Barrett's Horticultural Services
Landscape design, installation and maintenance in the Frederick, Loudoun, Fauquier and Clarke County areas of Virginia
Looking outside your window on a drab winter day can be rather depressing. If you plant shrub sand trees that have winter interest your outlook can be changed dramatically and even brighten your daily view from the house! Below is a small selection of plants that can help beat the battle of the winter blues. […]
Climbers: If you have an ugly wall, a naked pergola, or an arbor that could use a bit of color, a climber may be for you. Climbers come in all shapes and sizes; some bloom, others produce fruit, and some you may never have thought of using. There are some that are fast growing, […]
Many homeowners are unaware that their landscape company is using mulch around their trees incorrectly. The excessive mounding of mulch around the trunk of the tree creates many different problems including: Decay at the tree base, due to excessive moisture being trapped around the trunk base. Root girdling, where tree roots wrap around the tree […]
Many homeowners don’t even want to look outside in the dreary days of winter, but with some imagination and good plant choices, the view from the window can be transformed into one of colour even in the depths of winter. The choices listed below are just a sample of what can be used to extend […]
Good practice is usually to try and remove all weeds from planting beds and tree rings in late autumn or early winter before the ground freezes and they have time to set a new round of seed. However, many of us don’t have the time or inclination to get outside on those damp dark days […]
It is amazing to me that trees are treated with such little regard. They are very important in the cleansing of the air we breathe and yet, they are abused. Poor planting, over mulching, forgetting to remove the planting stakes and wires, chopped and badly pruned, driven into, pulled on, leaving the wire basket and […]
We have all seen spring bulbs from a very early age, a joyful commencement of a new growing season, full of colour and expectation. I remember as a young boy walking through English bluebell woods and even at that young age being entranced by the sights and smells. If you are lucky enough to encounter […]
I am often asked by people what do you do in the winter, and my response is usually “Oh there’s lots to do outside, if the weather co-operates!” Pruning in winter, is so much simpler, as most deciduous shrubs have naturally lost their leaves and it is therefore easier to see the plant in it […]
The answer is absolutely! There are many plants that will bloom in our regional zone (6A or 6B) to give a succession of colour through the drab winter months, but even things such as simply considering the structures of plants or buildings in the garden can create wonderful winter interest. If we start with trees, […]
One of our latest fall projects has been updating a local bee garden. We’ve chosen specialized plants to aid in the production of this local honey. It was a great learning experience for all of us at BHS and we are all looking forward to wonderful blooming spring given the 16,000 bulbs that were […]