.

Even so, a good garden hose is helpful. It’s difficult to cover every single area you may want to, and there are always those potted plants or trees you want to water with a hose. A good garden hose is one that won’t kink no matter how much you twist it or retrace your steps. Kinking is the number one killer of hoses.

Once that happens, the water flow is drastically reduced. Even worse, after you’ve unkinked it to resume flow, a cheap hose will stay bent and eventually crack. Getting a hose made in layers, with the interior liner made of flexible mesh, will prevent that. The hose will last for years and during that time it will operate conveniently.

The same criteria are useful for a lawn hose, in this case even more critically. A lawn hose is a flat, rubberized plastic hose with holes to spout water along a needed area. Where you don’t have automatic lawn sprinklers, they’re a big labor savor. You don’t have to stand for 15 minutes and wave a garden hose over the area. Just set it up, turn it on and come back later.

But spooling it up, putting it in place and moving it around all cause stress on the hose. If it kinks, flow is reduced. Long before they should, cracks will appear requiring hose replacement. One made of good material, with an inner liner of flat, flexible mesh, will make for a lawn hose that can last for several years.

Be prepared to spend a little more to get quality hoses. The extra investment will pay for itself in a year, since the alternative is to replace them regularly. They’re also more difficult to place and to spool up, since cheap material is inflexible. A few extra dollars will save you money and time.

For neoprene gloves, the solution is simple. Just leave them on and rinse under a hose or faucet. Soap and water will do a fine job and not harm the glove. Cotton gloves, too, don’t object to a little detergent. Tossing them into the washing machine might be overkill, but rinsing with water and a little liquid detergent works fine.

Leather gloves will need a little extra care, but the reward is a pair that will remain softer, tougher and last for years. Saddle soap or commercial leather cleaner is best. Working outside, they may get wet but try to minimize it. Leather, once it’s off the cow, pig or deer and onto your hands will harden and eventually crack if excessively wet.

Keeping tools clean is equally important. Dirt and moisture encourage oxidation. Most tools are made of an alloy that contains iron that rusts. Keeping them clean and dry is the first step to preventing that.

Go the extra mile and don’t stop at just wiping off the outer portion of the blades or tines. Get down into the vertex, the crevices and other parts. Washing with soap and water is fine, provided you dry them well. Don’t allow them to just air dry, since that starts the rusting process. Even when the surface is dry, once rust begins, oxidation can penetrate under the surface, weakening the tool.

Rub down any oxidation that’s formed with steel wool and then remove any residue with a soft, dry cloth. Apply light sewing machine oil or paste wax to shears, hedge clippers and other tools.

The area around where a handle meets a retaining sleeve is important. Any tiny opening will admit moisture, potentially rusting the interior of the sleeve and rotting a wooden handle. A small amount of paste wax applied after cleaning will seal that off from air and moisture. Be sure to let the tool dry well, first, though. You don’t want to lock in any moisture that seeped in during cleaning.

Modern cleansers, such as Fantastic, Simple Green and the like are okay in a pinch but they tend to leave residues that are difficult to remove. Over time the compounds in these commercial chemicals can harm wood and metal. They’re designed primarily for use on tile, plastic, fiberglass and other modern kitchen and bath materials. Also, since tools tend to be cleaned outside, they’re often not very kind to patio brick or grass.

A chemical specifically designed for cleaning tools is preferable.

In the fall, you should start gradually watering less and less. This happens over a few weeks, and water is restricted a bit more each week to help toughen the stems of the roses. This helps keep the stems protected throughout the winter.

When rose hips begin to form, it signals that the plant’s growth cycle is finished for the season, and it begins to go dormant for the winter. You shouldn’t prune or pinch buds at this time, because this can encourage new growth at a time when the plant should be shutting down.

Don’t remove dead flowers at this time, because they should be allowed to form rose hips. Rose hips are the fruit that is formed from dead roses. They are a great source of food for birds in the winter, and they also look quite attractive in a winter landscape.

In zones 7 and cooler, most roses will need to be protected during the winter. They must be sheltered from both the cold and the damaging winds. Snow can actually protect delicate plants, because the snow actually provides a blanket of protection that keeps the soil from becoming too cold.

This helps keep the roots protected from frostbite, yet it also keeps them from causing the roses to go into a premature growth cycle because the roots get too warm. You can cover the bottom part of your roses with about eight or ten inches of compost or mulch to help protect the plant if you don’t get a lot of snow. Be careful to use soil from another location, because digging soil up from near the plant should hurt its roots.

Before you start your winterizing, you should be sure to remove any leaves that are left dead on the plant. You should also pick up any debris that is lying on the ground at the base of your roses and dispose of it by burning it or putting it into the trash. Don’t compost any rose debris, because it can infect your roses again next year if there were any problems. You can prune any areas you want at this time.

Styrofoam cones are available for protecting roses through the winter. Although these are somewhat unsightly, they can do a good job of protecting the plants. You should tie each plant into a bundle before putting the cone around it.

Don’t fill the cone with straw or leaves until after the ground has frozen, otherwise rodents may burrow into it. You can also use plastic towers that are filled with water, or you can use chicken wire towers filled with straw or leaves to protect the plants.

In very cold areas, roses are often trenched for the winter. Old mulch is generally removed from the base of the roses to get rid of any potential diseases. Then the rose canes are tired together using a special synthetic twine that won’t decay.

A trench is dug on one side of the plant, and then a garden fork is used to loosen the soil around the plant. The plant is then turned over into the trench, taking care not to uproot the plant or break it.

Then the plants are covered with soil. In November, about 12” of leaves are added over the top and watered to keep the leaves in place. In early April, the leaves are removed from the plants. Then in mid April, the plant is stood back up, reversing the original trenching process. This method is effective, but a bit dangerous.

Those chemicals may be in the modern form of commercially manufactured fertilizers, pesticides and weed killers. Or they may be ‘organic’ (a misleading term, since nearly all artificially produced chemicals are organic compounds as well. But in either case, they are best spread using a spreader or sprayer. Here are some tips to help in selecting a fertilizer spreader.

One of the handiest tools for that purpose is a broadcast spreader. A tub on wheels with a handle and handlebars, it dispenses material out a series of holes in the bottom when the user walks forward and squeezes a lever. A dial allows the user to set the amount spread by adjusting the size of the holes.

To use a broadcast spreader is simple, if a few simple guidelines are followed.

The first step is to read the directions carefully on the package of material to be dispensed. The directions will state the setting needed for that compound and when it can be applied. Some should be applied, then watered into the soil. Others will become ineffective if rain follows within 24 hours. Applying too little results in the failure to kill weeds or green up or failure to kill pests. Too much can lead to burned lawns and wasted product.

Most applications involve spreading chemicals that can be potentially harmful to skin, eyes or lungs. Herbicides and most pesticides fall into that category. Wear proper gloves (often neoprene gloves do the job) and if necessary a mask.

A simple test can help determine whether the amount is what’s desired. Clear the driveway of gravel and dirt and dispense an amount in some part of a rectangular spiral, for a dozen feet per side or so. The package will usually give information about how much is laid down for a particular setting. Just compare. The dials and hole systems are usually well manufactured so you have little to worry about.

Adjust the dial according to your test and note that broadcast spreaders fling material in a wide arc (usually 180 degrees), about 5-10ft. The distance depends on how fast you push, since the wheel and axle are connected to the mechanism that throws the compound out. The faster you push, the farther it goes.

Keep in mind that the pattern will dispense a large amount of material over a wide area. If you need to be more precise, use a drop spreader instead. Drop spreaders simply open the holes and allow gravity to dispense the material.

They’re ideal for areas near the edge of a lawn, such as near sidewalks. But, since they’re only about two feet wide, they can’t cover an area as quickly. Also, it’s necessary to use a drop spreader very carefully in order to avoid overlap or gaps.

Many broadcast spreaders are designed to overcome that problem to a degree by flinging more to one side than the other. This way, it’s possible to get fairly close to the edge without throwing material onto the sidewalk. Which side that is, and whether yours works that way, is easy to observe during your test.

From here on, the task is easy. Simply walk up and down the lawn along rows as if you were plowing a field. Or, walk around in a rectangular spiral. Start at the center and work out, but take care not to overlay too much material where it’s been dispensed already. As you make a turn, briefly release the lever. Then once you’ve made the 90 degree left or right hand turn, clamp it to begin dispensing again.

Keep the tub close to level to avoid flinging material too high up or (worse) at too low an angle into the ground. The dial settings assume a level dispersion pattern.

For larger shears, such as grass or hedge shears, the technique is very similar to sharpening a rotary lawnmower blade. Clamp the shear into the jaws of a bench vise. Clean off any debris and oil lightly with a fine machine oil.

Then take a medium to fine file and apply a stroke from the center to the edge at the same angle as the beveled edge. Repeat a few times on each blade until all nicks are removed and the edge is sharp again.

An electric bench grinder can perform the job in seconds, provided it’s done carefully. It’s possible to ruin a pair of shears as quickly as you can sharpen them. Removing too much material will cause a gap between the blades, eliminating their cutting ability.

It’s also important to clamp at the correct angle, and to ensure that only short grinds are used. Building up too much heat in the metal will make it brittle. Proceed slowly and carefully, using the on-board tool clamp, and you can be done in a jiffy.

For smaller shears, clamp the tool in a bench vice and use a small, fine metal file on clean, oiled shears. Again, take care to keep the angle of the file the same as that of the bevel. Hand-assisting guides are available for those who need a little help. They’re similar to those used for sharpening chainsaw chains.

For detail work, steel wool will help remove rust and small pits, as well as putting a very fine edge on the shears. Only file or work on the curved (beveled) edge, not the flat edge unless absolutely necessary and always away from the body. It’s important not to create a gap between the blades, since it’s that clamping action that creates the shear force that cuts. Only work on the flat edge to remove burrs produced from forcing metal out past the edge.

File or polish in only one direction, moving from the vertex (the point or angle where the blades come together), out to the tips. Proceed lightly at first. It’s always possible to take off more, but impossible to put it back.

Anvil shears require a slight modification of the technique. These shears have a single blade that hits a flat surface, like an anvil. The other type, the more common pruning shears are called bypass shears, since the blades bypass one another in order to cut.

To sharpen an anvil pruner, simply clean and clamp as before. In this case, however, both sides of the blade need to be sharpened. Here again, though, it’s important to keep the file at the same angle as the bevel of the blade and not to work too vigorously.

In some cases, it may be helpful to unscrew the shears, separating the two parts. That allows easy access to the innermost point, where the blades may be dullest. Clamp each part separately and proceed as described above.

The important thing to keep in mind here is that for a novice, you will have to contend with a lot of engineering because it really isn’t “simple” to have a pond that doesn’t leak. The first thing you should consider is the land.

Since you’re going for a pond and waterfall, you’re going to need lots of space for it. Find some good level land and clear away all of the debris and vegetation. You also don’t want it to be near drain pipes or rain run-off so that you keep your pond safe from contaminates.

If you build your pond too close to trees, you’ll have to continuously take dead leaves and other tree matter. Putting your pond in a place where it will get a lot of direct sunlight will aid in plant growth.

Once you have your land set aside, you’re going to need to decide what kind of pond you’d want. Do you want to have fish or plants in the pond? If you make your pond too small, then it could be or become uninhabitable for your fish and plants.

It’s almost better to have too large a pond that one that is too small. It would be very difficult at best to make enough room for your vegetation. Now that you have decided where you want your pond, you’re going to cordon off the area so you can visualize your project better.

Trace the area you want by driving a stake in the ground, then tying adjacent stakes together with some nylon cord. When you have the entire area cordoned off, dig down about six inches for the first shelf. This is called the coping shelf.

Then dig down twelve more inches and this is your second shelf and about another six inches for the base of the pond. You have these different shelf positions because you’re going to have different fish and plants at each level. A larger pond is going to be more stable and easier to keep without worrying about your plants and fish dying off.

After you’ve dug your hole, fill it with soft sand and pack it down really tightly. You want about a one half inch thickness with the soft sand. Going to a home improvement store or a pond supply store would probably be the best bet to find materials for your pond at this point.

You’ll need a pond liner, and you can usually determine your pond liner’s size by taking the largest length and width, then calculating the depth and twice what you dug. This will ensure you have the size of pond liner you’ll need.

After removing your shoes, take the liner you bought and lay it on the bottom, then work it into the shelves you made. Be careful to follow the contours of the pond. After you have lined the entire pond, then it’s time to fill it.

The waterfall is usually bought as a kit. You’ll want to decide the best way to integrate the waterfall into the pond. Most of the shops where you buy the waterfall will have books on how to do this type of integration.

Along the border of your pond, pile small rocks and stones along the outside of it and on some of the other shelves. This is to trap the liner so it doesn’t get unattached and ruin your little pond. Now you can add plants and fish to add to the attractiveness of your pond.