Down in the deep-south neighbourhood of Cranston, Jeanne and Dave Odynski have crossed over that landscape  divide. They’re too busy enjoying their new yard to spend much time looking back, but the problems they encountered while securing a quality landscape definitely offer a few lessons for other Calgarians who want to beautify their outdoor spaces.

Economic migrants who moved to Calgary from Fort McMurray in the middle of 2006, the Odynskis are excited about the prospect of their first full spring and summer season with a completed deck, an interlocking brick patio and an underground irrigation system that lets them water with the flick of a switch. They’ll also enjoy their first full season with perennial shrub beds that require virtually no care.

But don’t let this pastoral scene of backyard bliss distract from the facts. Even though the Odynskis launched their landscaping quest soon after moving in, their first attempts to hire a professional earned them months of hassles. By the fall of 2006, their yard featured a large pile of dirt, with a bobcat parked beside it. “There were kids biking off that pile of dirt and when the landscaper actually showed up to do the work, Dave had to help him because he didn’t have staff,” recalls Jeanne.

When one work stoppage led to another, the Odynskis learned they were “first on the list” to have their shrub beds and patios built after the spring thaw of ’07. “I told Dave that I don’t care if we’re first on his list. I don’t want to see that guy,” recalls Jeanne, who made most of the largely unreturned calls for clarification on when the job would proceed.

They eventually hooked up with an experienced landscaper who was getting out of the business due to his own frustrations with labour shortages. He agreed to make their project his last and while the work wasn’t finished until the fall of 2007, the Odynskis love the results.

Jeanne’s top tips for landscape success echo the fundamentals of hiring any contractor. She recommends people check references and ask to see a portfolio of completed projects. After paying for bricks that were never delivered, she also suggests that hard landscaping

details, like crushed rock or bricks, be delivered directly to your yard if you’ve had to pay a deposit. It’s another way to make sure you get what you paid for.

If you do all of the right things, and the project still doesn’t come together, be prepared to move on, adds Odynski.

Go pro
James Knaut of Aura Landscapers (which was not involved in the Odynskis’ project), urges Calgary homeowners to seek professional help in landscape design and execution.  A comparatively mild winter season means a lot of Calgary landscape companies work most of the year. But given labour issues and the fact Nature decides which days it can’t work; homeowners should start the process early—and be prepared to wait.

“I know that might be frustrating. But when you consider the length of time you own a home, you should be willing to wait for a quality person to do the work.”

One of the first things a professional landscaper should offer is help with design. A scheme “is going to give you a long-term plan for how your yard is going to evolve.” While you might not opt to do everything in the design right away, a good plan begins with the hard landscaping: decks, patios, gazebos, water features, plant beds and sidewalks.

These are the priciest parts of a landscape design. They also make the outdoor space livable and knowing where they’ll be saves money by making sure you don’t plant trees or build flower beds where they’ll have to be moved.
Convinced that Calgary homeowners need backyard spaces that offer refuge from the rest of their busy lives, Knaut is a big proponent of ground-level patios and landscape details that offer private spaces. He also ensures these outdoor spaces deliver a good mix of sun and shade and recommends low-maintenance options wherever possible.

Maintenance was a big issue for the Odynskis—and their landscape plan delivered. Their vinyl deck and glass-panel deck fencing never needs painting and rock-mulched gardens conserve moisture and reduce weeds. Perennial shrubs in the front and back planters ensure year-round beauty they can augment with a few well-placed summer pots.

Gimme Shelter
A peck of patience and relatively small amount of cash gives urban gardeners access to a provincial-government program that helps farmers plant healthy rows of trees to protect their land and buildings from the harsh realities of prairie weather.

For a $26.50 registration fee, any Albertan can buy bundles of very young trees and shrubs for their own yards.

A bundle of five raspberries, Saskatoon or cotoneaster seedlings will cost $19.95. Five Swedish columnar aspens sell for $30—and neighbours are welcome to share bundles. Some of these trees are little more than sticks when they first arrive. But they’re prairie hardy and should take off after a few years.

For more details, visit: wwwmarketland.net
 
Getting Growing
Green thumbs are cultivated, not born—and no one knows that better than the folks at the Calgary Horticultural Society, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2008.

To learn more about gardening in Calgary, Google the society for help with everything from botanical names to new lawns and the latest in water-wise gardening, mulching and fertilizer.

The site even lets you ask experts for help and for $32 a year you’ll get eight issues of Calgary Garden­ing, access to one of Alberta’s best Internet gardening forums and discounts at local garden centres.

Patience as a landscape virtue
New home owners frustrated by having to wait for sod and other basic landscape features should also take heart.  Builders are required to grade sites with a certain amount of loam, but that dirt will settle. If you can wait a year before you landscape, you may get better results, especially around the house itself. “Any place where there’s been excavation, it’s going to sink more,” notes Knaut.

If you can’t wait to get the green growing, use a soaker hose to speed up the settling process and get the ground wet several times. This lets you identify specific areas where you need to change the grade. “You will need extra dirt to do a good job.”

Knaut also recommends homeowners take a realistic look at the free tree the builder parked in their front yards.  “You want to enhance your landscape, not hide, so the most important thing is probably to look at the size that tree is going to get.”

He likes trees that don’t grow too big—and offer seasonal variety. The Japanese tree lilac flowers in the spring. The Shubert chokecherry begins with green leaves that turn a reddish purple. It also produces berries that invite wild birds into your yard.

Homeowners sold on evergreens may want to look at the bristle cone or mountain pines, which don’t get as big as spruce trees. Evergreen shrubs are another option for year-round colour.

Regardless of what you plant, Knaut insists homeowners pay close attention to their trees, shrubs and sod the first year, since new plantings must be watered in times of prolonged drought. (For specific  tips on keeping new sod healthy, check out the Calgary Horticultural Society web site.)

Because landscape success begins at the very bottom, Knaut also reminds homeowners to make sure they make dirt a priority for all of their garden beds.  He recommends loam with at least 30 per cent peat moss. That blend is great for new roots—which is where all of the best plants begin! NL