Once again the word drought is coming to the forefront of the news. With potential water rationing on the horizon, gardeners with existing landscapes have a number of different ways to become waterwise without losing their landscape investment. It may seem like a daunting task, but it's not nearly as difficult to keep your plants looking lush and green during periods of water restrictions as one might think.

• First off, consider converting your overhead irrigation to drip irrigation for all non-lawn areas, if you haven't already done so. This concentrates the water where it needs to be (around the plant root ball) while eliminating excess runoff and evaporation.
• Water early in the morning when the temperatures are cooler and the sun isn't as intense. Thus, more water will penetrate your plants instead of evaporating into the air. The best time is between 4:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.
• When hand watering, make sure to place your nozzle near the base of the plant instead of above the plant, where water is wasted wetting the foliage.
• Water lawns more deeply instead of more frequently when it gets hotter. You should have your timers set to water only until your lawn reaches the point of runoff. After that no additional water can be absorbed. Most lawns in full sun should be watered everyday to twice a day for 5 minutes in order to keep their root system moist -- see the article -- “Lawn Watering in HOT weather”. They may not look as good but they will survive. Deeper watering encourages the roots to go down further to chase the water, which results in less heat stress on the roots.
• Raise the mowing height on your mower. Taller grass cools and shelters the roots below, helping to reduce the need for more frequent watering.
• Add a granulated soil conditioner, such as Soil Moist, to the lawn to help break up compacted soil particles and aerate your soil, allowing roots to penetrate deeper into the soil. This also helps the lawn become more resistant to pests, disease and weeds.
• Cover open areas around plants and trees with a two-inch layer of mulch to help reduce evaporation, keep the soil moist and cool, and prevent weeds.
• Make sure to pull weeds as needed to reduce competition for water, and feed your garden at least quarterly to help your plants stay healthy and strong. Use a plant food with lower, slow-release nitrogen to prevent rampant, soft, fleshy new growth that uses lots of water.
• Add a granulated soil polymer to potting soil when planting in containers. It expands when watered, holding water in the soil longer.
• Leave a two-inch space between the top of the soil and the rim of your container so that there is enough room for holding water without it flowing down the sides of your pot. Place a layer of mulch or bark on top of the soil to help retain moisture.

If you follow these garden tips year-round, every year--not just in a drought year--your garden will not only survive a drought situation, but also use less water, which could help reduce future droughts.

When the word 'xeriscape' is mentioned, many people think of cactus and sand (as in the picture above) - or rock gardens with a few lonely plants scattered about. Mind you, both cactus gardens and rock gardens can be be quite attractive. But many people think that those are what xeriscaping involves. That is a false impression. You can have a landscape that is fully planted, colorful - and water-conserving. Nor do you necessarily have to have only drought-tolerant plants. The idea is to reduce overall water use by grouping plants with similar needs together - so you can have one area that uses more water than the environment naturally provides and another area where you need no extra water at all.

Advantages of Xeriscape

• Water saving: Using native and other drought-tolerant plants can significantly reduce water use.
• Money saving: Reducing water use can lower your water bill. Xeriscaping can also reduce maintenance costs - while adding to the beauty and value of your property.
• Time saving: Xeriscape landscaping can significantly reduce the time you spend watering, fertilizing and mowing. (Buy a hammock - you'll have more time to use it.)
• No worries: It's nice to be able to go on vacation for a few weeks and know your plants will still be alive when you return.

A Bit of History:

Early in 1981, the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) and Denver Water formed a cooperative task force on water conservation. Nancy Leavitt, an Environmental Planner for Denver Water, created the word Xeriscape during a group brainstorming session. The task force came up with the original definition of Xeriscape as "Water Conservation Through Creative Landscaping" and the seven simple principles by early 1982.

The seven principles are:

• Planning and Design for water conservation and beauty from the start.
• Create Practical Turf Areas of manageable size and shape, and appropriate grasses.
• Select Low Water Requiring Plants and group plants of similar water needs together. Then experiment to determine how much and how often to water the plants.
• Use Soil Amendments as needed by the site and the type of plants used (we recommend using Kellogg's Gromulch or Cocoa Mulch for most situations).
• Use Mulches, such as Kellogg Gromulch, and Kellogg's Xerimulch to reduce evaporation and to keep the soil cool.
• Irrigate Efficiently with properly designed systems - and by applying the right amount of water at the right time.
• Maintain the Landscape Properly by mowing, weeding, pruning and fertilizing properly.

If you've just moved in to a new place and want a whole new landscape, consider xeriscape. We'd advise you, in that situation, to hire a professional landscaper to help you design the landscape - and to do the hard work for you. Doing a whole landscape at once is too much for most individuals. But you can use the 'bit by bit' approach or a simple substitution approach, and move your landscape gradually to xeriscape.

Maybe you have a problem area where it's difficult to keep your plants growing well, or an area that is difficult to irrigate. Perhaps you have an area of lawn that is difficult to mow or keep green. These are the types of areas to look at as candidates for starting a xeriscape landscape.

One of the major things to look at when xeriscaping is, "Can I get rid of some of that lawn?" Out of all the things we grow in our yards, turf is probably the biggest overall water-user. If you live in an area with a homeowner's association that requires you to have a certain percentage of lawn, at least make your long-term plans to get the lawn down to the minimal acceptable percentage (or try to get the rule changed).

When planning a xeriscaped area, keep in mind that curves are more natural (and easier to mow around) than sharp angles. Also look at the soil type, the amount of sun or shade, the elevation and ease of access.

Do you have some plants that do well in that area, even if neglected? Those may be good candidates for xeriscaping in that particular micro-climate in your yard. Remove, or move, plants that are not doing well and amend the soil before planting any new plants. Then mulch, and mulch, and mulch some more.

Keep in mind that even native and 'adapted' plants for our area will need extra water when first planted, until established. Once established, however, they will need much less maintenance than other areas.

We predict that, once you start, you may well continue until your whole yard (or as much as possible) is xeriscaped. You can then lie in your hammock, sipping a cool drink on those hot summer days, and watch your neighbors sweating over their vast expanses of turf.

White grubs are damaging pests that begin invading lawns in early spring and again in summer. Grubs do their damage below ground, so the problem often goes undetected until too late. Beetle grubs can turn a fine looking lawn into a patchwork quilt of yellow spots. In addition, birds and other animals will often start digging up your lawn looking for the tasty grubs to feed on.

The grubs are actually larvae of beetles and other insects; most are C-shaped and off-white with a dark head.

There are several types of grubs that are capable of damaging lawns, with two life cycles in a year. When you have grubs, the damaged areas of grass can be easily lifted and many times the grubs can be seen feeding on the edge of the healthy grass in the damaged area.

Natural controls include beneficial nematodes or milky spore (a disease that specifically attacks Japanese beetle grubs), although it takes a number of applications for milky spore to become established in lawns. It's an excellent long-term solution, but doesn't help much right now.

There are chemical products that are very effective for a grub problem, but only at certain times of year.

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Are you considering a new landscape for next year? If you're tired of your old garden look or have a brand new yard that needs landscaping, consider our team for all of your design and installation needs.

Green Arrow Nursery Consultants are experts in landscape design. We know which plants grow well in our area, and our design team is knowledgeable in all of the latest plant introductions and landscape techniques.

We work with you to design and create a look that is unique for you and truly reflects your needs and desires. But many people make the mistake of contacting us in late spring when we are already booked up for most of the year. It takes time to design a landscape plan for your home, so we invite you to plan ahead and let us design your landscape plan now so we can add you to our work schedule.

Give us a call today at (818)894-8306. We're here to make sure all of your garden dreams come true!

Grasshoppers are among the most difficult insect pests to manage in the garden. When numbers are low, they can be hand-picked and squashed. Floating row covers and other protective covers provide some protection if their numbers are not high. However, grasshoppers will eat through cloth or plastic row covers if they are hungry enough.

Most grasshoppers are general feeders, but they prefer young, green plants, especially lettuce, beans, corn, carrots, onions, and some annual flowers. Grasshoppers do their damage by chewing and can remove large sections of leaves and flowers in one sitting, sometimes devouring an entire plant. An odd grasshopper here and there is nothing to be alarmed about, but should you face a full invasion, there are some steps you can take to combat this destructive pest.

The best way to control grasshoppers is to apply a bait containing carbaryl around the borders of your garden. Make sure to re-apply baits after any period of rain. For non-edible plants, you can also use a spray directly on the plants. It usually helps to do a repeat spray every couple of weeks until they leave your garden. Make sure to spray late in the evening or early morning when bee activity is lower; you don't want to kill our important pollinators.

No doubt you're seeing these riotous shrubs and small trees in bloom right now! Sunny and hot will continue to be the forecast over the next couple months.

Some plants (and people!) grow weary and stressed when high temperatures persist day after day. Crape myrtles, on the other hand, thrive under these conditions, making them valuable flowering shrubs or small trees in the landscape. Whether trained as standard or multi-trunk trees, Crape myrtles make beautiful specimen or accent plants. Showy crinkled flowers are abundant throughout summer, with colors ranging from the reds to pinks, purples, and white. These gorgeous shrubs are wonderful in any sunny spot where summer color is needed.

For desired size and shape, prune in early spring. Don't worry too much about your pruning skills, as crape myrtles bloom on new wood. However, it is important to deadhead as blossoms fade in order to encourage continuous bloom. Crape myrtles are long-lived, drought tolerant and relatively pest free, although sometimes aphids and powdery mildew can be a problem. The handsome bark and fall leaf color just add to an already stunning plant!

Enjoy the show!