Best Paver Installation Guaranty!

Natures Elite Landscaping of Gilford NH would like to let everyone know that we offer a full 5 year Guarantee on all Paver installation work. Also the Belgard Pavers we use come with a Lifetime Guaranty

Techniseal Polymeric Sand is all we use!

Installing pavers is hard work. When you are finished with all of that hard work, the last thing you want to see on your Paver walkway or patio are ant hills or weeds growing through the Paver joints. You have just invested all of this time and effort, not to mention money, to build the best walkways and patios around. Now is not the time to skimp or try and save money. Natures Elite will not install any Paver products without using Techniseal Polymeric Joint Sand. You want your jobs to look great for years down the road. Insist on Techniseal Polymeric Sand! Check out the video on how to install correctly on our previous blog.

Techniseal Polymeric Sand for Paver Joints Installation Procedure

How to install Mulch

Installing Mulch  might seem like a simple thing, the problem is that people just keep putting an additional 2-3 inches of new fresh mulch every year. Yes new mulch looks and smells great, but 2-3 inches a year over 5 years adds up to about a foot of mulch applied in 5 years, yes it does break down, but not that quick. The best options for your mulch beds is to turn that mulch over mid-season, it will look and smell great. Also when you re-apply in the spring just a light top coat is all you need, 1 to 1.5 inches is more than enough for existing tree and shrub beds. Also every 3 years consider removing a couple of inches of the old mulch before applying new mulch, this old mulch can be used for new planting beds, walkways or where ever you may need it.

Rain Gardens are a great Idea.

Trouble with water on your property, low spots, down spouts, you might want to consider installing a Rain Garden to help with the water. Rain Gardens will help filter and absorb that excess water, all while creating a new beautiful planting area in your yard. Do something that will benefit the environment and yourself, consider a Rain Garden for water runoff.

Root Collar Excavation

In these days of more is better, bigger is better, the one thing in landscaping we need to remember and watch out for is over mulching, more is not better. More mulch can cause all kinds of problems with your trees and shrubs, girdling roots is one major problem, the trees root system will actually circle the base of the tree and start to choke it off, you will notice die back on branches that does not seem normal. There is a remedy for this, it's called a root collar excavation, you could use an air spade or you could remove the material by hand, the picture above is a tree we did in Gilford NH, we removed almost 2 yards of material from the base of this tree. With proper care and fertilization, this tree will do much better and provide years of enjoyment for the homeowners.

Belgard Pavers Lifetime Guaranty!

Belgard Pavers is proud to offer a lifetime Guaranty on all pavers installed by an ICPI Certified Installer. Natures Elite is Proud to be ICPI Certified Installers and also Belgard Authorized Installers.

Proper Grading Prevents House Problems

Landscaping is often associated with trees and shrubs, the most important parts of proper landscaping procedures are sometimes never seen, the underground drains that channel water away from foundations, the grading that keeps moisture away from the trim boards and siding. These are the things that Landscape Professionals do when installing a new or existing landscape. The cost of hiring a professional will be worth it in the long run.

Top 5 reasons To Hire Natures Elite Landscaping

#1 New Hampshire Certified Landscape Professionals
#2 New Hampshire Landscape Association Members
#3 Belgard Pavers Authorized Installers
#4 ICPI Certified Installers
#5 Techniseal Certified Applicators

This is just a partial list of the reasons you should hire Natures Elite Landscaping for your next project. The best reason of all is customer satisfaction, please feel free to check our testimonials page at www.natureselitenh.com . Hopefully you will be on our list soon!

Natures Elite Landscaping is in the January 2013 issue of Total Landscape Care Magazine

We would like to thank Total Landscape Care Magazine for writing the article about us for the January 3 2013 issue, featuring a property we had completed overlooking New Found Lake. A special thanks to Lauren Heartsill Dowdle for the great article.

Going mobile

Winters here and now is the time we look back at all we have done and all we could have done better. We are focusing on our website re-design, with the help of Mark Bedard from Creative Design Innovations, we are getting our website ready for the new year, we are making it more friendly for all of the people who use their tablets and phones to find us.We look forward to the launch of this new site some time in Mid February, Also feel free to contact Mark, he does Great work in a timely manner at very reasonable prices. I would highly recommend him! You can contact him at mark.bedard34@gmail.com

A must for all landscape enthusiasts

Bedrock Gardens in Lee NH is a must see for all ages, anyone that is interested in landscaping and or artwork will surely enjoy this special place.

Paver Walkways

Natures Elite recently completed two walkways at a home in Meredith NH, both walkways were done with Belgard Pavers Holland Stone. The color was Faneuil Hall  and the Paver was laid in a herringbone pattern. This is the back walkway and there is an additional walkway going to the front entrance.

Courtyards and Entrance Ways.

Pavers Granite and Natural stone make a great combination for this Entrance Way in Center Harbor NH. The Pavers are Belgard and the stone wall and granite step are all local native materials, the walls were done in a cultured stone. All work completed by Natures Elite Landscaping Master Craftsmen.

Outdoor Rooms

Outdoor rooms are a big part of landscape design, patios can be a big part of your outdoor rooms. Whether you have a fire pit or a hot tub, it's nice to be able to spend time outdoors, Belgard Pavers and Natures Elite Landscaping can help make that dream come true, please feel free to call or email for a free site visit and consultation to decide what would be best for you and your family. You can reach us at 603-630-7476 or email steve@natureselitenh.com

Permeable Paver Driveway Gilford NH

Natures Elite Landscaping crew members getting ready to install the border on a Belgard SubTerra Permeable Paver driveway in Gilford NH. Natures Elite are Belgard Authorized Contractors as well as ICPI Certified Paver installers. We are available through out  the lakes region for all of your landscaping needs.

Belgard Retaining Walls

Natures Elite landscaping is proud to be a Belgard Authorized Installer, this is a photo of  the Belgard Belair retaining wall installed at Scenic Heights Condominiums in Gilford NH.

NH Lakes Region Condo Associations Property Maintenance

In the NH lakes Region Natures Elite Landscaping is the choice for all of your Associations and Condominium Property Maintenance. We have a staff of well trained uniformed professionals that will take care of all of your lawn and property maintenance issues. We are also available for all types of construction projects, patios, walkways driveways and we can also do all of your shore front permitting for those waterfront associations. All work is done by Certified Professionals. You can rest assured you will be in good hands with the staff from Natures Elite!

Landscape Construction and Design

Natures Elite Landscaping has been doing landscape construction and design work for more than 25 years, with a staff of well trained professionals you can rest assured that your project will exceed your dreams.We service the entire Lakes region. Feel free to call for a design consultation with one of our Certified Professionals. Call 603-630-7476 or email steve@natureselitenh.com

Permeable Patios

Permeable pavement seems to be the way of the future, with smaller house lots and tighter requirements, cities and towns are requiring permeable pavement on more and more projects. Natures Elite Landscaping just recently completed this Belgard Pavers SubTerra permeable patio overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee in Gilford NH.

Belgard and Natures Elite Landscaping are headed to the Sandwich Fair.

Belgard pavers and Natures Elite Landscaping along with local Belgard distributors Gilford Home Center will be setting up a large display area at the Sandwich Fair. Belgard will be bringing their mobile Showroom for people to view materials first hand. Hope to see you there!

Landscape Financing with Belgard and Natures Elite Landscaping

Natures Elite landscaping is proud to announce that we have teamed up with Belgard Pavers to offer an interest Free financing program for all of our Belgard customers. Now you do not have to choose between that new patio and the sprinkler system, with the Belgard program, you can receive interest free financing for up to 6 months and have both installed. Feel free to contact us for more details. You can reach us at steve@natureselitenh.com
or feel free to call direct at 603-630-7476. Make all your Dreams come true!

Natures Elite Landscaping Press Release

Natures Elite is pleased to announce that a Hardscape project that they designed and installed overlooking New Found Lake will be featured in the upcoming 2013 Belgard Paver  Catalog. Professional photographers are being brought in from California to do the photo shoot. Belgard representatives will be on hand as well as the installers from Natures Elite Landscaping , to view the photo shoot.

Belgard Authorized Contractors

Natures Elite Landscaping is pleased to announce that we are now Belgard Authorized contractors and installers. All Authorized Contractors have to have there work inspected by a Belgard Representative and also have to be ICPI Certified Installers with more than 15k square feet of pavers installed. Feel free to call 603-630-7476 or email steve@natureselitenh.com for a free no obligation consultation.

Patios and Fire Pits in NH Lakes Region

Natures Elite landscaping is New Hampshire's choice for installing Patios and Fire Pits. This is a picture of a recent lakeside patio and fire pit installed on a Newfound Lake property. The pavers are Belgard and the fire Pit is from Cambridge Pavers. All work was done according to ICPI specifications and was done by an ICPI Certified Installer. Feel free to call for a free consultation from a NH Certified Landscape Professional and ICPI Certified Paver Installer. 603-630-7476 or www.natureselitenh.com or you can email Steve@natureselitenh.com

Patios and Firepits

Landscape Design, Installation and Construction by Natures Elite Landscaping

Natures Elite Landscaping is expanding on the construction work that we offer, we will now do complete landscape design and installation, including all hardscaping work. We are a one stop contractor that can take your project from design to completion. Feel free to email for more information steve@natureselitenh.com or you can view our website at www.natureselitenh.com

Techniseal Certified Applicator

Natures Elite Landscaping is proud to announce that Steve Mitchell is now a Techniseal Certified Applicator. We are able to handle all of your paver cleaning and sealing needs in and around the Lakes Region. We are also ICPI Certified Paver installers. So feel free to call and get your free estimate and consultation with a Techniseal Certified Applicator.

SnowCare For Troops

Natures Elite is proud to announce that we have teamed up with project Evergreen once again. This time we have signed on to provide Snowplowing services for military families. If someone in your family is an active military member, feel free to call and we will provide snowplowing services at no charge for your family. We are still providing lawn care services at no charge for active military families. Feel free to check out our blog for more information, just click on the link at www.natureselitenh.com or feel free to email us at steve@natureselitenh.com You can also find out more at www.projectevergreen.com Thanks for all you do!

Certified Paver Installers

If your thinking of installing a new Paver patio or walkway it's important to choose a contractor that is certified in paver installations. The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute or ICPI as it is commonly known is the organization that certifies installers. The techniques for installing pavers are different than brick or bluestone. So make sure your project is done To ICPI standards and hire a Certified installer. Steve Mitchel the owner of Natures Elite Landscaping is an ICPI Certified installer and you can rest assured that your project will be completed promptly and professionally. Feel free to contact us at 603-630-7476 or steve@natureselitenh.com for a free consultation and estimate.

Snowplowing Gunstock Acres Gilford NH

Natures Elite is now offering residential customers plowing in Gunstock Acres and limited surrounding areas in Gilford for seasonal customers. This plowing service is seasonal contract only. We also offer salting of driveways and walkways with Magic Salt, shoveling of walkways is also available. Space is limited for this offer, if you would like to sign up or find out more about this please email steve@natureselitenh.com and feel free to view our website at http://www.natureselitenh.com/ for more information and references.

Natures Elite Serving all of NH Lakes Region

We are proud to announce that we are now serving the entire New Hampshire Lakes Region. We will provide full landscaping services, including design, installation and maintenance to all of New Hampshire's lakes region. Snowplowing will still be limited to Belknap County, to ensure prompt, professional service to all of our clients. Feel free to call for a free estimate and consultation. You can reach us at 603-630-7476

Lawn Aeration

Two of the most important things you can do for your lawn are core aeration and power dethatching. The best time for aeration is either early Spring or late Summer early Fall. Just make sure if you do aerate in the spring that you put down your crabgrass preventer and fertilizer after you aerate, and if you are going to be doing overseeding in the Spring, you will have to use a crabgrass preventer called tuppersan, which will allow the new grass seed to germinate but will not let the crabgrass seed germinate.In my opinion August and September are the best times for aeration. Once you have aerated your lawn it's a good time to fertilize and overseed, make sure to water the new seed 2-3 times a day and your lawn will really start to thicken and green up.

Lawn Dethatching

Spring is a great time to think about dethatching your lawn, this will also help pull up all of those leaves and acorns that you missed last Fall. Dethatching is very important to your lawn, once the thatch becomes to thick the fertilizer and other materials that you are putting down will not be able to reach the root system and do what they need to do to keep your lawn healthy. Water will also have a hard time getting through. Removing the layers of dead grass can be done quickly with a powered machine available at most rental centers or you can do it by hand with a special rake designed for removing thatch if the area is small enough, also most professional landscapers offer this type of service. Make sure that you do your dethatching before putting down any crabgrass preventer, once this is in place you do not want to disturb it for at least 90 days. Late summer and early fall is fine for lawn dethatching also, just make sure that the lawn is not stressed out due to drought. Fertilizing after dethatching will help green up the lawn and get those roots growing.

Transplanting of Large Shrubs

Spring and Fall are the times to think about moving some of those large over grown foundation plantings. Many times we get calls from people who think that once the plant has gotten to a certain size, that it either has to be cut way back or completely removed. A lot of large plants do very well when they are transplanted and are not as difficult as most people would think.Rhododendrons and Azaleas are surface rooted plant and do really well when transplanted, certain plants like yews are difficult to transplant once they become to big due to the tap root that they have.Large transplants are great for screening out areas or separating property borders, just make sure that the plant is far enough on your property and allow room for additional growth. These plants will need to be taken care of like a new planting would, over sized hole, mulch and plenty of water for the first couple of years. Once established, this plant that seemed like a problem will become an asset to your property.

Magic Salt from Natures Elite landscaping

Natures Elite Landscaping is proud to announce that it has always used only Magic Salt on all of there Commercial and Residential properties. Magic salt is EPA approved and works to a lower temperature than regular salt which stops working at about 18 degrees, Magic Salt will work to -35 degrees and will not damage concrete or metal. Feel free to contact steve@natureselitenh.com to find out more about this product. We also offer 5 gallon pails delivered direct to your house and we can refill these buckets at your home, saving you time and money. Call now to schedule your free estimate. 603-630-7476 Magic Salt also does not require any spring cleanup like sand and salt mixes. Serving the Gilford NH areas and surrounding towns.

Digital Imaging landscape Design

Natures Elite landscaping is proud to announce that we know have Digital Imaging Landscape Design Capability. What this means for you' is we can take pictures of your property and show a complete before and after of your project, with out you having to invest any money. You can make all the changes you want before anything is planted with the click of a mouse. This allows you to try trees and shrubs of different heights, in different places. Not sure what it will look like in 5 or 10 years, we can show you that also. Feel free to email mat at steve@natureselitenh.com for a free visit and consultation.

Leave Those Grass Clippings On The Lawn !

Recycling is an important part of every community, and one of the best ways to recycle is to leave your grass clippings on your lawn. Not only does this help save the towns money but it will also help save you money, with the added nitrogen you will receive from these additional grass clippings. make sure you mow your lawn on a weekly basis and never remove more than a third of the grass at a time. Always use a mower with a sharp blade and your clippings will naturally decompose and feed your lawn.

Tick Prevention

Landscapers and homeowners need to be well aware of the problems associated with ticks. Lyme disease is a devasting ilness associated with deer ticks, there are things you can do to help prevent and or control these insects. First is to keep your grass cut short, ticks like to live in tall grass, the second is to install a bark mulch border around the perimeter of your property to seperate the lawn area form the woods, ticks can not typically crawl through the bark mulch. There is also the option of spraying the wooded areas to help reduce tick populations. Contact your local certified tree specialists and they will be able to help you out. Also remeber if you do get bit by a tick there are antibiotics that can be taken succesfully, if taken within the first 24-48 hrs of the bite.

Mulching Trees To Death

Not sure about you but it's Spring time here in the Northeast and cleanup and re-mulching of shrub beds is starting to take place. Not sure why people do it, but they just keep piling on that mulch like it was going out of style. When you put down 2-3 inches of mulch per year and never remove any, sooner or later you will have problems, these trees are slowly suffocating and will be subject to all sorts of insect and disease problems before they finally die. The proper way to mulch is to every 3rd or 4th year remove the majority of the old mulch, this older mulch is a perfect base for newly created beds or for top dressing lightly beds that are not as noticible, also when creating new pathways this mulch works excellent as a base. Please consider the health of your trees when mulching more is not allways better, especially when it comes to mulching.

" Green Care For Troops"

Natures Elite landscaping is pleased to announce they are participating in the " Green Care For Troops" in the Gilford NH area. " Green Care For Troops" is a nationwide outreach program initiated by project Evergreen that connects participating local lawn and landscape firms with families of the men and women away from home serving our country in the armed forces.

In announcing the new program Steve Mitchell the owner of Natures Elite Landscaping said, lawn and landscape maintenance becomes a definite hardship when a family's major breadwinner is on active duty away from home. The "Green Care For Troops" seeks to ease the stress by helping affected families with the important task of caring for their yard and landscaping.

Families intersted in registering for the "Green Care For Troops" program should contact Natures Elite landscaping at (603) 630-7476 Participation is limited. To learn more, they may also access the Project Evergreen website at www.projectevergreen.com/gcft/ or call toll - free
(877) 758-4835

New Hampshire Certified Landscape Profesional

Steve Mitchell of Natures Elite Landscaping in Gilford NH is the newest NHLA member to become a Certified Landscape Professional. Steve Had to take and pass a rigorous 3 hr exam on all areas of the landscape industry. This included plant ID, and general knowledge of green industry standards and specifications. Steve has more than 25 years experience in the green industry in all phases of landscape construction and maintenance. Feel free to contact him at 603-630-7476 if he could help you with any of your properties.

Natures Elite Joins ALMA

Natures Elite Landscaping is pleased to announce that they have recently become members of the American Landscape Maintenance Association or Alma as it is known in the green industry. Organization's like ALMA are trying to take professionalism in this industry to a higher level. It's very important to join and support organization's like this, the way to separate your self from the fly by night guys is to learn as much as possible and to become certified in all areas of work that you do, becoming more professional and certified does not cost much and it will actually pay off, people want to deal with and hire the best as long as they are not way out of line with their prices. So consider joining your local landscape organization or your regional organization's, it can only help make all of us better!

Green Industry Professionals

Being a professional in this business requires a lot of extra work, there are many new techniques for pruning,planting and transplanting. One of the newest involves using an air spade to move large trees, this is a process where the majority of the soil from around a trees roots are removed. In the past when transplanting we were always very careful to get as much soil with the transplant as possible, but with all of this new technology, transplanting has become easier and more successful, especially with larger specimen plants. That's why it's very important in this industry to attend as many shows and seminars as you can to keep up with all of this, also becoming certified helps you to learn as much as you can about the green industry, becoming a NH Certified Landscape Professional is a great way to learn and become more professional. Also learning about all areas of the green industry such as lawn care and tree care will help you stand out in this industry, it seems like a lot of problems related to trees and shrubs are created by people who did not take the time to attend these seminars, plants planted at the wrong depth or over mulched or just planted in the wrong place.

Profesionalism in the Green Industry

Being profesional is more than just having fancy trucks, profesionals are the people who take the time to become educated on all phases of landscape construction and maintenance, not just learn as you go at your expense type of people.These profesionals have decided to make a career out of this, they spend their winters going to as many seminars as they can to keep up with all of the new technology and recent insect problems and infestations. They know about all of the newest techniques in transplanting, such as air spades and all of the newest pruning techniques. It's not easy being the best but when customers need to know it's nice to be able to give them a professional educated opinion. Certification is a great way to show off your expertise, weather you are a certified arborist or certified landscape profesional, these designations show that you have taken the time to become the best of the best