By Cindy Poore
Look at that. Just by changing one letter we went from a resolution to a revolution. BIG difference. A new day, a new month, a new year is always nice. A fresh start to the rest of your life. And how better to kick off your new life but with a tiny change.
We usually make big promises to ourselves at the start of the year that often get dropped in a few weeks because the promise was too big. How about if you start small?
Some times the smallest thing can make a BIG difference and they are easier to keep going. I started a few years ago with quitting soda and look where it took me. That small thing let to other things and it led me to a new and healthier life of exercising and eating real food, feeling great and looking a lot better too. A real revolution in my life.
Sometimes we let barriers we build for ourselves get in our way and keep us from moving forward. X has to happen before we can do Y and so on. Just ask yourself is that really true? What would happen if it didn’t go down that way. You just may make a small change that changes your whole world. Think about it and make 2015 your Revolution to your new world.
Cold enough for ya?
Yup it finally got cold, AND we had rain and some got snow. Now everybody is scurrying from the car to the house with nary a glance to the outdoors. Just get inside and get warm! But your yard and garden still need your help.
When it is cold like this, you need to keep an eye on the weather. When we get rain and or snow you do not have to water your garden so make sure your sprinkler clock is shut off for a bit until it needs watering again. Yea!!
How much moisture fell from the sky will determine when you need to water again. I’ve said this before about watering in the winter. Some people just turn off the clocks in November and don’t turn them on again until April and others never touch their clocks at all and their watering system continues as it did in the summer. Neither approach is correct.
Changeable weather conditions here can make scheduling watering during the winter months difficult because so much needs to be taken into consideration. Soil type, precipitation or lack thereof and freeze conditions make your scheduling life difficult.
To help properly know when to water, new sprinkler controllers known as “smart controllers” are helping people better know when to water. Smart controllers use weather stations or soil moisture sensors to determine when and how long water. These new irrigation controllers take the guess work out of watering your landscape. Call us if you need advice on when and how to water. If you feel like one of the “smart controllers might be a good fit for your needs, call us we can install that for you as well.
(760) 868-6104
Pluviophile : (n) a lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days
Got fruit or nut trees? NOW is the time to prevent lots of problems with a dormant oil application. Dormant oil is an organic method for preventing overwintering insects from ruining your fruit this summer. For apples and pears with coddling moth this is the least expensive treatment option that will give good results.
Not much can easily eradicate the coddling moth once your trees are infested. But you can minimize them with good orchard sanitation by pruning your trees now and removing all tree litter under your trees and applying a good dormant oil application now.
Other Coddling moth treatments require repeat applications of pricey organic treatments with perfect timing of stage of development and degree days. Dormant oil is the next best option. Treat with dormant oil and inspect your fruit when it is forming. Thin your fruit and bag each fruit with paper bags or nylon sacks (made from old pantyhose). Dispose of any fruit (off site) that you find with the worms as soon as you find them.
With the rain comes the weeds!
You will see the green coming to the valley in the weeks ahead. The lovely rain we had is all that is needed to wake up the weed seeds that have been lying dormant until now. Give us a call and we can spray to kill those weeds, or better yet, call us now and we will put down a weed preventer with the weed killer and you will not see weeds for months to come!
Plan and organize your veggie garden and order the seeds you will want to grow this spring. Try something different this year, even if only in a pot!
Time to prune those rose bushes! January is the typical month to do the annual severe pruning for your rose bushes to develop strong, healthy canes and beautiful roses come this spring. We can do it for you. Call us.
Need help with scheduling, pest or weed issues or removing your water thirsty grass? Give us a call!
We Are Here to Help You With
All Your Landscape Needs
(760) 868-6104
Task of the Month
By Cindy Poore
Ok, it’s finally chilly outside and who wants to go out there and work in the garden? But there are always tasks to do even when it is chilly and hopefully wet. Oh yeah, don’t forget the wind. There is always the wind. And the task of the month is Prevention. It’s worth a pound of cure. One of the biggest prevention jobs we love to do is to help you keep your trees, lawns and plants in top shape.
If you have problems with some highly valued trees and shrubs, now is the time to apply the pre-spring insect prevention. This is not a foliar spray after the insects have landed. This is a “from the root area application” that gets absorbed into the tree’s vascular system and protects your trees and shrubs from the inside out from unwanted invaders.
Although you can apply anytime the plant is growing, from now until mid spring is the best time to apply as the plants vascular system is starting to move after a sluggish winter season and most plants are getting ready to send out new growth. An application now is perfect for your high value trees and shrubs that typically are under attack during the growing season year after year. Even roses.
This will work for most insects that suck or chew on leaves or branches because the insecticide will move throughout the plant. It takes time for the insecticide to move through the plant though, so that is why we apply late winter so that the new green growth of spring is protected.
This is where the love comes in…. you gotta love your garden all months of the year. Yeah, it needs attention when you don’t necessarily want to go out there. It’s sort of like a baby you have to get up in the night to feed. Your body tells you no, no but your garden tells you yes, yes. You will reap the benefits come this spring. And if you really just can’t face it yourself, well then….
Call us! We LOVE to help! (760) 868-6104
Get Ready! The weeds are coming.
If you have not already, give us a call to help you with your weeds. Pre-emergent applications WITH weed killer will be the norm for the next few months since the little guys are starting to show up now. And they won’t be little forever.
You can prevent more from showing up with the pre-emergent application with your weed spraying. Do all your property, or just your problem areas. Pre-emergent spraying is safe for all your plants and will not harm them, however, we do not apply on or under edible plants.
“Start where you are, Do what you can, Use what you have”
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Garden tasks February 2014
- There is still time for pruning roses for lush and beautiful spring blooms.
- We are still applying dormant oil treatments after pruning for spring pest control this month IF your tree has not bloomed or leafed out , so call us and we can do it for you. If you wait until March, they likely will be all leafed out and too late to spray dormant oil.
- Plot out your veggie garden. It could just be a few pots on the patio, or a corner of your yard. Raised beds make it more accessible and controllable. You get to choose the soil! (instead of the soil you were dealt). It doesn’t take much space to grow something fun and healthy. Order your seeds. A seed catalogue is just porn for gardeners.! Start your seeds indoors before the end of February and by April you will be ready to put them outdoors (with protection).
- Buy bare-root plants now for the best bargains.
- Cut stems of early blooming trees and shrubs now and bring them inside and place them in water. The warmth of the indoor environment will bring them to bloom for you to enjoy inside!
Garden Coaching?
What is Garden Coaching? Well, it is that little push you need to have the outdoor landscape you want at prices you can afford. We work with clients who have a need for professional guidance in transforming or maintaining their landscape. Some need to know WHAT to do. Some need to know HOW to do it. And some need all that AND to be held accountable for getting it done!
Planning ahead is key. We will coach on a one-time, occasional, quarterly or monthly basis. Whatever fits your need and budget. We can help you get your game plan going.
We can walk your garden and do an inventory of what you have and how to take care of it. We can also tell you what you might add and where to put it. We can show you how and when to prune and fertilize your plants and how to make the most of what you’ve got.
When you are ready, we can coach you, or we can do it all for you. Whatever you need. Give us a call to get your game plan going!
We can do all these services for you if you need help! Call us at (760) 868-6104
My Favorite Recipes
I have wonderful clients! You all have told me you enjoy my recipes and I love sharing. This one is from a fantastic lady and friend, Deanna Carlson. Try it. It’s so easy and likely you have all the ingredients on hand. My hubby LOVES spicy so I added some salsa to ours and he RAVED over this recipe. Unfortunately, it’s not Diet or low cal. Oh well, you can’t have everything.
King Ranch Chicken Casserole
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
cooked and shredded Crushed Tortilla Chips
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
8 oz. Shredded cheddar Jack cheese 1
8 oz can/jar spicy salsa (Cindy’s Optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Put crushed tortilla chips in greased 9 X 13 casserole dish generously covering the bottom. Top with shredded chicken.
In a separate bowl, combine soups, evaporated milk and Rotel tomatoes and salsa if desired.
Pour over chicken and top with shredded cheese. Cover with foil that has been sprayed with Pam. Bake 45 minutes, uncover the foil and bake 15 minutes more. Serve warm with a salad and cornbread. YUM!
“You will find as you look back on your life that the moments that you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love” Henry Drummond
The Victor Valley Master Composters are meeting next Tuesday, September 10 from
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Victorville City Hall, Conference Room D. After the
short Master Composter meeting, Cindy Poore, owner of Perfection Landscape will
be giving a presentation on drought tolerant landscaping. The public is welcome
to attend, so feel free to invite your friends. Don Woo, project coordinator has also invited the Barstow
group in case they were interested in the presentation.
Ya know, you aren’t getting any younger. What will you leave as your legacy? Check out our march 2012 newsletter. and maybe get some help with that.
- 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 […]