Q: When is the best time to cut back my winter jasmine? A: The best time is during the spring. Ideally, prune back once all blooms are spent. Winter jasmine blooms on older growth so if you cut it back in the fall, you will have fewer blooms in the winter.
Peony Peony x 'Bowl of Beauty' Zone 4-8 Ultra delicate pink and crème colored flowers appear in mid spring. This quick grower starts from almost nothing in late winter to a 2 foot tall plant by with flowers by mid to late spring. Plant in full sun and water regularly for best growth. Cut down to a few inches in late fall once the foliage has browned. Prefers slightly acidic, well drained soil. Try and protect peony's delicate flowers from getting wet when watering as it will quickly ruin the look of the flower. You may also want to use tomato cages to keep them from flopping over.
Are you ready for Spring? We sure are :) Time for Transformation Tuesday: This transformation will be a two part series because of the size of the project. The before and after picture will have you taking a double look because it doesn’t look like the same house. There was a lot of changes to this house: a contractor added larger windows to the back of the house, a sliding door and poured the slab of concrete. Our client called us after all of above was finished and discussed some ideas with him. First priority - a fence around the property so they could have some privacy. Before we could get started with the fence, we needed to clear the path where the fence would be installed. This includ
Staying on the Rose theme from Tuesday, here's our question of the week Santa Fe! Q: My favorite rose didn’t do as well last year as it did previous years. Is there anything I can do now to help it do better this year? A: If a rose isn't doing well there are many factors that are involved. Powdery mildew, aphids, lack of water, lack of nutrients and lack of sun are all things that can cause a rose to not do well. The first thing to check - is it getting enough sun? When you planted the rose, there was full sun but perhaps a nearby tree has grown over the years and is blocking some of that sunlight. Some things you can do right now are to make sure it has been pruned (approx. 1/3 off the top)
Snapdragon Antirrhinum majus Zone 8-9 Comes in a variety of colors including purple, peach, orange, violet, yellow, pink, red and white. Blooms resemble pea-like flowers. Prefers well drained soils but is adaptable to a wide range of soil types. Blooms once in spring and again in fall. Plant in full sun to partial shade and water regularly. Can reach 1-4 feet tall depending on variety. Can winter over but sometimes may not. For best results, do not prune flowers until after seeds have begun dropping so the plant can grow from seed the following year.
Ready for roses this year? Roses are sensitive to winter frost and the rest of the year are attacked by dozens of fungi, insects, molds, and bacteria. Each year, roses grow a lot of wood and each year a lot of it dies. In short, there will be a lot of dead wood to remove Ripping suckers wounds the rootstock, making it less likely to re-sprout at that point. Note: this step doesn’t need to be done in spring, so if you can’t be sure that the sucker is truly a sucker instead of a cane from your rose, wait. Let it grow, examine it in summer for different-looking leaves or flowers, and rip it out then.
Q: How and when do you cut back bulbs after they are done blooming? A: Although it is tempting to cut back bulbs once they are done blooming it is not the ideal thing to do. Once the flower is spent it is a good idea to cut the stem but to leave the foliage. The foliage is still photosynthesizing and storing up energy for the bulb to have enough nutrients for the following year. The general rule of thumb is to cut back bulbs to the ground 8 weeks after the blooms are done. However, once the foliage begins to yellow and fade, it is okay to cut back even if it is less than three weeks.
Kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Zone 2-8 This low growing evergreen is great for erosion control, as well as a carpet of ground cover. Thick, waxy leaves stay on year around and are accompanied by pink flowers in the spring. Once the flowers are spent, bright red berries begin to appear which is a great food source for birds. Plant in partial to full sun. Water regularly especially during extreme heat. Can spread up to 4 feet wide and 6 inches tall. Prefers well drained soils but adaptable to most soils. Space apart 3 feet for a carpet ground cover that will fill in after several years or for quicker results plant 1 foot apart.
If your location isn’t prone to heavy snows or is prone to drying winds, supplemental winter watering is vital. Although your plants are dormant, they’re not dead-during dormancy. They still have some basic metabolic functions that must be driven with water collected from the soil. Roots are prone to drying in the winter, causing permanent damage to perennials. As long as you water early in the day, the water you give your plants can actually be protective against night time freezes. The water in the soil acts as a trap for heat and helps the area around your plant stay a little bit warmer than the air as the night approaches. When coupled with insulated covers, this extra heat can protect y
Happy February from Desert Rose! In this month's blog we are going to explain the reason why we use certain parts and materials in our irrigation systems and how they are chosen to better serve the customer. Every company has their own way of installing irrigation systems and their own reasons why they select certain materials. Here at Desert Rose, all of the parts we choose have the customers’ best interest in mind. We hope that this blog will be informative and give you a better insight into the costs of an irrigation system. Supporting local companies, abiding by city standards, and providing quality services is very important to Desert Rose. This is why all of the components that we use
Q: I have an overgrown Mt. Mahogany that I want cut back. It is approximately 16 feet tall and I want it cut to about 6 feet since it blocks my view of the mountains. Is this something you can do? A: It is something that can be done but there is one thing to consider before we do it. The plant is going to look ugly for a minimum of two years if not three. With that much being cut off there is going to be a lot of bare branches that have not received direct sunlight in a long time. It will take a while for the plant to begin re-leafing, so be prepared for a funky looking plant. Also that intense of a pruning can stunt the plants growth which can add to the delay.
Deep Blue Clips Bellflower Campanula carpatica 'Deep Blue Clips' Zone 4-9 Beautiful, upside-down bell shaped flowers cover this low growing plant throughout the summer months. Looks best when used in rock gardens or along borders. Plant in partial to full sun and water regularly for best growth. A fast grower that can quickly spread to 12" wide and 8" tall. Prefers well drained soils that are evenly moist. Does best when protected from afternoon sun. Divide every few years in early spring.
We are introducing a new concept of providing tips in conjunction of our usual Transformation Tuesdays! Please let us know in the comments below if you find these helpful. Come springtime you can focus on actual gardening , instead of the logistics of properly equipping your yard or ending up on a wait list!
Q: What are the pros and cons of using a color dyed bark vs natural bark? A: Natural bark (in particular shredded red cedar) has some advantages over colored bark. Red cedar contains natural oils that acts as a deterrent to most pests. This can help prevent pests from laying eggs in the mulch and create a healthier environment for your plants. It also smells great and can give your yard a woodsy smell for a little while. Natural colored bark is best for yards that want to keep a natural look. Dyed barks can give a dramatic appearance and comes in a few different colors (red, brown, and black). One thing to be aware of is the bark can transfer the dye to other surfaces. Several years back a c
