1.) The white powder
is efflorescence, a deposit of calcium and
lime which comes from impurities in the
block as a reaction to hydration. Good quality
block will have little efflorescence problems.
Cleaners are available by special order
here at Plumline.
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| 2.)
Good quality high density pavers will resist
degradation from de-icing salts. Again,
paver quality is the issue. If you are concerned,
try using magnesium chloride or urea. |
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| 3.)
Yes. A properly installed paver driveway
will not be damaged by plowing. Sometimes,
minor scratches appear that soon fade. These
scratches would have also occurred on an
asphalt driveway. |
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| 4.)
We are fortunate to have strong, personal
relationships with excellent growers from
all over the country. Plumline continually
searches for the newest and strongest cultivars
to offer our customers. Much of our material
is grown by us directly at our own licensed
nursery here at Plumline. |
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5.)
If a customer is willing to spend a substantial
sum of money on re-landscaping their home,
we feel strongly that he/she needs the best
possible organizational plan. A landscape
design crafted by a Plumline designer will
not only provide you with a unique thoughtful
plan, but will save you money in the long
run. Our custom designs will help you to
showcase your property. Remember, only your
best friends and family see the inside of
your home. But everybody who drives by……..sees
the outside of your home.
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6.)Trim
blooming shrubs immediately after blooming
so as to avoid disturbing next years flowers.
Trees can be trimmed anytime. You don’t
need to get mired down into “timing”
details.
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7.)
Mulch is an organic covering applied to
shrub beds made out of shredded bark or
wood. We recommend shredded bark –
not dyed wood. Our shredded bark is a dark
brown color – attractive for any landscape
as the contrast is pleasing even with gold
and blue foliage colors.
• mulch beautifies your property
• mulch reduces weeds
• mulch retains ground moisture –
less frequent watering required
• mulch protects roots from heat damage
– a natural insulation
• mulch enriches the soil as it decomposed
Plumline’s shredded bark mulch is
available year round for delivery or pick
up.
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8.)
Move to Hawaii! Just kidding….Actually
we are still quite busy in the winter. We
explore and review new purchases, maintain
our equipment, chase the deer, tend to all
plants in polyhouses, plow snow, visit suppliers,
and take training courses. It’s not
all work though and most of the crewmembers
catch up on some sleep, watch TV and relax.
By late February, we are ready to go back
to work!
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9.)
Definitely! Working in the “green
industry is a lot of hard work, but to look
back and see the progress over the season
is amazing. We get great satisfaction from
seeing the before and after of each project
we complete. We love beautifying our little
corner of the world. A nice legacy –
don’t you think?
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10.)
Processed Organic Compost. You will only
find POC at Plumline. This high quality
compost product is rich in organic matter
and plant nutrients and the slow release
nature of the compost nutrients make them
less susceptible to loss through leeching
than conventional chemical fertilizers.
It is a mixture of hardwood sawdust and
high quality bio-solids. The composting
process penetrates enough heat to essentially
pasteurize the product making it free of
pathogens and weed seeds.
POC is better than manure because:
*unlike manure, POC is low in sodium and
will not burn
*unlike manure, POC is very slow to decompose
*higher nutrient content
*easier to use
USAGE:
Lawns:
Use POC as a top dressing
Planting Beds: Mix one part POC (by volume)
to two parts topsoil.
Plumline is the only place you can find
POC and is available for delivery or pickup
at our garden center.
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| 11.)We
started the nursery in 1974 – a patch
of 20 rhododendrons. Bill had a day job
and worked the “lower forty”
every evening. Karen was busy raising the
kids and answering the phone. A lot has
changed since then and a lot has stayed
the same. The kids are grown but still working
at Plumline (Micah is operations manager
and Melody is a designer), Karen is still
answering the phone and in the evenings
you can still find Bill down in the lower
forty on his tractor. We are bigger and
better but we are still a normal family
gratefully living the American dream.
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| 12.)Good
question. We owned this land hoped to build
a house – which we did – the
log cabin. The nursery kind of grew up around
us and we had no money to buy another flat
piece of property. Bill actually slowly
terraced this cliff (evenings and weekends)
through the years with a small Kubota tractor.
Our plants are raised on this cliff and
acclimated to cold and wind. For you the
customer, remember that Plumline plants
are grown under extreme conditions and are
therefore conditioned to survive better
than tenderfoot plants grown elsewhere! |
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| 13.)No.
As part of our terracing project, fill was
dug from the high side of our road and dumped
onto the other side. This was intentional,
so that our customers could enjoy the great
view from Plumline Ridge. |
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14.)Where
do we start on this one?! Plants are our
business. We KNOW our product and do not
sell appliances, paint, and lumber too.
Call us anytime and we will answer your
question or get you an answer fast. We grow
much of our own product so that you are
assured quality from day one. We TAKE CARE
of our plants lovingly. This assures much
greater survivability once you take it home.
You see, plant STRESS is what you want to
avoid. Stress is caused by: lack of sufficient
watering, mishandling (jostling around,
breaking branches, beating up a plant),
disease and insect problems, extreme temperatures
on paved surfaces, lack of sunlight and
general lack of attention. Although a stressed
plant may not look “unhappy”,
it has been weakened and will have a much
tougher time surviving when you bring it
home. Plumline plants are happy plants and
at Plumline you get what you paid for.
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15.)The
reason for our name is twofold. First, the
word “plumline” appears in the
Bible (Amos 7:8 ) in reference to a builder’s
plumline – balance/fairness which
we always strive to be. Secondly, our nursery
is located on the county line between Allegheny
and Westmoreland, Plum and Murrysville.
LATIN LESSON:
We
are the JAPANESE MAPLE CAPITOL of western
PA:
Japanese
Maple Green Acer Palmatum
Japanese Maple Cutleaf Green Acer Palmatum
Viridis Dissectum
Japanese Maple Red Acer Palmatum Atropurpureum
Japanese Maple Red Cutleaf Acer Palmatum
Atropurpureum Dissectum
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| 16.)
Plumline wants to make this easy for you.
We know you are busy! Just give us a call
if you are located within 20 miles of Murrysville
and we will send one of our estimator/designers
to your property for a "walk-through
meeting." There is no charge for this
appointment. (Keep in mind that you must
set budget parameters for your design. We
are a design/build firm and we will always
try to design within a pre-established budget
for you). We'll call you back within a few
weeks (we're busiest in spring) to present
a design and price at that time - your place
or ours. Whatever you prefer. Yes, we guarantee
our work. |
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| 17.)
We understand. We all need a bit of peace
and tranquility in this chaotic world and
honestly - you can find that in your own
yard. Let us help you "bring paradise
to your life." You'll find the sign
in our parking lot says it all. (see photo
of sign). Plumline is a full service company
so we deliver and install. We want to establish
on-going, old fashioned relationships with
you. Stop by and meet our courteous, helpful
plant loving staff. |
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