By Nancy Brumback, Contributing Writer
West Boylston—With an earlier start to spring this year, it’s time to take a critical look at your yard and think about freshening up the plantings and perhaps adding a new point of interest.
McCarthy’s Landscaping & Irrigation has been designing and maintaining outdoor landscapes for over 20 years, and Roger and Sue McCarthy are ready to make your home’s outdoor spaces more attractive and useful.
When surveying the yard, “look for overgrown shrubs and trees, especially in front of the house. Shrubs that block the windows can be a security risk and cut down on the light entering the house,” Roger said.
“Consider adding new plantings to bring color to the front of your house throughout the season, a mixture of evergreens, flowering shrubs and perennials,” he said. The exact mix of plants will vary, depending on location and sun and shade conditions, but McCarthy’s can suggest the plants that will work well in a specific location and bring the colors the homeowner wants.
“Also think about adding a wall, a walkway, a pond or waterfall, or a new seating area, maybe with a built-in fire pit,” Sue said. “What features would make your outdoors more conducive to your lifestyle and optimize the use of your yard? A koi pond or fire pit can be very relaxing.”
McCarthy’s can design and install “hardscape” features such as walks, walls and patios and water features. They can add an outdoor kitchen to a patio.
“In a first for us, we even put in an outdoor shower that a customer wanted last year,” Sue said.
For families with children, the firm can install playground areas with rubber mulch or certified playground mulch, wood chips with no dyes or chemicals.
In the design process, the McCarthys ask customers to come to the firm’s facilities in West Boylston to choose the materials they like from the wide range of stone and pavers on display outside.
“We want you to see the colors and textures,” he said.
“We encourage you to see how it feels when you walk on it barefoot,” added Sue.
The company’s website, www.mccarthyslandscaping.com, features an expanded selection of photos to give customers ideas.
McCarthy’s also specializes in installing landscape lighting.
“We put the lighting up in the trees as well as below to accent the trees,” Sue said.
“The idea is to create areas of illumination and shadows so that it mimics a full moon,” Roger added.
And the firm installs and maintains irrigation systems, which Roger noted can help conserve water. “With an irrigation system, you can monitor water usage with a timer and avoid wasting water on the driveway or street, as too often happens with a sprinkler you have to move. And systems now shut down when it rains.”
McCarthy’s offers a variety of lawn maintenance options as well, including fertilization programs with applications to cut down on ticks in a yard. A new manager has been hired to supervise the lawn maintenance side of the business.
McCarthy’s has several choices of mulch to improve appearance and to keep weeds down and moisture in the soil. Black pine and hemlock mulch are in stock, and customers can pick up what they need or have it delivered. Another option is using river rocks instead of bark mulch. The company sells Hudson Valley river rock, smooth stones that give a different look and last longer than bark.
McCarthy’s is located at 133 Hartwell St. in West Boylston. Additional information is available on the website, www.mccarthyslandscaping.com, or call 508-842-7110.