Blog

6 Landscaping Ideas for the Holidays [Infographic]

The holidays are no time to let your yard be boring. Bring some good cheer and holiday spirit to your yard with these fun landscaping ideas. 

1. Place festive-looking plants in pots around your garden. Varieties with deep green foliage and bright red berries are ideal for this, such as hybrid winterberry, red chokeberry and rockspray. 

2. Add lights in unexpected places. String them along pathways, at the bases of plants, and around garden features such as fountains. Or drape individual strands from tall branches like long icicles. 

3. String evergreen garlands along fences, on the top of low garden walls or between decorative light fixtures. Hang wreaths on pillars, the side of a garden shed, or at the top of an archway. 

4. Use outdoor ribbon to add bows to potted plants. Hang sparkly ornaments on a single tree or on any row of matching shrubs. 

5. Create outdoor centerpieces by arranging poinsettias, evergreen trimmings and berry sprays artfully in urns, large pots, or hanging baskets. Place them in pairs along walkways, near entrances, or hanging from porch railings. 

6. Plant topiaries in strategic locations throughout your garden. Try your hand at trimming them into holiday-themed shapes, or hire a professional to do it for you. You can also purchase plants that have already been shaped and place them in pots around your yard.

Want to transform your landscaping? Contact Evergreen Landscaping today.

How to Protect Your Garden in the Colder Months

Winter is a time for most plants to rest and restore themselves after a long, busy summer. It’s during this time that growth stops, nutrients are stored and the plant prepares itself to bud in the spring. In warmer locales, however, this is not always the case and some plants thrive year-round while others are at their best during the winter months. In any case, it’s important to provide the proper care so that your garden is healthy year-round.

Know your Plants
Learn the needs of the different types of plants in your garden, so that you can prepare a plan for protecting them. To learn more about your specific plants, consult the experts at Evergreen Landscaping or research hardiness zones at on the USDA website, try a smartphone app like PlantSnapp, or contact the University of California Cooperative Extension office.

Watch the Weather
Once you know which plants must be protected during a frost or especially cold weather, keep an eye on the weather. Whenever temperatures start approaching freezing (or whatever temperature affects your most sensitive plants), get ready to place covers. Since the forecast is not always accurate, it is a good idea to also provide protection when the temperature gets within a few degrees of your plants’ hardiness level. For example, if a plant is hardy to 32 degrees Fahrenheit, make plans to cover or protect them when the predicted low is 35 degrees.

Mulch and Cover
You can protect the root systems and stems of tender plants by spreading mulch at their base at the beginning of winter. There are a few things to keep in mind. Don’t let the mulch touch the trunk or base of the plant. Skip wood mulch since it blocks nutrients from your plants, and keep the mulch two to three inches deep for best results.

For the plants in your garden that are most sensitive to the cold, keep some frost cloth on hand. This heavy-duty cloth does a much better job than plastic or cotton sheets. If you have groupings of several plants to cover, consider building a temporary winter structure. You can use PVC pipe to build a frame and then place the cloth over the frame.

Routine Maintenance
Plants in your garden will withstand the rigors of winter better when they are healthy and strong. Treat for any infestations, fungus, or pests that might be causing damage. Take the time to prune any plants that are supposed to be cut back during winter months, such as roses, which should be pruned in late winter. Avoid the temptation to prune plants that are damaged by the cold, however, since this can make them susceptible to disease. Weeds are not usually a big problem in winter, but pull any that do sprout up so they don’t have a chance to steal resources from your garden plants.

Provide Water
Not every plant likes to be watered during winter months, but many do need regular watering to be at their best. Follow the care instructions for each particular plant, but in general it’s not a bad idea to water once a week throughout winter, especially during years of drought. This will keep your plants from struggling through the winter so that they are healthy, strong, and ready to grow again when spring arrives. Don’t water at night or when temperatures are expected to drop below freezing.

Get Assistance
If you’re unsure how best to protect your plants, or want a little help keeping your garden beautiful all year long, call Evergreen Landscaping.

We offer gardening services on both long- and short-term basis, and we also take on special projects such as winterizing your yard, pruning and trimming, and maintaining sprinkler systems.

Give us a call today to see how we can help, 805-773-5395.

Fall in Love with Your Garden

Summer sure felt like one never-ending heat wave, didn’t it? There were times when it just felt like it was going to be summer forever and the heat would never go away — maybe that works for some people who live in hotter climates, but autumn is a welcome reprieve from summer.

Unfortunately, the arrival of fall means that your garden that you so lovingly cared for in the spring and summer is no longer blooming in all its colorful glory. It’s the nature of having a garden, we all know that.

However, it doesn’t mean that you need to leave it as is to languish through the cold months. There are things you can do to prep it for winter, set yourself up for a bountiful spring, and leave it looking lovely even though nothing is blooming or growing.

• Give the leaves you just raked up a new purpose and add them to your compost pile. You can also donate them to your community’s compost pile if you don’t personally have a compost pile. (But if you want to take the opportunity to get one started, check this out for great steps to get started.)
• Prune your perennials. Instead of pruning all the way to the ground, leave an inch or two poking above the ground so you remember where they are in the spring. That will help you plan what you want to plant next year and where. If you have flowers like black-eyed Susans or coneflowers and their seedheads are still in good shape, you should keep them untrimmed for the time being so you can have some interesting things to look at — just prune them before spring comes and new growth starts to come in.
• Remove your spent annuals. Add the dead plants to your compost pile once the first frost blackens them, but if they suffered from any disease throw them in your regular trash because if a diseased plant is composted, it will affect the entire pile and therefore the future of your garden.
• Buy tree guards for your saplings. Animals like mice and rabbits love sapling bark and may use the colder months to help themselves before they have to go into hibernation. Get your saplings wrapped up and protected.
• Add perennials that thrive in the fall months! Autumn doesn’t mean your garden has to look brown and dull until next spring. Add perennials like chrysanthemums, asters, goldenrod, and quite a few others to add color to your garden.
• If you have a section for vegetables you grew, now is a good time to clean the bed they grew in. Harvest absolutely all that you can, then completely remove all the foliage and rake to prevent the debris and insects from infecting the ground over the winter and ruining your crop next year.

As you can see, the arrival of autumn and the approaching winter months doesn’t have to mean the end of a colorful spring and summer garden. You can add color while also prepping your garden for a bountiful spring next year.

If you need help with your garden, contact Evergreen Landscaping today.

7 Things To Do With All Those Leaves [Infographic]

There’s only so many times you can jump into your pile of raked leaves. So what else can you do?

Well, don’t burn them! That will pollute the air. Check out these eight awesome ideas instead!

1. Mow the leaves already on your lawn. They’ll break down into the soil and provide nutrients for your grass.
2. Use them to cover and protect the perennials in your garden. No need to buy mulch when you can give the leaves you already have a new purpose.
3. Give your compost pile a boost with the nutrients in the leaves. Your garden will thank you in the spring.
4. Store your root vegetables between layers of leaves. Vegetables like carrots and beets will thrive this way. Just sprinkle water on each layer.
5. Store the leaves in bags with a little bit of moisture and create leaf mold.    Leaf mold is a kind of leaf-only compost that can be used as a soil conditioner.
6. Dry out handfuls of leaves to make little kindling firestarters. While you may not be able to burn giant piles of leaves, you can still use some to start a bonfire. S’mores anyone?
7. Try crafts. Bring those fall colors indoors with some fun crafts that you can have for years to come.

Doing any of these things will guarantee your garden has a great winter and an even better spring!

Contact Evergreen Landscaping today to create the garden of your dreams.

SOURCES:
thoughtco.com/health-effects-of-burning-leaves-1204092
almanac.com/blog/home-health/natural-living/what-do-fall-leaves
countryliving.com/diy-crafts/g1899/fall-leaf-crafts/?slide=1

How Landscaping Adds Value To Your House

If you’re wondering how to add value to your house over time, you need to look no further than your yard. A great landscaped yard has the curb appeal that will make your house more valuable and be the envy of the neighborhood.

A well-landscaped yard is one of the few home improvements that will hold value compared to consumers’ tastes in a house’s interior. A well-landscaped yard can be achieved with minimal cost if you’re willing to do some work. However, you like the idea of a beautiful yard but don’t want to put the time into it, a landscaping professional will be happy to provide the necessary services.

Here is a sample plan to improve curb appeal.

Plant a Tree – Either Shade or Ornamental

A well-placed tree will provide structure and an anchor in your landscaping plan. In addition to the aesthetic appeal, a tree can help your home be energy efficient by either shading your home or acting as a windbreak.

Shade trees, like the big leaf maple, California sycamore, willows, bishop and coulter pines, are medium sized and perfect for any front yard.  Their crowns will reach no higher than 40 feet and will provide shade for generations to come.

Besides shade trees, ornamental trees should be considered. The Central Coast region can support a number of varieties. A few examples include the white alder, which stay under 30 feet; the Western redbud will brighten the yard in the spring with small pink flowers; and another pink-flowered ornamental tree, the Madrone, also flowers in the spring, and in autumn will bear small red berries that attract birds and other wildlife.  

Whether you plant new trees or already have several on your property, you will be well served to keep them pruned. An overgrown tree loses structural appeal. Also, it can be a potential hazard, and unfortunately, that may be learned too late.

Gardens

A well-considered garden along the house or walkway is a magnet of curb appeal. These gardens will give your yard visual interest, provide a sensual contrast, and give it a welcoming vibe.

There are plenty of plants that will work, but you should consider height and color. A common mistake is to load these gardens with too many varieties. It is better to keep it to a few for the utmost visual impact. A structural plant like Agave Blue Glow will draw the eye or a colorful display of Hummingbird Sage, which is a native plant and needs little care.  

A planter garden is another element that can add value. A welcoming display of assorted pots at various heights that serve as hosts for seasonal plantings will always have something for the eye. Like most decisions with your plant selection, you will have to know if the planters will be in full sun and partial shade. Once you do, choose the plants accordingly. Apache Plume, with small white flowers, would be a perfect contrast to a bold, primary-colored planter.

Having a beautiful landscape garden will give your property curb appeal, but it just can’t be planted and then forgotten. It will need some maintenance like weeding and adding mulch periodically. A fresh layer of mulch highlights the either foliage or blooms.  It also gives the first hint to a guest or buyer that this is a home that is cared for.

A little sweat equity and a few flowers can give you plenty of enjoyment in the present and put money in your pocket should you decide to sell.

To get started on your dream landscaping design, contact us today.

Several Tips to Keep Your Plants Healthy in the Summer

Prolonged summer heat with little rain for relief can be stressful for your plants. If you want to keep them healthy, you might need to make a few adjustments to your garden care plan to keep them happy and vibrant.

Here are a few tips to keep your plants healthy during warmer months.

Water. Water. Water.

Keeping your plants and soil properly hydrated during the warmer months is paramount. However, it may require you change your watering habits.

Much like the adage “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” it is best for a plant’s health to water in the morning. Having the roots and soil hydrated will allow the plants to handle the withering heat throughout the day.

One of the great pleasures of having a garden is turning the hose on it. While this can be a visual pleasure, it is not the best method for our your garden’s health or most efficient use of water. Instead, fill a watering can, an empty milk jug, or soda bottle with water and apply it directly at the base of the plant.

When you water with a hose or sprinkler, less water gets to where it needs to be and the spray evaporates as it arcs to the ground or as it sits on the plants.  

If you find watering in the morning burdensome, consider a drip irrigation system with a timer. This will allow water to get directly and slowly to your plants.  This slow drip helps the water travel more deeply and can be stored in the soil.   

Before setting your alarm an hour earlier tomorrow to do this, please determine the type of plants that are in your care. Some plants need more water than others, and if you have cacti or succulents, they will have different watering needs than flowers or shrubs.

Mulch & Compost are your friends during hot weather

The best way to help your plants is to build soil. It’s the key to healthy plants and allowing them to withstand weather challenges.   

So how does mulch and compost help in warmer weather?

Think about a sponge after you’ve washed the dishes. It may not be dripping wet, but it’s not dry either. Mulch and compost act like sponges to hold more water, which is especially crucial when water is at a premium. An added bonus is that a new layer of mulch will visually refresh your garden, especially as older layers break down under the dual pressures of heat and time.

Taking Cover

Another way to protect your garden and add a touch of whimsy is to use umbrellas to protect your plants. A few hours of shade might provide enough relief to keep your plants thriving.

You don’t need to buy new ones.  You can upcycle old umbrellas that might be tucked away and unused in your closet. These will provide color, and the variety will create visual interest. If you want something a bit more low-key, you can use shade cloth as a tent.  It won’t be as attractive, but it will be effective.

Thinking Ahead

Whether you have a passion for gardening or you think you do but are still a novice, you might want to take a few notes during these hot days. By paying some attention to your garden in its current condition can help you make decisions for the future.

Like everything in life, things change. A once a partial sun garden is now full sun because a tree has been taken down. Or vice versa – a tree’s crown now extends ten more feet than it did when you planted your garden. Where there was once a full day of sun, there is now a lot less.

These observations will inform you when you go to the garden center and purchase new plants. Finding the right plants will go a long way in keeping your garden looking best under trying circumstances.

With just a few changes, you can keep your garden looking healthy throughout the hottest months.

If you need some help getting your existing garden thriving again, or to have a new garden beautify your yard, contact us today.

Five Plants That Will Make Your Garden Pop

There is something awe-inspiring about driving by a house that is meticulously landscaped that causes you to rubberneck and create one more reason for distracted driving. Whether it’s flowers, shrubs or succulents, visually interesting plants with a plethora of shapes, textures or colors working in concert or contrast will create a provocative landscape garden.

Virtually all plants will pop in a properly attended garden when they have enough room to prosper and are placed in positions that draw the viewer’s attention.

Here are five easy to care for plants that will help make your garden the envy of the neighborhood.

Wait! If only it were that easy . . .

Before choosing one or any of the plants below for your garden, there are several factors involved in selecting the right plant for your location. These include, but are not limited to the amount of sun, the type of soil, and the daily attention you plan on giving your garden. If you’re new to gardening, treat it like exercise and don’t overreach. Find plants that will not be overwhelming and cause you to be discouraged.

Consulting a landscape/garden professional will supply answers to these questions (well, except for your time commitment) so your investment in time and money isn’t wasted. Of course, they will be happy to assist in the care for your garden too. Admiring a beautiful space where all the work is done while sipping your favorite beverage is not a bad way to go!

As I said – we have chosen five plants that will make your garden pop.

Agave Blue Glow

Agave Blue Glow provides an architectural element that will bring your eye to it especially if it is given some space.

This ornamental plant is perfect for a water-restricted area. On the smaller side, it grows between 1-2 feet high and several feet wide. With its red and yellow edges, the Agave Blue Glow has the versatility to work with different plants on the color palette. It prefers well-drained soil.

California Monkey flowers

Just saying the name of it brings a smile! The flower is so named because it appears as though it’s a monkey grinning on the petals. This shrub can grow up to four feet tall and can prosper in a variety of soils. It prefers partial shade and a bit more moisture than some plants. The flowers are friends to pollinators. Both bees and hummingbirds are attracted to the California Monkey flowers and provide just one more point of interest for your garden.

Delphinium Cardinale

A wildflower native to California, the Delphinium Cardinale or as it is more commonly knows as, the scarlet or cardinal larkspur, can grow up to six feet high! Between their height and the red flowers, these will surely be a standout in the garden. They will grow in either full or partial shade and prefer rocky or sandy soil. Delphinium Cardinale will add activity to your garden, since they attract hummingbirds.

Echeverias

Echeverias is a textural gem with its rosette design that draws the eye. With its fleshy blue-green flesh and edged in scarlet, Echeverias seem otherworldly and gives the garden a contrast between the textures of deciduous plants and succulents. Echeverias, like the Agave Blue Glow will work well with different colors in the garden. It can serve as a host plant for butterflies, can exist in a variety of different garden locals, and is low-maintenance.

Hoffman’s Nightshade

This perennial will not only catch your eye with clusters of purplish-blue flowers and hairy stems but your nose with its sweet fragrance. A plant native to the Central Coast, Hoffman’s Nightshade is extremely versatile since it can be grown in a variety of soils and can handle full or partial sunlight. One caveat, it can be poisonous to humans and some animals so this may be a consideration.

A little yellow, a little blue, a little red, and a lot of green will fill your garden space with color and delight.

If you want a garden landscape that will pop, contact us today.

Three Tips For Growing Better Vegetables Right Now!

Is your garden looking a little wilted? Are your peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes not quite where you dreamed they would be when you planned your garden in the winter? Are you simply watering, weeding and harvesting and wondering if this is the best the garden will be?

With just a little bit of effort, you can give a boost to your plants and perhaps even reduce the time you spend watering and weeding.

Experienced gardeners understand gardening’s real work is not with plant care but readying the soil to create a successful environment and then boosting it to keep vegetables well fed. At the start of a season, gardeners might throw a bag or two of organic soil purchased from the local garden shop, or will add some amendments just before sowing, but otherwise believe the soil will do it on its own.

After everything is planted, it’s usually a simple routine of watering and weeding.

Think of all the energy the garden has been using and the soil has expended! Taking tiny seeds and nascent seedlings and turning them into food producing machines! At this time of year, the soil might be a little tired and could use a bit of a kick. And who could blame it?

These three simple things will provide that much needed boost for your garden. Doing all of them will give your garden the boost of a lifetime. However, each of these suggestions should improve your vegetable garden’s output.

1. Compost tea

If you’re like most suburbanites, you probably don’t have a compost pile brimming with decomposing plant matter in your back yard.  However, there is a simple solution. You can purchase a bag of composted manure from your garden supply store.  

Once that is secured, you can dump your homegrown or store bought compost into your garbage can or in a bucket.  Add water and try to maintain about 1-30 ratio of compost to water. Allow the tea to steep for about 24 hours.

Water your garden with it.      

2. Side dressing

Maybe you don’t want to figure out a 1-30 ratio or rummage around for receptacle to make compost tea. However, if compost tea is like a having a double shot of espresso for your garden, side dressing is more like a single shot – it will provide a boost but not as fast.

Once again, it starts with compost.

If you are side dressing a row crop like carrots or kale, you can make a small furrow 1-2 inches deep along side of each row. Add your nutrients. Water.

For individual plants like tomatoes, eggplant and peppers, add the compost matter around the plant stem. Water.

As the composted matter breaks down, it will work like intravenous with nutrients getting into the soil slowly.

all photos courtesy of www.creativecommons.org

3. Mulch

Mulching is a common tactic at the start of gardening season, but it can be useful in mid-season. As the first round of mulch has deteriorated under the summer sun, it’s no longer doing its job as a weed restrictor or offering nutrients. A new layer of several inches thick mulch will do the trick!

If you have grass clippings, you can place them in the rows and around plants. One caveat is that you may be inviting weeds into your future garden. For this season, it will reduce weeds in your garden and help retain moisture.

No grass clippings – don’t worry. Hay can be purchased and used instead. If you have a choice, look for weed free hay.

Like side dressing, mulch will help your garden in the long term as it will help build the soil’s organic matter.

These simple tips may reacquaint you with your garden, and you’ll enjoy the bounty for your effort.

Want more help with your landscaping efforts? Give us a call 805-773-5395.

Spiny Redberry

The Spiny Redberry stays green all year and is native to northern Baja and coastal areas. It grows in the chaparral with companion plants like Coastal Sage Scrub. It’s a great choice for adding year-round color to your coastal property.

Why the Spiny Redberry Belongs in Your Garden

Spiny Redberry is an attractive, beneficial shrub. Some of its landscaping benefits are:

• It’s evergreen
• The glossy red berries brighten your yard
• Dense leaves and height of six to eight feet make it perfect for a privacy hedge
• It looks great in natural landscaping

An evergreen shrub with bright red berries dresses up your yard over the winter. The “berries” are actually drupes, small fleshy fruits containing one or two seeds. The Chumash tribe created yellow dye from the roots and used it on buckskin. Some Native American tribes ate the fruit. The Kumeyaay fed the drupes to pet mockingbirds.

The Spiny Redberry’s flowers aren’t impressive. In order for the shrub to pollinate and produce berries, you’ll need at least two plants. The leaf points are as sharp as thorns and the leaves can cause mild cases of contact dermatitis, so it’s best to keep these shrubs away from where children and pets play. The sharp leaves make the shrubs good privacy hedges, and a natural fence looks much nicer than stockade fencing. A Spiny Redberry enhances the curb appeal of your property, and the sharp leaves deter intruders and some wildlife.

The Spiny Redberry and Wildlife

Every wildlife garden should have a couple of Spiny Redberry shrubs. Mockingbirds, bluebirds and other songbirds love to dine on the fruits. If you want more birds in your yard, plant a pair of these shrubs.

The Hermes copper butterfly, a small butterfly with yellow and brown wings like autumn leaves and a furry, silver-gray body, reproduces only on Spiny Redberry shrubs. Hermes copper butterflies are increasingly rare, almost officially endangered, due to habitat loss caused by wildfires and humans building further and further into the butterflies’ traditional territories. By planting Spiny Redberries, you’re providing a home for the Hermes copper and you get to enjoy their beauty.

Landscaping with the Spiny Redberry

Environmentally friendly (or eco-friendly) landscaping involves using native, drought tolerant plants, recycled landscaping materials and solar lights. It’s also called sustainable landscaping. It reduces water use, works around your existing plants and encourages planting trees, shrubs and perennial flowers. You can use broken concrete in a tiered garden or plant perennials so that they grow inside half a damaged terracotta planter and spill out onto the ground.

Spiny Redberry and its companion plant, Coastal Sage Scrub, are ideal selections for sustainable landscaping. Coastal Sage Scrub is a short, full shrub with grayish-green leaves. It shares nutrients with Spiny Redberry during extreme droughts. Both look great as part of rock gardens, grow in rocky, sandy soil and prevent soil erosion.

Things to Remember:
• Wear gardening gloves when watering or pruning Spiny Redberry
• Plant multiple shrubs together
• Keep a water source close to shrubs for wildlife

Contact us to inquire about our stock of Spiny Redberries.

7 Household Plants with Benefits You Didn’t Know About

Seven Household Plants with Benefits You Didn’t Know About

We bring plants into our homes, give them as gifts and take them to invalids. Is there more to the keeping and giving of houseplants than simple beauty and a little cheer when you can’t get outside? After you read about some common beneficial houseplants and herbs, you may look at the plant on your desk differently.

Houseplant Air Filtering Benefits

Trees absorb harmful carbon dioxide-based pollutants and recycle them into oxygen. Houseplants do the same. We learn more every day about the potential dangers of a polluted home or workplace. Everything from carpet to fabric softener emits some degree of chemical pollution. Some of the best plants for cleaning the air in your home are:

• Boston Fern
• Spider Plant
• Chrysanthemum (Garden Mum, common)
• Snake Plant (Snakeplant)

You probably have a Boston Fern hanging on your porch or patio. Bring it indoors. This household standard is perfect for the kitchen and doesn’t require direct light. Another good spot for a Boston Fern is the laundry room.

Spider Plants are frequently seen in offices. Does your co-worker pour on the cologne or use scented laundry detergents? Add Spider Plants to your work area. They help remove formaldehyde and xylene from the air.

Chrysanthemums make great gifts because they’re hardy and, when trimmed properly, can flourish inside all year. They add color to any room. Cuttings are easy to root in water. One chrysanthemum can lead to a whole window full of beauty, and cleaner air.

You may have a Snake Plant and not even know it. They have tall, sturdy, pointed leaves. The leaf color varies from grass green to true green, striped with white. It’s a good plant for the office because it will still be healthy if no one waters it during your vacation. Snake Plants like a dry environment.

Other Houseplant Health Benefits

Some of your favorite plants clean the air and have additional health benefits. Others are healthy and tasty. Our suggestions are:

• Aloe Vera
• Mint
• Basil

Got a minor cut or burn? Snap off the tip of an aloe leaf and apply the gel. Aloe works its air-cleaning magic at night, so you may like to keep a plant in the bedroom as well as the kitchen.

Mint repels insects outdoors and indoors. Keep a plant in a sunny kitchen window. Pinch off leaves, freeze in ice cubes and add to your drinks.

Basil is delicious, easy to grow in windows that receive full sun most of the day and has anti-inflammatory benefits.

A Healthy Indoor Garden

The plants discussed here are ideal for experienced gardeners and people who just want a few plants around the house and kitchen. They’re easy to maintain. Plants from your landscaper are healthier than those from big box stores.

For a well-rounded indoor garden with a variety of health benefits, contact us. We’ll work with you to find plants that suit your lifestyle.

Things to Remember:
• Most air-cleaning plants need lots of light
• Keep humidity-loving plants in the kitchen or bath
• Plants and herbs aren’t substitutes for medical care

Contact us to learn about our selection of beneficial houseplants.