With National Dog Day last week, now’s a good time to think about how to keep our four-legged friends safe while maintaining our landscapes. Avoid potentially dangerous plantsMany dogs dig up or chew bulbs and plants. If your dog is a curious type who likes to dig or taste what’s growing, keep dangerous plants in an area that pups can’t access or avoid them altogether. Some plants that could make your dog sick: Spring flowering bulbs like daffodils or tubers…
Flower breeding companies put in years of time and money into coming up with new plant varieties, new colors, and new plant traits. They are always working on improving current varieties, like the ability to withstand extreme weather conditions. Some of the specific traits they look for in flower breeding are; more flowers, bigger flowers, different flower shapes, certain colors, and disease resistance. This same process happens for vegetables, roses, perennials, and trees and shrubs. There are thousands of new…
Learn what is damaging your tree, and how to stop it. Distinguish between plant damage brought on by diseases, insects, or a nutrient deficiency. Learn to identify these pests and how to protect the trees. Beetles and bugs are damaging our trees. Ash Bark Beetle – These beetles are accounting for most of the decline of the Ash trees. Bark beetles infest and reproduce in live trees. They may infest the entire tree. Spring pruning and disposal of infested branches…
Now that the rain seems to be slowing down and we are entering 90-degree days, what should we be looking out for in our gardens? With these warmer days the existing planting in your garden may start to look as if they need more water. Some leaves will become droopy in the hot part of the day, however it may not mean they need water. Plants wilt when roots are unable to supply sufficient moisture to the stems and leaves.…
What is too hot? This will depend on the plants – Cool season plants like pansies, snapdragons, and veggies like broccoli, lettuce, etc. don’t like temps above 75. You will see those veggies bolt, (Go to flower and seed). Warm season plants like tomatoes, peppers, squashes, zinnia, impatiens, & annual vinca love & thrive in warm temps (75-90). But when we get in the mid and upper 90’s to 100 even those can slow production or suffer. Newly planted perennials, trees & shrubs…
A favorite family activity each 4th of July may be to have a sparkler and write something in the sky! The majority of people usually just throw the used sparkler on the ground and forget about it, well do not do that! It is bad for your lawn! Get a bucket of water! Fill your bucket with water and have everyone put the used sparklers straight in the water instead of burning holes in your lawn! If you have any…
The rain has been a key factor in how our landscapes look and there are some things that we should be doing to keep our outdoor spaces beautiful. Pruning overgrown shrubs and hedges Clean pruning shears between cuts to prevent disease Cut dead or wilted flowers to allow more to grow Cut back overgrowth on the large shrubs to maintain the size you want Take your time it can be hard, but the plant takes time to grow over mistakes…
Pollinators need sources of water for many purposes, including drinking. Butterflies, for example will gather and sip at shallow pools, mud puddles or even birdbaths. You can easily create one of these water sources in your landscapes. Why it is important to provide water for beneficial insects. · Pollinators need sources of water for many purposes including drinking and reproduction. · Foraging honeybees collect water to dilute honey, regulate humidity, and cool the hive. · Butterflies get salts and nutrients…
Homeowners need to know how landscaping can help protect their homes. Planting and maintaining a “defensible space” of landscape is more difficult to ignite, can offer significant fire protection. Steps to become more fire wise with your landscapes: Avoid placing plants to close together. Spacing plants apart from one another keeps fire from traveling between them or “climbing” up smaller bushes into the more flammable branches of nearby trees. Remove flammable debris. Dead trees, shrubs and small plants growing close to,…
Much like any appliance in your home, sprinkler systems need a tune-up. Efficient tune ups may include: *Running each sprinkler zone and looking for broken heads or dirty nozzles where the spray does not look consistent. *Making sure that nozzles are not mis-aligned and spraying rocks or concrete instead of the lawn. Straighten any sprinkler heads that are leaning to the side. *Make sure there is even drip irrigation while it is operating to be sure that emitters are not…
