In what’s shaping up to be one of our best years ever, our team has expanded to continue offering the best all-around property maintenance in Sarasota. Owner John Butts, who has been an ISA Certified Arborist for nearly 15 years, just completed his qualifications to become a Professional Mangrove Trimmer (PMT) and Jason and Daniel continue to work in our Gardens & Flowers team.

Gardens require a watchful eye, but the enjoyment you get from just one flowerbed makes it all worthwhile. This April we are planting Vincas, Pentas, Dusty Millers, and Angel Wing Begonias. Next month, the Caladiums will be coming out like we look forward to every year. Our secret is mixing ‘Command’ organic compost into the soil before planting new flowers, herbs or vegetables.

We’re excited to announce that we recently transitioned to a new fertilizer and plant healthcare vendor. Long story short, John sold his portion

Immediately recognizable to most Floridians, mangroves, with their distinctive root systems that dot the muddy shores of rivers and estuaries around South Florida, play an important ecological role.

They provide a habitat for thousands of vertebrate and invertebrate marine species and other wildlife, and they often bear the brunt of tropical storms and hurricanes.

Although most mangroves live in mud, they can also thrive in sand, peat, and coral rock, and they can withstand a level of salinity one hundred times greater than most other plants. In fact, mangroves are the only trees that can live in brackish water and they tolerate the daily ebb and flow of coastal tides that would drown most trees, even if the water itself were fresh.

But these majestic trees are by no means indestructible and, as such, they require expert care.

There are over half a million acres of mangroves in Florida and

Congratulations to Mark Sultana & April Balliette of DSDG Architects on being named Best Architect and Best Interior Designer, respectively in SRQ Magazine's Best of SRQ local 2020.

Mark’s clean and fresh designs have earned him 10 Best of SRQ awards while April has held the position of Best Interior Designer for the 4 years the category has existed.

Siesta Key Landscape is proud to have worked with this dynamic duo on projects like the recently completed Blue Marlin Residence.

Backyard walkways and paths are a great way to connect parts of your yard and create separate areas within it.

Residential and commercial landscapes can benefit from various types of walkways and paths. These are functional but also can be designed to enhance any outdoor landscape. Siesta Key landscape specializes in all varieties of walkway & path design and installation.

We can connect your outdoor living spaces with steppers or pathways. From flagstone steppers and paths to brick, natural stone, gravel or concrete, there are multiple ways to get around your landscape. Let us help you create an attractive walkway or path throughout your gardens and landscaping today.

Landscaping can be a highly effective way to make your property more appealing and also allow you to spend more time in your green space. Outdoor pathways and walkways can guide visitors to your front door or a hidden backyard garden. Custom

DIY landscaping projects can be a lot of fun, as long as everything goes according to plan but, if you don’t have the right training, tools or experience, a simple DIY project can quickly turn into a major unexpected expense - especially if you hit a utility line while digging!

Professional Landscapers have the knowledge, experience, equipment (and insurance) to handle any problem that might arise. They’re familiar with local rules and regulations, and they know what plants, irrigation systems, and water strategies will work best with your soil composition and climate.

There are many great reasons to hire a Professional Landscaper, especially for larger projects, even if you mow your own lawn and trim your own hedges each week. Here are some of them:

Professional Landscaping Increases Your Property Value

Professional landscaping offers an excellent return on investment. According to John Gidding, host of HGTV’s “Curb Appeal” and Logo

The source could be your Areca palms.

There’s a common misconception regarding Areca palms that all the new growth must be trimmed away. Unfortunately, all these open cuts provide an easy point of entry for diseases which are often incurable and can spread to other palms on your property.

One common example of an incurable palm disease is Ganoderma Butt Rot. This disease is so contagious that it can easily spread through pruning shears or chainsaws and, once a diseased palm is removed, a new palm cannot be planted in its place for 4 to 5 years.

If you have any questions or concerns about Ganoderma, or any other palm disease, call Siesta Key Landscape at 941-379-3479 and always inform your landscape company if you think you might have an infected palm so they don’t inadvertently transfer the disease to healthy palms.

When you land one of the last original bungalows in paradise, only the best will do and that includes landscaping by Siesta Key Landscape!

Check out the Detroit Home article of this Casey Key gem that we worked on.

Florida Oolite – (Coral Stone) found at or near the surface in southeastern peninsular of Florida from Palm Beach County to the Barrier Islands east of Miami bordering Biscayne Bay and the lower Keys of Florida From Big Pine Island to the Marquesas Keys just south of Key West.

Florida Oolite Coral Stone consists of fossiliferous limestone, quartz sand, marine sediments and lime sandstones.

Fossils present in this Coral Stone include mollusks, bryozoans, and corals. Molds and casts of fossils are common. This Coral Stone is highly porous and permeable. This Coral Stone has a Tropical appeal and is used in walls, columns, Building Veneer and as Bank or Shore Lining.

The most prevalent form of oolite is southern Dade county oolite because of the available rural land. Southern Dade county oolite is characterized by white. Gables oolite or graveyard stone is characterized by deep crevices & rust veining. It

For this unique project on North Lake Shore Drive in Sarasota we removed all the existing landscape in order to allow for renovations to take place.

Then, once the new driveway was installed, we provided all the irrigation, landscape, drainage, and landscape lighting.

We carefully routed all the gutter drains underground and out to large drain basins near the bay, we installed several sections of artificial turf near the front entrance for low maintenance and aesthetics, and we added zoysia grass sod in the front yard and back.

Siesta Key Landscape worked closely with the homeowner and Tim Borden Landscape Architect to complete this stunning landscape design.

Coming Soon: Look for these pictures on the cover of Home & Design magazine!

Click here to see more photos

A Casey Key home we did the landcaping for was recently featured in an article for Detroit Home Magazine.

A respectful innovation of an original 1940s Florida cottage honors the best of the past and present.

https://youtu.be/XCU2CX1BKAk

To do the job right, you need to make sure that a sporting field is completely level and that the soil is properly prepared before you put grass down.

That is why we begin by rough grading the area with a bobcat or large tractor, then we do the final grading with a box blade or another type of level before raking all of the soil into place by hand. We also add a large amount of organic matter to sandy soils so they can maintain good drainage and have the capacity to hold some water.

Siesta Key Landscape builds soccer fields, playgrounds, putting greens and all kinds of backyard sporting fields, and we do all of the prep work needed so the finished product is perfect every time!

Can You identify this palm disease in the landscape. Once a Palm is dead and cut down it’s extremely important to remove the stump or grind the stump to eliminate any other palms from contamination.

This palm disease is extremely dangerous to any palm, it spreads easily through pruning shears or chainsaws and there are no current treatments for this disease. The hard, Brown mushrooms are the fruit from the disease and should be carefully removed then immediately disposed of in the trash.

The unique shape and rich textures of Palm Trees have become a symbol of the Florida lifestyle and their durability and adaptability have made them a favorite of landscape designers in the warmer parts of the state, but these hearty plants can succumb to a variety of diseases including Ganoderma.

Ganoderma zonatum, the pathogen that causes Ganoderma Palm Disease, was first identified by scientists at the University

The explosion of manicured golf courses that spread throughout the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s made the “golf course-like lawn” a goal for many American homeowners.

Spurred by this new-found interest in golf courses and private lawns, the USDA increased its testing of potential lawn and turf grasses throughout the country's land-grant universities. It is around this time that Zoysia grass, which is native to Asia, is introduced into the United States.

Zoysia grasses are suitable for southern climates like ours, they grow in a variety of soil types, and can tolerate cold temperature, shade, and salt.

In recent years, turfgrass breeders have also made improvements to the insect resistance, establishment speed, and overall performance of the grasses but, without proper maintenance, even this hearty breed will not produce the desired results.

These warm-season grasses should be planted in the spring after the threat of frost

Have a problem w your palms and not sure what it could be?

Palms are very unique plants and are not like most trees. They require a very specific amount of fertilizer compared to turf grass. They can also be very negatively affected by turf grass fertilizer and should always be treated separately.

Most palm problems are from deficiencies in nutrients, excessive moisture or improper planting. Palms that experience severe nutrient deficiencies for too long can become stressed out and attract boring or chewing insects that could kill the palm.

At SKL we offer the very best palm nutritional program in Sarasota. We use a custom blended 8-2-12 granular fertilizer w slow release minor nutrients.

Not all 8-2-12 fertilizer is created equal and most companies take out the good slow release components for cheaper quick release components.

We apply this 8-2-12 directly to palms three times per year but what

Siesta Key Landscape provides expert landscape design for Sarasota Florida and the surrounding areas.

We specialize in hardscapes and paver design. Here is an example of a Casey Key pool patio we recently finished. We can help you with all aspects of home masonry such as driveway and walkway construction, poolscapes and custom landscaping services.

Our services include: Driveways/walkways, Custom fireplaces, fire pits, and barbeques, Custom design, Poolscapes, Custom landscaping.

Fire pits are a popular addition to backyards.

This is a fire pit we recently completed with pavers around it. Our paver patio fire pits are lined with steel rings to protect the block surround. There are also grill attachments available for most pits that allow the pit to be used as a wood fire grill. We can customize each pit to fit our client’s needs.

Crushed granite with stepping stone pathways. The Pathways are lined with Adonidia palms.

Crushed granite is a granitic rock that has weathered to the point of breaking into very small piece. Crushed granite – also known as decomposed granite is ideal for pathways and rustic patios, and can also be used as a topdressing around arid plants.

Since crushed/decomposed granite is not a solid surface, it provides excellent drainage. Once compacted, a patio or walkway covered with lose crushed granite will be fairly hard.

Many of you may have read about the recent (August 2015) aerial spraying of Naled in Dorchester County, South Carolina.

That spraying unintentionally killed millions of honeybees while attempting to control the disease-carrying mosquito population, but the fact that pesticides are really bad for bees should not come as a surprise to any of us.

Concerns about the effects of pesticides on bees and other pollinators are not new. In fact, the European Union banned the use of multiple neonicotinoids in 2003, although some exemptions have been made for use in the United Kingdom and they are widely used in other parts of the world, including the United States.

Until recently, most of the research on the effects of pesticides on insect populations for which they were not intended have been short-term and conducted on a small-scale in a laboratory setting, but a new study published in the August 2016