Operation Decoration: Inject Life into Your Landscape

Nov. 12th, 2014 by W Scott McAdam Jr.

As 2014 comes to a close, with holiday celebrations sure to come up on your calendar, it’s a fitting time to deploy Operation Decoration.

When everything else in your yard is dormant, adding holiday décor is a great way to inject vitality into your landscape.

Those wreaths, garlands, Christmas lights and other winter displays provide sorely needed splashes of color. All will heighten your home’s appeal, making it so much more inviting and aesthetically pleasing. 

Debunking an Overwintering Fertilizer Myth

Oct. 27th, 2014 by W Scott McAdam Jr.

We are fast approaching the date on the calendar when you should treat your lawn with an overwintering fertilizer.

Now, first things first: let’s cover what those numbers on the fertilizer bag stand for. They correspond, respectively, to the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the fertilizer.

Here’s where you need to be wary of a myth that in order to “overwinter” your lawn with fertilizer to improve hardiness over the winter, you need to apply a fertilizer that is higher in concentration of phosphorus and potassium. 

Fall is Great Tree & Evergreen-Planting Season

Sep. 12th, 2014 by W Scott McAdam Jr.

With fall bearing down on us later this month, you may be wondering how to best seize whatever opportunities are presented by the cooler weather. Here’s one: the timeliness of planting large trees and evergreens. 

During the fall months, with lower ground and air temperatures, rates of evaporation decrease significantly, allowing more moisture to be retained over a longer period of time. 

Our Labor of Love 35th Anniversary Special

McAdam Nursery & Garden Center
Sep. 3rd, 2014 by W Scott McAdam Jr.

Thirty-five years ago, my father and uncle launched McAdam Landscape Professionals as a couple of young men in their early 20s. They operated out of the River Forest home that they grew up in.

From those humble roots, and by focusing on service, professionalism, loyalty and community, the company has flourished and operates out of our spacious Forest Park headquarters that expanded in 2003 to include our Nursery and Garden Center.

3 Tips for Summer Landscape Success

Jun. 12th, 2014 by W Scott McAdam Jr.

Summer is faithfully showing up, so with that in mind, we give you three steps for a more healthy landscape:    

Tip 1:  Water, water, water. 

Start supplemental watering to keep the landscape nourished and healthy.  To avoid overwatering your plants, check under the mulch to be sure the soils are dry.  A little attention to detail can be the difference in stressed or healthy landscapes. 

Tips for Battling the Emerald Ash Borer

Apr. 22nd, 2014 by W Scott McAdam Jr.

EAB, or Emerald Ash Borer, is a very destructive insect pest that wreaks havoc on all species of ash. Originating in Michigan, it arrived through firewood deliveries and has now proliferated throughout the Chicago area.

With much of our urban forest composed of Ash trees, the future effects from this insect will be devastating. If left untreated, a great number of those trees will die over the next one to four years.

So what can be done? Either replacement or treatment.

Practice Patience With Your Landscape

Date: 
May. 7th, 2014 | 06:15PM

Spring's here--and not a moment too soon!

Not only did we get hammered by a brutal winter, but we also entered the winter in a drought.

Once the "drought season" is over, unfortunately, the drought doesn't magically disappear. Landscape plantings have been enduring a stressful environment for over a year: excessive moisture in the spring, intense heat and drought through the summer and fall, and the intense winter's crushing blow.

Roses Are (Often) Red, But Not Yet Ready for Pruning

McAdam Pruning Advice
Feb. 13th, 2013 by W Scott McAdam Jr.

One of the most frequent inquiries I get relates to the pruning of roses. So with Valentine’s Day arriving tomorrow, there’s no better time to offer a few tips on how to approach this delicate operation.

Mind you, roses are generally resilient, so it’s the timing of your actions that is delicate—not necessarily the flower itself.

What is Horticulture?

Horticulture Tips
Apr. 22nd, 2012 by W Scott McAdam Jr.

If I were to take a group of people and ask them to define horticulture, most would be hard-pressed to give a clear definition. Many would surely stare blankly, a befuddled look on their faces, and wonder,  “Horti-what?”

The truth is many people have never heard of the word and among those who have, confusion reigns.

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