Semi-Wordless Saturday

Being a landscape designer in Santa Clarita allows me a certain amount of artistic license, so life often gets in the way of my life - I'm taking advantage of that now so this post is not the norm for the last Saturday of the month.

Circumstances beyond my control, have prevented me from creating "What To Do In Southern California - Garden Edition for July 2012" - I will post it.  Just not today. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, enjoy another cactus flower photos (it is one of the only ones on the computer I'm on) and rest assured that the garden faeries will help me get a post up and going soon enough. 

As always if you are interested in creating a beautiful garden with me you can email me at julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net, call me at 661-917-3521 or click through to my website.

Wordless Wednesday

 Iochroma and Alstroemeria


Feijoa sellowiana Flowers 


 Dahlia

 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.

How To Care For Agastache

Being a landscape designer in Santa Clarita, California has allowed me to delve into the lives and uses of plants. The more I learn the more I find that my favorites list grows. One simple way to get on to my favorites list is to be an easy care plant that attracts wildlife into my garden and this little baby fits the bill!

Agastache or Hyssop is also called Hummingbird mint, it is related to mint but not invasive, if you have a few of these in your garden you will find that they really do attract those Hummingbirds. The lovely Agastache foeniculum has a pretty lavender flower it is called Anise Hyssop and the flowers have a licorice flavor (sorry mine is not blooming yet). Other varieties range from the minty flavored Korean Hyssop to the crisp biting variety called Tutti Fruitti which sports pinky orange flowers and is currently one of my favorites. The leaves can be used in teas, or a few thrown into a salad – but I have read that too much of a good thing isn’t necessarily great and those prone to seizures or pregnant women should not be adding hyssop to their diet.

Now for care, most agastaches like full sun but don’t mind a little shade, mine happily thrive in Santa Clarita in morning sun/afternoon shade. I like to create a nice grouping by planting (an odd number) about 18” on center in soil that drains well, and remember once they are established most can be very drought tolerant so they play well with Russian Sage (Petrovskia), liatris, and lavenders. I have mine mixed in with lavender, ornamental grasses and some bearded iris, I think I’m adding an Asclepias to the bunch – but not sure yet.

Fertilize with a low nitrogen fertilizer so that you can get the benefit of the fact that they bloom from late spring through almost frost. I’ve read that you should fertilize monthly but I’ve also read that you should fertilize twice a year, so I just fertilize all my plants about every few months or if they look like they need it. Once I’m out in the garden, I just kind of listen to my plants.

I know that having a long flowering plant is a wonderful thing but if you cut back the flower stalks as the flowers fade the plant will actually become stronger and produce more flowers, so you might want to get those pruners out once in a while and trim a little to shape. Divide your plants in the fall or late winter about every three years or so. This will keep them vigorous and make other parts of your garden or your friends very happy as you distribute new plants. Save the real cutting back of the stems until spring, the stems and seed heads provide winter interest and food for birds and provide a little extra warmth to the plant and therefore add winter hardiness.

I’ve read that slugs may be one of the only pests to hit your agastache, if that happens you can use an organic, pet safe slug product such as Sluggo or Escar go! As far as pests, in my garden the slugs eat my kalanchoe and seem to leave my agastache alone.

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

    Clematis
 

   Hydrangea 
 


   Loquat 

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.

One Day In June

Being a Landscape Designer in Santa Clarita is an all-encompassing quest. I find that everything I do leads back to designing for my clients and my morning walks are no exception. One of the best things about blogging for me is Wordless Wednesday because one of my hobbies is photography, so my love of gardening, plants and everything beautiful naturally become my subject matter.

Since school is out I have started taking walks with my dogs in the morning (instead of driving carpool) much more rewarding. The first three days I just grabbed my pups, my phone and was on my way. We all enjoyed our walks immensely and on the third day, I saw something extraordinary that was worthy of Wordless Wednesday – the most amazing array of cactus blossoms at a neighbor’s house about three blocks away. I took a few shots with my iPhone, and vowed to bring my “real camera” the next morning.

 Much to my dismay the cactus flowers ONLY LASTED ONE DAY!!!!! I was devastated, there were a few that hadn’t bloomed the day before – but the gorgeous display of multiple blooms one next to the other was GONE. The woman that always carries her camera around in her pocketbook (me) was foiled by a desire to travel light.

So what did I learn? 

Lesson One: Always be prepared. (I’m back to carrying my camera at all times.)
Lesson Two: Don’t assume anything (I could have gone back with my camera any time that day.)
Lesson Three: I need to bone up on my cacti! (I am making a call to Worldwide Exotics!)
Lesson Four: Let it go (I did get a few nice photos, and well… there is always next year.)

I have an update to this post and therefore another lesson!

Lesson Five: Be patient (I passed by the house a few days later and a whole new set of cactus flowers were blooming!)

 So, enjoy these photos and hopefully next year they will be even more spectacular!

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

    Norfolk Island Pine (Redondo Beach)

    Jatropa


   Ice Plant (Redondo Beach) 

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.

I Gave My Juncus a Haircut

Landscape Designing in the Santa Clarita Valley can be fun!  Treating your plants as your friends is one way to accomplish this, here is a little story you might enjoy. 

I was looking at the cute little juncus in my front planter bed and thought to myself, he looks a bit shaggy. He had been such a rebellious little punk with his blades all askew when I first set eyes on him at Worldwide Exotics, now he’d grown older and maybe a bit more complacent and it showed... his do was done!

 I remembered sitting in my lower east side apartment in the 80’s giving haircuts to curly haired friends who didn’t want to spend money on a barber or in the salon and the light bulb went on. My cute little juncus needed a bit of a scissor cut!

How to make his blades stand up again was easy, a little trim underneath to lighten up the main stragglers, then I simply took my scissors (my garden scissors from the 99 cents store) in one hand and grabbed his blades in the other and “texturized” those blades just like my hairdresser texturizes my bangs!

My punk rock juncus is back, better than ever! I can hear the strains of "Blitzkrieg Bop" in my head and all is fine in the world.

If you want to learn a little more about trimming ornamental grasses, just take a look at my post - February, Is It Spring? - scroll down and read about Ornamental Grass Care.

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

    Hummingbird Baby

 
    
    Gingerbread Man Day Lily 
 



 
 Squash Blossom 



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's Happening In Southern California - Garden Edition June 2012

So I missed the boat a little, I should have posted this last week, but I was so intent on gardening chores that I wrote and posted my What to Do In Your Southern California Garden I n June and moved on to other tasks before I realized it was a little out of order. Oh, well – we’ll all survive!

As always, I want to remind you to shop local, and get the freshest produce around by heading out to the local Farmer’s Markets in Santa Clarita: Sundays 8:00am – noon College of The Canyons Parking Lot Don’t forget to visit my friend Sara Scissorhands from Worldwide Exotics Nursery

There is also another great Farmer’s Market: Thursdays in Old Town Newhall from 3-7pm. May has a lot of fun gardening events, and if you ignore the 90 degree anomaly of April being outside is wonderful!

Saturday June 9, 2012 – 9am – 12 noon Santa Clarita Valley Gardening Class - Shrubs and Natives for the SCV Landscape. Location: Castaic Lake Water Agency 27234 Bouquet Canyon Rd. Santa Clarita, California 91350 Located on the hill above Central Park. The cost is free but RSVP please! For more information please email us at mail@clwa.org

Saturday June 9, 2012 – 4:30 – 7:00 pm College of the Canyons Twilight Garden Party Progressive Wine and  Food Pairing - $35 per person/$60 per couple at each campus location guests will be served delightful food and tasty wine paired to compliment the ambiance of the garden. Chair of the Friends of the Gardens and Master gardener, Diane Benjamin and garden enthusiast, Barbara Schulman will convey interesting pointers about sustainability and planting in the Santa Clarita Valley.

College of the Canyons Biology Professor and Scientist, accompanied by our resident nutritionist will explain some of the gardens and their purpose, student interaction with the gardens on both campuses, and information that will enlighten you on easy fitness  and healthful alternatives to secure our environment for the future. Peruse the whimsical handmade birdhouse exhibition in the Art Gallery and learn about the Oak Tree Savannah.

Conclude the garden tour with a wonderful red wine food pairing in the Library Rose Garden hosted by wine enthusiast, Dr. Skip Newhall. Get a sneak peak at our new Library/TLC facility that will be opening for Fall 2012 For tickets or more information contact Cindy Biehahn 362-3737 or cindy.biehahn@canyons.edu

Saturday June 16, 2012 8 am – 12 noon June Birds Take Flight – Towsley Canyon - Bird Walk Ed Davis Park in Towsley Canyon 24335 The Old Road Santa Clarita, California 91321

Time to start the great northern migration, which makes June a great bird-watching month. Beginning birders are welcome. Binoculars optional. Meet at Towsley Canyon’s front parking lot.

Saturday June 16, 2012  10 am - 4pm - Harriette Knight's Spiritual & Psychic Boutique at The Residence Inn 25320 The Old Road, Stevenson Ranch, Ca. - This is a great event!  Readings, Healings, Vendors, and Gems!  Join in the fun - it is a great vibe with a lot of wonderful people. 

Wednesday June 20, 2012 – 6:00 – 8:00 pm Southern California Edison Solar Connection Event Santa Clarita Sports Complex Activities Center A&B Room 20880 Centre Pointe Parkway Santa Clarita, California 91350 Learn about how going solar can help you save energy, money and the environment. Meet SCE representatives and licensed solar contractors. Space is limited, so register today! check the link or call 1-866-970-9221

Descanso Gardens: 
There is going to be a Bonsai Show July 16-17, 2012 and just touring the gardens is always fun.

LA Arboretum:
Lili Singer’s has classes on Thursdays so plan to make it to some of them she’s very informative. There are quite a few shows this month at the Arboretum, tomorrow the 2nd there is a Day Lily plant sale and the weekend of the 9th and 10th is the Fern and Exotics Show if you go please say, “Hi!” to Shelley from Worldwide Exotics for me. There’s lots more going on, so check out the Arboretum’s site for more info.

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.