By Cindy Poore
I am always looking for inspirational bits to keep me focused on my goals and I ran across this little gem below. I like it because it demonstrates that growth is not always pretty, some destruction is necessary. That is very true in life as well as the garden. Since my life is spent in one garden or another, I tend to blur the lines of distinction between life and the garden because they actually are one in the same for me. There is nothing more exciting than creating an outdoor space that will allow someone to live a more beautiful life. One that is a reflection of what they are or want to be. One that they can fully love because it is completely tuned to them and their lifestyle and their needs and abilities to take care of it. One of the best parts of my job… So January is all about beginning and planning for the future. I am working with some clients now doing just that and the process is sometimes a little messy, hence the quote below. But it is definitely worth it!
“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
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!
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Bark beetles. They are a big problem here in the Inland Empire and the High Desert for our pines and conifers There are bark beetles that attack pines, arborvitae, cypress, false cypress, junipers, and redwoods and many others). California has over 20 varieties of bark beetles. In years past, our mountain communities of Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead and Wrightwood have been hit hard. There has been a big push in the last few years to cut down the stricken trees to minimize the spread to other trees and the fire potential.
We thought we had crossed the safety mark a few years back and had turned the tide towards getting a handle on them after mass removals of the dead trees. The current drought conditions are making us rethink that as the bark beetles are back with a vengeance due to insufficient water to our trees.
The bark beetle adults are small, hard-bodied insects about the size of a grain of rice and most are dark red, brown, or black. Look for a pattern like buckshot on the bark surface of infested branches or trunks where the new adults have emerged. The adults tunnel through the bark and lay eggs under the bark. The eggs hatch and become larvae that tunnel through the inner bark, where they overwinter, creating large galleries of tunnels where they disrupt the flow of water and nutrients to the tree resulting in dead or dying branches and eventually the entire tree.
The larvae then emerge from the tree as flying adults and they look for new trees to infest resulting in a ruthless cycle of death. Their favored target is a tree that is stressed by drought, improper planting, improper pruning or other conditions.
Because the beetles live in the protected space under the bark, it is very difficult or sometimes impossible to obtain control once the tree is infested. Timing is all important when making applications to prevent infestation.
Prevention is the best way to combat these beetles with proper maintenance and watering. Most people do not water their trees well. They start with one or two little emitters that put out a gallon of water each when ran for an hour, and then they cut down the watering schedule to 10 or 15 minutes a day thinking the trees should be watered the same as a spray system for your lawn. (Hey that’s not right for your lawn either, but that’s another article). 15 minutes with a 1 gallon per hour emitter is 32 ounces. Not very much except for the tiniest of trees.
As the tree grows, it will require a lot more water. A typical tree with a 15 -20 foot spread can use as much as 50 gallons of water a day. BUT you should not water every day either. The best way to water trees is to water infrequently, perhaps 2-3 times a week in summer. Water deeply when you do water so that the soil is wet down at least 12 -14 inches. Depth and frequency will depend on tree type. soil type and weather.
A key component of prevention is to provide proper maintenance and have a licensed pest applicator apply a systemic insecticide to prevent the beetles from getting established. Systemic insecticides are taken in by the tree’s vascular system and distributed throughout the tree so that when a beetle bores into the tree trunk to lay it’s eggs, it is killed by the insecticide, thus preventing it from laying eggs that will hatch into the larvae that will kill the tree. There are many methods of application for the insecticides.
Give us a call. We are licensed pest control applicators and we are experienced to help you with your tree pest issues.
(760) 868-6104
By Cindy Poore
Where did the time go? It is almost fall. I long for fall the way a kid longs for Christmas. (that’s just around the corner too!) Fall is my time. The time for shorter, hopefully cooler days. Time to regroup and plan that last frenzy of activity you just HAVE to get done this year before the weather goes to heck. We are busy planning and planting some awesome new landscapes to get in before fall right now.
Fall is the BEST time for planting. Even in Wrightwood where winters are cold and frosty. Who doesn’t love a frosty morning, sipping something hot while sitting in the chill air outside and gazing on a beautiful scene in your yard?
So you are going to the nursery to buy some plants? Go with knowledge. I haunt the nurseries. It is like Disneyland to me. I want to take one (or more) of everything home. I was just at a big box store yesterday and saw some lovelies I would like to own.
These beautiful Morning Glories would be a great choice! They will look great,
until they don’t when it gets cold and then they will sleep until spring and decorate your yard next year.
Just as amazing are these hibiscus and particularly, the YELLOW hibiscus which seems uncommon. Unfortunately, hibiscus will not tolerate temperatures below 30 degrees and will die come winter unless extreme measures are taken to protect them all winter long.
So why do the nurseries up here sell these guys and temp us with this contraband? Just to make money off us? Well not entirely.
People forget that plants are living things and do not live forever. Both large and small plants and trees. If we keep in mind that everything has a place and time, we can enjoy all the world has to offer.
Plants, are just like everything else in your life, such as places, opportunities and especially people. They come into our lives and decorate them. But not forever. Appreciate this. Embrace this. Enjoy what you have while you have it.
~
“Gratitude Changes EVERYTHING”
August Garden Tasks
August is the peak of the garden season. Wonderful harvests from your fruit trees and veggies are pushing out produce like little mad scientists. Pick them quick or they will morph into something a bit unusual. Or the birds or squirrels will get them. You reap what you sow, so now is the time.
` Problems with worms in your apples or pears? I’m sorry to tell you that this is a MAJOR deal! Coddling moth is no joke. You should rip every one off the tree right now and pick up the ones on the ground and throw them away. Sad but necessary. Then for sure, apply dormant spray in winter. When leaves are gone but before new buds show up. This will help, but may not cure. Other treatments for Coddling Moth are expensive, repetitive and have to be timed expertly. Do this at a minimum. Don’t let fruit or plant debris sit on the ground overwinter.
`Idea for your next evening party? I’m just so into tea lights. Put some pretty tea lights into a quart Mason jar the light with long wooden matches and place on tables and little spots here and there in the garden. Want to hang them? Get some sturdy Florists wire and wrap several times around the mason jar just under the threads and create a “handle” out of the wire. Make the handle long enough so the heat from the flame is not a problem. Hang from branches of trees or hooks on your patio cover. Instant ambiance.
` Divide Iris July is best, but it is not too late to divide your iris now. Go out and multiply!
` Plant seedlings of fall crops such as broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts now. Sow, carrots, green
` Harvest herbs for drying right now. Keep from direct sun and place between two screens to air dry.
`Drought Priorities. Drought is everyone’s problem. You invested a lot of time and money into your landscape. Don’t loose it all because of crappy weather. Managing your yard’s watering system is critical! Our priorities for water for your landscape is to wean your plant off too-often watering. PLEASE work to manage your watering schedule so you will have healthier plants and a smaller water bill. Water your plants deeply and less frequently. If you have slope areas, water shorter multiple times with some time between waterings so water can sink in instead of rolling off. But you should not be watering multiple times and every day unless your landscape is brand spankin new! Call us and we will help you manage your water, not waste it.
Let Us Help You With All Your Landscape Needs
(760) 868-6104
My Favorite Recipes
Get your GRILL ON!
Keep grillin. Summer is not over yet! Try these for a tasty vegetarian snack or side dish at your favorite BBQ party. You can leave out the chopped kale or substitute fresh spinach or other green. I just try to incorporate more healthy greens into our meals when ever I can.
Cheese Stuffed Peppers
1 cup (8 oz) cream cheese room temp.
½ cup (4 oz)Shredded Parmesan
¼ cup Kale ( chopped fine)
4 mini bell/sweet peppers
4 Anaheim chilies
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Take several wooden tooth picks and soak in water while preparing dish. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, parmesan, and kale if desired. Salt and pepper to taste.
Wash peppers and with a sharp knife, cut ¾ the way through the stem end near the top. Gently fold back the stem end being careful not to separate from the chili and scrape the seeds and membrane from the peppers. Fill peppers with the cheese mixture and replace top. Secure top if needed with a wooden tooth pick soaked in water. Brush with olive oil and grill on a hot grill for 5 to 7 minutes just until pepper skin blisters and cheesey mixture starts to melt.
Yum. Enjoy with a glass of tea or wine!
By Cindy Poore
Yes, I know. You all have been wondering what has happened to our newsletter. No, you aren’t unsubscribed, as if that could happen. We have been wrapped up in a bittersweet time.
Some of you may not know that Darrell and I have been helping a good friend who has been ill. Betsy was diagnosed with early onset dementia last year. She bestowed on us, the role of financial controller and generally to be in charge of her life.
We took the job to heart and have managed literally everything for her for more than a year now.
Not an easy task to take someone who is so full of life and wonder and such a gift to everyone who knew her and watch her decline in that way. Betsy passed away early in May. She was 64.
And while still in the management and grieving process, we are trying to get our lives back to some kind of normalcy.
Betsy left us with a great many lessons. One of the really important ones is to prepare for the unavoidable (death) and the unthinkable ( the horrible disease of dementia.) She left a will and a trust and clear instructions on what to do with her stuff. (lots and lots of stuff! LOL). It makes our job tremendously easier.
I love writing this newsletter because I love to help people. So I am saying this because I want to help you.
“Get your butt to an attorney and get your trust, will and advance directive
done right away. Call to make the appointment today!”
There may not be as many tomorrows as we might hope. Talk to your loved ones about your wishes so they can make the decisions you want for YOU. If you love them, show them, with this final gift.
More Transition!
Some really great things have happened too. My granddaughter Taylor just graduated high school and she is going to Perdue University in Indiana to work on her life goal: to make environmentally friendly fuel for the world’s vehicles. We are so proud.
With just as much enthusiasm, we welcomed our 7th grandchild, Landon Wolf McDaniel into this world on May 27th. So our lives have been quite full the last few months and we hope you understand if we haven’t seen you recently. We are looking forward to seeing you again. We are just a phone call away if you need us.
Summer Garden Tasks
I didn’t mean to turn this into a Christmas letter in July so let’s get on with the garden stuff!
`Summer is here and the watchword for this season is WATER. Check your drip and sprinklers frequently. Increase the length of time your drip or sprinklers run before adding days. (As long as they are not on a slope). I’d love to see plants and lawns whose root systems are healthy enough to have a day between waterings. You do your plants no favor by watering them every day in the summer. Unless it is over 100° try to avoid watering every day. Deeper less frequent watering will result in healthier plants. Call us with any questions.
` Mow your lawns a little higher 3” or so in the summer to help shade the roots for more resistance to drought and wind.
`Idea for your next evening party? Put a large shallow bird bath on the patio and fill with water to just cover the bottom. Place a dozen or so small tea lights in the water for a simple but dramatic touch to your evening party.
` Weeds in your lawn? August and January are the months to put weed pre-emergent down for those nasty grass weeds. If you have crabgrass now, January is the time to apply weed pre-emergent. Most people mistake Bermuda grass for crab grass. It you have Bermuda grass, that’s a whole different story.
If you had Poa Annua last winter, August is the best time to apply the pre-emergent to prevent that little guy from coming back. Prevention is the key. What is Poa Annua you say? It is an apple green grass called Annual Bluegrass (not the good kind) that produces seed heads profusely making it difficult to get rid of and making your lawn look unkempt. Hard to get rid of a grass in a grass, so pre-emergent is the best way to go. Don’t spend hours pulling them out. It is useless. Call us we can do it for you.
` Remember to deadhead blooms on your roses, annuals and perennials to encourage new blossoms.
`Stop watering garlic and onions and wait a month before harvesting.
Let Us Help You With All Your Landscape Needs
(760) 868-6104
My Favorite Recipes
What makes a summer? Why ice cream of course. What better to top off a hot summer night with? I make a simple vanilla ice cream and top with fruit (or chocolate when I’m being bad) but you can add lots of things to yours. I have a wonderful variation below that will just transport you to your favorite vacation spot in Hawaii.
Cindy’s Not Really Plain
NO COOK Vanilla Ice Cream
2 cups heavy cream*
2 cups half and half*
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/8th tsp salt
Mix well until sugar is dissolved and put into ice cream freezer and freeze according to directions. I love my Cuisinart ice cream maker! So easy and no salt to deal with.
*You could use 4 cups of low fat, no fat or full fat milk or a combination to cut the calories. The difference is in the mouth feel. And then of course it’s not ice cream, it’s ice milk. Make it the original way and then experiment. I haven’t yet made it with almond milk and Stevia for the sweetner but thinking of giving it a try.
Variations:
Island Dream!Top your vanilla ice cream with pineapple topping, chopped macadamia nuts and shredded coconut. Don’t forget the cherry!
Nuttylicious!
Add ¾ cup of peanut butter warmed until just of pouring consistency and 8 oz of milk chocolate chips to cream before freezing. Top with chopped nuts to serve. 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 […]