Claire Hopple | The Parke Company

Beat the Heat by Adding a Swimming Pool

March 7, 2024July 12, 2017 by Claire Hopple

It gets pretty hot in Nashville and the surrounding areas, and tends to stay hot longer than many places. While there are many ways to stay cool during the summer months, only one provides a degree of physical activity that won’t make you want to die afterwards, and that is swimming. Of course, for many this means heading to a lake, which isn’t always practical, or a visit to the local public swimming area, which brings with it all sorts of health and privacy concerns. The obvious answer to these concerns is to add a pool to your existing landscape. It sounds like a lot of work, but the sheer amount of fun and enjoyment it will provide is worth it, to say nothing of the value it adds to your home if you decide to sell later on.

The Benefits of Getting a Pool

Fun in the Sun

The first thing you need to decide is where you want the pool to be, and then figure out what kind of physical setbacks you will have to overcome. This is where we step in. We at the Parke Company are great at coming up with a nice landscape design that incorporates all of your wants and desires, including pools. One thing to keep in mind is that a pool needs to be on a flat surface, so if your backyard is particularly slanted, a great deal of digging and flattening will need to happen. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however, because once you are engaged in that level of construction it tends to open up a lot of design options. If the pool ends up on a higher level than the house, a stepped terrace might be a good idea, for example, or if there is a retaining wall involved, add bushes or a climbing vine.

Adding the Green

The fun part is the way you can integrate landscape elements into the design of the pool. For example, everyone who owns a pool wants privacy, but fences can come across as cold and inhumane. Instead, why not add small trees or bushes to block any unwanted eyes? Inside the pool area itself is the perfect place for something more tropical or a little more ostentatious than the rest of your landscape. Grab some pots and planters and go to town with it. You can always take it a step further, too, by making the deck of the pool area entirely grass. No one ever said it had to be wood or concrete or what have you, and a grass deck will definitely make things look a lot more natural.

Pools are a lot of work, both to install and to maintain, but it is definitely worth it in the long run. It is something we here at the Parke Company believe in very strongly, because of the landscape design options it gives our workers. Plus there’s just something magical about being able to walk into your own backyard and get into the water whenever you want. If that feeling is something you would like to experience yourself, give us a call and let’s get started!

Addition by Subtraction: The Importance of Landscape Removal

March 7, 2024July 6, 2017 by Claire Hopple

One of the more common things we talk about on this blog is the addition of things. You need to add a new pool, a fountain, or certain kinds of flowers and bushes. Sometimes, however, in order to make your lawn look nice, you need to take something out of it, whether that be an old stump that’s just kind of sitting there or a series of dead bushes that couldn’t quite hack it during a bout of intense heat. We here at the Parke Company specialize not only in removing these unwanted distractions, but also in turning them into something more useful and beneficial to your lawn.

Stumped

The most common thing most people need to have removed from their lawns is tree stumps. They tend to be gnarled, knotty old things, truly showcasing how tough trees are, but usually they just end up as eyesores that take up a lot of valuable space, as well as distracting from a well cultivated landscape. Their impact on the visuals aren’t the only problem they present. They can be somewhat dangerous, depending on their size, and can also become a decaying home for harmful insects, or a mother to a lot of new tree sprouts, which if left untended long enough could be serious competition for the other thing growing nearby. The truth is there are lots of reasons to remove a tree stump. In the old days, all it would take to remove the problem would be some chains and a couple of willing horses. Of course, that’s not really an option for many, which is why we here at the Parke Company offer our services. The removal of a tree stump isn’t something that should be left to amateurs, considering the kind of heavy machinery needed and the way stump roots have a pesky way of getting tangled, which is why it’s best left to us.

Now what?

Once the problem has been removed, then what happens? One of the best parts about the services we here at the Parke Company provide is that we take the offending plant and chip it down into something more manageable, namely mulch, which can then be reused to help something more organic take the place of the dead stump. Mulch plays an important part in the growing and planting process, helping regulate the water flow to the newly planted item, as well as a degree of protection. Plus, you get the satisfaction of knowing that you didn’t waste the wood in something trivial like a fire, but instead see the effects it has every time you look at whatever you planted in its stead.

Tree stumps, fallen trunks and dead bushes make your lawn look like something from an apocalyptic movie – not the image most people are looking to project. We at the Parke Company are happy to change that to something a little more to your liking, so give us a call today, so we can remove the problem from your lawn.

Spruce up your patio this summer

March 7, 2024June 30, 2017 by Claire Hopple

It is a time honored tradition, one that families and friends across the country engage in on a regular basis during the summertime: gathering outside on the patio for food and fellowship. Of course for some people, the patio is an underlooked area, especially in places where the winter months are particularly harsh. Even here in Tennessee, patios can become dirty, cold, unforgiving places to be forgotten, with the living room or dining room taking that place. It doesn’t have to be this way. With a few changes, the patio can be the great bridge between the inside and the outside, the place where all the hard work you put into your landscape can be appreciated and mixed with the comfort of your home. We at the Parke Company are specialists when it comes to designing something that looks nice while also being useful, so here are some tips to spruce up your patio area.

What you are looking for

When it comes to sprucing up your patio area, incorporating it into the design of your landscape is one of the best options, instead of treating it as a separate entity. Part of that is thinking about the boundaries of the area. Do you want there to be a wall separating the two? Or maybe you want the material the patio is made of to blend seamlessly into the grass. These are the kinds of questions you need to think about before setting out to rework the area. Both have their pros and cons; having a wall gives a sort of vertical variety – something to look at and it opens up a lot of design options, including the ability to hang plants. However, a more casual blending means less work, so the patio can be anywhere. Another idea is to make a path through a garden leading to a sort of enclosed area. This allows for guests to see the flowers you’ve been working on while also providing a sense of privacy your neighbors might appreciate.

Patio purpose

What are you looking for in your patio? Being able to answer that question might make it easier to picture what your patio can look like. If you want a place where people can gather and have a nice time late into the night, a fire pit might be the spark you’re looking for. Add a selection of comfortable chairs gathered around and you’re looking at an intimate night with friends. Of course, if your patio is on the larger side, one way to break things up is through the use of large potted plants and chairs to create “rooms” nearby, something perfect for extended family gatherings. If you want the best of both worlds, incorporate a mix of formal and informal furniture, with something like a clean grill in the background.

The truth is that the patio can be whatever you want it to be. Once you’ve narrowed down what you want from the area, give the professionals here at the Parke Company a call and we will provide you with a variety of plant and structure options that will take your patio from an afterthought to the main idea.

Edible and Effective: Why Your Garden Needs More Fruits and Vegetables

March 7, 2024June 20, 2017 by Claire Hopple

Thanks to modern advances in technology and science, more and more people are able to adequately grow their own food. For many this is a little hobby, usually kept to a smaller plot in the backyard, or perhaps in a small box on the windowsill. It doesn’t have to be that way, however, as the benefits from incorporating edible plants into your basic landscape design pays off in more ways than just having a supply of food at your disposal. They provide a measure of security, while at the same time adding a range of colors and distinct visuals not normally available to someone with just flowers. With that in mind, here are some tips for why adding fruits, vegetables, and others edible growths is a great idea.

The Benefits of Produce in Your Garden

Sweet, yet subtle

It doesn’t have to be something as drastic as planting a series of apple trees in the backyard, but adding a fruit-bearing tree is always a great idea. If that seems like a more daunting task than you’re willing to attempt, then start with something smaller, like blueberries or raspberries. Most berry bushes are a little pricklier than non-berry bushes, but take into account the fact that these bushes keep their cover during the winter months, making them great for low level security. The nice thing about having edible plants in your landscape is the easy way they jump into a place normally occupied by a non-edible plant, so you don’t have to sacrifice the overall design. For instance, if you want to have a hanging vine, or other plants that spill out of their containers, beans can be strung on a trellis or a wall in an attractive manner, and tomatoes need to be hung in order to grow properly.

Disguised sensations

Of course, a lot of edible plants will improve your landscape in other ways. Let’s face it, fresh, healthy fruit smells delicious. If you choose to incorporate different herbs like dill, rosemary, sage, and thyme, it will smell that much better. Different kinds of lettuces and other leafy greens can be planted in flower beds at different times, giving the area the effect of always being in bloom.

You will have to keep in mind how much extra work having these plants in your garden is going to be, as it ranges from very little extra watering in the case of herbs, to quite a bit of extra watering and patience in the case of many fruits. It’s also important to note that this might cause additional attention from certain pests, like squirrels that like to dig up various plants, or bug infestations. It is worth it, as there’s nothing quite like the feeling of looking at the table and seeing a delicious meal that came, at least in part, from your own garden. It is something that we at the Parke Company believe in very strongly, which is why we are always available to help design an aesthetically pleasing landscape full of rich, nutritious, edible plants.

Seeding For the Future: Tips For Your New Grass

March 7, 2024June 14, 2017 by Claire Hopple

Regardless of whether your lawn is in need of a small patch of grass or a complete overhaul, laying down new sod or planting seeds is a lot of work. In theory it should be pretty easy, right? I mean, grass grows pretty much everywhere except on rocks or sandy beaches, so just how difficult could it be? The truth is that it’s usually easy to make it look alright, but pretty intense to make it look really nice. Since a lush, green lawn is one of the easiest ways to make your home look nice, it really is something you want to do the right way.

With that in mind, here are some tips on how to get the fullest potential out of your new grass.

Too much of a good thing?

One of the trickiest parts of new grass is figuring out just how much water is needed. That is especially true during a hot summer like the one currently scorching Nashville and the rest of mid-Tennessee. The type of soil you are working with is going to affect how much water is needed on an average day. For example, in a place that has a more clay-like soil, like much of the area does, water is slow to be absorbed by the soil, since clay is harder than sandy or more loam-like soil. That being said, clay holds water better than the others, allowing the new grass seedlings to take their time. A good rule of thumb is that an average size lawn needs about an inch of water a week to survive, so if it’s not raining regularly (which tends to happen in this area) you need to set up a watering schedule. Remember that the hotter the weather, the more water will be lost to evaporation, so water early in the morning or later at night and avoid watering during the middle of the day. Having too much water will also damage the grass seedlings, as it can lead to washing away the seeds or flooding them, not giving them a chance to grow.

When to cut

After your new grass has started to sprout, you might be wondering how long you need to wait before you start mowing that area. Again, this is a tricky balance to find. Mow too soon, and the individual plants don’t have enough time to take root and grow strong, and most likely will be torn from the soil. Wait too long, however, and you end up with a shabby looking lawn, something that we here at the Parke Company try our best to avoid. With most new seeding efforts, wait about a month before mowing for the first time. Another thing to keep in mind when mowing is to allow the new grass to dry before mowing, as doing it while the grass is still damp or wet can lead to complications.

Growing new grass is not something a lot of people have experience with, as it is usually a once-every-decade-or-so experience, not something you do every season like with certain flowers and other plants. We at the Parke Company understand this; after all, maintaining lawns is one of the the things we excel at. Why not put our years of expertise and knowledge to use by letting us help you plant the lawn of your dreams?