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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!

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.

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Three Ways to Keep a Weed-Free Lawn

Keeping a weed-free lawn requires some planning. Before you get started, evaluate the weed problem. A few weeds here and there will require a different strategy than a lawn that has more weeds than grass. Use the following guide to determine the right way to get your lawn in shape.

Guide for a Weed-Free Lawn

Minor Weed Problems

Even the most, well-maintained yards will have a few new weeds each year. When you spot emerging weeds, take care of them quickly to prevent larger problems. The easiest way to do this is to use a spot-killer. Choose an all-purpose herbicide and a good sprayer to get the job done. Target each weed, taking care to spray only the weeds so you don’t end up killing larger areas than necessary. Weeds like dandelions will put all of their energy into blooming and spreading seeds once you have applied the killer, so make sure to remove any flowers and buds.

Larger Weed Problems

When using a spot-killer that will result in dozens of ugly dead patches all over the yard, you will want to take a different approach. The first thing to do is mow the yard at the proper height to promote healthy, strong growth that crowds out existing weeds. Bent grass likes to be cut to 3/4-inch or shorter, while tall fescue or Kentucky bluegrass are best if clipped between 1 ½ to 3 inches.

You should also take care to make sure that your weed-free lawn has the right amount of water, and consider adding regular fertilizing to your lawn care regimen. There are many great weed-and-feed systems that you can use in the spring and fall of the year. These products will give your grass the nutrition it needs, while applying a pre-emergent pesticide to prevent new weeds from sprouting.

Turf Wars: What to Do When Nothing Else Works

When it comes to major weed infestations, there are two ways to deal with it. The first is to kill the entire yard and start over with either new seed or new sod. If you don’t want to go through the hassle and expense, you can opt for the second approach. This strategy involves using a broad-leaf herbicide to kill all weeds. You can find these products at most home improvement stores. Many even offer crabgrass control. Alternatively, you can hire a landscaping service to treat your lawn. Continue using a weed-and-feed system along with regular watering to promote new growth, and your lawn will be the envy of the neighborhood in a season or two.

To learn more on how to have a weed-free lawn, call 805-773-5395 or