Category Design/ConsultationMaintenanceLandscaping---Soft Landscaping---Hard LandscapingSportsInteriorTree Services

Locations AllAntrimArmaghCarlowCavanClareCorkDonegalDownNorth-DublinSouth-DublinFermanaghGalwayKerryKilkennyKildareLaoisLeitrimLimerickLondonderryLongfordLouthMayoMeathMonaghanOffalyRoscommonSligoTipperaryTyroneWaterfordWestmeathWexfordWicklow

Articles & Tips

In need of landscaping ideas? Are you looking to add to the beauty of your home, increase the value of your property, or update your overgrown landscape? This part of our website is given over to Articles and Tips that we feel will help every gardener out there, no matter what your experience may be.

ALCI President Paul Dowling recalls the recent ELCA study tour in Athens :

Last April I was privileged to take part in a five-day study trip to Athens with the European Landscape Contractors Association (ELCA), of which the ALCI is a member. The Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland (A.L.C.I.) is a member country of the European Landscaper Contractors Association (E.L.C.A.). The event took place in the Greek capital, Athens. More than 90 participants from Australia, Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Japan, Canada, Luxemburg, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, Spain, Czech Republic and Ireland enjoyed a full programme that was organised in cooperation with the Greek E.L.C.A member (Greek National Union of Agricultural Landscape Contractors).

The ALCI represents Landscapers in Ireland from small one and two man operations to larger companies with over 100 staff. ALCI is an all Ireland organisation which is split into two regions. The southern region has one hundred and five members and the northern region has fifty-six. Ireland is a member country of E.L.C.A and like AL.C.I, E.L.C.A members carry out landscaping and maintenance of private and public gardens. Of increasing importance for European Landscaping contractors is the landscaping of leisure centres and sports grounds, roof gardens and facades, indoor gardens, creating slow traffic areas landscaping roads and accompanying paths and the re-naturalisation of stream beds.

One of the main aims of the European Landscape Contractors Association (ELCA) is to represent the interests of Landscape gardening industry at a European level and insure that its lobbying work is coordinated and effective. ELCA has become one of the largest professional trade associations in Europe. The landscaping sector is an industry with a future in Europe. Most of the 74,000 medium sized landscaping businesses employ less than 50 staff. The industry as a whole employs more than 350,000, and this number is increasing.

It was a lovely time of the year to visit as the weather was very pleasant and not too hot, similar to a good summer's day in Ireland. So the landscape was relatively green for Greece. In summer it is very arid, all the private gardens we visited had automated irrigation systems installed which would be vital for establishment of newly planted gardens. I really began to appreciate our high rainfall after talking with some Spanish colleagues who said the single biggest challenge is lack of water and legislation around water. The Mayor of Kifissia explains the features of the northern suburb of Athens that most notably possesses a larger amount of water than other areas. That is why many nurseries have established themselves in the suburb. The private gardens especially in the region have high quality green designs. Currently the focus of the Mayor is on reforestation because more than 900 hectares of woods were destroyed during the recent forest fires.

Athens covers an area of 261,719 square kilometres with more than 2.8 million inhabitants.
We visited the National Garden of Athens this is approximately 15.5 hectares. It is located directly behind the Greek buildings of parliament with a view of the Acropolis. The planning of the garden started in 1839 with the planting of 15,000 trees, bushes and perennials. It was organised and managed by the French garden designer Louis Barauld and the German gardener Friedrich Schmidt. In 1923 the garden was open to the public. At the same time it was renamed the 'National Garden'. The National Garden is also described as the green lung of Athens and contains numerous green plants, old pine trees and palm trees. Cercis siliquastrum were numerous and in flower. We enjoyed a walk around the Acropolis as well as a visit to the National Garden plus visits to private gardens in Vouliagmeni and Anavissos. We had a group dinner afterwards at the famous Athens harbour district in Piraeus.Further private gardens in Kifissia in the north of Athens as well as a historical children's play ground were visited on the second day in addition a visit to a small urban park. After visiting the various sites in urban Athens the participants of ELCA met their Greek colleagues for an exchange of ideas and experiences.

The great Greek epic, the Odyssey by Homer, was creatively adapted by an Irishman, James Joyce, from my native city, in writing Ulysses, the greatest novel of the 20th century. I hope that on a humbler level, our own creativity has likewise been stimulated and challenged by our hospitable and capable Greek hosts.

Lawn Aeration - How To?
Lawn Aeration is a process that perforates the soil with small holes that allow water, air, and fertilizer through to get closer to the roots. This enables the roots to grow deeply, producing a healthier more vigorous lawn. Your lawn shows signs of stress and the need for aeration if it doesn't turn green after fertilizing, or there is a presence of many worn areas throughout your lawn. Lawns only need to be aerated about once a year, and some, if they are only receiving moderate maintenance, need aeration about every two years.

An effective Aeration tool should produce holes at least three quarters of an inch in diameter and penetrate three inches deep. Also, the plugs should be no more than three inches apart. Aerate on a day that the ground is moist, but not soppy. If you aerate soil that's too wet, or too dry, the aerating device will not penetrate the soil fully. The plugs that are left behind with aerating can be disposed of a couple ways. The best is probably just leaving them on the surface to dry for a day, and then mowing them to provide a beneficial top layer to your lawn

Lawn Dethatching - Why it needs to be done?
Over time, lawns accumulate thatch. Thatch is a layer of slowly decomposing grass, dead roots, and other yard debris that's picked up by your mower and tossed back onto the grass. Thatch can accumulate even if you sweep or use a mulching mower, however the build up may not be as quick. The accumulation of thatch over time prevents water and other nutrients from getting through to the roots of your lawn.

To dethatch effectively, you must adjust the depth and spacing for the vertical blades for the type of grass in your yard. A lawn care professional can give you these settings. In general, the blades should completely penetrate the top half of the thatch layer. You should move the vertical mower across the lawn in parallel rows to begin, and then mow the entire area again in a crosswise direction. If your thatch is one inch or thicker, a third mowing at a 45-degree angle will be necessary to fully penetrate the thatch.

Once the thatch is removed from your lawn, you should fertilize and water it to penetrate the soil with the beneficial nutrients its been lacking from the thatch.