We need rain to water in the pre-emergent we have been putting down for weeks to keep those weeds away this spring!! 75% chance of rain Sunday!!
Clients want their home to be their little oasis away from the world where they can be themselves and just chill. We had fun doing a re-do for these clients. After not being satisfied with their just-landscaped front yard, we came on the scene and turned their yard into what they had envisioned from the beginning.We had so much fun doing this, getting creative and making new friends!
By Cindy Poore
It’s a big undertaking to consider taking out your grass to save on water. I deal with it daily. You want to save on your water bill and reduce the need for maintenance. Rock starts to sound appealing. There are choices that you need to make to do a desert landscape. What kind of plants, what kind of rock or gravel could you get by with that would justify all the effort and money you will need to spend to get it done right? There are lots of decisions to be made and the wrong ones will get you an ugly looking yard that needs just as much if not more maintenance and water.
But what if rock is not all that appealing? Most of us really love our grass. Taking it out is not a pleasant outcome for us. There are some things to consider before you decide to remove your grass.
1. How do you use the space with grass in it now? Is it merely for looks? Do kids, fur kids or others play or walk on it regularly? If so, how would having gravel there affect the use of the space?
2. What will happen when it rains. Most of the time, grass will absorb the rain and keep it from eroding your yard. Having gravel, may divert the rainwater to other areas and cause run-off issues. Think it through. Definitely NEVER use plastic under your gravel which will not allow the rain to penetrate the soil where we need it!
3. Rebates only cover a very small portion of a total landscape redo. What if you don’t have the budget for that? Consider forgoing the rebate and keeping your spray system in place. You can remove the grass you have and replace it with one of several drought tolerant ground covers or the new breed of low water use and low maintenance grasses.
4. How emotionally attached are you to your grass. Some of us just have to have it, others not so much. This should be the determining factor for you
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Time is Running Out!
It’s December already?! Where does the time go? Getting ready for the holidays and time with family and friends is on everyone’s schedule this time of year. 2015 is on the way out. Did you make some mistakes this year? Not to worry. We all did. But each new day is a chance to do better. As long as we keep getting days given to us, we can work on that. We will turn the page on this chapter in our book in just a few weeks. But it’s not over until it’s over. Make it a good one. Make it a memorable one. Make it one filled with love. You still have time if you are lucky.
“The best thing about endings is knowing that just ahead is the daunting task to start over.”
― Jodi Picoult, Keeping Faith
By Cindy Poore
According to a recent article in the Los Angeles times, El Niño is a sure thing. Los Angeles area is supposed to get 60% above average rainfall during the months of January, February and March. That statistic was confirmed by Bill Patzert, climatologist with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge who said in the article, “I’m quite optimistic that the entire state is going to get hosed”. ( Hosed being a very technical term for WET!)
This is going to make things difficult for lots of us. We have been conserving on our water all year. Now, it is going to be wet, very wet!
New challenges come with too much water versus too little. The first thing that you will notice is the ground will get saturated early on and continued rainfall just rolls off into puddles, lakes and actual new streams all across your property!
Not sure if you are good in the drainage department? Prepare by buying straw wattles and sand bags. Store them in a dry location so you can get to them when needed.
If you are lucky, your lot is properly graded and you (or previous owners) haven’t added anything that prevents the natural run off of excess water. If you are unsure, ask us to check the grade on your property and help you spot problems before they happen.
Before it gets too late, lets look at a few other things you can do to prevent problems.
Check your gutters and valleys on your roof. Blown leaves and dirt can accumulate in these areas, causing back up which will make water back up and get under your roof and cause water damage inside.
Clear piles, equipment and debris away from the house foundation. This will help water move away from your home and reduce the chances of flooding.
Check your outdoor lighting. Longer night hours mean we will be coming and going in the dark. Maybe you need some additional lighting outdoors to make that easier?
With rain, comes weeds. Call us to apply a weed killer and preventer now to keep your yard nearly weed-free all spring and summer! Before weeds show up is the best time to apply a pre-emergent weed control.
Several years ago, we had a very wet winter and even though people wanted us to spray their weeds, we couldn’t because it was too wet or windy and the weeds went wild! Early is better in this case.
Winds have been horrible this past week especially down the hill. Trees have gotten knocked over all over the place. I get lots of calls from people asking me about cutting their trees shorter so they won’t blow down in the wind. Really??
So people would like their trees to look like this?? Let me tell you that is NOT the way to keep a tree from getting blown over in the wind. You may not be aware of this, but it all comes from the two most important things, proper planning in the first place and proper care and maintenance. Simple. Selecting the correct tree for the location is key. If you only have room for a tree to grow so tall, or so wide, then just plant one that will reach it’s mature size in the range you want. Also stay with the type of tree that will do well in the location, soil, weather you have. I find that a lot of people not only do not know what the optimal growing conditions of their trees are, they do not even know the type of tree they have. Knowledge is power.
Maintenance is key to a healthy tree and healthy trees do not blow over in the wind. If you are lucky to plant the tree yourself or inherit a smallish tree, then the proper pruning when the tree is young is critical in developing healthy branches with strong connections to the main trunk. If you inherit an older or large tree, have a professional inspect the tree for issues that were not addressed earlier. Some things are obvious like crossing and dead branches. Some other things are not so obvious like compaction or destruction of root area due to construction or grade changes, disease and pest issues. Maintain your trees in a healthy state with proper watering and fertilizing and you will maximize the life of your trees and the benefit to you.
- Staying Home May 31, 2020Staying home has new meaning since the tragic and crazy world of COVID-19. While most are keeping a low profile at home, Perfection Landscape knows that we are essential for helping our clients care for their home environments. We continue to do maintenance for our regular and new clients keeping with social distancing guidelines for […]
- Weeds are Back! March 10, 2018Is your yard Exploding with weeds ? You may think a few weeds here or there aren’t much to worry about, but did you know most weeds are capable of producing over a thousand seeds each? Rain and the warmer weather that will follow will make conditions just right for hose little land mines […]