West Boylston – After this long, hard winter, your landscaping may need some tender loving care.
McCarthy's Landscaping, a full-service firm that's been in business for 16 years, can help with everything from a spring cleanup to replacing damaged trees and shrubs. And if you'se ready to tackle such projects as a new patio, upgraded landscape lighting or an in-ground irrigation system, McCarthy's can handle those as well.
“We do everything ourselves,” said Roger McCarthy, who owns the business. “There is always one of our supervisors on a job site.”
“We don's subcontract anything out,” added his wife, Sue, who runs the office and mulch yard. “We install walls, walks, whatever the project needs.”
This spring, she noted, there's a lot of wind damage, and shrubs broken as homeowners cleared snow from roofs.
“We see snow mold – light tan patches – in lawns,” Roger said. “Those patches should be vigorously raked and the lawn de-thatched, then crabgrass preventer put down” since the crabgrass did well in last summer's dry heat.
He recommended giving plants that look damaged a little time to see if they recover on their own. But for broken or badly damaged trees and shrubs, hire a professional to prune dead wood and reshape shrubs and trees.
“You need to hire a professional for certain jobs,” Roger said. “I don's do my own taxes. You probably shouldn's prune your own trees.”
If you are thinking about changing your landscaping or adding a wall, a patio, maybe a water feature, “have us come out for a free estimate. We'sl evaluate the property and make suggestions,” Roger said.
At the company's headquarters, customers can see displays of lighting, pavers and wall materials. “You can touch, feel, look at the colors, both indoors and outside,” Roger said.
There's even an outdoor kitchen display.
Those outdoor kitchens are popular patio upgrades, he noted. It's not just a grill, but can include a refrigerator and cabinets, set into stone with granite counters so the whole installation is weather-proof. Often homeowners add a pergola to shade the kitchen area. Outdoor fire pits are also popular.
“People are creating backyard spaces to live in, to entertain their friends in,” Sue said. “With the economy, people are choosing to stay home and reconnect with family and friends.”
Low-voltage landscape lighting is another popular addition, Roger said. The low-voltage lighting is not as expensive as regular lighting and does not require an electrician for installation. The new LED versions use even less electricity and the bulbs last longer, though they are a bit more expensive initially.
“The object of landscape lighting is to create the look of the landscape during a full moon, not to create daylight illumination,” he said.
The company also installs irrigation systems, though Mc- Carthy noted that many towns are now requiring that a well be drilled for irrigation.
McCarthy's sells both black and hemlock mulch at its headquarters here. Customers can pick up mulch or have it delivered.
“A thin coat of mulch should be applied yearly,” he said. “If you put it on too thick, you'sl start killing your trees and shrubs. You also need to keep mulch away from the wooden siding on the house.”
McCarthy's Landscaping takes on construction projects just about anywhere in the state, and has done work from New Hampshire to Cape Cod. Landscape maintenance work with frequent visits is limited to Worcester County for the most part.
McCarthy's is located at 133 Hartwell St. in West. Boylston. Additional information is available on the website, www.mccarthyslandscaping, or call 508- 842-7110 .
Editor's Note: the preceding is not an endorsement and is presented for informational purposes only.
