3 Tips to Get Your Landscape in Order at the End of the Growing Season

As the end of summer approaches, many property owners look forward to less lawn maintenance. It’s important to remember, however, that plants (and equipment) need love and care all year long. While you can definitely spend less time and energy on managing your landscape in the winter, there are a few things to keep in mind to make the transition as painless as possible. Here are three tips to consider as you ready your home and garden for colder weather. 

• Blow out the pipes. 

It is a no-brainer to turn off your sprinkler or irrigation system as the weather cools off. No one wants to pay an outdoor watering bill when the plants aren’t growing anyway. What not everyone realizes is that shutting off the water isn’t enough. 

If even a small amount of water is left behind in sprinkler pipes, it can make its way into the backflow system, freeze, expand, and burst the pipes. This kind of damage is incredibly expensive to fix. If your irrigation system does not have an automatic drain–or if you aren’t sure it does–you need to have the pipes blown out with air to ensure everything is dry and ready for the first hard frost. 

• Encourage hardening. 

As the days shorten, plants begin their own natural process of preparing for winter. Less sunlight signals to larger foliage that cold temperatures are on their way, and they slow or stop growth altogether to conserve their energy. 

To help your plants along, hold off fertilizing trees and large shrubs in late summer. Some plants need fertilizer in the fall–check with your landscape professional or local nursery if you are unsure. You can also apply a layer of mulch just before the first snowfall of the season. This helps insulate and cool the soil, and encourages the hardening process. 

• Have a backup watering plan.

Properly hardened plants can survive a typical winter here in the Intermountain West, but if winter is particularly dry, they will need your help. Since the first hard frost can be difficult to predict, and Utah is experiencing one of the worst droughts in history, you need to watch out for your trees and shrubs even after the growing season is over. 

Once your pipes are properly blown out, turning on an irrigation system is out of the question, so have a backup plan for getting water to your plants as needed over the winter. A manual sprinkler, hose or large bucket will all work to get water to your plants. If there is no snow on the ground and the temperature rises above 40 degree Fahrenheit, your trees may need water as often as twice per month throughout the winter. Check the soil surrounding the roots–if the dirt is dry, the roots are also dry. 

A little preparation in the fall goes a long way toward healthy, beautiful plants and well functioning equipment in the spring. If you properly maintain your sprinkler system, watch for proper hardening of trees and shrubs and monitor water conditions throughout the colder months, you are setting yourself up for success when the plants wake up in May. 

Anyone can mow a lawn. 

But here at Stratton & Brätt, our team of committed experts can provide so much more than basic landscape maintenance. We operate at the highest level of service, with professionals at the top of their fields. We are proud to announce that Jason Laws, of Elite Grounds (a Stratton & Brätt company) was named Utah’s 2021 Arborist of the Year by the Utah chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture.

The award recognizes the arborist who, through professionalism or volunteer work, has strengthened arboriculture in Utah and has shown outstanding dedication to the field of arboriculture in the community.

Laws was nominated for the award by CEO Zack Stratton through the Utah Community Forest Council. Law’s work, spanning two decades, has touched thousands of trees on numerous commercial and residential projects.  

Some of these include Thanksgiving Point, South Towne Mall, Mt Timpanogos Temple, Red Butte Gardens, Hogle Zoo, This is the Place Heritage Park, St George Temple, University of Utah, LDS Conference Center, Salt Lake City, Sandy City, Eagle Mountain City, Timpanogos Tech and Lone Peak Business Parks.

“Speaking with Jason for just a few moments will change your point of view on trees,” said Stratton.  “Most of us will see the tree, Jason opens the mind to the whole ecosystem, connecting leaf branch limb ant aphid moss lichen bark root soil.”

“I love being able to have a touch on all the valleys that surround us, and work with different sizes and scope of landscapes,” said Laws. He is honored by the award, of course. But his favorite part of the job? Being able to hear the trees, and help others to do so.

That is the kind of care you can expect from the Stratton & Brätt family.

There are many elements that go into running a business successfully, but one that can be overlooked is being engaged with the government on the local, state and federal level.

Keven Stratton, one of the founders of Stratton & Brätt Landscapes, says he has been lobbying for the landscape industry since he started his company in 1967. Generally, he dealt with local issues, rules and regulations.

“I realized if I’m going to be in business, I need to understand the language of business,” Stratton says.

Currently, he is a representative in the Utah House of Representatives.

“My personal philosophy is that we are greatly, greatly impacted at the local level, more so than the state level, secondary than the federal level, but they all impact us, and to be successful in business, you certainly have to be competent and capable in your specialization, but you need to recognize that we’re a part of an orchestra,” Stratton says.

Stratton says engaging with your elected officials is as critical for the strength and health of your business as food and water are for your physical health. He encourages other landscape professionals to form relationships with their representatives and become the specialist for the information they are seeking.

“A politician is a generalist,” Stratton says. “They know a little bit about a lot of things. The things that we’re dealing with in the landscape profession, whether it’s maintenance or construction, there’s just a host of things that they’re seeking to make decisions on that they have no clue of where the rubber hits the road.”

He says when communicating with your representatives a concise, heartfelt story is very powerful.

“Data is important,” Stratton says. “It’s a piece, it’s got to be supported. Facts are important. The relationship is the key but the story drives it home.”

Taking the time to participate in events like NALP’s Virtual Legislative Days from June 14-25 allows you to tell your stories as to how certain things like H-2B are impacting your business and why.

“They need to hear the problem, the story behind it and the solution,” Stratton says.

Stratton says there are many voices and agendas out there that are detrimental to the industry so it’s important to speak up to prevent certain bills from coming into law. For those who believe their voice isn’t necessary, Stratton says the best way for bad things to happen is for good people to do nothing.

“Your voice is needed,” Stratton says. “You don’t know how powerful and important your voice is. If you’re not doing it, a vacuum is created and someone else that is not as good at doing it will fill that space.”

Two of the major topics that will be focused on at this year’s Legislative Days are H-2B cap relief and reform, and climate change. Stratton says we need to unite our voices to see true H-2B reform.

“None of us are an island, we’re in this together and we’ve got to make sure the benefit of our expertise and our perspective is heard,” Stratton says.”

While this year’s event is not in person like normal, this isn’t a reason to write it off. Stratton says he loves virtual and that most of the politicians love it as well.

“Don’t discount virtual,” Stratton says. “It’s all we’ve got. With the virtual meeting, participate and then follow up with a personal touch in building those relationships.”

https://blog.landscapeprofessionals.org/stratton-bratt-landscapes-founder-shares-the-importance-of-political-involvement/

OGDEN, Utah — The family of late Major Brent Taylor received a huge make-over on the family farm, that they unveiled during an “Earth Day party” on Thursday. The plot of land behind the Taylor home in North Ogden had fallen into disrepair after Major Taylor’s death.

Signs of spring took root on the mini farm Thursday, as people planted cabbage and other vegetables in a large garden.
A coop stood ready for chickens to nest in. Kids hopped into a sandbox to play.

Jennie Taylor’s property behind her home was lively on the warm Earth Day evening, filled with music from a band.
It was also filed with gratitude.

“It’s been a whirlwind of gratitude,” Taylor said. “My kids and I have been so blessed and we’re just so grateful.”

Up until now, the mini farm wasn’t even close to ready for planting season, because normally Jennie’s husband, Brent Taylor, took care of all the gardening.

She said it’s what he loved to do.

“There was something about turning over a shovel a dirt, that just kind of helped him reconnect with what matters most,” she said.
Major Taylor, who also served as the mayor of North Ogden, was killed in Afghanistan in 2018 while on deployment. Since then, she said, the farm really fell into disarray.

“It was just weeds, and it was overgrown, and everything needed to be taken apart,” she said.

While speaking at an event before the pandemic, Taylor said she met a man who mentioned he worked at Stratton and Brätt. At the time, she didn’t know anything about the company.

“He gave us a call, and said, ‘Hey I want to come over and maybe help with some of your garden work,'” she recounted. Taylor explained that she assumed he was just going to show up with a couple of people and garbage bags and help clear things out.

Instead, Stratton and Brätt showed up with a landscape designer and full-fledged plan to completely revamp the farm. From there, other businesses offered time and services, turning the Taylor property into the Major Taylor Mini Farm.

The piece of land now features an orchard, corn field, vegetable garden, pumpkin patch, chicken coop, sandbox, grapevines and more.
Taylor indicated that she wants other families to enjoy their pumpkin patch this fall, and she can’t wait to offer all the extra fruits and vegetables to family, friends, and neighbors.

The mini farm is once again ready for planting season.

“This farm helps me parent my kids with my late husband, knowing the values and principles that are so important to him. And they’re going to manifest themselves as we pull weeds, as we harvest, as we plant, as we argue over whose turn it is to go get the chicken coop cleaned,” Taylor said. “That’s the way that he carries on with us.”

Bringing back the farm, while bringing back a beloved hobby of Major Brent Taylor.