CHEERS!

Marty Max, one of three Purdue Landscape Architecture graduates at Lakeshore, added the title LEED Accredited Professional to his name, after passing the exam in October 2008 with an excellent score.

He celebrated by challenging himself again---climbing the walls of Red Rock Canyon in Nevada (see photo). He returned in one piece, ready and eager to assist your design team in achieving LEED Certification on your next project.


OUR CONSERVATION EFFORTS

At Lakeshore, we're doing our part to reduce, re-use and recycle. Last year, we began purchasing annual flowers (for seasonal color) grown in biodegradable Ellepots, reducing by the thousands the number of empty flowerpots to throw away (or even recycle). Flower seeds are started in the pots by the grower, and the plant is planted still in the "pot" (really just a thin fibrous wrapper that secures the planting medium around the plant's roots). The flowers fare better, too, due to less transplant shock at planting time.

In 2009, we're ready to begin using our own compost (leftover dirt,sod, leaves and plant debris from landscaping projects) in new planting areas, instead of trucking in most of our planting media. We started our composting operation in 2006, and have been patiently turning and "cooking" the long rows of soil until they're "just right".

In addition, the road to our compost field is paved with recycled concrete obtained from a local excavating company.


WINTER COCKTAIL: SALTY BEET JUICE

This snow season we invested in 5 truck-mounted "Beet Juice Sprayers", to increase the effectiveness of the salt we spread on parking lots and roadways.

Beet juice, when mixed and applied with salt, improves the ice-melting capability of salt. Normally, salt loses its capacity to melt snow at temperatures below 15 degrees, but when combined with beet juice, it continues to work effectively down to minus 25 degrees. The beet juice also helps "bind" the salt to the snow pack, making a single application of bulk salt last longer.

Beet juice is a naturally-derived substance from sugar beets---a "waste" by-product from American sugar processing factories.


LEANER & GREENER, without sacrificing your well-maintained image.

We have the design and horticultural expertise to create environmentally sensitive landscapes that still look well-maintained and seasonally colorful. Careful placement of native plantings into a traditional landscape can enhance both the "old" and the "new" the traditional landscape can receive more of the intensive care it requires, while the native landscape, thanks to its proximity to the more manicured areas, looks intentionally natural, not neglected.

Native plantings, in place of mowed or hard surfaces:

Less turf to mow, fertilize and irrigate means lower labor and material costs.

While native landscapes do require periodic maintenance, the frequency is much less than the minimum weekly service needed to maintain turf. Interested? Call Heidi (219) 462-9555 (x226) or Jeff (x223) to discuss ideas.