FAQs

Investing in a residential landscape is worthwhile because it offers the following benefits:

1. Increased curb appeal and property value.
2. Improved quality of life and outdoor living space.
3. Environmental benefits and sustainability.
4. Privacy, noise reduction, and stress reduction.
5. Long-term cost savings and community appeal.

By enhancing the aesthetics, functionality, and environmental aspects of your property, a well-designed landscape can provide a positive return on your investment and enhance your overall living experience.

The increase in a home’s value due to landscaping can vary depending on several factors such as location, the quality of the landscaping, and the preferences of potential buyers. However, studies have shown that a well-designed and maintained landscape can contribute to an increase in a home’s value by an estimated 5% to 20%. 

A study conducted by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) found that landscaping can have a significant impact on the perceived value of a property. Additionally, a survey by the HomeGain website reported that an investment in landscaping can provide a return on investment (ROI) of up to 150%. 

It’s important to note that the value added by landscaping is not solely determined by the cost of the landscaping project itself. Factors such as the overall appeal, functionality, and maintenance requirements of the landscape can also influence the perceived value. 

To maximize the potential increase in your home’s value, it’s advisable to focus on creating a well-designed and visually appealing landscape that complements the architectural style of your home, utilizes high-quality materials, and incorporates sustainable and low-maintenance features. Consulting with a professional landscaper can help you make informed decisions and achieve the best possible outcome for increasing your home’s value through landscaping. 

A well-designed landscape incorporates essential elements such as balance, unity, scale, proportion, focal points, line and form, color, texture, functionality, accessibility, sustainability, maintenance, and seasonal interest. These elements work together to create a visually appealing and functional outdoor space. Consulting with a professional landscaper can help you achieve a cohesive design that incorporates these key elements. 

There are many benefits, including:

• Helping the soil retain moisture.
• Contributing to soil health as the breakdown of the mulch happens over time.
• Blocking the sunlight to pesky weeds, helping to keep them at bay.
• Repelling insects, depending on the type of mulch used.
• Controlling soil erosion.

Proper maintenance of your home’s irrigation system can reduce water waste and improve plant life. It is recommended that your system is checked twice a year – first when turned on and again halfway through the season to adjust for temperature changes and landscape needs. Regular maintenance includes inspecting the controller, updating watering schedules, checking all wire connections, repairing any problem areas, etc. In addition, DeHamer can perform a system audit to assess your system to help determine the efficiency of the water being applied throughout your sprinkler system and adjusting accordingly. 

A backflow prevention assembly is a mechanical device installed in your private property after the water meter. It prevents water already in your property pipes from “backflowing” into the City water system, possibly contaminating the City’s potable water system. All customers that have a land irrigation system, including those installed at a residential location, that is connected to a public water supply are required by the State to install either a Reduced Pressure Principle device (RP) or a Pressure Vacuum Breaker (PVB). 

During the hot summer months, it can get too hot or dry for the cool season grasses. When temperatures rise above 90 degrees, cool season lawns can start to go dormant and turn brown until cooler weather and enough moisture reach the soil. During those hot summer months, we recommend watering 2-3 inches a week during the morning hours either by rainfall or irrigation.

During the cooler months, a healthy lawn needs 1-2 inches of water a week. When a lawn receives more water than normal, this allows moisture to build in the soil. Having too much moisture can bring diseases into the lawn. If possible, let your lawn dry out for the next couple of days and continue with the recommended watering instructions. A Hydrawise Wifi controller can help save money on your water bill and increase the health of your turf.

In Michigan, there are several things you can to do prepare your lawn for the colder weather and winter season. Some of the best things that you can do to prepare and prevent a dead lawn when the spring comes around are:

• Remove lawn debris such as sticks and leaves.
• Complete a final mow on your grass cutting it a little shorter than normal.
• Core Aerate your lawn.
• Apply a winter fertilizer application with a post-emergent weed control.

DeHamer does offer winter clean up service for our regular customers.

Rye and Bluegrass mixture. Custom mixtures can be discussed if needed.

The particular needs of each landscape project vary making it hard to provide an accurate estimate until the job has been measured and your goals for the project have been defined. Get a project started.

Because each project is individualized to meet your needs and goals, the timing of each project differs.

Mulch can provide a range of benefits for landscape beds. Here are just a few:

• Conserve soil moisture. Mulch reduces evaporation from the soil surface and helps to ensure that water reaches plant roots instead of going back into the atmosphere.
• Reduce soil temperatures. In a research trial in southwest Michigan, we found that 3 inches of wood chip mulch reduced midday soil temperature by 18 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Add organic matter. As mulch breaks down it adds organic matter to the soil, which aids in the soil’s ability to retain important plant nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron.
• Weed control. Mulch can help to control weeds, reducing the need for herbicides or hand-weeding.
• Appearance. Neatly applied mulch can improve contrast between beds and lawn, providing a cleaner-looking edge.
• Avoid lawn mower blight and string trimmer trauma. Providing a buffer between mowers and weed wackers reduces the likelihood of trunk damage to trees.

Deeper is not always better: 2 to 3 inches of mulch is adequate to get the maximum mulch benefit in most cases. If a site already has mulch from last year, a thin, 1-inch top-dressing is more than adequate. When mulching perennials in the landscape, take care not to spread mulch over the crown of the plants.

To a large extent, the “best” mulch material is in the eye of the beholder. Most organic materials such as ground bark, ground wood chips or shredded leaves can provide the key benefits of moisture conservation, weed control, thermal insulation and organic matter addition. Therefore, cost, aesthetic appearance and availability are often the deciding factors. Inorganic mulches such as rock or shredded tires do not need to be replaced, but do not add organic matter to the soil.

In theory, organic mulches that are low in nitrogen, such as wood chips, can reduce soil nitrogen availability during the process of microbial decomposition. In reality, we see little evidence of this in trees and shrubs. We monitored plant nitrogen in landscape shrubs and found no difference between plants without mulch and those that were mulched with pine, hardwood bark and wood chips. In fact, in a couple of instances, the mulched plants had increased plant nitrogen. The one case where nutrient tie-up could be a concern is with annual bedding plants since they have limited root systems.