Many people ask us to cut our huge areas of sod when they are creating new bed areas. Unless you are planning to have plain soil beds and do active flower planting in the areas, there is NO NEED to remove the sod. This is a method used for creating new beds in an existing lawn.  It saves all the tedious work and EXPENSE of cutting out big areas of sod and hauling all that material away only to fill up the space with rock or mulch anyway.  The old turf left underneath won’t hurt anything. It will rot away to nothing before long. Why haul all that material away, just to haul more material in to fill the hole? 

 1) Use your hose to lay out the line.

2) Cut just one swath with the half moon edger or with a sod cutter.

3)  Spray all the grass behind the curb with “Roundup” to kill the lawn.  Click HERE for a link on the pragmatic use of roundup in your yard    or HERE for an article on theoretical and potential dangers of roundup and click HERE for alternatives to roundup

4) Plant your shrubs  

5) Install fabric

6) Install rocks/ mulch, keeping it back 18″ from the prepped line

7) Call us to come by and install the curb.  

8) Finish as needed

Curbing can actually be used to mitigate some drainage problems, but the key thing is always proper lot grading and maintenance of eavestroughs and downspouts, sump drains and other drainage features.

We can build in splash pads and gutters in some cases. We can put various types of bypass into the curb to allow water past so that we don’t get puddling near the house where there is a risk. Also when there is a major swale planned into the lot grading, we generally put a “dip” into the curb so large flows of surface water can drain over the curb. Even though these dips or cuts are not perfectly attractive, they are better than the alternative of using weep holes. Weep holes through the curb are not a wise idea, as they will eventually plug up and be forgotten, potentially causing a drainage problem.  If you see a drainage concern we have not spotted, by all means mention it preferably prior to curb installation!

If you have a need for a water drain over the curb, you can cut a notch using a skill saw or angle grinder with a cheap masonry blade available at home improvement centres. Cut a notch about 2″ wide partially through the curb. Do this by making several parallel cuts close together and chip the slivers of concrete away with a hammer to make a wide channel. The end cuts can angle in toward each other so they are not so blunt, and you can touch up sharp edges so they are smoothed off a bit.  Then if its a stamped curb, simply brush some sealer over the spot, and the colour will blend reasonably well, because the base colour of the concrete goes all the way through.

Some people panic too easily about puddling of water behind a curb. In my opinion, it is not a problem to have a puddle laying a couple of hours or even a day after a lot of rain- as long as it is not right next to a house foundation!

When lot grading needs to be addressed, it may be time for a more comprehensive look at your flood prevention strategy.

The City of Edmonton has a Flood Prevention Program that may be of help, and should be understood by all homeowners.

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Did you know you can get a free flood prevention check-up from a qualified specialist  if your property is inside the City of Edmonton? You can call 780-944-7777 for more information or to schedule a complimentary appointment.

Some excerpts from the city website:  https://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/utilities/flood-prevention-program.aspx

Background
Our city receives about 345 millimetres (14 inches) of rain a year, most of which falls from May to October. Though this is not a huge amount of precipitation, our summer storms tend to drop large amounts of rain over short periods of time. During major rainstorms the sheer volume of water can back up drainage systems and flood basements.
Program
Drainage Planning and Engineering sponsors a Flood Prevention Program to equip homeowners with the information and knowledge to make drainage improvements.
Goals
The Flood Prevention Program is intended to meet 2 objectives:
To reduce risk of basement flooding due to sewer backup during rainfall events.
To reduce wet weather flows in the sanitary sewer system.

Four Key Messages

Downspouts
Downspouts should extend at least 1.8 metres (6 feet) from your basement wall and drain away from the house toward a street or back lane.
Lot Grading
Land should slope outward from the foundation of the house for a minimum of 1.8 metres (6 feet).
Flood-proofing Devices
Individual and neighbourhood drainage systems prone to flooding should have a flood-proofing device, such as a sump pump or backwater valve, installed to keep rainwater and sewage from backing up into basements.
Plumbing Fixtures
A qualified plumber should inspect all plumbing fixtures and flood-proofing devices regularly to make sure they are in good conditions.

Links:

Homeowner’s guide to flood prevention

Lot grading maintenance

But if you are looking for advice on planting trees, shrubs, exposures, or designing amazing hard landscape features, don’t count on me.  There is no one in the business as talented as Adelle Goodwin.

I have executed nearly a hundred of her designs over the years. She creates the most amazing hand drawn designs- real art! She has good ideas, and most importantly, she uses her imagination after consulting with you, to create a design that is actually DO-ABLE.

I have dealt with designs that are so unrealistic, or so blatantly out of touch with the actual ground conditions that the plan is a waste of money. Some supposedly professional designs have such glaring problems, that you wonder if the designer even visited the site! Adele’s plans are definitely worth it – if you need to know about plantings, and want to have a mix that shows nicely year round. Getting a plan is especially valuable if you have a larger lot and are planning to spend a lot on beautiful hard features and to get an attractive mix of colour and texture in your design.

Getting a design is not cheap, but if you lack imagination or experience with gardening, you can save the cost of the plan by using Adele’s accumulated knowledge and artistic skill to avoid costly mistakes.

Following is some biographical information from her website: Earthworm Landscape design

Adele has a degree in Horticulture from the University of Guelph in Ontario. She owned Gardens & Gifts, a Garden Centre and Landscaping Company in New Liskeard, Ontario during the 90’s. She moved to Alberta in 1999 and opened EarthWorm Landscape Design Co. to express her favorite part of the landscape industry, and she has designed thousands of properties since then.

Adele has been featured in Womanition Magazine in 2016 and recently in Outdoor Lifestyle Magazine and has been nominated in the Professional Trades category of the SuPearlative Awards for the past 2 years in a row. She has received many awards from the industry association of Landscape Alberta and is a judge of the competition for 2016. Adele has been on the executive of Landscape Alberta and has been a provincial rep for the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association. She is currently a member of The Edmonton Dollar Club. You can visit her”> Linked In profile.

Adele has a Certificate in Feng Shui from the Northern Star College in Edmonton which she uses to assist people in generating more harmony in their homes and lives. She has studied Dynamic Energy Healing, Healing the Light Body and Universal Shamanism.

Adele has been teaching do-it-yourself landscape design classes for 30 years and enjoys the mutual learning and fun that results from interaction in the classroom. 2016 saw her teaching at Lee Valley Tools and Greenland Garden Centre and she has spent many years teaching at the Devonian Botanic Garden. She leans to the environmental side of things and experiments with rainwater harvesting and alternative building.

Adele Goodwin: cell (780) 232-5308  Landline (780) 990-0997

Laying sod is not rocket science, but doing it right will lead to a much better drought resistant and healthier lawn. the proper soil mix under the lawn is important. Most people order sod from a local supplier  who delivers it to the driveway or street and then they do it themselves or with friends/family. use the links below to learn more about laying sod, and about varieties of grass.

When prepping, be sure to remove a bit of soil along hard surfaces like sidewalks so the grass does not climb on top. Remember, the grass grows mainly on top of the soil, not down into it. it will also thicken as it matures , growing a thatch. Our curbs are set up so you should not rake extra soil in front. The sod will thicken a bit,  after a couple of years, bringing the turf level with the lower edge of the curb.

Order sod from a sod farm. They deliver it to your address. You need to lay it soon ( 24-48 hours) after delivery. Spread some lawn fertilizer before laying sod. Water it a lot for the first two weeks, but avoid making the ground turn to mush underneath.

Blue Grass Sod  is a great company to deal with. They offer a variety of grass blends: Premium Kentucky Bluegrass, Bluegrass Holiday Lawn ( a slow growing variety that needs less mowing), Bluegrass Fine Fescue Blend ( another low maintenance variety)   They now have a small yard in Edmonton, stocking a variety of materials for landscape maintenance, besides supplying the sod itself.

21515-103Ave NW Edmonton

call 780-862-4383

A couple of other useful links:

Cliff’s landscaping- How top lay sod

Salisbury greenhouse : How to lay sod 101

Herbicide use before laying sod 

other Local suppliers:

South East Big Lake sod farm

Manderley Turf products

See this tube video How to flatten ground video

or this one here

A wooden ladder, a steel beam, a heavy post.  the best is when there is more than one edge being dragged over the surface. the first one knocks down the bumps, and the second one evens it out.  You can use a quad or riding mower or whatever machine you have to make the job easier.

See other information of preparing your place for curb installation here.

Click on these links to read their guidelines on final grade

City of Edmonton

Beaumont final grading pdf  Website

Sherwood Park pdf         Website

St Albert

You should be sure the grading is correct before curbing is installed on your property. If you are pushing forward to get everything done, call us before the final grade is done, so that we can prepare a plan and anticipate the timing. In any case, don’t worry too much about timing, as we do final grade jobs on a priority basis. We can usually do an installation within a week of your call that it is ready to go.

Recommended final grade installation: River Valley Final Grading

“Because we built on a hill and back onto a ravine it has been a long and frustrating ordeal to get rough grade. Vunya and his crew were in last week and already we final grade! Two years to get rough grade approval, two days to get final grade approval. I would recommend River Valley to any and everyone!”

– Hugh

Designing your lawn involves looking at eventual elements: Tree and shrub location,  attractive design to enhance the property, sunlight available, space for play/ gardening, accessibility for mowing equipment, and other factors. Here is a good article top get your creative juices flowing:

 see landscaping network for good ideas on lawn design

Landscape design is easy when you break it down into individual ideas. Check out some of favorite landscape ideas and strategies for making a beautiful yard.

Source: Easy Landscaping Ideas