frequently asked questions

Choose plants that tolerate slow drainage, then improve the planting area instead of digging a single hole. Loosening a wide zone, working in compost, and slightly raising beds helps roots spread through clay rather than circling inside a soggy pocket.

Start by shrinking the areas that need weekly attention. Fewer, larger beds with spreading shrubs, a defined mulch layer, and clean edges cut trimming time, while matching grass type to the sun and shade keeps the lawn from thinning out.

Buyers notice the front walk and entry first, so fresh mulch, crisp bed edges, trimmed shrubs, and a mowed, even lawn usually return the most. Clearing clutter and adding seasonal color near the door makes listing photos look noticeably brighter.

Not from May 1 through September 30, when the state's summer burn ban covers all outdoor burning, including limbs and leaves. Outside that window, residents still need a permit, which is why hauling debris away is often the simpler choice.

Yes. Soto's Landscaping LLC handles routine maintenance, landscape upgrades, and seasonal installations for businesses and community associations in Gainesville, GA, and we can bundle several properties into one service package so common areas, entrances, and storefronts all stay on schedule.

Water deeply and less often so roots grow down instead of staying shallow. Georgia's outdoor watering schedule allows landscape irrigation from 4 p.m. to 10 a.m., and early morning watering loses the least moisture to heat and wind.

Georgia law requires a locate request through Georgia 811 before any mechanized digging, so buried gas, power, water, and cable lines are marked. Skipping that step risks fines, service outages, and real danger to anyone working the ground.

Fall works best for most new planting, since cooler air and warm soil let roots settle before summer heat returns. With 10+ years in local yards, Soto's Landscaping LLC still schedules hardscaping and cleanups year-round when weather allows.

Compacted clay and low spots are the usual causes, since water has nowhere to soak in or drain away. Regrading the area, loosening the soil, or routing runoff through a dry creek bed often fixes it without major construction.

Absolutely. Many homeowners start with the structural work, such as grading, walls, and patios, then add plantings and finishing touches later. Planning the full layout first keeps each phase from undoing or blocking the work that comes after it.

Sturdy shrubs, defined paths, and borders give pets a clear route around beds instead of through them. Avoiding plants that are toxic to animals, and using coarse mulch rather than cocoa mulch, also keeps the yard safer for them.

Shade under oaks and pines suits ferns, hostas, hellebores, and mondo grass far better than turf. Rather than fighting a thinning lawn, many homeowners turn those spots into mulched beds that stay green and need very little mowing.

Clear fallen leaves before they mat down and smother the grass, refresh mulch around shrubs to insulate roots, and cut back spent perennials. Late fall is also a smart window for planting trees and shrubs ahead of spring growth.

Landscaping covers the living parts of a yard, including lawn, shrubs, trees, and beds. Hardscaping covers built elements like patios, walkways, retaining walls, and gravel areas. Most attractive properties blend both, so plants soften the structure and the structure organizes the plants.

Allow for mature width, not the size in the nursery pot. Most foundation shrubs need at least half their mature spread between the trunk and the wall, which keeps air moving, protects siding, and leaves room for maintenance.

Weeds usually sprout in soil and debris that settle between stones, not from below. A properly compacted base, landscape fabric under the rock, and occasional blowing or raking to clear organic matter keep those areas clean much longer.

Plan the space around how guests move. A patio sized for seating, a clear walkway from the door, screening shrubs for privacy, and low plantings that keep sightlines open turn an ordinary backyard into a comfortable gathering spot.

A simple soil test answers it. The UGA Extension office in each Georgia county processes samples and reports pH and nutrient levels, so lime and fertilizer go on only where they are needed instead of being guessed at.

It means the person who walks your property also oversees the work. At Soto's Landscaping LLC in Gainesville, GA, you get direct answers, consistent standards from start to finish, and no message passed through several people before reaching the crew.