Winter Landscaping
How to Make a Poinsettia Last Longer
Poinsettias come in a wide range of colors. You can find reds, marbles, whites, and even pinks. Whichever color you choose, the care is the same for a long lasting poinsettia. 1) The actual flower of a poinsettia is directly in the center. The leaves, the colored portions, are actually leaves that have colored up. They…
Read MoreDecorative, Perennial and Delicious! Two Perfect Vegetables for Winter Planting
Do the words “winter” and “garden” ever cross your mind? Asparagus and Artichoke are perfect for winter planting, and once established, are a long term relationship that will keep giving… With the right care, they will produce delicious vegetables for years to come! Read on for tips on planting and caring for these perennial beauties…
Read MoreBest of List: Winter Landscaping Tips for the Bay Area
Proactive winter gardening and landscaping in the San Jose, Santa Clara, and surrounding Bay Area, California, requires taking care of gardening tasks that are of extreme importance to keep your annuals, perennials, biennials, and lawns, safe from winter damage. We may have a mediterranean climate that isn’t exactly synonymous with winter plant protection that, for…
Read MorePruning 101: Step-By-Step Winter Rosebush Care
In the San Jose and surrounding Bay Area, roses never really go dormant, as our climate is mild. However, roses do rest and this is a very similar and vital process to their longevity and health. You may feel a strong urge to do something to rose bushes right after they have stopped blooming. Stop!…
Read MoreAmazing Benefits of Mulching Flower Beds
You’re not just mulching a flower bed for aesthetics. It may make the flower beds look pretty, but mulching has great benefits! Stop pulling weeds Ever wonder why a bare patch of soil loves to grow weeds? That’s just mother nature protecting her soil from blowing or washing away. Mulching is a chore that will…
Read MorePruning During Frost Season? Stop!
It’s officially winter and many of us are off from work, kicking back, relaxing with some egg nog and sleeping off the holiday meals. But for us gardeners, there is one very important task you can’t skip over during your “off” time. We are talking about FROST. A cold hard frost can be devastating to…
Read MoreIs it a Garden Snail? Or is it a Garden Slug?
Our January climate brings cool, wet weather which provides perfect conditions for slugs and snails to attack our gardens! Snails and slugs feed on the leaves of many plants. They also eat ripening fruits and vegetables (they aren’t picky, slugs and snails like the leaves and fruits of a wide range of crops such as…
Read MoreHow To Organically Control Snails and Slugs in the Garden
A typical San Jose January brings cool, wet weather which provides perfect conditions for slugs and snails to attack your gardens – and they are especially damaging in shady gardens. The severity of the damage from snails and slugs could really depend on the type of slug or snail that you are dealing with. Be…
Read MoreThere’s A Big Pay-off to Planting Summer Bulbs Now
It’s the most wonderful time, of the year! As we hang mistletoe, place our perfectly bright red poinsettias around the hearth, and fill the home with the sweet aroma of holiday dishes, we are also thinking of another important holiday tradition – planting summer bulbs! Wait? What? Planting summer bulbs?! Gardeners across the US baffle…
Read MoreClean Gutters Before They Clean Out Your Bank Account
Gutters. They are out of sight, and out of mind. Unlike major aesthetic parts of your home – a large outdoor fire pit, for example – gutters are a part of the house that most people don’t spend much time thinking about or looking at. The problem is that, much like a healthy heart, things…
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