So not too far from us on Main street just west of the Super Target, there has been a big building going up. Conversation every time we go by is ” Gee, it sure is going up fast!” “Gosh, I wonder what it is?” . No signs or anything, just a number to call for info and of course, being crazy busy, have not called.
When I went to pick up hubby from the repair shop, he said to me “Hey! Guess what is going in at that new building on Main!?”
Me: “I don’t know, what?”
He: (with a giant grin on his face) “A Tractor Supply!”
Me: “No. You are just joking.”
He: ” No, I swear!”
So we go by on the way home. YUP! a Tractor supply!! Whooeeee!
Everyone else wants a Trader Joes. But my hubby is in Hog Heaven! Life in a small town…
By Cindy Poore
I was recently blessed to hear Nick Schnieder from the Mojave Water Agency speak about “Putting your lawn on Life Support.” A very good talk.
The drought is causing us to do things we might not do if we had more choices. Nick spoke of a few ways to help your lawn through this stressful drought.
#1 best and easiest tip is to cut your lawn higher.
I think most of you have heard me speak about grass cycling and proper lawn maintenance for the different seasons. Cutting your lawn higher during stress conditions was always in the picture, it is just so much more important now.
Longer grass has more moisture reserve to keep the core grass plant alive in drought situations. Longer grass also shades the soil around the grass better, conserving soil moisture allowing your grass to get by with less. A small step that can mean a lot.
#2 Spread your watering out with shorter, more frequent watering. Some call it Cycle and Soak.
Normally I would want to have as many days between watering to encourage your grass roots to search for water training them to be deeper rooted and less susceptible to weather and top of soil conditions. Most cities have limited the days you can water. So the limited days to water lawns is actually a good long term plan. The problem is, most of our lawns have not been “trained” before the watering limits were fobbed upon us.
The best way to live with the 10 minute per station limit such as Apple Valley has imposed is to divide up the 10 minutes in half and water near the beginning of your allotted days and at the end of the allotted day so that you in effect get 6 days of (albeit limited) water instead of 3. So if for example one of your days is Wednesday, water for 5 minutes at 3 am and for 5 minutes at 11pm. The 3 am watering will help your Wednesday grass and the 11 pm will help your Thursday grass. If you do not have the 10 minute limit, then there is no reason you can’t keep you lawn going.
#3 It’s going to look different. Understand that things will look and act different than you are used to or would like. Your grass will maybe get a little thin. It will definitely not be as green. Remember, we are talking about surviving and not necessarily thriving.
Hang in there, it is not forever. But maybe this is a good time to re-evaluate what really is important to you in the long run to see if more permanent changes are needed. Be smart with your watering and remember, together we are better!
Call Us if You Need Help. We Are Here to Help You With All Your Landscape Needs
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“Sometimes we are tested, not to show our weaknesses, but to discover our strengths” Anonymous
September is a pretty good month!
One of my favorite months because it’s my birthday month, but also because traditionally the month school started when I was a kid. I loved school because it came with a new box of crayons and tablet! And still do love to learn every chance I get.
I love to find new ways to create lovely garden settings for my clients. Clients will ask for something in particular that is important to them and I will try to craft a landscape around those needs and desires. It makes for a lot of variety in our landscapes. Ponds and waterfalls, contemplation gardens, medicine wheels, bocce ball courts, memory gardens, and tropical paradise are all requests that we have crafted into local landscapes. In every single landscape I learned something new from my clients. It is a very collaborative effort and tons of fun.
September is a great month for maintaining status quo. Not quite ready for fall cleanups, but the days are getting a little shorter. Now they just have to get a bit cooler and we will all save more water as the plants will need less then.
Loving the Designs!
I’m working on lots of different design and landscape projects at the moment and the theme for a few of them seem to be clean, simple lines. I was looking for a built-in bench that would be simple enough for the homeowner to put together. I found this bench online and can’t wait to try it! It would look great with a dark oil stain.
The predictions are for a lot of rain this winter. It has it pros and cons, but perhaps we should all think about getting ready. Look over your yard for potential drainage issues, plumbing to protect from freezing and perhaps store up some sand bags. Just in case.
By Cindy Poore
Our governor has sent out a proclamation throughout the land to conserve water in this drought. While final rules are not yet determined, there are some things we can all do to “make it better” and do our part.
As much as we would like to avoid thinking about it we ARE in a drought. Since this planet is the one place we all have in common, I guess we should really pay attention. There are so many questions about the drought. Why me? How long will it last? What can little ole ME do about it?? What is the first things we can do?
Drought Control for Dummies
Ok having questions doesn’t make you a dummie. We all have questions. Problem is, we often get conflicting answers. Drought has more to do with the snowpack than the rainfall here.
Snowpack is our water storage system. Some of it melts into reservoirs to be piped to Los Angeles area and some of it melts and replenishes the underground aquifers were most of us in the desert get our water.
No or low snow = drought.
How long will it take before we will be out of drought conditions. Tell me when and how much it will snow and I can answer that for you.
For the present, we will have to have an attitude change towards water use in order to keep things going along smoothly.
Here in the high desert, most of us have already been working hard to minimize our water use. Some of us would loose a lot of landscaping if we cut back by 25%. So what are the first steps?
#1 is to review where we are today in water use compared to say… last year or the year before same time. Are we up or down? If down, great!! If we are up, great also!! Why? Because there is always room for fine tuning and that is the next step.
Audit your water use. Of course, your landscape uses the most of your water use and that is the first place to start, especially if you have a lawn. The desert is a great place to live, but it is nicer with a bit of green.
Can you live with less? If so, think about the cash for grass program. 50cents per square foot rebates for converting your lawn to a drought tolerant landscape. You do not have to put rock or gravel down.
There are lots of plants and groundcover that will bring the feeling of cool green that won’t require a ton of water (or labor)
to maintain. Keep dirt wells around your plants so that the water from the system or a random storm stays near their roots. Fertilize with a slow-release fertilizer to keep your lawn green but discourage excessive growth. Cut your lawn with a mulching mower that leaves clippings on your lawn to keep lawn moister and the clippings will decompose and become a mini fertilization each time your lawn is cut.
Some of you have already converted your lawns. What now? Check your water system for leaks. Start with the valves and look for moisture around them BEFORE they have run for the day or week to see if there is any leaks on the main line. Look for emitters or sprinkler heads that are constantly wet even when they are off. This could mean a seeping valve that needs repair. Check your schedule. Could your plants get by with less water and still remain healthy and look good. Most of the time, the answer is yes. Start conservatively and reduce water by 10% and see how your plants look and respond.
And for all you water-saving nerds out there, you can see the proper water needs for many plants at this link from the University of California at Riverside: http://ucanr.edu/sites/WUCOLS/
Don’t forget the inside of the house. Leaks and drips use a lot of water. Look for this. Don’t run the water unnecessarily while rinsing dishes, brushing your teeth or waiting for the hot water to come out the tap. Capture the water you are not using while waiting for it to come to temperature in a bucket or bowl and use it to water your trees, fill the dog bowl or scrub the car.
Call Us if You Need Help. We Are Here to Help You With All Your Landscape Needs
(760) 868-6104
By Cindy Poore
I can feel it. I can taste it. Spring. Yes, it is still cold and occasionally wet. But just enough sunny days out there to warm up the earth for optimum growth potential.
And the weeds have heard as well. They have taken over in droves in so many of the places that lay fallow all winter long. We are systematically knocking them down, yard by yard. If you need help with your weed issues, give us a call. We have been busy with weed control, but will be glad to help you.
The best news is that it is finally warm enough to venture outside and survey the damage from winter. Time to tidy up the yard. You have been patiently waiting to cut back the dead leaves and stems of your perennial plants. Iris, daylilies, sages and the like need their dead foliage removed now to allow the new green growth to pop up and get growing. Rake up the drifts of wind-blown leaves to clean up the yard.
How do you know how much to cut back? When you are not certain how a plant will respond to cutting back, lightly prune back in the fall. In the spring if it is mainly sprouting near the base, then you can safely cut it back to the sprouts. If it is leafing out all over the plant then leave it alone and only cut it back to control size.
If you have not yet pruned your fruit and deciduous trees, there is still time, so go ahead and get that done before they are completely leafed out. Much easier to prune the trees when you can see the branch structure without the leaves.
Next up? FERTILIZE. Especially for lawns, now is the time to give them a feeding to green them up and help them recover from the winter cold. Fertilize your trees, shrubs and perennials as well.
You should see spring annuals in the stores now. Still time for some nice color from some pansies or Iceland poppies which could last until June with tons of color. Put them in large pots in select places around your garden. Plant the pot with a landscape shrub with room for the annuals on the side. Or spend your money on some perennials. Perennials are a good investment as they come back year after year but they will be a bit scarce for a few more weeks.
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All Your Landscape Needs
(760) 868-6104
March Checklist
Watch your plants carefully for small aphids. They will appear in droves this time of year. The best way to deal with them is to wash off the plant initially a couple of days in a row. If that is not possible or if that does not work, apply a systemic insecticide and that will give a longer term control. Aphids normally will not kill your plants, but will make a sticky mess and attract ants as well.
If you have weeds, hoe them out or kill them before they produce seeds. Seeds beget more weeds and you will prevent thousands potential plants by removing weeds and their carcasses off site early before they bloom.
Time to plant! March is a great time to start planting in the ground the standard landscape plants. March is really time to start your seeds. There is still a possibility for some snow in the high desert and the mountain areas and killing frosts in the inland valley this month and into April. Sowing seeds but starting them indoors or in a cold frame outdoors during this month is a smart move. You can transplant them into the ground in April, early or late depending on your location.
I like to start the seeds in cardboard egg cartons that have a hole poked in the bottom and filled with some starter soil. Plant the seeds, a few per eggs space. Place the egg carton on a rimmed cookie sheet and water the whole thing. Put plastic wrap over the top to keep the moisture in and check on every few days to see that it doesn’t dry out. When the seedlings begin to pop up, remove the plastic wrap and allow the tiny plants to grow up keeping them moist. Transplant the seedlings, egg cup and all in the ground or a much larger pot. The cardboard will decompose and allow the plant roots to expand. Keep transplanted seedlings protected until May.
February is the month of love and no where else is love more abundant than in your garden right now. “Really?” You say. “I don’t think so.” As you peer out your window to the cold and gloomy February outdoors.
But yes, the love is all around you, deep in the heart of your plants and soil. It is waiting. Waiting to be cultivated with just a little love and attention to bud and bloom and blossom into what can be. It will become heavy with fruit and green lusciousness for you to revel in very soon.
Ok. Like all good things love (and your garden) will take some time and effort, but it is so worth it!
So when you look out and see just cold empty spaces; remember it is up to you to make things grow.
“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.” Cynthia Occelli
Cash for Grass Program
We live in a desert. That is literally everybody in Southern California not just the High Desert areas. We grew up with a feeling of abundance when it came to using water in our homes and on our yards. Things need to change. We only have one earth and we need to conserve to keep it going in a healthy direction. We can do just as well with a lot less. We actually can do better!
More than half of the water used at residences and businesses that are landscaped is spent on outdoor watering. If your current landscaping is mostly or a large part grass, re-landscaping it into an attractive water-wise landscape is one of the best ways to help save water.
Locally here in the Victor Valley we have the Cash for Grass Program. Our local program gives you the opportunity to convert your grass into desert-adaptive and water-wise landscaping, with a monetary rebate when you do.
Of course, there are rules and restrictions to the program. You must have living grass to apply. Your grass can be dormant, but if it has been dead for a while you won’t qualify. You can apply through your water company who will give you all the particulars.
Once approved you will get a letter with the guidelines for the program and you will get a list of approved plants to install. The list is large and quite variable for lots of different looks so you really aren’t roughing it when it comes to “making do” with a water-thrifty landscape. You do not have to remove ALL your lawn. You can keep some of your grass if you like, it is just not part of the rebate square footage.
You do not have to hire anyone to do the removal or new installations for you. There are no “approved or not approved vendors”. You can do this all on your own if you feel you are up to the task. However, if you want professional help or advice, design or guidance, removal services or installations services, give us a call. We can do that for you.
February is the time for Insect Prevention
Getting ahead of the game is where it is at. Modern science has given us many tools to help us with preventing problems with our bodies and so too there are things we can do preventively to help prepare our trees and plants to be healthier and ward off attack from pest and disease. February is a great month to apply dormant oil to deciduous trees to coat the branches with the oil that will smother overwintering insects and larvae.
It is also a great month to apply a systemic treatment to the base of large evergreen and deciduous trees. It takes time for the product to be taken into the plant’s conductive tissues and to be distributed throughout the plant’s branches, stems and needles or leaves. The larger the tree or shrub, the longer the process takes. Which makes late winter/early spring a great time to apply protection before the new leaves have emerged. Prevention is key for insects like borers because when they get a foothold on the plant, it is harder to control them than it is to prevent them. So keep your plants healthy with some preventative measures.
February is also for Dormant Pruning
Hurry! Now is the time to do your dormant pruning for your fruit trees, grapes, cane berries, wisteria, roses and other woody dormant plants. Soon the warm weather will cause them to respond with aggressive growth and you want to “direct” their energies with the proper pruning. I like to say that by pruning, you are talking to your plants and telling them what is expect of them. It is much easier to manage this now rather than when they are out of control in a few months.
Don’t forget this is a good month for:
Weed prevention and control before they get out of hand.
Stock your bird feeders.
Plant bare-root trees and shrubs
Break out the seed catalogues and order your seeds
Plan this year’s garden changes
Build your raised gardens and prep the soil.
We Are Here to Help You With
All Your Landscape Needs
(760) 868-6104
My Favorite Recipes
White Chicken Chili
I have had recipes for white chicken chili I have been considering trying. Chicken being low in fat and chili being full of taste and both being warm in your tummy for a nice winter meal. Pair with a salad and some corn bread and you are all set.
I had a hard time finding a recipe that doesn’t make a ton of food. There are just two of us and the hubs doesn’t want to be eating the same stuff for days and neither do I. So I took the other recipes and adapted them to the one below. It is EASY, QUICK and strangely enough, tastes cheesey (without any cheese?) What’s up with that?? I don’t know, but you are sure to enjoy this “a little bit different” chili.
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of white beans, drained
1 small can of chopped green chilies
2 cooked chicken thighs shredded (or 8 oz)
2 tablespoons taco seasoning.
Put all ingredients into a medium sauce pan and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes and serve. Makes 2-3 generous servings.
To make things a bit spicier, chop 1 small onion and sauté in the sauce pan first with a tsp of olive oil until the onion is almost translucent. Add ½ to 1 fresh jalapeno (minced without seeds) to the pan and sauté 2 minutes more and then add all the other ingredients and cook as above. Yum!
- 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 […]