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At Linnemann Lawn Care & Landscaping, we have more than 25 years of experience installing and renovating landscaping throughout the areas of Columbia, Waterloo, %%targetarea35%, and nearby Illinois areas. When a homeowner in Waterloo reached out to us for a renovation of their existing landscaping, we were happy to assist them with that!

Learn more about this recent landscape renovation and how we helped them improve their overall curb appeal and aesthetics.

Existing Landscape Beds Were Overgrown & Needed a Lot of Work

The existing landscape beds needed a lot of work, as many of the plants had become overgrown due to a lack of routine trimming and plant maintenance. Some of the plants had even started to overtake the sidewalk, growing onto the surface about halfway over. Other plants were so tall, they were completely blocking the front porch from view.

Since the plants had been neglected for a while, we decided the best choice for this landscape renovation was to completely start over with all new plant life that would be healthy so the homeowner could have a fresh start. We ripped out all the existing landscape beds, including the old concrete pavers that were used to mark the border of the beds.

New Landscaping Plans Completely Changed the Look & Feel of this Waterloo Yard

Our proposed design involved planting smaller plants that were more spaced out, so as they begin to grow and mature, they will have plenty of room to expand without growing into...

Putting up holiday decor is just one of the many tasks you have to complete during the holiday season in Columbia, Waterloo, Millstadt, and nearby Illinois areas such as Red Bud and Belleville. One way to help relieve your holiday stress is to consider hiring a professional holiday decorator to help you as you deal with the rest of the holiday hustle and bustle.

There are several reasons to think about using a holiday lighting installer for your home or business, including minimizing injury risk, freeing up your schedule, professional LED products, and more, but here are four of those reasons.

1. Decorating for the Holidays Comes with Injury Risks

Around 200 people each day injure themselves during the holiday season while trying to decorate, according to U.S. News. In some of those cases, people ended up staying in the hospital for two weeks or more, which affected their holiday season—and unfortunately, some suffered traumatic brain injuries as well. Using a professional to install Christmas lights ensures that you won't be putting yourself at risk during a time of year that should be as festive as possible.

2. Your Home or Business Will Get a Custom Design

When you hire a professional such as Linnemann Lawn Care & Landscaping to install holiday lighting, we will plan out a custom design for your home or business. We hang lights around roof lines, trees, and shrubs. As we design your holiday lighting installation, we take into...

We would like to announce our new website has been launched! We are very excited about new and existing customers being able to find us online, learn about our services and get in contact with us.

Come back often for great lawn care and landscaping information!

Part of our new website is a blog that we'll be utilizing to provide you with lawn care tips, reminders and other great lawn and landscaping information. We encourage you to join in and comment on our posts with your questions, opinions and requests.

The new site will continue to grow!

Since we just launched the website, there are many things we'll be adding into the future. When you see or talk to us, let us know what you think! Your feedback is important as we strive to offer the best lawn service possible.

Aerating can help you maintain a healthy lawn when done properly once a year. The act of pushing tine bars into the soil with a special machine allows air and moisture in, improving conditions for roots, plants, and grass. Depending on the type of lawn you have, you can choose solid or hollow tine aeration. Maximize the benefits of aeration by following these guidelines.

Why  Is  Solid  or  Hollow  Tine  Aeration  Important?

Whichever type of aeration you choose, you will be helping your lawn in the following ways:

• Reducing soil compaction and water runoff
• Improving drainage, root depth, and drought-resistance
• Help to break down thatch, stimulate soil, and over-seed your lawn

Aeration is typically done toward the end of the year when you’re ready to reseed. Once you determine what type of soil you have, you can choose the appropriate form of aeration.

Solid-Tine  Aeration

Solid-tine aeration punches holes in the ground and removes the cores of soil from the lawn. If you have hard, clay soil, this is the most beneficial type of aeration. It’s easier to break through tough soil during solid-tine aeration. Plus, leaving the hard clay soil cores could make your lawn uneven and create more thatch, so it’s better if these cores are removed.

Hollow-Tine  Aeration

When holes are punched, and the cores are left on your lawn, this is hollow-tine aeration. Soft and sandy soils benefit...

Dog owners know all too well that their pups love to pee. When outside, they leave their mark on just about anything and everything, especially if it smells like another dog. If you have a dog, then you probably also have dog urine damage on your lawn. These brown spots are left by nitrogen-rich urine. While a small amount shouldn’t hurt your lawn, the amount collected over time can do some damage. If your dog has a certain spot to make daily deposits, these are most likely where you’ll start to see the grass turn brown.

How to Reduce Urine Damage

There are ways to prevent your grass from getting burned by Spot’s bathroom breaks. Some options require more attention to your dog’s diet and daily habits:

• Dogs that drink more water will have less concentrated nitrogen in their urine. This means less damage to your lawn and a healthier pup.
• Look into different dietary supplements. Ask your vet about what you can add to your dog’s food that will help bind with the nitrogen in the urine.
• Train your dog to go in one area. This limits the grass damage, or saves the whole yard if you can find a good spot with no grass at all.

Other options focus more on the lawn itself:

• Don’t fertilize the areas of your lawn where your dog tends to urinate. Between the nitrogen in the fertilizer and urine, it may be too much for your lawn to handle.
• Spray water on the areas your dog urinates. This dilutes the deposit and decreases the...

Soil problems don’t just affect your soil. The soil in your lawn and gardens can influence the health of the plants you grow. Ensure the health of your soil by performing regular tests. There are a number of soil testing kits available at garden supply stores and nurseries, but believe it or not, there are some reliable tests you can perform yourself using your own two hands, household products, or garden tools. Read on to learn more.

pH Test

Your soil’s pH levels indicate its acidity and alkalinity measurements. Test it by taking two soil samples and mixing them with water to make a muddy mixture. Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to one sample, 1/2 cup of water to the second sample, and blend. Then add 1/2 cup of baking soda. If the first sample starts to fizz, your soil is alkaline. Should the second sample have a similar bubbly reaction, it’s acidic. If there’s no reaction at all, your soil is probably neutral.

Drainage Test

Test your soil’s drainage by digging a 1′ deep hole and saturate it with water, leaving it overnight. The next morning, fill it again and monitor the length of time it takes to drain. The water level should lower by 1″ to 3″ per hour. Your soil has poor drainage if the water drains faster than 3″ per hour or less than 1″ per hour.

The Hands-On Test

This test determines your soil composition. Take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

• Loamy soil: smooth-feeling soil ...

Late season nitrogen fertilization has been practiced by professionals for some time, but new evidence shows the wisdom of this technique. Late season nitrogen fertilization, sometimes referred to as fall fertilization, has been utilized by turf managers for years. This type of fertility program involves the application of much of the season’s nitrogen during the late season months of September through December.

Late season fertilization has become popular because many of the agronomic and aesthetic advantages attributed to its use supposedly are not realized when spring and/or summer fertilization are practiced. Purported advantages of the late season concept include: better fall and winter color; earlier spring green-up; increased grass shoot density; improved fall, winter, and spring root growth; and enhanced storage of energy reserves (carbohydrates) within the turf plant.

Choosing a Fall Fertilizer analysis similar to a 32-0-10 is your best bet. Be looking for a high number in the front of the analysis and apply when temperatures will stay consistently cooler during the day and at night in the months of September through December.

For those of us without a “green thumb”, growing flowers in outdoor plant beds can be intimidating. In practice, however, it can be a lot easier than you’d imagine if you know tricks that professionals use. Start with a small bed and see how easy it can be!

1. Select a sunny location that is easy to water. Clear a planting bed of grass and weeds by turning the soil and removing as much of the vegetation as possible. Using a weed control product a few days before bed preparation may help in the process. As you will need to water the bed regularly, make sure it is convenient for a hose or watering source.
2. The soil should be amended with organic material to create a fluffy soil that will hold moisture and drain well. A large bag of potting mix will work well for flower soil. You need about a three to four-inch depth of prepped soil.
3. Create a stage on which to plant your flowers. The bed should slope downward toward the viewing area. Creating this slope toward the viewer ensures that every flower in the bed will be visible. If the bed is flat or slopes away from the viewer, only the first row of flowers will be visible.
4. Maximize the impact of flowers. Plant masses of flowers, not just a couple of flowers here and there. Bright colors show best, but don’t show too many different colors. Light colors make beds look bigger and dark colors make them look smaller.
5. Buy flowers from a location that sells lots of them. This will ensure fresh plant...

A well-kept yard and tasteful landscape increases the value of your home and provides a relaxing space to interact with friends and family. A well-maintained landscape around the office buildings and commercial establishments provides a favorable impression to your customers and the community.

With increasing frequency, homeowners and business managers are hiring professional lawn and landscape experts to save time, take away the guesswork, and enhance their investment.

How to hire a landscape professional you might ask? Here are 6 tips on doing so.

1. Seek companies that are members of a national, state or local industry association. These companies have access to the most up-to-date information on best practices, trends and technical know how. Ask the firm for a list of references and professional affiliations or check its website.
2. Ask friends and neighbors to recommend companies they have used successfully.
3. Ask how long the company has been in business and the experience level of its staff.
4. Consider a landscape company that is licensed, accredited, or certified. A licensed staff will assure you that the contractor is accountable and the company is operating legally.
5. Check their work. Visit a job in progress. Examine the quality of the job, and see if the crew’s appearance and job presence are acceptable.
6. Ask the company to provide a written plan and/or contract. This plan can include a design, plant material to be used, all cost and time table,...

As the air cools and summer fades, piles of colored leaves start to fall from trees. Your lawn beckons attention before the snow covers it with a blanket of white. Some lawn projects can be simple like raking on a regular basis or mowing with a vacuum bag style tractor system. Raking, or specifically a lack of leaves allows your lawn to capture more sunlight as the deciduous trees lose their green canopy. Increased sunlight can really help shaded and weak areas capture additional energy to help prepare for the winter. In some cases, this vital time period could be a month or more of growing before slowing to the point of near dormancy with the onset of freezing weather. Any leaves left on the lawn can cause a mulching action by inhibiting sunlight from reaching the leaf blades below. Don’t allow piles of leaves to sit for weeks on end, or the grass underneath will suffer the consequences possibly even leading to damage. Keeping your lawn clean in the fall can really improve the chances of winter survival and minimize damage.

Turf that is left covered with leaves or lots of pine needles face a lack of air, light, and often succumb to ice damage in a weakened state. As simple as raking or leaf removal is, it is very important to all lawns as they approach winter.

Autumn is also a great time harden your lawn off for winter. A wonderful mowing height during the growing season is 3? as a standard. Your mowing height can be lowered as October fades into November. Drop ...