Author: mayday_admin

Do you have drainage problems in your yard?

Actually having any standing water in your yard after a rain storm is a cause for concern. Here are some of the problems that can result from this situation:

• Creates an eyesore
• Can kill your grass, or other plants
• Promotes root rot in grass and plants
• Can ruin your landscape
• Cause structural problems for a home or installed hardscape
• create mold and mildew problems
• Serve as a breeding ground for Mosquitos.

Having water puddles in your yard after a storm in most cases is due to improper grading or possibly clay soil that does not allow for water to be absorbed.

Fixing the problem may require various fixes that might include:

• Grading of the yard again to create a proper water flow
• Filling the low spots with more soil and sod
• Installing a French Drain
• Possibly another potential fix

In surveying the locations where water is accumulating, our professional technicians are able to tackle issues specific to your property. Additionally, we are familiar with local regulations about where you can direct water. In many places it’s illegal to direct storm water into storm drains, sidewalks, roads or your neighbor’s property.

Drainage solutions generally fall into the following categories:

Surface Drainage systems

• Swales
• Ditches
• Dry Creek beds
• Rain Gardens
• Grading
• Dirt Fill

Subsurface Drainage Systems

• Deep Swales
• French Drains
• Dry Wells
• Catch Basins
• Buried Pipes
• Drain Pipes
• Sump Pumps

Roof Load Systems

• Rain Barrels
• Redirecting Down Spouts
• Installing Gutters

What is a French Drain?

Many systems of drainage are given the term “French Drain” but it is basically a system of trenches designed to carry away excess storm water. The system could be an open structure with the bottom of the trench covered with crushed stone. Another system may have a catch basin and the trench filled with crushed stone, drain pipes that have holes the length of the pipe and permeable landscape fabric and the whole system buried.

The trench should be set to directly carry excess water to an area that will be able to diffuse the water away from any homes and where possible dump into a holding pond. Be sure to contact any local authorities if you plan to connect your drain to any creek, stream or other body of water. Never place your drain outlet where it will only move the drainage problem to a different area.

Can a drainage system enhance a landscape or hardscape?

Yes, a well-planned and laid out drainage system can add a great deal of beauty to a landscape or hardscape.  Adding swells and mounds to a yard can add a system of rolling gardens or green areas that are very effective in directing excessive water. The drainage trenches can be enhanced with decorative stone bases, or block walls and plants. The open trench can be made to look like an attractive stream that runs through the property. May Day outdoor Services has installed some beautiful drainage systems that increase the value of a residence or facility. In some cases the implementation of a well-designed drainage plan is able to correct water accumulation problems within a hardscape.

Take your drainage problems seriously as they can cause significant issues for your home and yard. Utilizing the services of a professional, such as May Day Outdoor Services, will properly assist and design a drainage solution for your specific situation.  Most drainage solutions rely on a combination of various methods that are combined to work together to address specific issues to your property.

Butterflies and Butterfly Gardens Blog

Do you have an interest in Butterflies?

How would you like to see a real butterfly garden?

Would you like to talk to an expert on butterflies and the plants needed to attract, and feed these amazing insects?

May Day’s resident butterfly expert, Butch Osterbye, would be happy to show you around and have an in depth conversation about one of his favorite insects, the butterfly, and the plants they love.  May Day invites you to visit our wonderful butterfly garden that is thriving in our attractive hardscape area.

These colorful insects are such a delight to observe in a natural habitat as they flutter around the garden among plants that are specially selected to meet their needs.  The relationship between butterfly, caterpillar and the plants they eat for food is not a casual one. It is a relationship created over thousands of years as flowering plants developed alongside these interesting insects. Caterpillars will only eat certain plants. This limiting factor has forced the butterfly to be very selective of the plants where eggs will be laid. The plants selected, serve as a nursery for the eggs and as a food source for the developing caterpillar. These plants are known as “Host plants”. Since the caterpillar eats its environment, the plant takes on a look of having been “Munched on”. Be prepared for this denuding of the plant, but be happy that you have provided a host plant for the development of many butterflies.

Now that the plant has been chewed on, the caterpillars seem to have disappeared but you see a burst of colorful butterflies around your garden, fluttering from flower to flower. They are now searching for all the nectar or feeder plants in the area.

May Day features plants in our garden center that attract, feed and offer hosting for the amazing world of butterflies. Butch would be delighted to show you the benefits and characteristics of each host or feeder plant and help you design your butterfly garden.

Host Plants for the Tallahassee Area

• Milkweed
• Passion Vine
• Citrus
• Cassia
• Coontie

Feeder plants for the Tallahassee Area

• Coneflower
• Coreopsis
• Milkweed
• Mexican fire
• Firecracker plant
• Penta
• Most plants that have flowers

Interesting aspects of a Monarch Butterfly

In the course of a year, the Monarch butterfly goes through four generations and each generation consists of four stages of development.  The life span consists of:

• The Egg
• The Caterpillar or Larva
• The Chrysalis or the Pupa
• The fully developed adult Butterfly

• During the months of February and March, the hibernating butterflies emerge from their Mexican or California grounds and begin looking for a mate.
• They then head east and north, looking for an acceptable host plant on which to lay the eggs.
• And within four days the caterpillars begin to appear. These larvae have but one job, and that is to eat and grow up.
• When the caterpillar attains adult hood, in about 2 weeks, it connects itself to a twig or leaf and begins the change into the Chrysalis stage where the transformation into a butterfly begins.
• The emerging butterfly is fully developed and begins its journey for the next 2 to 6 weeks feeding on surrounding nectar plants and preparing for the next generation with the laying of eggs.
• This process with be completed for two more generations.
• The fourth generation is a bit different in that having been born in September through October, they are destined to live longer and migrate to the warmer climates of Mexico and California. It is there that they hibernate, awaiting spring and the migration north and start the process all over again.

The needs of butterflies

Sun

Butterflies are cold blooded insects, they need the sun to start their day in the morning to warm up their bodies.

Water

Butterflies need some water, but not in copious amounts as they are unable to drink from open water sources.  In fact they get most of the needed amounts of moisture from dew, nectar, tree sap or any point where a bit of moisture has collected such as wet sand, dirt, and puddling stations (moist sponges laid out in the garden) created by people.

Shelter

Trees and shrubs serve as protective areas for butterflies. These plants and trees provide a place for these insects to be protected from strong winds, roost at night or hide from predators.

Host Plants

Butterflies are selective of the plants where they will lay their eggs. The reason for this selectivity is that when the eggs hatch and the caterpillar emerges, the plant serves as the dinner plate for the young insects. They are very selective of what plants they will consume. Eggs laid on the wrong plant results in the Caterpillar or Lava to die when it eats the incompatible leaves.

Adult Feeding sources

The nectar of flowering plants is the favored food of the adult butterfly. Most butterflies are not very discriminating or picky about where they get their food and will feed on a variety of flowers. There are some cases where a species of butterfly will have a favorite flower. In addition to flowers, there are other food sources such as fermenting fruit, manure, carrion (road kill) and mud.

Other feeding attractions

Sugaring, a homemade mixture of sugar, molasses, honey or other sweet sugary mix. Let your imagination run wild by experimenting with your sweet mixture concoction.  Spread this sweet mixture on rocks, fence posts or tree trunk as a way of attracting butterflies. A popular form of sugaring is to take a sponge, make it damp with your mixture and hang or place in a location that will attract butterflies.

May Day Outdoor Services Inc.

Landscape FAQ

1. How do you begin to design a plan for my landscaping?

We have experts on our staff that work with a client to determine what they have in mind for the undertaking. Depending on the anticipated size and complexity of the project, you could bring in a picture of the area to be developed, or for a larger sized development, we would do a detailed walk around of the area and discuss the possibilities with the customer. 

1. Are the plants in the May Day Garden center indigenous to the north Florida area?

The plants we select for our retail and landscaping customers are plants that will perform well in the soil and climate of the Tallahassee Area. We secure our plants from our special vendors that specialize in plants that do best in North Florida. 

1. How long will the project take to complete and how disruptive will it be?

There are many factors that will have an influence on how long the project will take from start to completion. Factors that have an impact are manmade and of course Mother Nature has a hand in it as well. Weather, complexity of the project, availability of products and plants. We do estimate time needed as close as possible to a completion date, and are generally able to come very close to meeting this goal.

1. How much will the project cost and do you offer a payment plan?

When we estimate a project cost, we are generally pretty close to final price baring any modifications made during construction.  Since we carry both the hardscape material and the plants in house, we are able to control costs to a budget that was established at the planning stage. We do not offer financing but will assist to the degree possible with any bank or other loan financing you might need. Our payment requirements are 50% in advance of start of the project with the balance at time of project completion.

1. Can you give me some referrals and some examples of jobs you have done?

We would be very pleased to give names and contacts of people that have used our services as references. As for pictures, we have many that show or projects both before and after. We also have a large hardscape and plant display on our property that allows you to get some idea of what you might like included in your project. We are very proud of the attention to detail and the quality of our workmanship in construction of our projects.