Wordless Wednesday - Seattle

Raindrops on Maple Leaves 

Coral Bells & Bleeding Heart 

Flower Market Tulips

 If you would like help beautifying your life, think about creating a garden with me. You can call me at 661-917-3521, contact me via email at julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net or visit my website.

What To Do In Your Southern California Garden In June

I hope you are enjoying a lovely long weekend, fire up the grill and enjoy the company of family and friends, you can grab your to-do list here today and save it for later in the month. May was quite warm in this year in Southern California, so the plants are starting to pop, maybe a bit early. Make sure that you are out in the garden with proper sun protection, and keep hydrated! Gardening is a great way to encourage a healthy body and mind, but it is important that you don’t over extend yourself in the heat. (Maybe you should plant an aloe somewhere if you don’t already have one).

1. Check The Water - Since it has been hot, check that the water in your container and potted designs are adequate. If you have your drippers turned down, you might need to turn them up a little.

2. Feed your roses!  You should be back on a fertilization schedule by now.

3. Spruce up the Crape Myrtles - Trimming of the old bloom ends from you Crape Myrtle trees will encourage lots of new flower formation.

4. Good Grooming - Pinching off the faded leaves and flowers of your caladium and coleus plants will keep them looking their best. Be sure to water consistently, and use an organic all-purpose fertilizer on these beauties. A little birdie told me that she’s growing a bunch of new fabulous coleus varieties, so as soon as I see them… I’ll share my secret.

5. Earwig problems?  Here is a tip I learned last year at a seminar, diatomaceous earth can be used to control earwigs. Spread it around where they live.

6. Give your perennials some love - Penstemon, Salvia, and Pentas will bloom more if you trim off their old blooms and bloomed out spikes. You’ll have them blooming longer, so dead head those babies!

7. Vegetable Patrol - Checking your vegetable crops regularly is a great idea. You can look for pests and remove them (or treat the plant) and you can harvest the crops at their optimal size. (No one really loves a 5’ zucchini except for a photo op).

8. More good grooming -  As your spring blooming shrubs (like Ceanothus) have finished their flower show, you can give them a light pruning. This will keep them neat and encourage new growth for next year.

9. Show Stoppers - Gladiolas are a great summer blooming bulb, if you want to create a continuously blooming show, plant a few bulbs every few weeks starting now.

10. Palm Tree Panacea - I suggest that you fertilize palm trees with organic slow-release fertilizer three times during the year, this is one of those times. Early summer (now), late fall, and then again early spring. Select a fertilizer that has equal numbers (balanced) and contains micro-nutrients.

If you would like help beautifying your life, think about creating a garden with me. You can call me at 661-917-3521, contact me via email at julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net or visit my website.

Wordless Wednesday

Rojo Alto Day Lily

Spuria Iris

Pomegranate Blossom

Please join me online TOMORROW - Thursday May 24, 2012 – 3:30 PDT. I will be appearing on, Artists, Designers, and Things O My! The show is all about, people who are passionate about what they do and who can share their experiences on where they are today. Artists, Designers, Architects, Painters, Actors, and others. Please join us live or listen to it in archive! Here is a link to the show.

Inspiration

It's that time again!  I'm off on an adventure and I'm going to get all pumped up about some new ways to bring beauty into your garden and your life.

I am headed out with my bestest friend for a few days of fun to the Pacific Northwest.  As always I plan to enjoy the surroundings and to bring back beautiful photos and ideas for you and your gardens.  In the meantime, I'd like to encourage you to enjoy your surroundings find inspiration in the friends you have and the beautiful things that you do and... take a look at the blog post I'm linking to below.  This is a beautiful example of enjoying the joy and inspiration in every experience you have.  Chan Teas really has a love for tea and for nature, I think you'll enjoy reading about it. (And if you like tea please check out their online store!)

Sequoia Blog Post 

Please join me online on Thursday May 24, 2012 – 3:30 PDT. I will be appearing on, Artists, Designers, and Things O My! The show is all about, people who are passionate about what they do and who can share their experiences on where they are today. Artists, Designers, Architects, Painters, Actors, and others. Please join us live or listen to it in archive! Here is a link to the show.

Wordless Wednesday

Agave Flower Tower

Whoop It Up Iris

 

 Yellow Trumpet Vine Please join me online on Thursday May 24, 2012 – 3:30 PDT. I will be appearing on, Artists, Designers, and Things O My! The show is all about, people who are passionate about what they do and who can share their experiences on where they are today. Artists, Designers, Architects, Painters, Actors, and others. Please join us live or listen to it in archive! Here is a link to the show.

How To Select Ground Cover For Your Garden

Choosing the ground cover for areas in your garden can be a confusing task. There are lots of things to consider, so

I think having a checklist is a good thing!

First let’s talk about what a ground cover is, a ground cover is generally a low growing plant that spread fairly quickly to form a dense cover for your soil. Ground covers prevent erosion, compete well with other plants because they are not greedy feeders, and add a beautiful finishing touch to your garden. Most ground cover cannot be regularly walked on (like grass) but some can take light foot traffic.

 Here is a list of things you should consider before making your final ground cover selection.

1. Sun exposure
2. Function
3. Height
4. Water requirements of the plants surrounding it
5. Your maintenance capabilities.

Some of the situations you might utilize ground cover for are, extremely dry or extremely wet locations, steep banks or slopes (especially if they are not terraced), low planting in mixed borders or beds, between stepping stones, shady areas where grass will not grow.

After finding the ground cover that best suites the criteria listed above, you can move on to the one that best suits your aesthetic needs. It should blend with the surroundings of your garden, and help unify your design style. Planting a super durable low water ground cover in an English Cottage garden would look out of place, so think about your style and let it add to your flow.

When planting your ground cover, think about it as a carpet you have to prep the entire floor (or bed in this case) not just the little areas you are putting your plants in. These plants spread, so you want them to be able to benefit from your addition of soil amendments and organic matter throughout. Make sure to water well the first few weeks of establishment, and cut back to the required amount of water once they have taken hold.

In California ground covers establish best in March and October, but can be planted pretty much anytime except in excessive heat. When it is too hot and dry, you will be wasting water and forcing your poor ground cover to work overtime. So, if you plant a landscape in late August in Santa Clarita… wait till October to add your ground cover, you and your ground cover will be much happier in the end.


Some of my favorite groundcovers for Southern California are:

Convolvulus mauritanicus
Dymondia
Erodium
Hypericum
Sedums
Senecios
Thymes

Please join me online on Thursday May 24, 2012 – 3:30 PDT. I will be appearing on, Artists, Designers, and Things O My! The show is all about, people who are passionate about what they do and who can share their experiences on where they are today. Artists, Designers, Architects, Painters, Actors, and others. Please join us live or listen to it in archive! Here is a link to the show.

Wordless Wednesday

Louisiana Iris 

Pelargonium Crystal Palace Gem 

Scabiosa 

 

Thursday May 24, 2012 – 3:30 PDT Artists, Designers, and Things O My! Listen in to a great Blog Talk Radio Show I’m going to be the featured designer! The show is all about, people who are passionate about what they do and who can share their experiences on where they are today. Artists, Designers, Architects, Painters, Actors, and others. Please join us live or listen to it in archive! Here is a link to the show.

What To Do In Your Southern California Garden In May

Wow, May is an amazing month! There is so much blooming, and so many fun outdoor activities. The weather looks like it is going to be fabulous this weekend, with hopes of many more stellar weekend to get things done. At the risk of repeating myself, I’ve decided that I’m going to start putting planning as number one on my list again. I think it is so important in everything that you do, and a garden is no exception.

 1. Planning, planning, planning. If you haven’t begun planning your garden – get cracking!

2. Vegetables - May is an excellent time to transplant warm-season vegetable seedlings. If you didn’t get your tomatoes during April… this would be the time. Don’t forget that they need support, so make sure you add your favorite type of support at the same time that you plant. (If you need a refresher take a look at my blog post on how to growtomatoes). 

3. Perennials - The local nurseries are getting some amazing summer and fall blooming perennials in almost on a daily basis. Make sure to visit often for the best selections of iris, gaillardia, penstemons, pentas, coreopsis, gaura, salvia and pentas. I buy my iris, day lily, cannas, clivia and more from Greenwood Day Lily Gardens but the nurseries are full of plenty of other beauties. I even saw some Echinacea in 6 packs when I was at Green Thumb this week

4. Color - If you add annuals to your garden, the nurseries are getting some new arrivals, have fun deciding what you would like then start…


5. Planting, planting, planting! Veggies, perennial, annuals, shrubs…tis the season!



 6. Pruning - Spring-flowering shrubs and vines can be pruned while they are blooming or just after they finish. Ceanothus, Carolina Jessamine, Hardenbergia.. You can also prune any of the subtropical shrubs like Princess Flower and Hibiscus that become leggy.

7. Try Something New! Would you like some unusual fruit trees in your garden? This is a good time to plant some subtropical fruit trees. Papaya Tree Nursery in Granada Hills is a great place to find what you can’t find elsewhere. Passion fruit, figs, cherimoya, papayas and more. Tell Alex I sent you!

8. . Bulbs You can continue planting fall blooming bulbs too, have fun picking them out of online or paper catalogs. Yes… I think I’ll end this with bulb planning. Can’t have too much planning now can we?


Speaking of planning, mark your calendar. Thursday May 24, 2012 – 3:30 PDT Artists, Designers, and Things O My! Blog Talk Radio Show I’m going to be the featured designer! The show is all about, people who are passionate about what they do and who can share their experiences on where they are today. Artists, Designers, Architects, Painters, Actors, and others. Please join us live or listen to it in archive! Here is a link to the show.

 If you would like help beautifying your life, think about creating a garden with me. You can call me at 661-917-3521, contact me via email at julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net or visit my website

Wordless Wednesday

Cable Car Iris and Geranium maderense 

Euphorbia rigida 

Penstemon Margarita BOP