10 Great Ways to Improve Your Backyard for Summer
We are now fully in the middle of spring and people are looking forward to summer. Getting outside, enjoying your backyard, and making some improvements all are on the top of the list for summer entertainment. While a lot of us are still spending most of our time at...
5 Spring Landscape Maintenance Tasks for a Great Summer
Washington is finally opening up… We hope. And that means more summer barbecues, gathering with friends and family, and getting that lawn and landscape in shape. If you are in the market of getting your yard ready for summer, here are five great tips to get you...
Organizing Your Lawn/Garden Tools For Seasonal Storage
Just like organizing your closet, organizing your garden shed and outbuildings for seasonal items is a good idea. Rotating the tools in your shed or garage is as important as rotating the clothes in your closet. I know you probably climb over the winter gear to reach...
How to Get Rid of Moss in Your Lawn
We've been having a couple of nice days for the past couple of weeks and you're probably starting to get out and look at your lawn, landscaping, and maybe even prepare your garden for this spring or summer. Well, in the Pacific Northwest, I'm sure you've noticed some...
5 Yard Maintenance Tasks for April
Here we are, it's almost April… After what seemed like 372 years of March. But, one of the things we can do while we are sheltering in place is landscaping. And, that certainly doesn't stop First Fruits Landscaping from coming out and doing your general maintenance....
April Landscaping and Gardening Tasks for the Pacific Northwest
Have you ever wondered how you can incorporate the sheer beauty of the Pacific Northwest into your own personal garden or landscape? There aren’t many places in America that feature such lush and extensive forests with incredible views to the mountains. While you may...
Selling Your House This Year? Get That Curb Appeal in Shape!
Living in Washington means wet springs and wet autumns. This can wreak havoc on yards and homeowners trying to make their curb appeal attractive for buyers. But it's not impossible. While there are many things one can do to spruce up their home, that curb appeal is...
5 Easy Summer Landscaping Tips for Rentals
One thing that keeps and attracts renters to rentals is nice, summer landscaping and outdoor areas. If you're planning on boosting your rental's curb appeal this year, here are some great easy landscaping tips to keep your rentals’ outdoor spaces looking great. ...
10 Useful Tasks for Your Garden in March
If it ever stops raining around here we can start working on our gardens. We're still dipping into the freezing temperatures at night so you'll not want to do too much at the beginning of the month but as you head into March and at the beginning of April, we...
How to Get Rid of Apple Maggots in Your Apple Tree
If you live in Washington State and grow your own apple trees, you may have noticed an irritant pest known as apple maggots. Originally feeding on hawthorn in the northeastern areas of the U.S. and Canada, the apple maggot looks similar to a small horsefly and...
Winter Yard Maintenance Tasks for February
Winter Yard Maintenance Tasks for February: Well, it's the middle of winter in the Pacific Northwest and we are in that weird time where we could get more snow or we can have a few days of temperatures over 60° and then another cold snap at the end of March. Pretty...
4 Great Landscaping Practices After a Winter Storm
4 Great Landscaping Practices After Winter Storms - Taking care of your home landscape is one of the most important things you can do as a homeowner, and it’s not just crucial during the warm months of the year. As winter winds down and spring begins to show itself...
When to Start Mowing in the Pacific Northwest
When to Start Mowing in the Pacific Northwest - This has been a crazy winter. We've had a few cold snaps and one winter storm, but it's been pretty mild overall. The Pacific Northwest tends to be somewhat mild in our winters but we definitely have wet ones. The wetter...
4 Ways to Keep Your Lawn Healthy During Winter
While it may seem like your lawn care is over for the year once winter hits, that’s not necessarily true. Good lawn care requires year-round protection, and the winter months are no exception. How do you go about maintaining a happy, healthy lawn when it’s cold...
Should I Mow the Lawn in the Winter?
Do you really need to mow the lawn in the winter? Let's talk about some cold weather lawn care and what's really important this time of year. Grass doesn't necessarily stop growing in the winter but it does grow a lot more slowly. When temperatures drop below 40° you...
7 Tips to Beautify Your Winter Landscape
Winter around the Pacific Northwest certainly leaves much to be desired but it is a little bit better than a lot of places, especially those that only have deciduous trees. Our plethora of coniferous trees makes even winter months a little greener but, if you are...
How and When to Plant Spring-Blooming Bulbs
Each year you plan and prep and decide to plant spring-blooming bulbs or, maybe it's your first time and you're finally thinking ahead. You can't wait for all of those beautiful tulips, daylilies, irises, and daffodils to come up in the spring. But when do you plant...
10 Essential December Landscaping and Gardening Tasks
Well, here we are, already into our second week of December. And we're really not getting a lot of cold weather just yet. We're having a few days in the 50s but the rainy weather certainly makes it feel like late fall or early winter. While a lot of the trees are...
5 Essential Fall Lawn Care Tips
Many homeowners feel that now that it is fall, it's time to take your hands off the lawn and let it do its thing. No need to tend, mow, or care for the lawn as its fall, and that means everything dies and get soggy and muddy, right? Not necessarily. In late August,...
What is a French Drain and How Do They Work?
A French drain, sometimes referred to as a trench drain, although they are different, are perfect for a soggy yard or wet basement. Water naturally flows downhill and usually by the easiest route possible. A French drain is a slightly sloped trench filled with round...
6 Tasks to Prepare Your Landscaping for Winter
Have you ever thought about what it takes to care for your lawn in time for the winter season? While it’s more natural to focus on caring for your landscape during spring and summertime, it is just as important to keep it healthy during the wintertime. If you live in...
5 November Garden and Landscape Maintenance
Well, summer is definitely over and we have fallen headlong into fall. It seems that just yesterday was our last sunny day for quite some time and now we have typical Pacific Northwest fall weather. But, that doesn't mean the landscaping has to be put on hold. There's...
Is Landscape Staging a Thing?
They make stagers for the inside of the home but do they make landscape stagers for outside? Is landscape staging actually a thing? While most people know the importance of curb appeal would listing their property, many homeowners are stuck doing the job themselves....
10 Great Ideas for Fall Landscaping
Fall landscaping can be a little drab… Let's be honest. Now is not the time to have the most amazing backyard or front yard. But with a little bit of care, research, and the right landscaper… Hint, hint, fall landscaping might be your new favorite. Now is the time...
5 Materials Never to Use as Garden or Lawn Edging
Lawn edging, grass, short fences, molded plastic, pavers, there are a lot of things that can be used as lawn edging, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are all practical. I've seen a lot of lawn edging the people have picked up from the big box stores they get...
When Should I Have an Irrigation Blowout?
Irrigation blowout… What is it, when should I have it done, and can I do it myself? These are all common questions homeowners have with an irrigation system or drip irrigation system. So let's tackle each one of these questions separately. What is an irrigation...
Time to Harvest! What to Do With all Those Veggies
It's now harvesting time around the Pacific Northwest and while our peace shoots, snap peas, and spinach have died out, we are now harvesting the fruits of our labor throughout the summer such as squash, corn, apples, tomatoes, and pears. These are probably the most...
10 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Landscaper
Finding the right landscaper does take a little bit of research. I've worked in the Pacific Northwest area and specifically around Mukilteo, Edmonds, Lynnwood, and parts of King County and Snohomish County for several years now. I love landscaping, dirt, plants, and...
September Gardening and Landscaping Maintenance Tasks
Well, it's September. And we are looking at doing some fall landscaping maintenance tasks to get ready for winter. Although the Pacific Northwest primarily has a late summer and we've had warmer temperatures easily into November, it is also time to be thinking about...
3 Tips on Adding a Window Garden to Your Home
Window gardens have become wildly popular and regardless of a small yard or no yard, you too can find ways to plant, grow and sustain your own garden right from your kitchen or living room window. Even if you have a condominium, container gardens can be a beautiful...