Landscape Design and

INSTALLATION

IT ALL STARTS WITH A DREAM

Every landscape design project starts with a plan. When you contact River Valley Landscapes, we provide a detailed roadmap and a project direction before we install your outdoor space design. Our goal is to not only install custom outdoor spaces for the residents of East Tennessee, but also knowledge of our process and our craft.

Tennessee offers a rich selection of native plants that offer color throughout the year. River Valley Landscapes uses the flora native to East Tennessee to help bring your Outdoor Space to life.
East Tennessee really has 3 different plant zones all rolled into one.
With the plateau to the west, the river valley in the middle and the mountains to east, River Valley has a variety of plant life to include in our landscape designs.

We procure most of our plants from local vendors that source plants from regional growers. By using native species grown in our climate we create a better habitat for your plants and provide long lasting landscape solutions.

Tip:

Fertilize your lawn! River Valley Landscapes recommends to use an organic or environmentally friendly fertilizer to ensure a full, healthy, and sustainable outdoor space. Don’t over use your fertilizer, and contact our Landscape Design Artisans if you have any questions about when and how much to fertilize your new outdoor space.

MAINTAINING A WARM WEATHER OUTDOOR SPACE

With the warm weather back in East Tennessee and bring our beautiful natural scenery back to life, it is the perfect time to begin your planning for a Summer landscape design!

Our skilled landscape artisans at River Valley Landscapes are available to meet and discuss landscape design concepts, strategies, and goals with you. You can also DIY a simple landscape design right in your own yard!

Below we’ll make a few recommendations on plant and tree species, best practices, and what you might expect as a new or seasoned property owner in the Knoxville, Tennessee area.

1. Create a plan.

This step can be straightforward and simple. You will need to decide which areas of your property that you would like to improve, and which you may like to focus attention to at a later time. Be it replacing plants or trees that did not survive the cold season, laying a new hardscape, or building an entirely new landscape design with new local plant species included, you will need to plan for it!

If you’re planning to introduce new plant species to your property, we’ll include new hardy varieties in tip #3.
Also, be sure to check out our Hardscape page for more insight on Hardscape designs in East Tennessee!

2. Prepare and start your project

After being cooped up indoors during the colder months, we’re all looking forward to activities outdoors. This is the perfect time to prepare your desired area and begin your new landscape project. If you’re intending to replace old or dead plant species in or around your property, you will need to prepare the soil and ensure that you have sufficient drainage from the area. After tilling the soil, adding a thick layer of organic matter such as locally harvested wood bark, organic compost, peat moss, shredded leaves left over from the cold season, and grass clipping from the first mow after a long winter. Be sure to keep the soil light and airy to allow your new landscape plant to thrive, and don’t forget to check for cables or underground water pipes!

3. Selecting new plants

When selecting new plant species in East Tennessee, we recommend to look for heat tolerant plants. Here we’ll suggest a few of our favorites.

Dogwood Tree – Dogwoods are a local favorite and can be seen blooming in the mid spring, and they flower heavily throughout the summer, peaking in late May.

Hydrangea – These beautiful shrubs make great additions to any residential landscape design. While they require adequate moisture, the East Tennessee summer time temperates are perfect for Hydrangeas.

Creeping Phlox – Known for its flowery, creeping appearance, Creeping Phlox remains a species loved by East Tennesseans. This plant can be tolerant of dry spells once matured, and provides a great addition to a new Hardscape designed by River Valley landscapes.

4. Caring for your new summer landscape design

Planning and executing a new landscape project in East Tennessee can be a rewarding experience. So don’t forget to provide regular maintenance to your landscape! This can be minimal depending on how extravagant your landscape design becomes. We’ll briefly include a few recommended steps below:

Watering – While the environment in East Tennessee can be forgiving, It’s important to remember to water heavily in dryer months to help combat drought.

Mowing and manicuring – Mowing and trimming regularly can improve the over all look of your landscape design as well as encourage fresh, new growth of your lawn. Make sure to keep those blades sharp to reduce stress on the grass while mowing.

Pest control – As mentioned above, regular mowing and trimming can improve the health of your lawn, but it can also help to reduce the presence of pests. If you do detect a large presence of pests or an infestation, consider researching natural and eco-friendly pest control solutions.

LAWN GRASS CARE TIPS AND TRICKS

It’s no secret that caring for your lawn after a landscaping design installation is a must. In East Tennessee, maintaining a rich outdoor space in the warm weather involves several important practices. We’ll keep it short in this brief guide, and remember to contact River Valley Landscapes should you have any questions while caring for your new outdoor space.

Use a sprinkler system, portable sprinkler, or the good old fashioned water hose to water your grassy areas early in the morning. Watering early in the day helps the newly applied water to recharge the roots and moisturize your grass for longer.

Mow your grass regularly without cutting your grassy areas too short to avoid the top layer of soil drying out.

Finally, keep an eye out for pests and diseases, treating them promptly to maintain a lush, green lawn all summer long.