Last month we discussed the basics of watering and dispelled some myths around properly hydrating your garden. In this month's blog we will look at the pros and cons of hand watering to determine the best way to provide water to your landscaping. Each garden is unique with its own requirements, so we hope the next two blogs will help you and your plants’ requirements! By far, the biggest benefit to hand watering is the very low up-front cost. There are no parts to buy, no failing components to worry about - just a hose, a faucet, and your time in the garden. Another huge advantage of hand watering is that while you are watering, you can look for signs of disease and pests on each plant. Pow

Question of the week: Q: When is a good time to plant bulbs? A: We recommend having your bulbs in the ground between October and November depending on how cool the nights are. It is ideal for the soil temperature to be below 55°F. Send us any questions you have!

Plant of the week: 'Burgundy Glow' ® (Ajuga reptans) - Zone 4-10 Beautiful variegated foliage with hues of burgundy gives an excellent background to blue flower spikes that emerge from this dense ground cover. Plant in well-drained, well amended soil and water regularly for best results. 'Burgundy Glow'® ajuga is a fast grower that is also deer resistant. It can handle shaded areas (such as under shade trees) but performs best in full sun. Plant in groups to quickly fill in areas around walkways and borders. Have a wonderful Friday!

Good morning Santa Fe! This week, we address part II of our Transformation Tuesday: This project required quite a bit of work and often times, we phase out the projects into multiple steps. In this phase, we removed a majority of the juniper bushes and added colorful shrubs, gravel, and a slight mound for elevation. And of course, we love finishing with a sunset rose gravel. Come back next week for part III!

Question of the week: Q: My irrigation seems to not be working right. It is going off at different times than normal. What can I do? A: This question is one we usually get whenever we experience power outages. Most irrigation timers have some sort of back up power in order to save the program cycle during a power outage. Unfortunately, the timers sometimes do power off and the program is not saved. When the power comes back on, most timers have a default program of 10 minutes, for every zone, every day. The easiest way to see if this is the problem is to check the timer and make sure it has the right time and day of the week. If the time and day are off, give us a call and we will gladly rep

Plant of the Week: Japanese Anemone (Anemone x Hybrida) Zone 4-8 Pretty pink flowers with an intense yellow center will catch the eye of anyone walking past this slow-growing perennial. Japanese Anemone is deer resistant and has a long bloom season from late summer to fall. Plant in partial sun and water regularly to get the most out of this compact grower. Blooms can reach 2 feet tall.

Transformation Tuesday: Back to our regularly scheduled programming. This front yard was overrun by Russian sage and weeds. To summarize, it did not have much curb appeal. After removing the old bark, Russian sage and plants, we releveled and extended the moss rock border. Then, we added a flowering crabapple, shrubs, and perennials and finally finished it up with sunset rose gravel. Now, this is what we call great curb appeal! Can’t wait to see the growth next season! The next couple of weeks we will show you the other parts of this transformation. Enjoy your Tuesday!

Question of the week: Q: With fall around the corner, is there any type of fertilizing we should be doing? A: Yes, fertilizing can and should be done year round. In the Fall, it is better to fertilize plants with lower nitrogen, high phosphorus and low to medium potassium fertilizer for best results. We will be covering this topic more in depth in a future blog.

Plant of the week: Dwarf Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana) Zone 6-10 A multitude of stalks topped with beautiful fluffy white plums sets this ornamental grass apart from the rest. Plant in full sun and water occasionally once established. Adaptable to a wide variety of soils, Dwarf Pampas grass will transform your yard in mid to late summer with 6-8 feet tall plumes. Since Santa Fe does have very unpredictable winters, there is always a chance of the dwarf pampas grass not surviving a harsh winter.

We are going to change up Transformation Tuesday just for this week: Below, we are looking at the transformation of a peony from first growth to bloom. The picture on the left was taken early-mid March. The picture on the right was taken in early may with a bloom bigger than a grapefruit. Remember to cut your peonies back in the fall to prevent any overwinter diseases! Happy Tuesday everyone!

Question of the week! Q: The dry river beds that was installed to help with water erosion is full of dirt and the water is going everywhere. What can I do? Q: This question is one we have seen a lot more with the recent rains. Dry river beds do a great job at diverting rainwater and preserving the landscape. They do, however, have a tendency to fill with debris since they are the lowest point in the landscape. The debris (mainly dirt) can cause the dry river bed to overflow and allow the water to go wherever the rain takes it. The best thing to do is to pull out the river rock, clean out all debris, and replace the river rock and the dry river bed will work as good as new!

Plant of the week: Lamium maculatum - Zone 4-10 Contrasting silver green leaves create a beautiful backdrop for the small pink flowers that cover this shade-loving ground cover. A healthy watering a couple times a week will help this fast grower fill in shaded areas and once established is drought tolerant. Plant in well-drained soil. A fairly disease resistant plant that is also deer and rabbit resistant, Lamium is sure to brighten up any shaded areas in your garden!

Transformation Tuesday: This meditation area was dangerously steep and quite hard to get access. Not very peaceful and tranquil is it? :) To address the issue, we created steps used beautiful railroad ties to make sure it still looked the Southwest part. Now, our clients can safely get their peaceful time without concerns of falling! Happy Tuesday everyone!

This month’s blog is a starter guide to the process of comparing the pros and cons of watering by hand versus using an irrigation system. This is a common question we receive and in order to help decide which is more beneficial for your landscape’s needs a few further details about watering basics need to be covered. Before we compare these two watering methods, we will dispel some common misconceptions about watering in general. Watering each plant for 5-10 second a few times a week is sufficient. This method of watering often leads to shallow roots, less than ideal plant growth and health, and can waste water. When the water is coming out of the hose at full speed, it often leads to run o

Question of the week: Q: I want to get a coyote fence put up but I am confused with which type of wood posts to go with. Can you give me some guidance? A: Of course! When it comes to coyote fences, it can be confusing because there are a few types of posts commonly used. We always suggest using red cedar - it is the most durable but it is also the most expensive. Spruce is the next type - it isn't nearly as durable as red cedar, but it is more cost efficient. If you use spruce, always use red cedar for your main posts since they are more rot resistant. The last type of post used is aspen. We do not recommend using these posts, although they are cost-efficient, the softwood can snap easily in