Aesthetic Gardens » Landscaping

Growing a Water Wise Garden

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:51:08 +0000

Whether you are in the process of doing some landscaping in your garden or planning a complete redesign of your garden, one of the things that you should keep in mind is the regional water restriction that have been active in California for the past three years. As a landscaper I am constantly trying to advise my clients on making the correct choices of plants that do not require tons of water and also on how to optimise a garden so that it needs as little water as possible.

One of the best ways to go about this is to look at the plants, trees, flowers and shrubs that are local to your specific area. Being in California, you might worry that this may limit you considerably. Not true! At Aesthetic Gardens my team and I can help you find a surprisingly wide variety of trees, plants, shrubs and flowers that have adapted them to the specific weather and water conditions of our region.

So lets get down to business. There are various things that you can do in your garden listed here in no particular order:

As I mentioned already, use plants that are suited to the conditions of your specific location. Do research or get a landscaping company like us to do the planning and layout for you.
Be inventive. Making use of features such as rocks or weather suited ground cover (like lavender) you can keep bigger areas of your garden in permanent shade. What this does is to lower the soil temperature. When this happens, the soil will retain the water for longer, meaning the plants that you have in your garden has more time to absorb the water. Which brings us to the next point.
Plant trees. The common belief is that trees use up tons of water. But if you select carefully, or follow the advise of a landscaper, and pick the correct trees for this area, that statement will not be true. Trees in turn will provide plenty of shade, allowing again for the soil temperature to stay cooler. The shade that the trees will provide also creates an ideal place to plant certain flowers and plants that love the shade. The will be protected from harsh sunlight and use the minimum amount of water because of the cooled soil.
Plan your watering times. In my opinion the best time to do watering is early evening just before sunset. This allows the air to cool down naturally, which in turn will cool down the soil. And again, very importantly, the water will stay in the soil for longer, allowing the plants to absorb the maximum amounts.
Water according to instructions. Most plants do not need to be watered every day and by planning well and making sure that you have understand the instructions you should be able to cut down on water usage.
Keep your soil happy. As time passes, soil will compact and your plants will use up all of the minerals it needs from it. Being compact will also allow it to hold only a certain amount of water and the excess will drain quicker than what the plants can us it. Make use of fertilizer and compost as prescribed by a professional such as myself.
Mulch. Mulch. Mulch. I can not say this enough. By adding mulch to cover the soil at the base of your plant you are not only creating a superb looking visual effect but also taking care of your soil. The mulch will again keep the soil temperature low on warm days but also allows for much better water absorption.

And lastly but importantly, always consult a professional when you are in doubt. If you have any questions, ideas or suggestions relating to this post then please feel free to leave you comments below. I am always keen to help where I can and even more keen to learn new things.

Garden Combination

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 19:54:33 +0000

Planting a garden is very rewarding. The process of picking out the flowers, preparing the soil, watching your garden bloom, all is a wonderful way to spend your time.

What can be frustrating is deciding what plants to plant. There are so many combinations to choose from, and all of them so lovely.

Below is a wonderful combination, perfect for container gardening or planting in the ground.

1.) La Bella Pink Snapdragon
2.) Sonnet Pink Snapdragon
3.) Delta True Blue Pansy
4.) Delta Light Blue Pansy
5.) Whisper White Diascia
6.) Snowtopia White Bacopa

Watering Your Garden

admin — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:47:29 +0000

There are many things to consider when taking care of a garden, but none quite so important as how when your garden is watered. The manner in which this is performed over the long term can be the difference between using too much water, increasing the chance of fungal diseases, and lowering your garden potential as far as crop and or blooms. So, you might ask, how do I water my plants and not run into all these problems?

Netafim was founded in 1965. Technology aimed at lowering the amount of water necessary to grow the plants in your garden. The Netafim system consists of flexible polyethylene tubing with drippers permanently welded to the tubing’s wall. Water and nutrients is slowly released into the soil under low pressure at the root level.

When we water our gardens with a hose or sprinklers, much of the water can evaporate off, even more so when we water while the sun is out. But who wants to water at night? Netafim does. Not only will Netafim save you time, this method of delivery water to your plants will serve to increase your control of your garden, lowering the chances of fungal diseases, and benefit the quality of what you’re growing. You can use up to 50% less water than you would normally use to maintain your garden. With time, energy, water, and fertilization costs minimized, Netafim offers a whole new way of serving your garden’s varying needs.

Aesthetic Gardens proudly serves their customers with Netafim irrigation.

Fragrant Gardening

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:29:54 +0000

Gardening comes in so many varieties. There is plethora of ways to choose how to plant, when to plant it, where to plant, and what to plant with. On top of that, everyone has their own preferences, and their own limitations. This blog for instance is limited in space, so we are only going to talk about fragrant gardens.

Below is a list of different flowering plants that have a fragrance. Gardens are often lacking this sometimes assumed quality. Be sure to check your zone requirements while choosing your favorites. Some flowers have their preferred growing locations.

Annuals:

1-Evening stock (M. longipetala)
2-Flowering tobaccos (Nicotiana alata, N. sylvestris, N. suaveolens)
3-Four-o’clock (Mirabilis jalapa and M. longiflora)
4-Fragrant amaryllis (Clidanthus fragrans)
5-Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens
6-Mignonette (Reseda odorata
7-Night phlox (Zaluzianskya ovata )
8-Peruvian daffodil (Hymenocallis species)
9-Petunia (Petunia).
10-Stock (Matthiola incana)
11-Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
12-Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa)
13-Virginian stock (Malcolmia maritima)
14-Wallflowers (Erysimum asperum [biennial] and E. perofskianum)

Roses:

1-Double Delight
2-Elle
3-4th of July
4-Honey Perfume
5-Memorial Day
6-Midas Touch
7-Mr. Lincoln
8-Scentimental
9-Sheer Bliss
10-Sun Sprinkles

Perennials:

1-Achillea
2-Alyssum
3-Cardiocrinum
4-Clematis
5-Euphorbia
6-Hemerocallis
7-Lavandula
8-Malva
9-Origanum
10-Polemonium
11-Rosmarinus
12-Salvia
13-Tiarella

Native Plant Guide

admin — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:26:52 +0000

The time and cost required by your garden can and often does determine the level of quality our plants will produce. So many of us love to enjoy a beautiful landscape and yet at the same time we are left without the time and money needed to attain a lovely yard.

Taking advantage of the benefits of native plants is a simple way to cut the necessary time required by your garden and the amount of money you could spend on water and other needs your garden requires. Native plants need less attention because they grow naturally in their given climate. They are already accustomed to ground conditions and thrive with little extra attention required.

The following websites are helpful resources to determine what is native to your area.

http://www.plantnative.org/index.htm

http://www.wildflower.org/collections/

Several states have native plant societies. Search “native plant society” to locate one on a search engine.

Below are a few.

Santa Clara County-CA

http://www.cnps-scv.org/

Santa Cruz-CA

http://www.cruzcnps.org/

California

http://www.cnps.org/

Oregon

http://www.npsoregon.org/

Utah

http://www.unps.org/index.html

New Mexico

http://npsnm.unm.edu/

Nevada

http://heritage.nv.gov/nnps.htm

Arizona

http://www.aznps.com/

Monochromatic Gardening

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 05:25:52 +0000

Gardens are grown to be enjoyed, whether by animals, creepy crawlies, or you, the gardener. But the planning process, and all the decisions that go along with making a garden pleasant to enjoy are not always easy.

One way to simplify this process is to garden monochromatically. Each section of your garden, or your entire garden, would represent a color of your choosing. This will limit your choice of plants and flowers immediately, making your decisions come that much quicker, so you can start enjoying garden.

Below are some monochromatic flower color schemes to get you started.

Yellow/Orange
Begonia
Bidens
Calendula
Coreopis
Gazania
Marigold
Marguerite daisy
Mimulus
Nasturtium
Straw Flower
Zinnia

Reds
Begonia
Geranium
Nasturtium
Verbena
Dahlia
Impatiens
Petunia
Zinnia

Purple/Pink
Ageratum
Heliotrope
Lobelia
Nicotiana
Phlox
Stock
Zinnia
Marguerite
Impatiens
Nasturtium
Petunia
Scaevola
Verbena

White

Begonia
Gazania
Impatiens
Marguerite Daisy
Nicotiana
Lobelia
Petunia
Phlox
Stock
Sweet Alyssum
Zinnia

Landscape Design and Fertigation: Why you should consider fertigation for your home and garden.

admin — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:33:37 +0000

Watering and fertilizing your yard can be time consuming and costly. But at the same time both are key to the success of your garden. Could you take care of both while lowering your costs and cutting out the necessary time involved.

Residential and Commercial Fertigation

With fertigation the answer is yes. Fertigation combines the words irrigation and fertilization, and refers to a process which combines irrigation and fertilization into one system. With a Netafim underground drip irrigation system, discussed in our previous post, the watering and fertilizing of your yard can be done simultaneously during each irrigation cycle. You also have the option of having an organic insecticide dispensed at the same time.

With a fertigation system installed you have no need for a lawn fertilization service, or a insect control service. As a bonus, fertilizer and insecticide can all be done organically, which makes it safe for people and pets. The system will not be broken by foot traffic or lawn mowers because it is below the surface. With an automated system in place you save time for yourself or someone you would pay, and no product is wasted. Just what is needed is fed to your yard.

Call Aesthtic Gardens today to arrange for a residential fertigation install today.

Netafim Underground, Drip Irrigation for Your Lawn.

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:39:21 +0000

Netafim was founded in 1965. Technology aimed at lowering the amount of water necessary to grow the plants in your garden. The Netafim system consists of flexible polyethylene tubing with drippers permanently welded to the tubing’s wall. Water and nutrients is slowly released into the soil under low pressure at the root level.

When we water our gardens with a hose or sprinklers, much of the water can evaporate off, even more so when we water while the sun is out. But who wants to water at night? Netafim does. Not only will Netafim save you time, this method of delivering water to your plants will serve to increase your control of your garden, lowers the chances of fungal diseases, and increases the quality of what you’re growing. You can use up to 50% less water than you would normally use to maintain your garden. With time, enery, water, and fertilization costs minimized, Netafim offers a whole new way of serving your garden’s varying needs.

Aestetic Garden proudly serves their customers with Netafim irragation.

Landscape Design Tips: Growing A Healthy Lawn.

admin — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:18:38 +0000

One of the first things you will notice about this wonderful warm weather is how much your lawn will grow each week!

This lawn is one we installed and now oversee it’s growth to keep it looking healthy and happy.

Healthy South Bay Area Lawn

Let’s consider a few good things to do when it comes to mowing your lawn so you can have the same beautiful looking grass:

• Make sure that your blade is sharp. You want to slice the end of each blade of grass, not rip it off.
• Always change the mowing directions, with each pass. This will lessen soil compaction.
• If you have neglected your lawn and the grass is very long, just cut off the top one-third of it on the first mowing. Give it a chance to recuperate for a few days from the stress of cutting off that much at one time before mowing again. You never want to suddenly expose tender grass shoots to sun and warmth. This could set your lawns healthy growth into a tail spin.

Artistic Landscape Lighting

admin — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 00:53:20 +0000

Once you spend hard earned money with a creative landscape designer, get your garden design ideas placed onto paper and make it through the construction stage of ” controlled chaos ” , the most natural thing you then want to do with your newly created garden is to enjoy it as much as possible.

Just imagine if someone came along and said you could only enjoy your lovely new garden 50% of the time! That’s the way it is if you forget to consider artistic landscape lighting.

Artistic landscape lighting can reveal the quiet beauty, mystery and peacefulness of your garden; all waiting for you to enjoy when the sun has gone and the night is alive.

During the day time the site of this oak tree will have it’s own captivating beauty. Words like fun, strength, security and stability might come to mind.

But at night, with the use of some carefully placed lighting, you will experience immensity, wonder, mystery and maybe even some romance. You will need another special someone to experience the romance though. If you take care of providing the special someone, we can tend to the special lighting.