Wordless Wednesday

 Very Red Crape Myrtle 

Salvia and Friends

 Turk's Cap

Saturday is Harvest Festival at Green Thumb Nursery and I'm going to be speaking at 10. Please join me on this fun day and share in all the festivities! Green Thumb is located at: 23734 Newhall Avenue. Newhall, CA. 91321 I hope to see you there.

Wordless Wednesday

Coleus

Ornamental Peppers and Cordyline

Desert Willow

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

Fountain Grass with Butterfly Bush

Arbutus x Marina Bark

Cordylines - with varied leaf shape

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 September

As a landscape designer in Santa Clarita I did not appreciate that August sure was a hot one this year! I (happily) had a couple of installs during the month of August and although I do not recommend standing outdoors in 108 degree weather selecting boulders, or installing plants in 98 degree weather with the sun beating down, I am happy to say that since a lot of people are looking to water conservation  these days my plant palettes are filled with drought tolerant varieties that will endure this ever increasing heat.

I hope that we are heading into a little cooler weather, and I know that the plants concur.  The month of September is a great time to get some gardening done, and it is even better for planning and designing so we can take full advantage of the great planting weather that October and September will hold for us.

Here is a list of your September Garden Chores - with one addition... and one correction.

Please add:
Pre #1 - Plan, Plan Plan!  If you want to plant drought tolerant plants and natives, get your planning done now.  The best months are upcoming - so take advantage of the air conditioning, a refreshing iced tea, and your ideas to be prepared for your fall planting.

Correction:  Yes, I will be speaking at Green Thumb's Harvest Festival again this year but it is on September 22, 2012.  My talk will be at 10 am and I'll stay there to answer questions, walk you around the nursery or just chat until about noon.  I'm probably going to have a surprise guest so... stay tuned to find out who.  Green Thumb is located at: 23734 Newhall Avenue. Newhall, CA. 91321

Also, my monthly spot on Blog Talk Radio's Artists, Designers, and Things, Oh My!  is coming up on Tuesday September 4, 2012.  We'll be talking about History of Gardening Around the World Part III please listen in, it is always fun.

xo,
Julie

Wordless Wednesday - Ventura Harbor

Please join Tami Smight & Julie Molinare on Saturday September 17th at Green Thumb on Newhall Avenue in Newhall for Fall Harvest Splendor Inside & Out at 10 am rsvp@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net code GB917

Autumn Plants & Planting

I know I should be writing about care of a plant this week, but it’s hot and I’m tired and well… I just don’t feel like thinking about maintenance today. I’d rather talk about some fun autumn plants and maybe I’ll tell you how to take care of one or two.

What I like about Autumn plants and Autumn planting:

• Autumn plants give you an extra pop of color. What a relief after it’s been hot and crackly looking all around you. It feels like it’s never going to end, the hills look burnt (and sometimes they are burning), which makes you feel even hotter then… the cool.

• To achieve your year round California Garden (or anywhere for that matter) it is a great time to take advantage of some of the plants that you couldn’t get when you planted in March.

So let’s think about adding Caryopteris, Helenium, Asters and Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ or ‘Brilliant’. The sedum bloom in both spring and autumn and all you have to do is cut them way back after they bloom and let them come back up again – purdy as ever. That’s low maintenance!

If you want to buy some, you can try your local nursery, however my favorite place to buy the sedum family is Worldwide Exotics in Lakeview Terrace, CA. Their Asters are in awesome bloom right now too; pair the dark purple one with a pretty yellow coreopsis or blanket flower and you will have a spectacular accent. Tell Sara, Shelly and Ken that Julie sent you!

• Planting as it cools off during autumn will allow your plants to adapt easily and grow quickly. We are lucky enough to really have two planting seasons (and plenty of fudging in between). Don’t waste your cooler days (when they come).

• My favorite planting times for ground covers are March and October, they establish well and really grow vigorously. Take advantage of October by planning now in September! One of my fav clients and I have a date for ground covering in October – make your own date and keep it.

• Fall Splendor, think of all the decorating opportunities you have. Fresh harvested from your garden, purchased from the Farmer’s Market or local floral shop, there are endless opportunities to spruce your home.
  
  If you are interested in learning more about Fall Harvest Decorating and sprucing your home up both inside and out, please plan to attend next week’s Complimentary Seminar at Green Thumb in Newhall. Here are the details:
  
  
  

* COMPLIMENTARY DESIGN SEMINAR*
Tami Smight, Interior Designer & Julie Molinare, Landscape Designer
September 17, 2011 - 10 am – 12 noon at Green Thumb Nursery 23734 Newhall Avenue. Newhall, CA. 91321

We will present fall harvest inspired design elements to enhance your garden and celebrate the splendor of fall. With proper planning, you will enjoy the fall garden decor through the December holidays.

You don't want to miss this event!
Send an email to: rsvp@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net with your name and code GB917. We’d love to see you there!

For more about my designs, please visit my website

What's Hapening In Southern California in September - Garden Edition

As always, I want to remind you to shop local, and get the freshest produce around by heading out to our local Farmers' Markets in Santa Clarita

Sundays 8:00am – noon
College of The Canyons Parking Lot
(Don’t forget to visit my friend Sarah from Worldwide Exotics!)

There is also another great Farmers' Market:
Thursdays in Old Town Newhall from 3-7pm.

Now for some gardening and not so gardening events...

September 2, 2011 – Annual Patio Clearance Sale at
Green Thumb Nursery
23734 Newhall Avenue. Newhall, CA. 91321
Save 40% off all floor sample patio furniture, umbrellas & cushions.
Save 50% off all patio and home décor accessories.

September 3, 2011 – Annual Halloween Opening at
Green Thumb Nursery
23734 Newhall Avenue. Newhall, CA. 91321
Ghoulish treats & open house deals abound, along with the unveiling of the Department 56 Halloween display. Save 10% off all Halloween merchandise excluding Dept 56
Last year I waited too long to buy one of their awesome Halloween pieces … I snuck in early and already purchased what I want… don’t wait too long the best stuff goes fast!!!!

Friday September 2nd is the last Lexus Jazz & Blue Concerts on Town Center Drive for the year, so come out and enjoy this FREE event, which starts at 7 p.m.

September 17, 2011 is a SUPER busy day!

Start your morning helping out:
The 17th Annual River Rally - 2011 River Clean-up & Environmental Expo
8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Location: Wiley Canyon Road, off the Via Princessa Bridge
(East of Orchard Village Road)
Help maintain a portion of the Santa Clara River – one of the last natural rivers in Southern California! We will provide gloves, trash bags, snacks, and special giveaways for participants. River Rally is an excellent volunteer opportunity for clubs, students, scout troops, non-profit organizations, and people of all ages

* COMPLIMENTARY DESIGN SEMINAR*
Presented by: Tami Smight, Interior Designer & Julie Molinare, Landscape Designer
September 17, 2011 - 10 am – 12 noon at Green Thumb Nursery 23734 Newhall Avenue. Newhall, CA. 91321

We will present fall harvest inspired design elements to enhance your garden and celebrate the splendor of fall. With proper planning, you will enjoy the fall garden decor through the December holidays.

Enter your biggest and best flower and vegetables into the fair competitions, and you may win a prize! Please pick up your entry form with details at Green Thumb.

You don't want to miss this event!
Send an email to: rsvp@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net with your name and code GB917. We’d love to see you there!

A Spiritual & Psychic Boutique

Courtyard Marriott in Valencia
28523 Westinghouse Ct. (where the 5 meets the 126)
Valencia, CA 91355
10AM-4PM
A different type of boutique!
Harriette Knight - Psychic Readings/Healings - $30 for 10 minutes
Maile Gray - Past Life Regressions and/or Angel Connections $30 each
Kathe O'Hara - Hand Analysis; Your True Life Path - $25
Diane Stacy Heavenly Healing Chair Massage - $20
Kimberly Barclay - Angel Readings - $25
Rebecca Kellogg – Life Path Intuitive $25 for 10 min.
Sharon Wright - Iridology (Eye Readings) $25
Stacey Nivichanov - Quantum Touch and Oneness Blessings $25 for 20 min.
Tina Landrum - Crystal Healing and Reiki $25 for 20 min.
Kri Chetan - Whole Body Vibration Machine $1 per min. for 10 minutes
(Equals a 1 1/2 hour workout!)

Charity Clarity Healing Jewelry by Harriette Knight
Elaine Giftos Wright - Feng Shui Crystal Bracelets
Shawneen Rubay - Renaissance Home Eco Friendly Totes and More!
CONTACT: Harriette Knight at 661-254-4747 to make appointments or get directions.

September 17, 2011 9 am – noon - CLWA – Landscape Education Class
What’s Bugging You? Castaic Lake Water Agency on the hill above Central Park. Please RSVP to (661) 513-1230.

There are also a lot of fun events at our local gardens and arboretums:

Descanso Gardens:
They have a LOT going on so here is a link to the Calendar. My favorite highlights:




9/10/11 (like that number!) gives us Harvest Basics, and Leave your Lawn – How to replace that water guzzling turf.
9/17/11 brings us Organic Gardening with Mike Brown
9/24/11 – Is a class about uses of Native plants by indigenous people.

LA Arboretum
There is roadwork going on near the Arboretum during the first three weeks of the month, so please check the calendar carefully because there will be partial garden closures during that time. Here is a link to their events. This month there is a Korean Festival and a class on Organic Fruit & Vegetable Gardening, as well as the Thursday talks with Lili Singer.

I hope you find a few things to do this month, enjoy!

And don't forget to register for my Blueprint for a Beautiful Outdoor Sanctuary! This is your chance to learn landscape design basics and get your landscape design questions answered directly by me! For someone interested in learning more about landscape design, this is a fabulous opportunity. More info here: Outdoor Sanctuary Blueprint

Wordless Wednesday - Day Lily Style

Yes, they are still blooming in September!!!!











All the Day Lily Plants pictured above are available at: Greenwood Daylily Garden

For more about my designs please check out my NEW website

Wordless Wednesday - Autumn Arrives in Santa Clarita

Burgundy Rudbeckia


Smoke Bush & Radiation Lantana


Mexican Evening Primrose (plant in pots... highly invasive!)

For more about my designs: thegrassisalwaysgreener

Wordless Wednesday - Santa Clarita's Still HOT!

Salmon Canna


Barberry and Flax


Lantana montevidensis - ground cover Lantana (poisonous)

For more about my designs: thegrassisalwaysgreener

Wordless Wednesday - Fruit Trees In SCV

Pear Tree (only certain varieties bear fruit here)


Pomegranate


Fig Tree


Eureka Lemon should be ready for winter!

For more about my designs: thegrassisalwaysgreener

What To Do In Your Southern California Garden in September

Labor Day in Southern California, so that means the Santa Clarita Valley only has another two months of summer! I shouldn’t complain (but what fun would THAT be) because it’s really been a fairly mild summer – we have not had the prolonged bouts of 115-degree weather, but it has gotten pretty warm some weeks.

Since it is still quite warm please be sure to complete your gardening chores in the cool of the morning or evening, drink plenty of fluids, and make sure to wear your sun protection. If you’re on a jobsite with me, you’ll hear me harping over and over again about sunscreen, hats, and water please take that to heart.



Continue to give your trees and shrubs infrequent deep watering while it’s still hot out. Every few weeks is good. If you have picked up a free WBIC you are ahead of the game, but deep watering with a hose or bubblers to your trees will pay off with healthy trees and deep roots.

Clean up those rose beds! Pick up old leaves, prune lightly and check for pests and diseases.



If you are planning to plant roses in the fall, this is a good time to order roses from catalogs. Since we are lucky enough to live in a rose loving climate, we also have some great resources right around the corner. Instead of ordering from catalogs you might want to peruse Otto & Sons’s Nursery out in Fillmore. It’s a great trip and Scott and his staff have an amazing array of beautiful plants. I NEVER can’t find what I’m looking for there. (A double negative is a positive!)



Check all your hanging baskets and potted designs clean them up (a little judicious pruning) and fertilize them now and they will last well into the cooler months.




Start thinking about your cool season vegetables, you can sow seeds if you are planning to start your veggies from “scratch”. Squash, green beans, cucumbers, and pumpkins can be started.

You can plant a second set of pepper and tomato plants to extend your harvest too. Green Thumb Nursery has a nice selection of cool season tomatoes right now (see my blog post about extending your tomato harvest). I just replaced two of my non-producing summer plants with brand new babies, I picked up a Stupice and a Glacier – both of which produce tomatoes quickly.



Once your summer blooming shrubs and vines have finished blooming, give them a good pruning.



You can plant fall and winter blooming perennials such as aloes, Echinacea (they last a long time) sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ and clivia.

I hope this helps you keep your garden in tip top shape!

For more about my designs: thegrassisalwaysgreener

Wordless Wednesday - Inspiration from Sheri

Fuschia


A beautiful vision of trees as far as the eye can see


Cannas at San Rafael Mission, San Rafael, Ca.

My friend Sheri and her husband Louie went on a great vacation. They just got in the car and drove. No reservations, no destination - I want to be Sheri when I grow up! Sheri has an Inspiration brand find her at: SheriBabyTshirts or AffirmationsWithAttitude

September 2010 Gardening Events Southern California & more

Farmer’s Markets in Santa Clarita:
Sundays in the College of The Canyons Parking Lot from 8:30am – noon
Don’t forget to visit my friend Sarah from Worldwide Exotics – she’ll be back in September, so put her on your list and utilize her expertise!
Thursdays in Old Town Newhall from 3-7pm.



9/6/10
Annual CROP Walk sponsored by the SCV Interfaith Council
beginning and ending at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on Orchard Village. The walk is 4-1/2 miles on the sidewalks, with opportunities to walk shorter distances. Registration and pre-walk festivities begin at 8:00 a.m., with the walk kick-off at 8:30 a.m.
Twenty-five percent of our Santa Clarita CROP Hunger Walk funds will benefit community agencies meeting the needs of hungry people here in the Santa Clarita Valley: The Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry, the Santa Clarita Homeless Shelter, and the Church of Hope Food Pantry. Please walk with your faith community, or just show up and sign in on Walk Day! I’ll be at the registration table, so stop in to say, “Hello!”



9/6/10 – 10 am
Rediscover the California Garden
Explore new and updated pathways through Descanso’ California Garden. Natives Garden Horticulturist Rachel Young takes you a trek that highlights improved access to this favorite Garden. Meet at the Center Circle.
Descanso Gardens
1418 Descanso Dr.
La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011
(818) 949-7980
Free with Garden Admission

9/7/10 from 1 – 3:00 pm
Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden
Plant Information
A free class on a variety of plant-related topics, with botanist Frank McDonough



9/11/10 – 11 am
Harvest Basics
Mike Brown, Display Horticulturist, shows you how to harvest for maximum plant health and productivity. The class meets in Maple, then moves out to the Gardens.
$15, $10 members
Descanso Gardens
1418 Descanso Dr.
La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011
(818) 949-7980


9/16 and 9/30/10
Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden
Garden Talks with Lili Singer
Fall 2010: 8 Thursdays, September 16-November 11
9:30am–Noon / Palm Room
$100 for the series, $20 per class / Reservations or you may pay at the door
Information and registration: 626.821.4623 or jill.berry@arboretum.org



9/18/10 – 10am – 12noon
Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden
Orchid Care
Classes
$22 members / $25 non-members
Instructor: Marc Hall
You CAN grow orchids! Marc Hall, certified nurseryman, will cover all the basics of growing and maintaining beautiful orchids: the use of bark or soil, proper fertilization, how to keep them blooming, light, temperature, potting re-potting, humidity, water and more!!



9/18/10 – 11 am
Fall Vegetable Gardening
The autumnal equinox signals the shifting of the seasons. Descanso Horticulturist Mike Brown gives you guidance on growing a bounty of vegetables through the fall. Meet in Nature’s Table.
$10, free for members; advance registration required
Descanso Gardens
1418 Descanso Dr.
La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011
(818) 949-7980


9/18/10 – 1 pm
Native Plant Uses
Descanso’s Natives Horticulturist Rachel Young draws on the wisdom of indigenous people to explore the many practical uses of California native plants. Meet at the Center Circle.
$10, free for members; advanced registration required
Descanso Gardens
1418 Descanso Dr.
La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011
(818) 949-7980


September 23-26
Pacific Horticulture Symposium
Events
Gardening Under Mediterranean Skies VIII: Style & Whimsy in the Sustainable Garden
www.pacifichorticulture.org
Co-sponsored by Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, APLD Greater LA District & Mediterranean Garden Society
September 23-26
For great information on this event, please read SCV’s own Jane Gate’s articles in the (LA) Examiner! LA Garden Symposium


9/28/10
Santa Clarita Valley Green Drinks Meetup
New Moon Restaurant
28281 Newhall Ranch Rd
Valencia, CA 91355
(661) 257-4321
Green Drinks allows for anyone concerned about environmental issues to get together over a drink. Green Drinks events are very simple, informal, unstructured, and self-organizing. We bring together the environmental community and have fun doing it! Please join
Green Drinks Meetup

For more info on my designs: thegrassisalwaysgreen