Local Rules
The 1,000 Square Foot Rule Most Homeowners Have Never Heard Of
Sandy Springs generally requires a land disturbance permit at 1,000 square feet of ground disturbance. What that covers, what it costs and what the review checks.
Yard Notes
The local half of landscaping, written down
Permits, watering law, red clay, canopy shade and what any of it means for a project on a Sandy Springs lot. These are the pieces that national gardening advice leaves out.
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Soil & Water
Georgia's Watering Hours, and the Exemption That Matters Most
Georgia allows outdoor landscape irrigation only between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. The 30-day exemption for newly installed plants and turf is the one that matters.
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Plants & Lawn
English Ivy Is Not a Groundcover Problem, It Is a Tree Problem
The City of Sandy Springs runs a public campaign against English ivy. On a wooded lot the case is simpler than the ecology: it loads the canopy and hides the trunk.
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Plants & Lawn
Most Sandy Springs Landscapes Were Designed for a Smaller Tree
A quarter of the city's housing was built in the 1980s and the median year of construction is 1988. Those yards are now forty years into a canopy that has doubled.
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Soil & Water
Every Stream in This City Ends Up in the Chattahoochee
Nancy Creek, Long Island Creek and Marsh Creek all have city watershed studies behind them, and all carry buffer rules that limit what can be built near water.
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Plants & Lawn
The Only Warm-Season Grass Worth Arguing About Under a Canopy
UGA Extension rates zoysiagrass the most shade tolerant warm-season grass and the best one to grow beneath mature trees. Here is where that stops being true.
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Plants & Lawn
Why the Best Month to Plant a Tree Here Is October
UGA Extension calls fall the ideal time to plant most woody trees, shrubs, vines, groundcovers and perennials in Georgia. The reasoning is about roots, not weather.
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Local Rules
A City That Measures Its Own Tree Canopy Every Two Years
Sandy Springs has evaluated its tree canopy since 2013 and published 54.5 percent for 2023. That measurement is why the tree ordinance has the thresholds it does.
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Costs
The Cheapest Patio Quote Is Usually a Different Patio
Two quotes for the same patio can differ by half and both be honest. The difference is almost always in the base section, the drainage and the access assumption.
Find out what the yard would cost
Call (404) 737-3568 or use the quote form, and a Sandy Springs landscaping company prices the work at no charge.