Ed Castro Landscape

Seasonal planters are flourishing all across . We’re thrilled about the vibrant color palettes recently done by one of our Landscape Architects and eagerly anticipate seeing more of them.

Sense of Space

This pergola creates an inviting entry to the garden.

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This is fun…and it will help NALP We admit it – our website really needs an overhaul. You will be excited to know, we are developing a new site that will debut this winter!

RENEWAL & REMEMBERANCE' We volunteered at Arlington National Cemetery

Ed Castro Landscape, a member of the National Association of Landscape Professionals, participated in Renewal & Remembrance at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, July 16, 2018. This marks the 21st year that industry professionals have worked to help care for this national burial ground that serves as the final resting spot for more than 400,000 military service men and women and their spouses.
Every July, hundreds of landscape and lawn care professionals come from across the nation to Arlington National Cemetery to participate in Renewal & Remembrance which is organized by the National Association of Landscape Professionals. They volunteer their time mulching, upgrading sprinklers, cabling and installing lightning protection for the trees, pruning, planting, liming and aerating the soil. “Landscape and lawn care professionals give back to their communities in many ways through-out the year and volunteering at Arlington National Cemetery is very important to those who participate.” said Sabeena Hickman, CAE, NALP CEO. “It is privilege to be able to volunteer our time and talents to improve the health and beauty of the grounds at Arlington National Cemetery, one of our nation’s most sacred places.” NALP members were also joined by members of the National Hispanic Landscape Alliance and the Professional Grounds Management Society.

About the National Association of Landscape Professionals The National Association of Landscape Professionals represents an industry that employs nearly 1 million landscape, lawn care, irrigation and tree care professionals who create and maintain healthy green spaces for the benefit of society and the environment. For more information, visit LoveYourLandscape.org.

We are proud to announce that two National Association of Landscape Professionals Foundation Ed Castro Landscape Scholarships will be awarded this year. The scholarships will be awarded to Hannah Wootten of Hinds Community College. And Danielle Griffin of Auburn University, during the Foundation Scholarship Reception, held on Wednesday, March 15, 2017 from at Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, in conjunction with NALP’s 41th Annual National Collegiate Landscape Competition. We would like to congratulate these talented students on their much deserved scholarship

For more information, please contact the National Association of Landscape Professionals Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to attract, inspire, and support the education and advancement of landscape professionals who create and manage healthy green spaces for the benefit of society.

Do you have yellowing plants in your landscape? Some of our best performing shrubs such as Azalea, Gardenia, and Hollies are prone to nutrient deficiencies that cause yellowing leaves, leaf drop, and reduced flowering. This condition is called Chlorosis and occurs when plants do not receive key nutrients such as Iron and Nitrogen. Normal fertilization, as included in your maintenance program, replaces missing nutrients to prevent Chlorosis. Why then do we still see yellowing in landscapes that are on a fertilization program?

The answer is in the soil pH.

In some cases a change in soil pH can make certain nutrients unavailable to plants. Once the pH has left optimal range we see a variety of issues ranging from Chlorosis to more extreme symptoms such as stunting and even plant death. Our Azaleas, Gardenias, Hollies, and other acid loving plants are even more susceptible as they only thrive in acidic low pH environments.

Luckily there is an easy fix for pH issues in our Georgia soils. An application of an organic acidic fertilizer in the winter months will lower soil pH adding new macro and micro nutrients to the soil as well as freeing up existing nutrients and allowing plants to use everything that is available in order to thrive. We recommend a full application mid-January through the end of February to ensure healthy and happy plants! This service is site specific and in some cases another external factor may be causing symptoms so give us a call and we will evaluate the best course of action to ensure the health of your landscape.

An ECL project was recently included in an article on Houzz- check it out.

Elevate the Garden With Understated Art Pieces These 10 simple, thoughtful objects bring beauty and a sense of place to the landscape

Our own Chris Dicks helped coordinate yesterday's Adopt a Road event hosted by the Community Associations Institute. The event seeks to teach area managers about adopting roads near their businesses, keeping them litter free and beautiful for the greater community. The event also gives participants the tools to go out into the community and encourage their own neighbors or business partners to adopt their own roads. Together, we can improve our community and keep litter out of nearby natural habitats.
Learn more about CAI at https://www.facebook.com/cai.georgia/

PARK(ing) DAY! Today we’re competing against nearly 20 other groups to see who can build the best mini-park in Buckhead. Come to Lenox Square Mall between 11:30 and 2, grab some grub from the food trucks, enter to win a door prize… and vote for us! http://bit.ly/2cIXsCp

Congratulations to the City of Atlanta on completing the Green Infrastructure Strategic Action Plan- one of the nation’s most far-reaching, post-development storm water ordinances!

Green infrastructure and sustainable public spaces have been a focus of ECL since Ed started the company over 2 decades ago. Since then, ECL has integrated many of the same methods and ideas presented in this Strategic Plan. Whether we are installing green infrastructure or educating our clients and peers, we recognize the great value added to the aesthetics, sustainability, and functionality of a landscape by including green infrastructure.

Over the past few years, ECL has worked with the City of Atlanta’s Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Watershed Management, and the Office of Sustainability on a number of green improvements such as rain gardens, storm water planters, pervious paving, and planting. We have also applied this knowledge in the implementation of similar features at the Atlanta Botanical Garden and Gwinnett Environmental Heritage Center.

With this new plan, the City of Atlanta has an ambitious new goal of reducing runoff by 225 million gallons annually, and ECL is committed to continuing to do our part to help reach that goal.

Read the full plan here:

https://issuu.com/atlwatershed/docs/gi_strategic_action_plan_final_3.30/1

City of Atlanta Green Infrastructure Action Plan The City of Atlanta Green Infrastructure Strategic Action Plan promotes and supports the implementation of green infrastructure in order to reach the City’s GI goals and benchmarks. This action plan supports Mayor Kasim Reed's goal of becoming a top tier sustainable city and optimizing the city’s in…

A few photos from the Habitat for Humanity landscape installation in March. Many thanks to our dedicated ECL team members who gave their time and helped make this home beautiful for a deserving family.

Congratulations to all of the award winners at last night's UAC GALA Banquet and Ceremony. It was great to see so many companies in the area doing fantastic work! Ed Castro Landscape received three awards, and we are so grateful to all of the judges for this honor. To learn more about UAC, visit https://urbanagcouncil.com/