Over these past few years homes throughout California have been destroyed by the many wildfires that have raged through our state. There are many ways that homeowners can protect their loved ones and their homes through fire-wise landscaping and maintenance. Designing a Fire-Resistant Landscape…
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Whether you are designing a new landscape or renovating an old one, by following the principles outlined in this article and consulting with landscape professionals, you will be able to create a beautiful landscape which satisfies your personal needs, adds value to your property, and conserves…
Designing a Perennial Garden
Category: Landscaping
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Spring has sprung and now is the perfect time to design a beautiful perennial garden for your landscape. Before creating a beautiful perennial garden consider the following design tips listed below: Light: There are five main light levels full sun, light shade, partial shade, full…
Top Five Design Tips
Category: Design, Landscaping
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Plant Maturity – When designing your landscape leave enough space around plants for their mature size. Plants, when spaced too close together increase maintenance headaches by making pruning and irrigation repairs difficult, and by increasing susceptibility to diseases and pests because of lack of air…
Edible Landscaping
Category: Landscaping
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Edible landscaping uses food producing plants such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries, herbs and edible flowers along with ornamental plants to create an aesthetically pleasing landscape. These designs or landscapes can be partially or completely edible. Benefits of Growing Vegetables and Fruits within the Landscape…
Water Audits
Category: Water Conservation
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Every year water shortages affect residents of cities throughout California. Because of this, reducing water use in the landscape has become highly necessary not only for helping our communities and environment but also for lowering water bills. One of the best ways to help reduce…
Pruning Deciduous Fruit Trees
Category: Landscaping
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Deciduous fruit trees all benefit from annual pruning. Dormant pruning or pruning during the non-growing season is necessary to invigorate and promote new growth, maintain fruiting wood, distribute fruiting wood throughout the tree, maintain tree shape, and increase tree longevity. The non-growing season is one…
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1. Beneficial Insects – Help keep populations of beneficial insects alive in your landscape by utilizing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. This incorporates biological, chemical, cultural, and physical methods for controlling disease and pest problems. When chemicals are the only method used, beneficial insects are…
Preventing Soil Erosion
Category: Landscaping
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The rainy season is upon us and this means taking the proper precautions to prevent soil erosion throughout the landscape. Heavy rains can wash away valuable soil nutrients and the topsoil which plants need for proper growth. More often than not, this displaced soil ends…
Rainwater Harvesting
Category: Water Conservation
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Water can be collected from downspouts and stored in barrels or cisterns (storage tanks) for later use, or from runoff in the landscape into drainage swales, terraces, and retention basins for more immediate use. The benefits of harvesting rainwater include: reduced flooding, decreased erosion, prevents…