I have seen hundreds of block and mortar retaining walls in my carrier and I cannot remember even one, whether new or old, that didn’t have at least a crack and most were soon to fail.  Yes they are cheap but they simply are not capable of retaining anything over a couple of feet.  They will fail and sometimes catastrophically.
    Concrete walls with proper foundations and a thorough grid of rebar can be effective retaining walls at certain heights, but they are not generally considered attractive.  This adds the extra cost of veneering the wall with brick or stone.  The result can be quite attractive and stable but still not as stable or versatile as segmented retaining walls.
    Segmented retaining walls (SRWs) are the strongest , most versatile, and cost effective method of retaining soils.  They can take on almost any shape, do not require a concrete foundation, and can be installed in a variety of colors, textures, and patterns.  Having been known to effectively survive the movement of earthquakes, SRWs combine the compression strength of compressed concrete, the versatility of mortarless joints and the high tinsel strength of geosynthetic grid.  On walls exceeding 3 feet we cannot over emphasis the importance of a grid based system.  Many untrained contractors mistakenly believe that the blocks are the most important part of a SRW and install walls over 4 feet without the use of geo-grid.  This is a costly and possibly deadly mistake.  A block wall without grid and proper drainage can easily fall causing property damage, bodily injury, and in some cases death.  Yet, a properly engineered and installed SRW is the one of the safest retaining systems available.  Regional Landscaping is glad to offer a free lifetime warranty with all our segmented retaining walls.

Concrete has two main advantages in construction.  The first and most important is that it is initially less expensive.  I say “initially” because over time it will absolutely cost more.  The second is concretes ability to be combined with the tinsel strength of steel making it indispensable in some applications. 
    The pros of pavers?  Where should I begin?  Aside from the obvious aesthetic benefits of pavers including basic beauty, variety, and design possibilities, pavers have a practical side not widely known in the south.  If properly installed by ICPI standards pavers are the strongest, longest lasting pavement in common use.  With a compression strength over double that of most poured concrete it has an expected lifetime measured in decades and centuries rather than the few years you might get with other pavements.  With pavers, stains and damage are easily and cheaply repaired, where as concrete quickly cracks and is expensive and unsightly to repair.  More and more people are discovering that when compared to the disappointing performance and appearance of concrete, the long lasting beauty of pavers is a great investment.

    It is true that an improperly installed water feature without the right filtration equipment can be a maintenance nightmare.  If you’re not looking to build a green mosquito farm there are some important factors to consider.  Proper placement, filtration and skimmer location are vital but it’s also important to design a pond that’s easy to drain and clean.  These can take maintenance down to a minimum and enjoyment to a maximum.  An annual cleaning is all that a well built koi pond needs to stay healthy and Regional will be happy to provide that for you.
    There is one water feature that surpasses all others in its low maintenance.  If you are just looking for the sound and beauty of a waterfall, a pondless waterfall is the only way to go.  With almost no maintenance, it is perfect for the busy bee who still would like to have exceptional landscaping.

  No one wishes more than we do that they would invent that one miracle herbicide. You know, the one that you spray on once and it kills all your weeds and keeps your particular kind of sod vibrant and healthy all year.  The problem: it doesn’t exist.  Selective herbicide development is an extremely complex, constantly evolving field of science.  There are new products being introduced regularly but there are also very effective products being taken off the market because of safety issues.  I think we all can agree that it is better to have a weed in the sod than to endanger the health of a person, but these complications make weed control a real challenge, one Regional Landscaping is up to.
    A simplistic description of lawn weed control goes a little like this; for every season there is a different group of weeds that come with it, some perennial some biennial and some annual.  For each group there is a pre-emergent and post emergent herbicide that if properly applied during the proper time at the proper temperature and the proper moisture levels they should control most of the weeds in the particular type of sod for which they were engineered. That’s a lot of variables, huh?  It takes one full year to treat each type of weed just once.  So for the first year of treatment there will not be nearly as many noticeable results as the second year.  There are also problem weeds for each season that are not effectively eradicated by these broad band herbicides.  These problem weeds must be treated with chemicals specifically engineered for them, if such a chemical exists, and sometimes they can require multiple treatments.  Some of these chemicals can be slightly toxic to the existing sod so application rates must be exact.  Some need to be watered in and some need several hours of dry. 
    Unfortunately there is no easy perfect solution to the problem of weed control.  There ARE good ones though!  Most companies offer a six treatment annual program that will effectively control most species of weeds if properly applied.  The problem arises when weeds not controlled by these broadband herbicides (some are very common like garlic and Dallas grass) begin to take over.  Regional offers a nine treatment program specifically designed to control many problem weeds also.  We find that most of our customer are more than happy with the long term results, however, for anyone who wants a more extensive program we are happy to design one to fit your specific needs

When it comes to bulbs, perennials, and annuals each type can have very specific ‘best times’ to plant, so it is best to research each one to be sure.  When dealing with shrubs and trees the answer is easy… FALL!!!!  In the fall most plants go dormant.  They either loose their leaves, slow down production of leaves or stop all together. But unseen to the eye, their roots will continue to grow.  That way if you plant in the fall you can be rooted in and ready for the surge of energy needed for spring blooming.

And it is not an easy one. Unfortunately there is no comprehensive answer but there is a general rule of thumb. For major pruning, if it is a spring flowering plant, prune it after it flowers.  If it is a summer flowering plant, prune right before the new growth in early spring.
    A couple of important exceptions:  Hydrangea - prune after blooms in summer (they only bloom on old growth).
                                            Roses- buy a book!?)>/