The Tulip Poplar or Tulip tree is an underutilized deciduous shade tree with light green leaves that resemble the shape of a tulip that turn a brilliant gold color in the autumn months.  Known for its greenish-yellow tulip-shaped blooms in May and June, they are perched high in the treetop at 1 1/2” – 2” in diameter.  The tuliptree grows to be around 70-90 feet tall with a spread of 40 feet at maturity.  It is a fast-growing species with growth of about 2 feet annually.

The tulip tree thrives in full sun, meaning it should receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight.  It is hardy to zones 4-9 and is blessed with aromatic stems.  To inquire further about how All American can incorporate this shady specimen into your landscape, call the office at 402-408-0000.

Benefits of a Healthy Turf System

Maintained turf shines in many ways, and All American’s chemical program can make it a reality.  Turfgrasses need, at minimum, 16 nutrients for typical growth and maturity. Some nutrients are required in hefty volumes, other nutrients only in miniscule amounts.  Despite the total essentials, an absence of any of these nutrients will reduce the progress and growth of the turf. Consequently, a calcium shortage can be just as harmful to the turf systems as a deficit of nitrogen, even though turfgrasses exhaust more nitrogen than calcium.

When it comes to cost, fertilization does more to advance mediocre turfgrass or uphold superior lawns than any other management exercise. Correct fertilization attempts yield a dense, lush, medium- to dark-green lawn that counterattacks irritants and environmental strains.  To inquire further about how All American can benefit your turf system by implementing a chemical program into your lawn, call the office at 402-408-0000.

Plant Spotlight – Slender Silhouette Sweetgum

There is so much to love about Slender Silhouette Sweetgum, with its tall, thin form, making it ideal for tight spaces.  This columnar variety of Sweetgum grows 35-50 feet tall and just 4 feet wide, making it perfect for those of us who need just one more tree or have little space to work with in the landscape.  The bark becomes fissured or develops deep furrows as the tree matures.  The deciduous, star-shaped foliage is deep green in the summer but turns yellow to deep red in the autumn months.   Slender Silhouette thrives in full sun to part shade conditions and prefers a moist but well-drained soil.  The tree is hardy in zones 5-8 and is a quick grower.

Some envision a sweetgum tree as a nuisance for the fruit that they drop, however, Slender Silhouette Sweetgum produces only a little fruit, and it falls in a small area since the tree is so narrow. To inquire further about how All American can incorporate this lovable specimen into your landscape, call the office at 402-408-0000.

Plant Spotlight – Lava Lamp Coral Bells

Lava Lamp are a new variety of coral bells that deliver large, coppery-purple leaves and are known for their ease of growth and texture addition to most any shade garden.  A fabulous accent plant or cut flower, Lava Lamp grows 16-24” tall by 24-28” wide and prefers full to part shade landscape situations.  Grown for its intense foliage, Lava Lamp tolerates a variety of soils and is hardy in zones 4-8.  To inquire further about how All American can incorporate this effortless perennial into your landscape, call the office at 402-408-0000.

Plant Spotlight – Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan

Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan was the 1999 Perennial Plant of the Year, and for just cause!  The hardy perennial boasts an array of bright golden yellow flowers atop of strong branching stems from mid-late summer months.  Known for its brilliant color, this work horse plant is also loved by butterflies and ignored by deer.  Steadfast and resilient, Black-Eyed Susan endures both drought and clay and is effortless to maintain.  Goldsturm typically grows 18-24” tall by 24” wide, but does come in more petite varieties such as Little Gold Star and Viette’s Little Suzy.  Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan is hardy to zones 4-9. 

To inquire further about how All American can incorporate this fun, low-maintenance shrub into your landscape, call the office at 402-408-0000.

Landscape Lighting for the Residential Landscape

As a homeowner, you have done your best to ensure that your house and yard look top notch. Do not let that diligence fade at dusk when, with the touch of a switch or proper use of a timer and some advantageously positioned landscape lights, you can hinder the night and place everything around your home on show. Installed correctly, landscape lighting fashions the finest of what you have by accenting your house and its design characteristics by accenting specimen landscape plantings and housing architecture.

The majority of today’s landscape lighting is low voltage, and for a great reason. A low voltage system is more secure to work with and is not as expensive to install. Although low-voltage lights only utilize one-tenth the power, due to a step-down transformer, the lights have immeasurable effects that they can attain.  Landscape lighting is more than choosing the correct hardware and fixtures, it is an attractive lighting arrangement that is also about originality.

Benefits of landscape lighting include safety in the landscape, security from burglars, value to the home, and visual appeal to the landscape and property.  To inquire further about how All American can incorporate landscape lighting into your landscape, call the office at 402-408-0000.

Plant Spotlight – Bobo Hardy Hydrangea

The Bobo Hardy Hydrangea is a new dwarf hydrangea that is sure to get attention!  This showy shrub is showered in massive creamy white blooms in the summer months, offering a non-stop show until frost.  The Bobo Hydrangea is a petite shrub, growing just 3 feet tall with a 3-4 foot spread and a mounding growth habit.  The hydrangea blooms are held upright on sturdy stems and they continue to grow and lengthen as they bloom.  During the autumn months, blooms may become a pinkish tone.  Bobo Hardy Hydrangea thrives in full sun to part shade and does well in zones 3 – 8. 

This petite shrub is a benefit to any landscape bed where space is limited.  This plant does require regular watering in extreme heat.  To inquire further about how All American can incorporate this showy specimen into your landscape, call the office at 402-408-0000.

Plant Spotlight – Visions Astilbe

Visions Astilbe is a lovely landscape perennial that is perfect for a full to part shade garden situation.  This variety of Astilbe has raspberry colored blooms that emerge mid-summer and sit atop the deep green, Zen-type foliage.  Visions has a moderate growth rate reaching 14” tall and 12” wide and is nice in the front of a bed or in a container.  This plant is hardy from zones 4-8 and is spectacular with its purple flowers.  To inquire further about how All American can incorporate this stunning perennial into your landscape, call the office at 402-408-0000.

Retaining Walls in the Landscape

A retaining wall is a wall that holds back or “retains” the earth behind it. The force behind a large wall, keeping back loads of soil and water, can be immense, and significant expertise and skill is essential prior to embarking on such a project. Even a properly built wall could fail over time if the builder were to neglect to provide an appropriate outlet for runoff, as water pressure would ultimately develop to an unmanageable degree.

One of the most widespread roles of a retaining wall is to prevent erosion on hillsides in instances where  the use of plants in mass to evade erosion is both detrimental and unrealistic. You are misjudging the opportunities for these constructions if you view them as erosion-combatants only. Think about how you are modifying the lay of the property on your land when you raise a retaining wall. An expanse of soil that is leaning and unworkable can be smoothed behind the wall to establish an outdoor living area, such as a patio, pool, or to incorporate fresh landscape garden beds.

Do not ignore the visual element of retaining walls. There are numerous methods that can be utilized to accentuate this piece, involving choosing a textile that is in sync with your complete project objectives. For example, select a charming, pure textile for installation that will add to your landscape design in the way that any superior hardscape traits do by nature.   By contrast, concrete blocks are not incredibly natural-looking, which is sufficient in a landscape design where the natural look is not the intention. For example, if you have a patio fashioned from concrete pavers, then an adjacent retaining wall constructed with concrete blocks will complete it well.

To have a retaining wall designed into your landscape or outdoor space, call All American at 402-408-0000 today!

Plant Spotlight – Annual Coleus

No longer considered just a shade plant, annual coleus plants are simple to grow and now come in a wide variety of sun and heat-tolerant selections causing them to be trendy options for several areas including landscape beds and container plantings.  Coleus exhibit audacious yet gorgeous foliage making them stand out in any setting, shade or sun.  While Coleus have an extraordinary gamut of natural colors, plant breeders have gone above and beyond with selections including hot pink, chartreuse, and near-black.  To make it even more curious, Coleus have been bred with stripes, splotches and venation to add texture and uniqueness to the plant.  They come in a variety of shapes and sizes and while Coleus are non-toxic to humans, the sap can cause minor skin irritation.  To inquire further about how All American can incorporate this versatile and textured annual into your landscape beds or containers, call the office at 402-408-0000.