Dave Poiner

Meet Dave Poiner. He has been part of the Lifestyle family since 1986 (its true- 22 years). Dave is our in facility manager. He is in charge of keeping up the maintenance of Lifestyle's property and keeping materials stocked and ready for our crews to bring to you. He also takes care of different odds and ends to keep us running smoothly. He is truly an asset to Lifestyle.

Some of Dave's favorites are: movie-Great Escape, restaurant-Bob Evans, TV Show-Cheers, and Holiday-Christmas. He loves anything sweet, especially chocolate. He is a chocoholic. The most memorable time of his life was living in Alabama. He is most appreciative of family and friends. So, if you see Dave around, be sure and congratulate him on a job well done and/or hand him a piece of chocolate!

March Gardening Tips

• Remove winter debris from your lawn & beds.
• Divide your summer and fall blooming perennials. (Hostas, Shasta Daisies, Daylilies, & Coral Bells are some common perennials that can be divided in spring.)
• Wait to divide your spring blooming perennials until after the bloom period is through.
• Prune summer blooming shrubs.
• Cut your ornamental grasses to a few inches above the ground.
• Fertilize your flowering bulbs once the leaves have emerged. This will ensure healthy, strong blooming next year.
• Remove bulb foliage only after it has died.
• Great time to apply pre-emergent weed control in your planting beds to reduce the amount of weeds during the spring and summer.

April Gardening Tips

• Prune your spring flowering shrubs & vines only after they have completed their bloom cycle.
• Edge beds and then apply fresh mulch to all planting beds.
• Finish pruning your shade trees, however NEVER top off your trees.
• Prepare your vegetable garden with tilling, compost and fertilizer.
• Summer and fall perennials can be divided.
• Cut back dead foliage on ornamental grasses and groundcover.
• Remove all weeds and last year’s dead perennials.
• Aerate your lawn if desired.
• Over-seed thin or bare spots in the lawn.
• Prune the dead, weak branches of your roses when the buds start to swell.
• Fertilize roses & perennials.
• If you have an irrigation system, it is now time to repair, adjust, and start up the system.

May Gardening tips

• Leave foliage on bulbs until they turn yellow and die, then remove.
• Look for disease & pest problems and use proper control to fight them early.
• Mulch beds with fresh mulch if necessary. Mulch helps conserve moisture.
• Keep all newly planted trees, shrubs, perennials, etc. well watered.
• Pinch back the growing tips of perennials to encourage a thicker, full plant.
• Continue to remove all weeds. For an easy, non-toxic way to rid your driveway of those pesky weeds in the cracks, pour boiling water on them. However, do not let this water run off into your beds or lawn.
• For a healthy veggie garden, plant it in a different location than the previous year. Alternate from year to year.
• Plant the rest of the summer annuals you desire for your beds.

Planting Conditions
If you follow a few simple rules when planting your annuals, chances are you will create a wonderful display for yourself that will last throughout all the warm seasons.

SOIL – In spring, annuals such as Pansies, Alyssum, and Snapdragons can thrive in cool soils and endure mild frosts. Pansies, however, do not do well in hot summer months so you will have to replace them with summer loving annuals. Good soil preparation is key to annual success. Till or spade the soil at least 6” or more and apply a slow-release fertilizer. In addition, it is a good idea to add compost, peat, or some other organic matter. Slightly raising the annual planting beds, using topsoil and organic matter, is the best way to alleviate low and poorly drained areas. For planters and hanging baskets, the potting soil used must drain well, and the containers should provide some sort of drain hole.

WATER – Newly installed annuals need a thorough watering. Initially, you should water with a liquid fertilizer to get them off to a good start. Once established, water the annuals about once a week or when the soil appears to be dry.

FERTILIZER – For great annual performance, a combination of fertilizers is best. Apply immediate (liquid) release and slow-release fertilizers with organic matter to the soil. Always follow the directions on these fertilizers, however. You can easily burn your annuals with too much fertilizer.

SPACING – Spacing of your annuals depends on the plant, but also on the gardener’s needs. It is best to follow the space requirements printed on the tags that come with the annuals. For a fuller, quickly establishing annual display, planting them closer than suggested may be necessary. First, determine the garden’s square footage, then refer to the annual’s space requirements. Divide the total square garden footage by the square footage spacing required per annual plant. This will tell you the amount of annual plants you will need to purchase.

PINCHING BACK & DEADHEADING – Most annuals will benefit from disposal of spent flowers and pinching back. Periodic pinching off the plant’s growing tips about one inch promotes bushing out and creates a fuller annual plant. It also will create more profuse flowering in most cases. Don’t worry, you are not hurting the plant, even when it is a small, fresh plant. The benefits of pinching will be well rewarded. Deadheading is the removal of the dead and spent flowers. This promotes continual flowering and is especially important for container annuals.

Container Gardening
Cascading plants over a pot, basket, or planter box are an excellent, colorful addition to any garden. When deciding on a container, consider the area you have available and then plan for at least a 10” basket. The larger the container the less frequency of watering will be required. Also, be sure and recognize the light requirements in the area where you will display the container. This decides what type of annuals you can sustain in your container. Remember that hanging baskets are prone to wind and air on all sides, so drying out quickly will result. Always check the soil moisture no matter what the container, using your finger, to determine the watering frequency. Since no natural nutrients are available to the containers, you must fertilize with water soluble fertilizers to see good results. Again, always follow the directions on the fertilizers to prevent burning.

When choosing your plant material, try to combine different colors and textures. This creates wonderful visual interest. Use complementing colors to not only each other, but to your surrounding landscape. For even more visual appeal, use an array of differently sized containers in the area, if possible. Herbs create wonderful container plantings. Some annuals are used for the flowers and others are used for their textural look and color. Be sure all plants in the container together share the same light requirements for optimum growth and development. For example, shade loving annuals with other shade loving annuals and vice versa. Container planting is all about being creative.

In conclusion, annuals offer a truly dazzling display of rich color and texture to any outdoor area. Many varieties of sun and shade loving annuals are available. With a little TLC, you can create a wonderful display whether planted in the garden or in containers. So, go for it! Create your own, individual and exciting combination of summer annual beauty. The PlantCare® Team at Lifestyle Landscaping offers complete annual installation and care throughout all seasons. Give us a call, 440-748-4848, if you would love to add some summer spice to your landscape!