Executive Care Inc.

Welcome to our October edition.

Welcome to our March edition and our third and final series on preparing our yards for spring. Based upon the title, I should be talking more about the growth of lawns and plants; however, for healthy lawns and plants, irrigation is a major component. We can apply all the fertilizer we want, prune the plants, aerate our lawns, etc., but if the irrigation is not right, the results at best are fair and at worse, we have dead plants and lawns. So growth has everything to do with irrigation, and proper irrigation has everything to do with the topics we have been covering. Also please note that this is Part III; I would recommend that you read Part I and II. The articles are on my website at www.executivecareinc.com under publications or on Home Improvement & Remodeling Magazine’s website at www.HomeImprovement-Magazine.com. With that covered, let’s start.

Last month, we left two items under lawn sprinklers not covered: seals and “sinking sprinklers.” Seals are a very important part of the sprinkler, and each manufacture has its way of designing them into the sprinklers. For example, Rain Bird’s seal is incorporated into the cap of the sprinkler. If you look at a
Rain Bird sprinkler, the top has a white inner ring. This is the seal, and as the “pop-up” part of the sprinkler rises, this seal prevents water from coming out. When the seal becomes aged via use and sun, it no longer seals, and water can be seen leaking out along the edge of the pop-up and seal. If not changed
out, the leaking will increase to the point of becoming a small stream of water, which not only wastes water, but it prevents the pop-up from fully rising and the nozzle from watering the full distance. Toro sprinklers have their seal as a separate piece, under the cap. The cap must be removed to be
able to exchange the seal. Combined with the seal is a retainer that holds the seal in place, so there are two pieces, but the rubberized one is the seal. Only if the retainer is damaged would you need to replace it; otherwise, it’s fairly permanent. The Toro seal, as the Rain Bird seal, becomes hardened through use, no longer sealing, and water can be seen coming from the base of the pop-up. Checking and exchanging seals is virtually never considered by the homeowner, mostly for a lack of awareness of how important this is
to do. Seals in general last between three to five years before they need to be changed. It is a simple process requiring two channel-lock wenches—one for unscrewing the cap and one for gently holding the sprinkler body. These seals often cost the same price as buying a complete sprinkler, so if you are not close to a sprinkler store where you can buy just the seals, the box stores sell the whole sprinkler that you can dismantle and use the seal or just swap out the sprinkler.

The second item is “sinking sprinklers.” Now we know sprinklers do not literally sink, though visually it appears as such. Year after year, less of the “pop-up” portion is visible, and in some cases, this pop-up portion is only an inch or two above the lawn. At this height, it cannot water without the lawn blades interfering, blocking the spray and causing poor coverage during watering, especially a few days prior to mowing, when the lawn is the tallest. So if the sprinklers can’t “sink,” what is happening? It is called thatch. It is most prevalent in lawns that are overwatered and fed high nitrogen. It is the accumulation of dead lawn that develops below the growing portion of the lawn, causing it to rise up. When a lawn has excessive thatch, it becomes a “high-maintenance” lawn, requiring more fertilizer, more water (which adds to the problem), and more chemicals to treat because it becomes more subject to infestation and diseases. Also it requires the lifting of the sprinklers by adding extension risers and couplers. So what can be done? For the lawn to get to this point, it required several years of overwatering and high nitrogen. Getting back to an acceptable thatch level of one-half inch or less will require several years of purposeful care. Rental yards have what is called a “dethatcher,” which is comprised of tiny little blades (not sharp) that spin at a high speed, “beating up” the lawn, and thereby pulling out the dead lawn matter from the base. If you can imagine a high-powered electrical rake, it is much like that. And because of the violent action that is used, thatch reduction must be done over a period of time, allowing the lawn to recuperate and heal itself. The best time to do this is early spring and early fall. About two weeks prior to dethatching, apply a moderate amount of 15-15-15 fertilizer (leaves/roots/cell structure is to what each number corresponds). Apply the fertilizer moderately, remembering that overdoing the fertilizer was one of the contributors to this problem. You can expect that each time the lawn is dethatched, between one-fourth inch to one-half inch of dead-lawn matter will be removed. If the thatch is one and one-half inches tall, it will require two to three separate attempts to remove it. If you use pre-emergent to control lawn weeds, apply this after dethatching. Once the thatch has been reduced, you will find the lawn returning to a healthy state and will be easier to mow and to maintain.

This concludes our lawn-care tips. As always, I hope I have helped. If you need assistance in implementing these tips or any of the tips mentioned in the prior articles, please do not hesitate to call. Spring, one of our more busier times, has started early with our warmer temperatures. So if you need help, or are planning to landscape or re-landscape your yard, I would suggest that you call sooner if possible, rather than later for an appointment.

Thank you and Good Gardening!

Welcome to our April edition. From January to the present, we have been covering in detail irrigation-maintenance concerns. I find it worthwhile to review these topics with you, to make it easier for you to find the needed information without a lot of research on your part. I know many of you keep Home Improvement & Remodeling Magazine as a reference and I hope, as a reader, you have also found these articles beneficial and keep them as reference guides. I am writing to everyone with these articles, whether you do it yourself or just like to be well-informed when you meet with your landscape professional. I hope I have been helpful.

As a professional, I have discovered over the years, that in many of the renovation jobs we do, we find the drip system was installed incorrectly. Whether it was done by a home owner or another landscape professional, it is too bad that money was spent on a system that has had, or will continue to have constant problems. In my experience, there is a right way and there is a wrong way to install drip systems and all too often it is done the wrong way. So let’s talk drip and get it right!

Drip systems have seven components, only seven, but they have to be in this exact order for the drip to do its job. Let’s start with the valve. How does a drip valve differ from a lawn valve? It does not, at least not the “workings” of the valve, which we covered last month. What varies are the additional components that are added to the valve that make it serviceable for drip irrigation. To the outgoing side of the valve, a filter and pressure regulator are added. The filter is used as you would imagine, to filter minute debris from the water. The pressure reducer does exactly what it implies, drops the water pressure down.
Without it, normal water pressure is enough to blow off the emitters.

Next is the 1/2″drip line, which is the size you will find at the “box” stores, or the 5/8″ drip line, which is the size you will find at the “specialty irrigation” stores. Each size is specific to the type of store, so if you buy the 1/2” drip line from a box store, and you need to expand or repair your drip line, you must continue to buy the drip line and parts from a box store, not a specialty irrigation store. Continuing from the 1/2” or 5/8″ drip line is a 1/4″ coupler that is barbed. It needs to be inserted into the 1/2″ or 5/8″ line using a punch—a plastic piece with a point, which causes a small hole in the pipe into which to insert the coupler. From the coupler goes the 1/4″ line AND IT GOES NO LONGER THAN 18 INCHES to 3 FEET. I have seen the 1/4″ line travel up to 6′ feet uphill. The plant at the end of such a length will always be “short changed” from lack of water. I have also seen drip emitters in place of the coupler. So that is a great idea—reduce the water flow from the start, and let’s see if it makes it to the plant with any volume? Pardon my attitude, but this stuff just gets to me. So continuing, at the end of the 1/4″ line goes the emitter. Now the emitter is extremely important, so spend the money. The emitters come in different color codings, indicating different gallon-age rates. Depending upon the brand, the color codings will vary. So stay with the same brand and do not mix and match. For new plantings, we use the following procedures:

for 1/gallon, we use not one BUT TWO 1/2 gallon emitters on opposite sides of the plants; for 5/gallons, we use two 1/gallon emitters; and for 15/gallons, we use two 2/gallon emitters. Without giving into attitude here, I cannot tell you how many jobs we have redone with one emitter per plant. Since when does the plant only grow roots and leaves on one side? Finally, we use a drip stake that goes just behind the emitter on the 1/4” drip line, keeping it off the ground and easier to view.

Lastly, and a very important step, is the programming of the timer. With lawn, we can visually see it go brown and add more water. With the plants, it is not that easy. So we need a base—an amount of time that makes sense for landscapes in general. Homeowners will tell me they water 10 to 12 minutes, just like they do the lawn. I used to be shocked at this, but now I expect it. So let’s take the mystery out of programming for drip. Just like lawn irrigation, we can quantify the amount of water we are adding to the plants. All gallon-age rating is done on an hourly basis (gph: gallons per hour). Two 1/2 gallon emitters in one hour will water one gallon of water, so 1/2 hour’s time is equivalent to 1/2 gallon of water, which is sufficient for newly planted 1/gallon plants. For 5/ gallons, the gph is two gallons. In a 1/2 hour’s time, we are applying one gallon of water, which again is sufficient for newly-planted landscape. Fifteen gallon plants figure out the same way. Now for the future, depending upon the plant selection, this setup will work for about two to three years. By the end of the second or third year, an extra 15 minutes of water will need to be added. At times, I also recommend upsizing the emitters during the fourth year. In concluding, there are more comments I can make about layout, valve selections and positioning, and length of runs, but the above tips are the heart and soul of proper drip installations.

So as always, I hope this helps and that it is not too technical. My field is definitely not “rocket science,” but there are steps, as in all fields, that must be followed to achieve the end goal. If you need help with this, do not hesitate to call. Thank you for taking the time to read. Good Gardening….

Welcome to our March issue. It is hard to believe that spring is already here. The trees and shrubs are blooming and the neighbor kids, my little friends, are playing their street games again.

Welcome to our March edition and our third and final series on preparing our yards for spring. Based upon the title, I should be talking more about the growth of lawns and plants; however, for healthy lawns and plants, irrigation is a major component. We can apply all the fertilizer we want, prune the plants, aerate our lawns, etc., but if the irrigation is not right, the results at best are fair and at worse, we have dead plants and lawns. So growth has everything to do with irrigation, and proper irrigation has everything to do with the topics we have been covering. Also please note that this is Part III; I would recommend that you read Part I and II. The articles are on my website at www.executivecareinc.com under publications or on Home Improvement & Remodeling Magazine’s website at www.HomeImprovement-Magazine.com. With that covered, let’s start.

Last month, we left two items under lawn sprinklers not covered: seals and “sinking sprinklers.” Seals are a very important part of the sprinkler, and each manufacture has its way of designing them into the sprinklers. For example, Rain Bird’s seal is incorporated into the cap of the sprinkler. If you look at a Rain Bird sprinkler, the top has a white inner ring. This is the seal, and as the “pop-up” part of the sprinkler rises, this seal prevents water from coming out. When the seal becomes aged via use and sun, it no longer seals, and water can be seen leaking out along the edge of the pop-up and seal. If not changed out, the leaking will increase to the point of becoming a small stream of water, which not only wastes water, but it prevents the pop-up from fully rising and the nozzle from watering the full distance. Toro sprinklers have their seal as a separate piece, under the cap. The cap must be removed to be able to exchange the seal. Combined with the seal is a retainer that holds the seal in place, so there are two pieces, but the rubberized one is the seal. Only if the retainer is damaged would you need to replace it; otherwise, it’s fairly permanent. The Toro seal, as the Rain Bird seal, becomes hardened through use, no longer sealing, and water can be seen coming from the base of the pop-up. Checking and exchanging seals is virtually never considered by the homeowner, mostly for a lack of awareness of how important this is to do. Seals in general last between three to five years before they need to be changed. It is a simple process requiring two channel-lock wenches—one for unscrewing the cap and one for gently holding the sprinkler body. These seals often cost the same price as buying a complete sprinkler, so if you are not close to a sprinkler store where you can buy just the seals, the box stores sell the whole sprinkler that you can dismantle and use the seal or just swap out the sprinkler.

The second item is “sinking sprinklers.” Now we know sprinklers do not literally sink, though visually it appears as such. Year after year, less of the “pop-up” portion is visible, and in some cases, this pop-up portion is only an inch or two above the lawn. At this height, it cannot water without the lawn blades interfering, blocking the spray and causing poor coverage during watering, especially a few days prior to mowing, when the lawn is the tallest. So if the sprinklers can’t “sink,” what is happening? It is called thatch. It is most prevalent in lawns that are overwatered and fed high nitrogen. It is the accumulation of dead lawn that develops below the growing portion of the lawn, causing it to rise up. When a lawn has excessive thatch, it becomes a “high-maintenance” lawn, requiring more fertilizer, more water (which adds to the problem), and more chemicals to treat because it becomes more subject to infestation and diseases. Also it requires the lifting of the sprinklers by adding extension risers and couplers. So what can be done? For the lawn to get to this point, it required several years of overwatering and high nitrogen. Getting back to an acceptable thatch level of one-half inch or less will require several years of purposeful care. Rental yards have what is called a “dethatcher,” which is comprised of tiny little blades (not sharp) that spin at a high speed, “beating up” the lawn, and thereby pulling out the dead lawn matter from the base. If you can imagine a high-powered electrical rake, it is much like that. And because of the violent action that is used, thatch reduction must be done over a period of time, allowing the lawn to recuperate and heal itself. The best time to do this is early spring and early fall. About two weeks prior to dethatching, apply a moderate amount of 15-15-15 fertilizer (leaves/roots/cell structure is to what each number corresponds). Apply the fertilizer moderately, remembering that overdoing the fertilizer was one of the contributors to this problem. You can expect that each time the lawn is dethatched, between one-fourth inch to one-half inch of dead-lawn matter will be removed. If the thatch is one and one-half inches tall, it will require two to three separate attempts to remove it. If you use pre-emergent to control lawn weeds, apply this after dethatching. Once the thatch has been reduced, you will find the lawn returning to a healthy state and will be easier to mow and to maintain.

This concludes our lawn-care tips. As always, I hope I have helped. If you need assistance in implementing these tips or any of the tips mentioned in the prior articles, please do not hesitate to call. We are becoming busy, so call sooner rather than later. Currently, we are about three to four weeks out, but if you can wait, we will fit you in.

Thank you and Good Gardening!

Thank you for coming to Part II for both previous articles, The Giving of Grace and The Gift that Heals.

This article, Heaven’s Hope, Grace Unmeasured, as the other two, are written from the desire to heal wounds and help relationships. Having said that, there is one relationship that is paramount to all relationships and that is the relationship that God wants to have with us. To some this is common knowledge; to others this may be the first time hearing this and, undoubtedly, it raises questions. I will seek to answer those questions throughout the context of writing this. However, I have a question for you. Do you know God, and if you answer yes, by what means? On what truth rests your confidence, or what evidence gives you the assurance that you know the LORD? Now before I am misunderstood, I want to give some clarification. I am not challenging or trying to be confrontational. My goal is that by the end of this writing, there will be a clear Biblical answer to this question, so that there is no doubt that you know the LORD, and if you don’t know Him, that you clearly know the steps to take. That is my direction; that is my goal. Now to achieve that goal, I will step on some toes, lovingly so, but I will. Part of the reason for “stepping on some toes” is the truth of God and how to know Him is so misrepresented in our culture, that what I say may contradict a personal belief. So with that as an introduction, let’s start.

Christianity is viewed by many as divisive. That the “one way” message excludes many people, and if God was truly a God of Love, why would He set up a system of faith that was so narrow-minded? Right, is that not what people think, or maybe you think that? So do you want to know the answer? It depends on your perspective. Let me explain. It is just like looking through binoculars. If you look through them correctly, everything looks closer, more in focus. However, if you turn the binoculars around, everything looks extremely far, but it’s the same instrument being used. So why is that? Well it is a matter of your perspective, or understanding, on how to correctly use the binoculars. There is one way to correctly view through them, and the correct way even supersedes our natural vision’s capabilities. Christianity is identical. The “heart” of Christianity is not about doing good, or following a set of rules, but it is all about a relationship, and to understand that requires a specific “focus” or view. Here’s another example. We all have had, or have young children, or remember when we were one, although it might seem decades ago. When our girls were very young, we lived in a townhome with a very small front yard. The back was always shady, so much of the play occurred out front. However, the front was so small, that it took no time before the girls were out in the street playing. Problem with that is our street was busy. So Lisa or myself, or both, were always pulling the girls back unto the lawn, much to their frustration and the disappointment of their little friends. They had not the maturity or foresight to perceive the danger of playing in the street. To them, we were being “one way” in our determination of where they could play. So these are two simple analogies of a much more complex truth. However, they support my earlier statement: it depends on your perspective.

So clearly, we have two perspectives, or two roads, to introduce another analogy: God’s and ours. The first is the road God invites us to travel. The second is the road we choose for ourselves. Even for the best of us, the most moral of us, the two roads go in opposite directions. God’s road is one that includes Him in your life. He is driving the car of your soul and you are the passenger, verses you driving the car of your soul, making your own decisions, facing your fears alone, etc. The big problem with driving our own car, and I am bypassing a lot of theology to make this point, is that no matter how well we drive and which roads we select, we can never drive or always choose the right roads. We will take wrong turns, speed, get into accidents, cut people off, etc. In other words, spiritually speaking now, we fall short. To drive perfectly is to “live perfectly” and none of us meet that criterion. Yet the LORD is perfect (Holy) and hence our lives can never be in “agreement” with His.

Holiness is a hard concept to grasp; there are no examples, but internally I think we understand. The only word picture I know for Holiness is the red hot coals of a fire. If you have camped, had a fire in the fireplace, or even better yet, had a fire insert, you are able to see the very center of the fire—the fire that comes off the coals, which is pure and extremely hot and has no smoke associated with it. The coals are so hot that the impurities have already been consumed: utterly pure and utterly untouchable. If I were to ask you to pick up a red hot coal with your bare hands and bring it to me, you would say I am crazy! Who would do that? Yet God is like those red hot coals and more so. His Holiness is beyond comprehension. If we will not grab a red hot coal, something of this earth, what makes us think we can stand justified before a Holy God with nothing but our own efforts representing us? We are blinded by our ways, our perspective of God is off because we are unable to comprehend the Holiness of God.

I do not believe I will be challenged if I say that we are not perfect. Even with our limited understanding and definition of the word perfect, none of us would stand and say, “Look at me; I am an example of perfection.” We are not perfect. We all have faults, shortcomings, and regrets for past actions. To be human is to be faulty, but GOD is not. He is without fault, for He is HOLY. Now I know some of you may not believe in GOD, and I am not going to try to prove His existence to you. But I will say this. When you see a painting, you acknowledge a painter; when you see a nice landscape, you acknowledge a landscaper. But what do you acknowledge when you see all of creation, something so vast and much greater than what the hand of man can do, from the beautiful diversity of fish and coral in the oceans, to the mountain tops with beautiful flora so delicate and yet living in such a harsh environment? Creation speaks of a Creator.

The LORD says of Himself in Isaiah 55, verses 8 and 9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Just as we have a generational gap between age groups, we have a spiritual gap between us and a Holy God. What is the solution? Is there one? And here begins the main point of Heaven’s Hope, Grace Unmeasured. As mentioned earlier, Christianity is seen as divisive with its “one way” doctrine. Again, it depends from which side of heaven you are looking. In Isaiah 1, verse 18, God says, “Come now, let us reason together says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool.” And in John 3, verses 16 and 17, it says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever would believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” So how is it that Christianity has become a religion viewed as divisive, when from God’s perspective He is reaching out through Christ to save us?

So, is Jesus Christ the bridge between a Holy God and sinful man? Is it He who “fills” the spiritual gap of our imperfection so that we can be one with God, granting us a presence before a Holy God? Is it possible? In 2 Corinthians 5, verses 14-21, we find very enlightening scriptures. I will share versus 17-19 but encourage you to go back and read all the scriptures, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” And in verse 21, “God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Did you catch that, “that in him we might become the righteousness of God”? That is amazing! It is not about me, my works, or my faulty life and attempts to be good. I do not have to fear the Holy Fire of Righteousness. I do not stand alone before a Holy and Righteous God. I have an Advocate, a “Holy Buffer.” Because of what He did for me on the Cross and because I came to agreement with Him about my sins, receiving His forgiveness, I have standing before God. It is important to understand that Holiness demands righteousness by the very definition of Holiness. That cannot be changed. But God also is loving and is seeking a relationship with us, so He has provided an atonement, a provision for man to be forgiven. Christ is that provision of righteousness for me. I become a new creation! I am united back to God to live in peace. The Greek definition of peace (the original language of the New Testament) means “to set at one again,” as something broken, or broken off, that has been set back in place. Divisive may be the name that those of us who are seeking our own way would call Christianity, but for those who come under its shelter and are restored back into relationship with a loving Father, sins forgiven and peace within, UNITY would be a far better word.

I would like to end with a poem of sorts, which I wrote the other day as I was contemplating this article. The poem is simply entitled Adoption:

Adoption

We are orphans, raised on the streets
We steal for a living, fight to survive
Adoption became a road, an offering by a King, something I didn’t understand
But it represented food, shelter, and a permanent home
The King paid my debts, made right my wrongs,
He gave me a new name, nice clothes to wear, and freedom from hunger and fear.
One day I was a street orphan, next day I was heir to a Throne
How is that possible? How can such a transformation occur?
It is the King’s doing, nothing of my own
Just my willingness to accept His offer, come to agreement, and acknowledge my need
Inside me, I sense a light, something not of me—a quiet peace and encourager
Yet, I still sense much of me: bad habits, self-willed thoughts, consistent wrong actions
These all still lie present within me. How do I change?
I must spend time with the King, hear His words and allow them to settle inside me
I must read His writings, store them up in me, and watch how He acts
By abiding in Him, slowly change will occur,
By His Grace, Forgiveness, and Kindness, I will change
I have hope of a better me and a better life.

The Hope of Heaven is that we come to know the LORD through Jesus Christ, and in relationship with Him, there is Grace Unmeasured for the journey we will travel. So let’s do it, not by our strength, not by good works, but by learning of our Savior through reading the Bible, praying, and attending a church that teaches the scriptures, worships, and models prayer for us. As I like to say, the Teacher is always teaching; just show up for class with a humble heart and a readied mind, and Truth will enter your soul and change will occur. It is His doing and your willingness to participate. Amen.

If this has touched you, I would like to know. Please send me an email at arthur@executivecareinc.com and let me know of your decision. I will contact you.

Wishing God’s Blessings to all of you.

During this Christmas season, instead of discussing landscaping, I am excited to have the opportunity to talk with you about The Giving Of Grace and how it relates to the person inside of us, our Soul, who makes us who we are. The Giving of Grace is so important, yet so neglected, in the hurried lives we live.

In our lives, we fulfill many roles: parent, spouse, manager, fellow employee, neighbor, etc. What defines us is the way we respond to these roles. We are constantly being observed and people get to know us via this medium. We touch lives every day and develop relationships that we value. It is so important that these relationships are positive in nature. However, as you are well aware, conflict is an unfortunate reality. But what causes conflict? Is there a way we can minimize it? Continue reading ‘Dec 2011 The Giving of Grace’

Welcome to our September edition, and our continued discussion of this landscape theme. Last month we discussed the concept of the design, how it came from three basic areas; the client’s needs, what I felt would be beneficial based on their needs, and the space we had to work with. These three thoughts, though very basic, are the foundation of all our designs. From here comes putting an “identity” to these thoughts/needs, or in other words a landscape design. Following the design, is the execution, the building or construction phase and that is what we reviewed last month. If you would like to learn or read about this phase, it is available on our website under “publications” or Home Improvement & Remodeling Magazine’s website, but for this article – let’s talk plants.

I have mentioned this before, but it is worth re-mentioning, as a landscaper, I see many yards, meet new friends (one of the best parts of my job) and see what has been built/landscaped prior to me. In some cases, the hardscapes are very elaborate, yet for the most part they are minimally used; and I see why, the landscape is non-inviting, rather boring and generic. The two must complement each other to have a yard that is both functional, via the hardscape, and inviting, via the landscape. In the design shown, we could have built the hardscape exactly as you see it, selected some very ordinary plants, and the outcome would have been completely different, plain and non- inviting. So when the two, hardscape and softscape, are “married,” they must each support one another.

Recently I spoke to the client of this landscape. She shared with me what a pleasant evening her girlfriend and her enjoyed recently while sitting out on the patio visiting and viewing the landscape. The evenings are usually so pleasant here, and with the night lighting the yard can be enjoyed for hours. So what are the plants that work for this theme? Well some you will know, Dwarf Gardenias, Ferns, Hydrangeas, Camellias, and Japanese Maples etc. are some of the most recognizable varieties, but there are others that are not as well known; Daphnes, Carex, Huecheras, Thujas and Viburnums are some that are not widely known or used. It is the combination of these, knowing their maturing heights and how and where to place them that makes for an attractive garden. Placing them too close or too far apart, or next to another plant that will outgrow them and eventually hide them from view does not work. So variety is very good, and knowing how to use them together is even better. So some studying is necessary to understand the heights, widths and sun tolerances of the plants, whether they are evergreen or deciduous, and what they have to offer in foliage color, texture, flower and when they flower etc. Some knowledge can be booked learned, but most is experience, or if you’re a “do it yourselfer”, trial and error. One of the great benefits of my working in wholesale nurseries for many years is the exposure to a wide variety of plants and their growth habits. A good place for you to start is at a retail nursery. You can read the description tags, view the plants and learn if that particular plant would work for your situation. That is how I started, except I started on a six hundred acre nursery of what seemed to me at the time like a “billion” plants; with my plant book, taking notes and pictures as I walked. It was a great education.

Last point I want to make deals with landscaping slopes. Remember that water runs down hill. Ok, so is that your point you say? Nothing new with that; however, in translating that over to landscaping means that your plants at the bottom of the slope need to like water, or tolerate wetter roots, or you will be constantly replacing plants. As with this landscape, the slope did not end with the plants. The lawn begins below the plants mid way down the slope and continues to the bottom of the slope – so I was not concerned with wet soil, but I mentioned it for your sake. Also read Plant Talk to learn of a couple such plants that can handle wetter roots.

Next month we will look at a full sun, Northern California landscape, it will be interesting and fun to see the transformation.
Until next time – Good Gardening.

Plant Talk

This month we will discuss two plants that can tolerate wetter roots. A “normal plant”, once established, does best when it is watered thoroughly and then has a drying period where the soil goes from wet to semi moist. At the base of a hill, the opportunity to become semi-moist never happens. It is always wetter at the base of the hill. Knowledge of plants that actually can live in wetter soils is essential when choosing plants. Two such plants, are Agapanthus Elaine and Acorus Ogon. Agapanthus Elaine is a much better choice over the over planted

Agapanthus Africanus that grows to 2’ feet, and its other relatives, Queen Anne a medium grower to 12” inches, and Peter Pan the smallest of the family, growing to 8” inches or less. Elaine grows in height similar to Queen Anne, but unlike Queen Anne with its pale blue flower, it has beautiful dark purple flowers. In early morning or evening light it almost looks fluorescent. It blooms later than its boring relatives, blooming from about mid to late July, and going through August with a multiple of stems filled with blooms. It’s claim to fame is that it is so easy to use, virtually even “black thumbs” can’t kill this plant. It will grow in full sun, among normal plants, it will grow in wet surroundings, and it will grow in filtered light. Aside from this, another very important quality of this plant is its ability to live in the shade till about 2:30 pm, and then receive the hot afternoon sun without burning. There are only a handful of plants that can do this. I shared with you one last month, Cornus Elegantissima Alba – Coral Bark Dogwood.

Our next water lover is Acorus Ogon, it loves wetness and can even grow in water. Its common name is Japanese Sweet Flag, and the yellow variegated foliage adds color in shade gardens. If you notice the most common shade plants are just green. There are not a lot of plants that have other foliage colors, so this one is a welcomed addition. It does not like the afternoon sun, it will burn. It requires filtered, in-direct sun, especially in the summer. There are some plantings of these along East Roseville Parkway and I cannot for the life of me understand why this plant was selected? So use it in your shade garden, and it is a super nice addition to Asian themes. Blessings

Welcome to summer – it finally arrived, and to our July edition. So far in our series we have covered two themes: the Asian Theme and the Mediterranean Theme. In discussing both themes, we have followed a similar procedure in discussing hardscape/structure in the first edition, and then plants in the second. By taking two months to discuss each design theme and their challenges, we have been able to show more pictures of the same yard, giving you a better “look” at the theme in discussion. In reviewing the past two themes, for the Asian Theme’s second part (March 2011) I switched over to a smaller yard. I wanted to show you that a theme is determined more by selection of hardscape and plants, than defined by space. Continue reading ‘July: Beauty’

Welcome to our June edition, and our continued discussion on the Mediterranean Theme. In May we addressed some of the construction concerns we had with this project, as well as the concerns of the client. Access, a commonly shared concern for all sloped landscapes, and the phase of the project that represents the greatest effort, was achieved by using stone treads as steps and pressure treated wood with 2” galvanized posts as the retaining wall, which in turn framed out the walk. For more discussion of this phase, please see last month’s article under publications on my website (or Home Improvement’s website). Continue reading ‘June:Design Challenges Part V’