Time for Transformation Tuesday: We have had opportunities to work with new construction homes and have quite enjoyed them as we get the opportunity to work on bare landscape. The clients wanted a seating area with a beautiful water feature in the front courtyard. We added aspen trees and Oregon Grapes for winter interest. Ornamental grasses and gravel added the finishing touches.

Keep those questions coming in! Q: Can I grow camellias in Santa Fe - elevation is 7500 feet where I live? A: Although I have not noticed them in our local nurseries, (most likely because I have not looked for them), there are a number of varieties of camellias that Monrovia carries. Gardeners in colder climates can also enjoy camellias with the introduction of the Ice Angels series, among the coldest (-10 degrees) hardy camellias available. Go to the Monrovia website and take a look at the varieties they have to offer. Some that are available up to a Zone 6 are “April Remembered” with its soft pink open blooms, “Spring’s Promise”, a vivid red bloomer with contrasting gold stamens, and “Wint

Phil's Favorite: Crimson Pygmy Dwarf Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) Zone 4-8 A dwarf densely branched form displaying deep crimson colored foliage all season long. Best color when planted in full sun. Approx. 2-3’ Tall and wide. Water regularly and more often in extreme heat. Works well as a border or as a stand-alone plant.

Transformation Tuesday: A continuation of last Tuesday's project, addressing drainage and erosion issues. This ENTIRE project used about 86 tons of moss rock. Yeah, that's a lot. Happy Tuesday!

With all this warm weather, we are getting lots of questions regarding Spring! Curious about something? Send us your questions. Q: I am already thinking of spring planting. Is it better to buy small plants or larger plants? A: It depends on a couple of things. Number one would be budget. A smaller plant can save you money, but the bigger size plant gives instant gratification. If you are a person that wants instant results, go big, but if money is an issue and you have patience, small works just as well.

Phil’s Favorite: Hicks Yew (Taxus x media 'Hicksii') Zone 4-7 An upright shrub featuring a dense habit and dark green needles that can grow up to 10 ft tall and 4 feet wide. Makes a great hedge and can be shaped as needed. One of the few evergreens that loves shade. Hicks Yew has dark green foliage which emerges light green in spring. The ferny leaves remain dark green throughout the winter. The flowers are not ornamentally significant. The fruits are showy red drupes displayed from early to late fall. Also available in a spreading dense form (Taxus x media 'Densiformis') Berries are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so lots of care should be exercised when planting it around children

Time for Transformation Tuesday! This was a significant wall we built. Our client's driveway was pretty raw. A bit unsightly but also caused some major erosion problems, especially during the monsoon season. To fix the issues, we used moss rock and created terraced flower beds. We also added some nice touches by putting in landscape lighting, bark mulch, native plants, and a river rock to the base of the flower bed.

Question Of The Week: Q: With such a dry winter thus far, I want to get rid of my lawn. It is Kentucky bluegrass. What do you recommend? A: I would recommend converting your lawn with a Xeric (NOT XERO) garden. If you still want the lawn, you can convert it to either Blue gramma or Buffalo grass, both native and drought-tolerant grasses. If you want a xeric garden, we can pull out the lawn, plant with drought-tolerant plants, add a few character boulders, decorative gravel and you now have a low maintenance yard. Call us for design ideas and we can convert your yard for you.

Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) - This is an extremely fragrant shrub with showy flowers in the spring with lavender, white or dark pink flowers. Drought resistant but grows moderately quick in rich soil with adequate watering. Can grow to 15 feet. Zone 3-7 - Plant full sun for best results. Prune after bloom.

Transformation Tuesday: Sometimes, landscaping is necessary in terms of safety and your long-term pocketbook. This week, we address erosion issues with drainage when water was coming off the canales. Also, to get to the lower area posed some tripping/falling problems as it was not an easy step to take. To fix the issues, we constructed flowerbeds with steps in the middle (safe and beautiful!), added drainage catchments with pipes going UNDER the flowerbed/mossrock. Then, we added a gravel area diverting water to the fruit trees on the lower level (see the river rock area on the right). Safety, beauty, and protection from erosion. Three birds with one stone as they say!

Desert Rose Landscape & Maintenance works frequently with realtors and individuals selling their homes. We provide a wide range of landscape and maintenance services, striving to help you attract potential buyers. At Desert Rose, we understand that first impressions are everything. Your home buyer’s first contact with potential properties starts in the front yard, and the investment of landscaping can help enhance first impressions of prospects. Better yards mean faster sales because 97.899% (who are the other 2.101%? :) of people want to buy a house that looks nice! The term “curb appeal” is derived from the notion that potential buyers form their first impression of a property before they

Question Of The Week addresses more of those pesky weeds! Q: Last year I had a lot of weeds and I could not keep up with them. Is there anything I can do to get a head start on them this season? A: Yes, you can apply a pre-emergent to the area. A pre-emergent herbicide is a type of weed killer that prevents seeds from sprouting. Unlike normal herbicides that are used when the weed has fully sprouted, it is meant to stop weeds from growing in the first place by spraying or spreading a chemical onto the soil so that weeds have difficulty placing down their roots. Timing is everything when using a pre-emergent. Read the instructions on the bottle. Let me repeat - timing is everything. It won’t

Beautiful Phil's Favorite: Pink Flowering Almond Shrub Prunus Trilobal - Zone 3-7. Full sun. A hardy spring-blooming shrub - is a reliable performer that is smothered in double bright pink blooms every year. It’s much more cold tolerant than flowering cherry. It’s a good substitute where winter temperatures go below freezing. This shrub is also a good companion for late-spring flowering bulbs, such as tulips and daffodils. Like most spring-blooming shrubs, flowering almond should be pruned right after the flowers fade in late spring. A light pruning often helps promote better flowering the following year. Grows 8-20’ high by 12’ wide if left unpruned. (Reference: BHG)