You may need a few items such as lopping shears, pruners, a pruning saw, a ladder, and a rake.

When you prune, take off the dead branches of the plant. Not sure which ones are dead? Snip off a little bit, if the branch is brown on the inside, it’s most likely dead. Snip a little at a time toward the middle of the plant until the middle of the cut is green.

Inspect your trees and shrubs for branches that are “criss-crossed” or that rub other branches. Take off one of “criss-crossed” branches. Be safe and do not try to cut branches that may be too large for you to handle or that are over head. Once cut, these branches may fall and strike you. Leave this type of pruning to a professional.

Snip off the suckers that are coming out of the ground or that are growing perpendicular or straight out of the plant. Crab trees often have both of these types of suckering growth, as do many maples.

Trim off any broken branches within the plant and discard. Again, cut those branches that you can safely cut.

After removing any diseased or dead branches, you should clean your tools with a bleach or an alcohol solution to disinfect them so that, if diseased, the disease is not spread to other branches or plants.

Now is a great time to re-shape the plants – just remember to trim a little at a time, step back and take a look at it – because once you cut it off, you can’t put it back on. Dogwoods and especially Spirea benefit from this.

Dormant pruning is one of the best things you can do for your plants. If it’s your first time, it may be a little intimidating, but know this: most plants are pretty hardy – you may over-trim, but sooner or later, it will grow back, just be patient and take your time.

Planting your bulbs should be done now. Bulbs are a great way to add early color to your landscape and, depending on type of bulb and depth of planting, will keep the color coming throughout the growing season. A little planning and research will ensure your success. Probably the first thing you should know is what zone you live in. Here in the Chicago area, we are in zone 5. Zones 4 & 3 are to our north and 6 – 10 are to our south. Knowing what zone you’re in will help determine the best bulbs for your area and the bloom time.

There are a wide variety of options when it comes to selecting which bulbs to plant. These are a few of the things you should consider before purchasing/planting your bulbs:
1. Color Scheme
2. Area (Is it sunny? Is it shady? Is it a combination?)
3. Bloom Time
4. Height of the Plant
Once your decisions are made, head to your local supply store and purchase your bulbs.

To plant your bulbs, prepare the area by tilling the soil so that it is easier to plant in. Mixing a little compost with the soil will help soften the soil and add additional nutrients (check out our blog dated 4/28/10 on different types of soils).

Many people choose to use a drill with a “tulip” bit to assist them in digging individual holes for the bulbs. Others choose to dig a “trench like” area to place the bulbs in at once; still others choose to dig individual holes with a tulip spade or even dig by hand. The depth of the hole or holes is usually listed on the bag or container that the bulbs came in. Also, usually listed, is the recommended distance between each bulb.

Place the bulb in the hole(s) root side down and cover with topsoil. Moisten the soil and tamp lightly.

That’s all there is to it. Now just wait for early spring for the first of the bulbs to emerge.

Fall Clean Ups should also be done between now and the end of November. A good fall clean-up should consist of at least removing and disposing of fallen leaves and other debris collected in planting beds and in your lawn area. Here at A.G. VanGundy Landscape, Inc. we would also recommend a core-aeration and installation of a layer of mulch. The core aeration will help loosen the soil and make it easier to accept the fall application of fertilizer. If you are going to put down any herbicide or weed killer, do not overseed at this time as the seed will not germinate properly. The installation of mulch is a good idea as it will help retain moisture and root zone temperature in your planting beds over the winter months.

Finally, with your outdoors ready for winter – make sure you’re stocked with ready to burn firewood from A.G. Landscape Materials. There are several different types of firewood; however we sell Oak and Mixed. We sell by the Face Cord, ½ Face Cord, 60 pieces & 30 pieces. We deliver to your home (in the Chicago Area) and stacking services are also available.

Check out our website @ www.agvangundy.com for more information regarding firewood or any other products & services we offer.

Have you thought about changing your landscape at all? We are more than happy to come out and work with you on installing plants or a new patio or walkway.

Do you have drainage issues on your property? We can come out and get the area graded correctly and install the drain tile so that your spring lawn and basement will be drier.

Once the leaves are down – do you have the time to rake them up and dispose of them? Here at A.G. VanGundy Landscape, we do. While we’re there we’ll be able to put down a layer of mulch, which is so very important to protect your plants against what could be a harsh Chicago-area winter. Installing mulch in the fall will help keep a consistent root zone temperature and help retain some moisture.

Don’t forget to call for your firewood. A.G. Landscape Materials carries both Mixed and Oak firewood. We sell it in a variety of quantities (30 pieces, 60 pieces, ½ Face Cords, Face Cords). We deliver throughout the Chicago-land area all year long. Don’t have a fire pit? Would you like one? How about an outdoor fireplace? Contact us and we can help. We have various sizes, styles and shapes available.

You can call us at (630) 295-8190 or e-mail us at www.agvangundy.com for details about any of the services we offer (from delivery of mulch, topsoil, gravel and firewood to installation of complete landscape projects).

Remember it’s not too late to get your outdoor projects done. Do them now and you may be one step ahead in the Spring.

To prepare for planting the Annuals, I suggest tilling in an inch or two of compost into the planting bed to create a planting soil depth a minimum of about 4 inches. If the existing topsoil in your planting area is a very thin layer, then be careful not to till the compost in too deep as you don’t want to mix in or bring up the clay soil just beneath the topsoil. A good idea, if you have little topsoil and if time allows, is to scrape any available topsoil off and remove some of the clay soil and add a good Garden Mix to the bed and then till in your topsoil. Here at A.G. Landscape Materials, we sell a pre-mixed (at the pulverizer) Garden Mix which consists of 1 part Topsoil, 1 part Compost, 1 part Torpedo Sand. In our experience this combination has worked really well; however there are many different schools of thought as to just the right combination, all of which have there good points. So, we also have the capability of customizing the mix that you believe will work for you. As a matter of fact, we just delivered to one of the local Minor League Baseball teams in the Chicago area a mix that they felt would work for them.

I wish you good luck with your Annuals and hope you have a colorful spring!!

When trying to fill a deep void (over 10”) i.e. a swimming pool or larger build ups, fill dirt may be used. The “fill dirt” from A.G. Landscape Materials is a product developed from the removals of soil, sod, and land from our customers’ projects. There can be almost anything in it (including, but not limited to, soil, clay, decomposed sod, and some stone), but it is predominately soil. This material usually needs a top covering of pulverized topsoil to first be able to smooth out the top layer and then to have something better to grow into. A real plus for using fill dirt in these applications is that it is inexpensive and a heavier soil. The drawbacks are that it can be difficult with machinery to place and work with.

Rough vs. Pulverized Topsoil: First off, we at A.G. Landscape Materials, Inc. do not carry rough or un-pulverized topsoil. We can have it direct shipped, but like fill dirt you may need a machine or Bobcat to spread it. We prefer to sell pulverized topsoil. Pulverized topsoil is mainly a soil that is removed from farm fields and brought by truck to our location and then reloaded on trucks and sent to homes throughout the Chicago- land area. I discussed “What is Topsoil?” in a blog back on April 1st, 2010. Pulverized topsoil is relatively easy to work with and rake out since most particles are less than ¾” to 1” at most. It is also easy to plant grass seed or other plants into and can be used in either deep applications or thin applications. A con to topsoil may be that the particles can “melt” together and in deeper applications settling may occur if it was not compacted.

Garden Mix is a blend of pulverized topsoil, compost and sand. It is best to use when establishing a new garden or when adding to a garden. I have seen people use this material for lawn seeding application due to its finer granulars, drainage capabilities and being more fertile due to its compost. Although it costs more, since it is premixed, it simplifies the process. You can also plant right into it.

The compost sold at A.G. Landscape Materials, Inc. is developed from a mix of organic materials and turned over and over until it becomes compost. It does not contain manure, and I feel it is easier to work with. It is best when tilled into the soil and can be used with new or existing gardens and flower beds. It also helps loosen clayish soils. Ground covers love this product. I suggest compost on most of our landscape planting projects. A con to this product is that it is light and thus has no weight carrying capabilities and may be more susceptible to wash out in extreme conditions. You should also not plant directly into only compost. It can dry out faster and the solidity of topsoil is helpful.

Most of these materials have other uses than those we discussed here. For your needs, you can e-mail or call us at (630) 295-8190 and we’ll be happy to assist you and hopefully get the right material to you so you can do your job right.

Late winter is a great time to perform your dormant pruning or have a company like A.G. VanGundy Landscape, Inc. do it for you.

Dormant pruning of your trees, shrubs and the perennials you didn’t get to in the fall will provide your plants all sorts of benefits. It’s also a little less cumbersome on you as you are able to clearly see the branches and stems.

Dormant pruning allows you to take out the diseased branches that are infecting your plants. It also allows you to get the crisscrossed branches that are rubbing on each other out more easily. Now is the time to shape the plant as well as reduce the size of an overgrown shrub or bush.

Another benefit of dormant pruning is that it can reduce the overall weight of the plants/trees and in return reduce the risk of “falling over” during severe weather.

Doing dormant pruning now allows the “wound” to heal and harden over before the warm weather arrives.

Basically, dormant pruning aids in the overall health and growth of the plant. It can be a do-it-yourself job; however, I do have crews that are ready and available to perform this service for you, if you prefer. Just give us a call at (630) 295-8190 or e-mail a quote form that you can get at www.agvangundy.com. Either way, I do highly recommend that dormant pruning becomes a routine part of your gardening and landscape maintenance schedule.