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28 May 2015
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Vegetables and Herbs for the California Drought

California droughtThe drought is big news in California. Many people who garden, or who would like to start gardening, wonder if growing vegetables and herbs is a good idea in the California drought.

While all vegetables and most herbs need more water than drought tolerant landscape plants. There are some choices, and growing methods, that are better for drought conditions than others.

California Drought Tolerant Herbs

When it comes to herbs, there are many choices that require infrequent watering. Most Mediterranean herbs do well in California. All of the following culinary herbs are happy with minimal water:

  • Rosemary
  • Oregano
  • Thyme
  • Sage
  • Marjoram

These herbs also can be grown in pots and planter boxes. This way, the water is restricted from seeping into the surrounding ground. Bury the pots in the ground, or insulate the containers on the outside with straw bales where the sun is hottest. This can help the plants use less water while preventing the containers from getting too hot above ground.

When you do apply water after the soil surface has dried out, water deeply and completely. Give more water to larger, established plants. Watering early in the morning, late afternoon, and at night also help prevent evaporation.

Vegetables for the California Drought

As with herbs, vegetables that do best in drought conditions require infrequent, but deep watering. If you want to grow vegetables that need the surface to stay moist and humid like lettuce, many peppers, cucumbers, basil, and chard. Consider using a row tunnel, or extra mulch, to keep in moisture and keep humidity up.

Vegetables that thrive with deep, less frequent watering include:

Tomatoes: Tomatoes are the most frequently home-grown vegetable crop. And happily, they are fairly drought tolerant. They naturally do best when the first two inches of soil becomes dry. Followed by a deep watering.

Melons: Melons do well planted in mounds with a hollow at the center used for watering. Humidity and moisture on their leaves often leads to mold. They are also naturally more drought resistant.

Potatoes: This crop is easy to grow, especially in containers. They prefer planting in winter or spring when rain is still most likely. Then, they are ready for harvest before the hottest months of summer.

Summer and winter squash: Like melons, these vegetables also grow well in mounds. Where water can be concentrated a few times a week, or as needed, depending on conditions.

Other Ways to Beat California Drought When Gardening

Using straw, compost, or agro-fabrics to mulch around plants reduces evaporation. Many mulch materials are inexpensive, or even free. If they are organic, they will break down and add texture and some nutrients to the soil over time.

Using timers and an automated irrigation system also helps you get the right amount of water at the best time of day or night. Working with a landscape contractor can help you set up an herb or vegetable garden. They will help you keep your gardening through the California drought.

Looking for more gardening tips during California drought? Call 805-773-5395 

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29 Dec 2014
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What You Need to Know to Grow a Lemon Tree

There’s nothing better than fresh lemons to use for cooking or even just to make an ice-cold glass of lemonade. Fortunately, the Central Coast region is one of the few lucky places in the United States where you can grow your own lemons without a lot of fuss. With a little bit of knowledge, you can have fresh lemons right from your own backyard!

Cold Hardiness Zones

Before you select a lemon tree from a local nursery, you’ll need to learn a little bit about USDA cold hardiness zones. These are temperature zones established by the USDA that show the lowest winter temperatures of a region, and they’re what you’ll use to find lemon trees that will thrive in your area. The Central Coast region is mostly rated for hardiness zones 8b, 9a and 9b, which see yearly low temperatures of 15 degrees, 20 degrees and 25 degrees respectively. However, there are a few isolated places that are rated for cold hardiness zone 10a, which means yearly low temperatures of 30 degrees.

Most lemon trees will grow without protection against the cold in zones that are rated for 9b and higher. If you’re in zone 8b or 9a, you’ll need to look for a particularly cold-hardy variety, or you’ll have to plant your lemon tree in an area that is well protected from frost, such as on a southern-facing slope or near a building.

Caring for a Lemon Tree

Lemon trees can grow in most types of soil, but they prefer a soil that is well drained and slightly acidic – a soil pH that ranges between 5.5 and 6.5 is perfect. They’ll also need a spot that gets full sun, and if you want to plant more than one, make sure they’re spaced approximately 12 feet apart. You can expect to harvest your first lemons three to six years after you’ve planted your seedling.

Make sure to keep the ground around the base of your lemon tree mulched, and starting 12 inches away from the tree’s trunk, put down a layer of compost that is four to six inches deep. You can prune your lemon tree in the spring, once the danger of a frost has passed. When the lemons ripen, you can leave them on the tree for several weeks, only picking them as you need them.

Plant a lemon tree, and you’ll have all the fresh lemons you can eat! These plants also turn into pretty little trees and shrubs that look great in any landscape.

27 Nov 2014
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Can You Plant Multiple Herbs in One Window Box?

The idea of a small herb garden right outside the kitchen window sounds great. However, you’re probably thinking that if it were so easy, everyone would have a window-box herb garden! The reality is, you can plant several herbs in one window box or planter, but each plant has different space, water and soil requirements. That means you’ll need to choose herbs that will get along with each other!

Plant Sizes

When you buy small pots of herbs at the garden center, it’s hard to imagine how those little sprouts can turn into gigantic plants. However, it does happen, and it’s one of the things that makes herb gardening in a container so difficult.

For instance, dill can grow up to four feet high, but it stays small at the base. Some varieties of thyme, on the other hand, will only grow up to six inches high, but will spread throughout the entire pot and maybe even spill out onto the ground below. As you’re selecting herbs for your window box, double check the maximum sizes of each of your selections to make sure you have room for everything.

Watering

Very few herbs will tolerate soggy soil, but some like it drier than others. Choose herbs according to their watering requirements so that you aren’t over or under-watering parts of your planter. An easy way to tell which herbs like dry conditions is to look at the way the plant grows. Plants with tough, fibrous or even woody stalks – thyme or lavender, as an example – usually like infrequent watering. If the plant is more lush – like chives, parsley or basil – they’ll like to be watered more regularly.

Soil Types

Soil type is another challenge to overcome. You’ll need to determine whether each plant likes acid or alkaline soil, and whether they like rich or poor soil. Most herbs will do fine in an alkaline soil, but herbs like chamomile or sweet woodruff prefer a slightly acid soil. Basil, chives and cilantro are fast growing, which means they’ll like a nutrient-rich soil. Oregano, sage and rosemary tend to grow more slowly and prefer poor, sometimes rocky soils.

It’s not difficult to create a beautiful herb garden in a window box, but it will take some planning and experimentation to get it right. Just make sure to keep the space, water and soil requirements in mind for each selection, and you’ll have a wonderful little kitchen garden in no time!

14 Oct 2014
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7 Questions you Need to Ask Before Hiring a Landscaper [Infographic]

7 Questions You Need to Ask Before Hiring a Landscaper

 

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15 Sep 2014
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Front Yard Landscaping Ideas

When people think of front yard landscaping, they think of large plants surrounded by sweeping expanses of gorgeous green grass. In reality, not everyone has a massive front yard to support large-scale landscaping. A low maintenance yard is something that many people can appreciate, but it doesn’t mean that you have to give up on the quality of your yard.

There are many yard designs that are easy to maintain whether you do them yourself or hire a professional landscaper to do them for you. While hiring a professional landscaper will certainly make everything even easier, there are many D.I.Y options that don’t take extreme amounts of effort. Keep in mind that if you do decide to hire a landscaper, you need to specify that you are looking for a front yard landscaping design that is easy to maintain year-round. For many people, especially in suburban areas, front yards are small, which can it difficult to come up with good landscaping ideas. Fortunately, there are several easy ways to beautifully landscape your small front yard!

Great Front Yard Landscaping Ideas

Who Needs Grass?

One way to cut down on maintenance time is by growing little to no grass. It’s easy to assume that a front yard, however big or small, should be grassy. However, small front yard landscapes can work well without any grass at all – and sometimes, they’re easier to maintain without it! Not having to mow your lawn cuts out a lot of maintenance.

Speak to a landscaper about some ideas to make your yard look good without having to necessarily have a lawn. Clover lawns save money as well as time because they require less mowing. Clover also does well in areas that often suffer from drought, so you won’t have to worry about brittle, yellow grass becoming an eyesore.

Another benefit f clover is that bugs don’t like it, so your picnics are less likely to be interrupted. Consider creating a courtyard. Use landscape mesh underneath patio stones to prevent weeds sprouting in the gaps, and fill in the spaces between stones with pea gravel or sand. You can build raised perennial beds along the edges of your courtyard, filling in any gaps with a couple of well-placed shrubs. Make sure your plantings stay mulched to keep weeds out, and you’ll have a weed-free, mowing-free new landscape!

Make Your Neighbor’s Yard Part of Your Landscape

While your neighbor won’t appreciate it if you start gardening in their yard, you can still use their yard to enhance the look of your own. If your neighbors aren’t particularly fond of gardening but keep well-maintained grass, take advantage of the view as you plan your own landscape features.

Keep your border plantings low, and avoid privacy fences or anything that will obstruct the view of your neighbor’s nice grass. You can even align annual and perennial beds so that they open up to your neighbor’s yard. Capitalizing on a nice view of your neighbor’s front yard will help make your own yard seem larger.

Using Color to Make Your Yard Seem Bigger

Whether you’re planting along the edges of a sidewalk, around the border of your yard, or around your house, try to use bright, bold colors at the front of your design. Reserve more greenery and muted flowers for the background. People will notice the bright colors first, while the rest of your design seems to recede off into the distance. This simple trick can help make your front yard seem much larger than it actually is. If you do decide to have a lawn or even just a bed of flowers in your yard, you can install irrigation.

This method of watering your plants is not only easier, but it saves time and money and is much better for your plants. Hire a professional to install a system for your yard landscaping design or you can get a kit and do it yourself. Doing it yourself can be a bit tricky if you do not have experience, though. These are only a few of the ideas you can try. Front yard landscaping – even for small front yards – is limitless. Use your imagination, and you can turn even the smallest yard into attractive scenery.

Need help with your front yard landscaping? The professional landscapers at Evergreen Landscaping are here for you. Contact us or call 805-773-5395

15 Aug 2014
5 Comments By Evergreen Landscaping Archive

Best Trees to Grow in California’s Central Coast Region

The Central Coast region spans the area between San Francisco Bay and the Santa Barbara County Mountains. With a climate governed by the Pacific Ocean, residents can expect summers with highs in the 70-degree range and warm winters with highs averaging around 50 degrees. With such a balmy climate, California’s Central Coast provides plenty of possibilities for homeowners looking to update their landscapes with the best trees to plant in this region.

How to Plant the Best Trees in California Region

Selecting the best trees for the right place is a good first step in any landscape design, but proper planting also is important for getting your tree off to a good start. Trees are like all living creatures. They require more attention in the beginning to promote a long, healthy life.

Carefully choose the planting site. Trees are difficult to move once they are established. Check with local authorities for regulations on placement of trees. Some communities have ordinances restricting placement of trees within a specified distance of a street, sidewalk, streetlight, or other utilities. BEFORE DIGGING, make sure that all underground utilities are clearly marked. You wouldn’t want to cut off the electric power to your community or risk injury.

Carefully follow the planting instructions that come with your tree. If specific instructions are not available, follow these tips:

  • Dig a hole about twice the size of the tree’s root ball, or about one foot wider than the root system. The hole should be slightly shallower than the root ball. If the soil is especially heavy or wet, consider planting the tree slightly higher.
  • Remove all materials from the root mass. This includes wires, string, burlap, and biodegradable containers. Neglecting this will hinder proper root growth. Gently place the tree in the center of the hole and position it to grow straight. If the tree has a prettier side, place it in the direction most frequently viewed. If planting a bare root tree, carefully spread the roots. Crumble the soil removed from the hole and cover the roots with it. As you add soil to fill in around the tree, lightly tamp the soil to collapse air pockets, or add water to help settle the soil. Air pockets around the roots can be devastating to a newly planted tree.
  • Add about four inches of mulch–wood chips, shredded bark, or grass clippings–around the base of the tree, extending out to the tips of the outermost branches. A 3-foot diameter circle of mulch is common. Mulching will retain moisture, reduce weeds, maintain a more even soil temperature, and eliminate mowing next to the delicate bark. Be sure to pull the mulch away from the tree trunk because decomposing mulch can cause rot problems.
  • Finally, give the tree a thorough watering. If the root ball is extremely dry, allow water to trickle into the soil by placing the hose at the trunk of the tree.

Young trees need protection against rodents, frost cracks, sunscald, lawnmowers, and weed whackers. Plastic guards are an inexpensive and easy control method. Light colored tree wraps can be used to protect the trunk from sunscald. Usually, staking trees is not necessary unless you live in an area with high winds.

The Best Trees to Grow in California

Native Trees

If you’re looking for large shade trees to adorn your landscape, native species are the way to go. For medium-sized trees that top off in the 30 to 40-foot range, look for big leaf maple, California sycamore, willow trees, bishop pine or coulter pine. Larger species include the California ironwood at more than 45 feet tall and two giant species: The black cottonwood, growing to over 70 feet, and the majestic California bay laurel, which grows to more than 80 feet.

Ornamental Trees

When it comes to ornamental trees, the Central Coast region can grow a diverse selection. White alders usually stay under 30 feet, and they will tolerate full shade, which makes them an excellent backdrop tree. Western redbud is another short tree that is loaded with small pink flowers in the spring. Madrone also has pink cup-shaped flowers in the spring. In the fall, it produces small red berries that are wonderful for attracting birds and other wildlife.
Some unusual ornamental selections include island ceanothus and Albany red-flowering gum. Ceanothus develops spikes of pretty blue flowers with a strong fragrance each spring, while the red flowering gum is a relative of the eucalyptus family with furry red flowers.

Fruit and Nut Trees

The Central Coast region is an excellent area if you’re interested in growing food bearing trees. Most traditional fruits can be grown as a part of your landscape, including apples, pears, peaches, apricots, plums and cherries. In addition, a few more exotic species will grow, such as olives, figs and persimmons. California Central Coast gardeners can also enjoy a variety of nut trees, including almonds, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts, chestnuts and walnuts.
These are only a few examples of the kinds of trees you could grow as part of your landscape. Visit local nurseries or ask your landscaper about even more wonderful options.

A properly planted and maintained tree will grow much faster and live much longer than one that is incorrectly planted. Trees can be planted almost any time of the year as long as the soil is not frozen. However, early fall is the optimum time to plant trees. For the first year or two, especially after a week or so of extremely hot or dry weather, watch your tree closely for signs of moisture stress. If you see leaf wilting or hard, caked soil, water the tree well and slowly enough so the water soaks in rather than runs off.

Take the time to give your best trees a good start on life. You and the next generation will enjoy the benefits of your backyard tree for years to come.

If you need more help in choosing the best trees for your garden, talk to us. Fill out this form or call us at 805-773-5395 to schedule an appointment!

01 Aug 2014
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What is Sustainable Landscaping?


You’ve probably heard a lot of buzz about sustainable landscaping, and you’re wondering what it’s all about. This type of landscaping is used to create surroundings that are environmentally conscious, beautiful, self-maintaining and budget friendly. If you’re thinking about creating your own sustainable landscape, there are several things you will need to know.


Start with Your Soil

At the heart of any sustainable landscape is excellent soil. In many urban environments, soil is often poor, rocky or hard. To create your own sustainable landscape, you will need to plan ways to make your soil more healthy. Clay soils can often be amended with sand, while sandy or rocky soils will need added compost or rich topsoil. The most important thing is developing soil that will nourish your plants, filter pollutants, and absorb water properly.

Water Conservation

Sustainable landscapes rely on eco-conscious ways to collect water. Rather than running up high water bills by running sprinklers, or installing expensive irrigation equipment that could prove harmful to the environment, sustainable landscaping relies on collecting water naturally. This can be accomplished by harvesting rainwater. The key is to use the rainwater only when your landscape needs it most to prevent drawing from your city’s supply or draining local aquifers.

Caring for Your Sustainable Landscape

A sustainable landscape does not use chemicals of any sort, including pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers. Instead, opt for organic compounds and fertilizers. Insects and other pests can be repelled with the use of plants like marigolds or lavender. With proper mulching, mowing and other maintenance, you should be able to keep weeds down without the use of herbicides.

Choosing Plants

One of the primary ideas behind sustainable landscaping is to work with what nature gives you. For instance, if you have extremely dry soil that simply cannot be fixed, opt for plants that can handle those conditions.

Perennials reduce maintenance because they come back next year and either have long growing seasons or bloom at different times. With perennials, you’ll always have something in bloom. Lavender is loved for its beauty and scent. It needs sandy soil and lots of sun. Asters and daisies add a cheerful element to your lawn and look great planted around stones and boulders. Catmint flowers are a spectacular shade of blue and will delight your cats. Coneflowers are majestic in your yard or as a dried centerpiece. We can help you select perfect perennials for your soil type.

For your landscape to be truly sustainable, it should also require very little maintenance. That means that you should choose plants that won’t require annual pruning or shaping. In other words, don’t plant a shrub that can grow more than eight feet tall in front of a window that is six feet from the ground. It will need to be pruned eventually, which means more maintenance, making your landscape less sustainable.

These are the basics of sustainable landscaping. If you’d like to learn more, feel free to contact Evergreen Landscaping to see how we can help you create a beautiful eco-friendly paradise in your backyard.