Summer

Summer is finally here!

Hello everyone,
The long warm days of summer are upon us, and our gardens grow. It's time to relax and enjoy the hard work we have done. I hope all of your recent efforts have paid off for you. There are still things to do in the garden at this time of the year and I would like to give you some ideas.

Vacation planning...

Those of you who are planning vacations will need to be sure you have your automatic irrigation systems working properly. Check your emitters for clogs, and check the clock for correct times, days, and duration on each valve. Mulching will also help keep moisture in the ground for the long hot summer days ahead.

General summer care...

Keep cultivating around your trees, shrubs, vegetables, and flowers. Keep weeds down to give more water to your desirable plant roots. If any plants look distressed and are not growing well, now would a good time to replace them. Pinching and dead-heading flowers not only keeps the flowers coming, but helps reduce the risk of additional disease. Be sure to continue feeding your citrus monthly. Those of you that do a lot of container growing, take out any spent plants and replace with new ones for more summer color. Continue to support the new growth on your vines, including climbing roses.

Vegetable gardens...

Vegetables always need attention such as weeding, mulching, fertilizing, and harvesting. For those picking your herbs, you can freeze them in water to keep there flavor for later use. An example would be to chop up your basil and freeze it in ice cube trays, then you can pop them out when you want to make sauce.

Those pesky bugs...

Summer in the garden is prime time for pests. They are out and looking for food and nesting material. Insects, disease, and nutrient deficiency are all parts of the territory that need to addressed. I've always been an advocate for cultural control first before chemicals, especially with food crops. Cultural control requires more time not only in the field, but also in the shop keeping tools clean and free of disease. In the long-run, this extra time is well worth the price.

Plan for Fall

Now is a great time to start planning for fall, and early winter landscape projects, including getting into the design phase with a company like ours. Planning ahead is so important to a successful landscape project and we can take you all the way to your dream. Don't hesitate to e-mail us or call for your landscape needs.

Free Consultation

Call us at (707) 827-7980, for a free one-hour consultation, on how your dream garden can be designed and installed by a highly-skilled and professional landscape team.

Sustainable Gardening

During the spring I discussed the notion of sustainable gardening and choices we make for our landscaping. I would like everyone to continue to investigate these possibilities for their individual gardens. Many people forget that California is a desert oasis made from man. Right now our most precious commodity is water. Water cutbacks have been brought up by local agencies in the newspaper. Please consider changing your habits and use your water wisely. A garden is only as good as it can be, providing there is enough self-sustaining aspects that it can thrive on. Let us all contribute to the cause by living in harmony with nature.

Always remember to
repair, reuse, and recycle...

It's our personal responsibility to give something back to the only environment we have. Let's nuture nature for that which we receive. Creative Environments can help you to accomplish this.

Good Gardening...