Helping You Bring Your Dream Garden to Life
Consultations
Having a master plan before any construction begins will create results that appear seamless and effortless. Gerard will come to your home and talk to you about the style of yard you’re looking for, as well as paying special attention to your own personal lifestyle. For Trees landscapers design with a sense of permanence that will leave an indelible impression on your family and visitors to your home. As our motto states, we create “Landscapes for Living”.
Design/Installation
Through the use of computer design, you can see a sketched landscape layout of what your home might look like before any work is ever started. Our landscape professionals are skilled and experienced in many procedures such as laying paving stone or sod, plant selection, and pond building.
We will visit with you first, get to know what you like and what you don’t like, and then get started! In addition, we can give you addresses of yards we have designed, so you can slip over and have a look at other ideas you might like to incorporate into your new yard.
The For Trees Landscaping Department has grown over the last year, and we are pleased to present samples of our designs. If you have any questions, please call us at (403) 335-8965 or 1-877-390-TREE.
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Our Design Service offers plans for small or large properties. Whether you want a simple planting plan or full landscape site plan, we can provide professional sketches, incorporating your thoughts and ideas into the final concept.
A computerized design can give you an idea of what your yard can look like. Gerard is a Certified Landscape Technician in Installation and a Journeyman Landscape Gardener. He will make sure every possible combination is considered. With For Trees Company, the designer is also the installer, which makes things a lot easier when it comes to your time involvement. From start to finish, you will have one team dedicated to your project.
Once you have decided on the final design, we will prepare an estimate for you, one that will include everything we talked about at our meetings. We will begin gathering the plants, boulders and stones, and other needs as soon as you have agreed to the plan. If you have sketched out the design yourself, we will be pleased to quote on the installation only.
For Trees accepts Mastercard and VISA, as well as cash and personal cheques, so progressive payments on your project are very convenient. Installment plans can be arranged, if necessary. With For Trees Company Ltd., the designer is also the installer. We will do our best to put together your landscape in a timely fashion, weather permitting, of course. Whatever size your landscape project is, big or small, you know the job will be done right, on time, and within budget… guaranteed!
We can even work on your yard while you’re on summer holidays, so when you return, you’ll be greeted by a beautiful yard, welcoming you back home!
Go from this… to this!
Irrigation
Our summers are short enough here in sunny Alberta. You don’t need to waste your time manually watering your lawn. Throw away that garden hose and let the For Trees irrigation systems do the watering for you. You will have healthier plants, a greener lawn, and more time to enjoy it. Believe it or not, when properly installed, an underground sprinkler system will help conserve water and help you develop a sustainable environment right in your own backyard.
Making every drop of water count
Regency Irrigation has been a leader in the irrigation industry for almost 30 years. For Trees Company have been certified in design consultation, installation, and service with Regency. With this certification, we provide professional systems and professional service for all your lawn irrigation needs. From design to finished product you won’t be disappointed with the customer service you receive while we install the most efficient irrigation systems.
A professionally installed, automatic sprinkler system is one of the best investments you can make in your home. On average, you could save 40% of the water it takes to water your lawn by hand. Depending on your municipality, this water saving alone could cover the cost of the system. Ask anybody who has one; there’s no easier or more cost-effective way to beautify your home, increase its value, and save yourself a lot of time and hassle.
Water Features
The sound of a burble of water rushing over stones, a splash as it tumbles over a rock formation. Obviously, we love creating beautiful natural water features. In fact, recreating nature with waterfalls, streams, and ponds is some of the most rewarding work we do.
In 2009, For Trees Company received the Award of Excellence from Landscape Alberta in the “Residential Landscape for Water Features” category. The Acme, Alberta client was also thrilled with the end result. We would like to offer you the same experience for your yard or garden.
An Escape from Reality
In landscape architecture and garden design, a water feature can include fountains, pools, ponds, cascades, waterfalls, and streams. Water is the Earth’s most vital resource, and people are naturally drawn to the soothing sights and sounds it affords.
Water gardens, aquatic gardens, and backyard ponds have all become very popular and will transform your outdoor living space into a beautiful paradise where you can relax, unwind, and enjoy quality time with family and friends. Waterscapes become the focal point of any garden with their melodious tunes and natural ability to attract a variety of birds and butterflies.
Water is woven into landscapes across the country as people bring a little piece of paradise to their own backyard. Real estate agents, development officers, travel agents… they’ll all tell you that people love water! People flock to the ocean, plan fishing trips months in advance, and talk about their upcoming cruise on a daily basis. Trouble is those activities are over before you know it. Why not bring some of that tranquility home by adding a beautiful water feature to your own backyard?
Imagine sitting in your own yard alongside a cool stream or bubbling fountain, the calming sounds of water washing away all stress and anxiety. Imagine a clear pond filled with colorful koi fish and lilies just outside your kitchen window. Call For Trees Company today for a design consultation.
Lawn/Sod Install
Depending on the amount of rainfall we get here in Alberta, you may need to mow your lawn once a week, sometimes twice a week. At For Trees, we also recognize your time commitments and that you don’t want to spend all your free time maintaining your lawn in the summer. We will recommend the right grass seed for the use, whether athletic or residential, and take into account climate considerations, so you can enjoy the quality and appearance of your lawn day after day.
For Trees Company has many years of experience in lawn installation, whether seed or sod. For several reasons, we believe that sod is the ground cover of last resort.
Certainly, sod provides you with an instant lawn, and that is hard to beat. It does, however, require constant maintenance after installation. Sod must be kept watered, and you need to keep an eye on it to ensure that no fungal diseases are invading the lawn. Sod is also more expensive than grass seed, partly because, prior to installation, the ground needs to be raked and leveled and all weeds removed. Sod must be installed on the day it is cut for it to be healthy.
Planting grass seed is easier than sodding, and besides, in central Alberta, grass grows well from seed. For Trees buys irrigated turf from Mountain Sod & Seed Farm, the largest and oldest sod farm in Alberta.
Seeded lawns must be watered frequently, but not deeply, to keep the seed moist during germination. Foot traffic must be strictly limited until the grass is at least two inches tall.
The cool-season grasses grow best in the spring and fall months and can withstand our cold northern winters. Kentucky Bluegrass is one of the most popular because it requires moderate care to grow dense, dark, and medium textured grass. It spreads quickly from runners to form deep green sod with a fine texture. It grows best in areas with mild summers and ample water, and it produces a beautiful lawn in cold regions.
Fescue (Red Bladed or Fine Bladed) are often combined with bluegrasses. Both tolerate shade and dry conditions. Fescues have a low nitrogen requirement for vigorous growth, which makes it great for choking out weeds. It complements the Kentucky Bluegrass when combined. Fescue rarely suffers from any disease or insect problems, and red fescue can renovate a poor or worn lawn by overseeding in the spring.
Stone Patios
Landscapes are more than just arrangements of plants and mulch. To be really functional, a landscape needs hardscaping: ponds, decks, patios, and pathways. A new deck quickly expands your useable living space. Besides decks, a gazebo or trellised area can provide a cozy nearby getaway to relax and entertain under. Then, we have the barbecue area, a necessity for outdoor enthusiasts in Alberta. We can do a lot with paving stones—patios, steps, walkways. Just ask!
You don’t have to mow a patio!
One of the first things the For Trees landscapers will ask is what you want from the space. Are you looking for a patio that will allow you to enjoy meals and conversation with friends and family? Do you prefer a more secluded patio that serves as a haven where you can enjoy some quiet moments?
Maybe you’re a sun lover and want an open patio. Maybe you want to enclose it in a sunroom. Do you want to include a firepit or a patio bar? Or do you want to turn your backyard into a tranquil spa, complete with a hot tub and shady cabana or a pergola?
Next, we’ll discuss the materials and designs that will match the house. For instance, a stucco home with a concrete patio may not look as nice as one with a tiled patio.
Some different types of patio pavers include flagstone, brick, concrete, and tile. Patio stones are perfect for a natural, country-style, romantic look, come in great blended colors, and often give the old weathered look of natural stone. Our installers are experienced at fitting and installing stones; whether you want a herringbone pattern, a weave, circle, or something modular, we will give you the patio you’ve always dreamed about.
Shelterbelts
Windbreaks reduce wind speed by forcing the air currents up and over the windbreak, leaving areas of relative calm on the protected side. In Alberta, the prevailing wind comes from the northwest. At the For Trees nursery, we cultivate the finest varieties of trees and shrubs indigenous to south central Alberta and those best suited to our climate and your shelterbelt, farmscape, or windbreak. Located in Didsbury, the heart of Mountain View County, we are your Central Alberta Shelterbelt Specialists.
What makes a good shelterbelt or windbreak?
For people who have moved to a new acreage to escape the city life, it’s not always easy knowing how to start preparing the land and the new farmscape. For Trees Company will help you with these major decisions. For instance, it is important to include a hedge like Caragana or Lilac and a row of conifers such as Colorado Spruce, Lodgepole Pine, or Siberian Larch. It’s also important to know which trees will do best in a roadside hedge and to be able to recognize the best tree for the type of soil. We will help you with this.
For established farmscapes
The field shelterbelt, the one that will protect your soil and crops, requires a considerable amount of preparation; valuable farmland has to be withdrawn from the production of crops and the immediate strip of land alongside the shelterbelt will lose its productivity. However, these strips are important because they provide nutrients and moisture for the trees.
A field shelterbelt is a significant investment but so valuable. The damage from wind erosion is reduced; your crops will be protected from winds and direct damage from high wind velocity, and the windbreaks act as snow catchers that will significantly improve spring moisture conditions.