Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

Initially held as a remembrance for fallen Union soldiers, Memorial Day has since been embraced by a nation to honor all Americans making the ultimate sacrifice.

In Waterloo, N.Y., a ceremony on May 5, 1866, honored local veterans who had fought in the Civil War. Businesses closed and residents flew flags at half-staff.

Due to bad feelings leftover from the Civil War, many Southern states initially refused to observe the day, which was first known as Decoration Day.

The crowd attending the first Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in 1866 was approximately 5,000 people. Then, as now, small American flags were placed on each grave — a tradition kept at many national cemeteries.

Columbus, Miss., held its own observance in 1866. Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves of Union soldiers, women who came to honor Confederate dead placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well.

The holiday was first referred to as Memorial Day in 1882 but became more common until after World War II. The United States government named it Memorial Day in 1967 and made it a federal holiday in 1971.

Families and friends of fallen service members take part in a remembrance scheduled for 3 p.m. locally. The American flag usually flies at half-staff from dawn until noon.

Due to John McCrae’s immortal poem, Flanders Fields, the poppy endures as a tribute to those who have given their lives for freedom. The custom has grown in many families to decorate the graves of all departed loved ones.

This Memorial Day, honor the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country with flowers of gratitude. You can show your appreciation with patriotic bouquets of red, white and blue flowers.

Call Embark Floral to send flowers anywhere through Teleflora at 713-468-2440 or at www.embarkfloral.com.

Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

Besides batteries and canned food, homeowners need to prepare for hurricane season by taking action and making informed choices on trees and landscaping.

Making sure that your trees have been trimmed back will minimize damage to property and power lines from falling trees and branches.

A wind-resistant, pruned tree has a better chance of surviving a hurricane than an unpruned tree.

Also diseased or dead trees may come down during the high winds and heavy rains. Look for trees and shrubs with diseased, oversized, lopsided branches.

An arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture can make a professional assessment of your trees and recommend steps to prepare your property for a hurricane.

Reducing the chances of a tree or branches damaging your home can be as easy as planting trees away from your house and power lines. A selection of smaller trees and shrubs can be planted under power lines and close to your home.

Severe storms with heavy rains can soak the soil so thoroughly that tree roots cannot stay fastened in the ground during strong winds.

An arborist can apply aeration techniques to improve root growth and make sure roots don’t get washed out.

Picking and planting a wind-resistant tree can minimize the need for cleanup and not endanger lives and property. Native trees that survive are slower growing and have low centers of gravity and deep root systems. Check with an arborist for the right selection.

Planting trees together makes for a proven strategy against wind. Putting groups of mixed trees can improve wind resistance. The trees shield each other, your house and other landscaping.

Getting ready for a hurricane takes planning from an International Society of Arboriculture-certified arborist and a call to Embark Tree and Landscape Services. Visit us at EmbarkServices.com to request a visit or call 713-462-3261.

Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

First impressions mean everything, whether you meet someone or look at a house.

Curb appeal reflects the balance of your personal style with that of the neighborhood and landscaping is the best place to start.

Guests and possible home buyers usually scrutinize the front yard as a reflection of the home and the people who live there. No formula will guarantee success but informed choices and an understanding of landscaping principles will create a solid, executable plan.

Starting with a site evaluation will give you have an understanding of what’s already around your house. The architectural style or character of your house should be considered.

Curb appeal, which is how the house looks from the street, is what people want from a landscape design the most. The appearance of the front yard makes both the value of the property and the owner’s ego soar.

If done right, the front yard will be attractive during the entire year for each season. The yard will benefit from unity, balance and interest throughout the year.

Unity ensures that all of the design elements work together in harmony. The plants must complement each other, look good in groups and must be placed strategically.

Balance is achieved when trees, shrubs and decorative elements are dispersed evenly throughout the landscape. The curb appeal suffers because the perception is that things are out of order.

Interest creates a focal point, often the entry to the home for the front yard. The importance of the door can be reinforced with carefully selected and placed plants along the path to the front door.

Strong curb appeal can welcome visitors and potential homebuyers and create a visually healthy environment. To let the pros help, be sure to contact Embark Tree and Landscaping Services at 713-462-3261 or fill out this form to request a visit.

Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

Just like motion detectors and dead bolts, the placement of a prickly plant or a holly bush can help keep bad guys out of your house.

With Memorial Day and summer vacations around the corner, homeowners can motivate intruders to stay out without turning the outside of your house into a fortified castle with a moat.

Environmental design can make a house less appealing to burglars who are usually lazy and adverse to pain. Plants with thorns or sharp leaves present a perimeter that few will enter.

Landscaping and plants should not function as an aid by becoming a screen to shield them from view when entering a walkway or breaking in to a building.

Fences, walkways, and plantings set psychological and physical boundaries to stay away.

A good place for a thorny shrub is underneath a window. Windows are easy access but thorns can help burglars away. The height of the shrub also shouldn’t create a hiding place either.

Do make sure that the shrubs are cut below the window in case you have to escape a fire. Proper air circulation and access for maintenance can be provided if you allow some distance between the shrub and the wall of the building.

Law enforcement also suggests the “3-7 rule,” which says to trim bushes down to three feet and have no tree limbs lower than seven feet. The cut-down shrubs provide no cover and the chopped limbs keeps burglars from climbing trees to get to the second story.

Just as ladders shouldn’t be left outside, either should garden tools or bricks which can be used to smash a window to gain access. A trellis that could support someone’s weight could be inviting to someone eager to sneak in upstairs.

A home inviting to burglars means easy access but with the right landscaping, you can make your home less attractive. Let Embark help you before Memorial Day or when you go on vacation. Call 713-462-3261 or make an online request.

Link: http://www.embarkservices.com/blog/blogs/

If summer’s the time to put your house on the market or buy one, a pest control inspection could save you money and help close the deal.

Summer is the perfect time for relocation, whether the move is across town or across the country. With the kids out of school, the schedule is open to find another domicile and get the present address ready to sell.

For sellers, making sure the house passes a pest control inspection prevents any show-stopping developments. Even after a contract is signed, the discovery of a major pest problem could scuttle the transaction.

Hundreds or potentially even thousands of dollars can be saved with a pest control property inspection which identifies problems before the house goes on the market.

Usually, the buyer pays for the pest inspection, which is usually part of the closing costs. Any repair work is the responsibility of the seller, unless both parties agree on a different arrangement prior to escrow and document it in the purchase agreement.

The inspection creates peace of mind and provides protection from lost time and income.

The most common culprits in wood-eating infestation are termites but other similar pests include carpenter ants and carpenter bees. They will nest in holes that they burrow deep in wood.

After they find a home, these colonies will grow exponentially to hazardous levels.

Many times, it’s the same situation with ants, cockroaches, flies, mice, rats, wasps and hornets. The pest control problem is not fully apparent until it is out of control. Without being detected, these pests can establish a colony or become an infestation without being detected.

A pest control inspection should go hand-in-hand with buying or selling a home. Be sure to call the professionals at Embark Pest Control at 713-462-3261 or fill in our online form to have a specialist contact you.