Hi All, If any of you were considering applying for the Cash for Grass program, you should do so right away. The Mojave Water Agency sponsors the program through grants from the State. Their funds are running out for real this time. You have until March 31st to apply for the program. Just one MONTH!
Contact your local water company and they will give you the info on how to apply.
What is wrong with this picture? The photo shows something we find occasionally when we go out and do sprinkler work or landscaping for clients with existing irrigation systems. See the valves are very pretty. Tucked away in the ground in a box so you don’t have to look at them. Very professional looking, right?
These valves are anti-siphon valves. Anti-siphon valves allow water to only flow in one direction. For irrigation purposes, it prevents water from the system from… being siphoned back into the household water supply line. Essentially, it stops unsafe water from entering a clean water supply such as the water that comes from your faucets or shower heads.
Anti-siphon is a type of Backflow preventer and is an essential part of any plumbing installation which is connected in any way to a potable water source. They are required by building codes everywhere.
The anti-siphon valves need to be installed 6 inches HIGHER than the highest sprinkler head or line. This photo shows a very dangerous situation! The only way this would be OK is if there is a separate Backflow preventer properly installed before these valves.
Clients want their home to be their little oasis away from the world where they can be themselves and just chill. We had fun doing a re-do for these clients. After not being satisfied with their just-landscaped front yard, we came on the scene and turned their yard into what they had envisioned from the beginning.We had so much fun doing this, getting creative and making new friends!
By Cindy Poore
Gosh, I thought I would be dead by 2016. I mean that number just sounded soooo far away when I was a kid. I mean, if not dead, my life would certainly be over, right? Hey! Wait up! I don’t FEEL old. I don’t even look old. (well not young either, but not Grandma Moses old anyways).
Hmmm… what to do? I feel like I can really do anything. Cats tear up the couch and you need to fix it? Want to paint the bedroom? Read the classics?, Take a class? Loose 5 lbs? Check, check, check, check and check! Time waits for no man and I’m not sitting around. I got things to do before my time is up and I am making the most of it.
How about YOU? If your check list has anything on it we can help with, give us a call.
“The trouble is, you think you
have time.” Buddha
It’s Raining!
Well, maybe not today, but there has been lots of rain and more coming because El Nino has actually arrived. If you haven’t seen so already, you will soon see that the weeds are loving it. And as soon as the weather warms up the weeds will explode with growth.
THIS is a filaree. Cute when small but can be a problem come this spring. Did you know that filaree leaves are edible? Great in salads. (not after we spray them of course) If you can’t eat them fast enough, call us and we will help you get rid of them for months. Call to get on our schedule.
Winter Checklist
>Check for Irrigation Problems
Frozen lines and valves. Insulate main lines and valves where needed if you haven’t done so already.
>Garden sanitation is critical if you have fruit trees. Clean up fallen leaves and plant debris. Haul to trash instead of the compost pile if you have experienced serious pest issues last season. Debris piles often harbor pests over wintering, allowing them to attack your plants again in the spring.
>Winter is a good time for mulch. Placing mulch around the base of the plant can keep the plants warmer and keep from loosing your more delicate plants.
>Check your bird feeders and add or fill as needed for a little love for the local wildlife.
>Garden classes? Now is the time to get going on that class you wanted to take. Learn pruning? Propagation? Time is ticking. Do it now. No one regrets expanding their knowledge.
>Watering is probably the most important thing and the most ignored thing that people forget in the winter. Your plants still need water. No, not three times a week, but you need to be aware of what moisture comes from the sky and adapt watering to augment that when necessary. Just not when it is freezing. Many days are 55-60 degrees and would be a great day to water. Think of at least twice a month a minimum for shrubs. Water deeply though, not shallow.
Did you Know?
A Mediterranean garden’s main component is arid evergreen shrubs. Think greens and grays mixed together like junipers, rosemary, blue fescue, sages, etc.
Pruning of young fruit trees (under 6 years) is done to develop strong low framework branches and not much else. The goal is not to grow fruit at that time. That comes later.
Areas of standing water may indicate an area of compaction (by foot traffic or hardpan soil layer)?
“Why try to explain miracles to your children when you can just have them plant a garden?”
― Robert Brault
My Favorite Recipes
YAMtastic!
Ok. New year, new YOU right? We all are looking for a healthy food that tastes good. Food that will fill us up and not rack up too many calories. YAMs are the answer! So many ways to use them. Try this unique vegetarian taco twist:
Yammy Tacos
1 fresh yam about 12 ounces peeled and cubed
1 white or yellow onion, sliced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 can of black beans, rinsed
1 bunch of cilantro chopped
2 oz. Shredded cheese
1 pkg of La Tortilla Factory corn/wheat tortillas
Now you could roast the onions and yam cubes in a 350° oven for about 20 minutes or you can sauté them in a large skillet with the olive oil. Put the yams in first and sauté for about 10 minutes and then add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the black beans just to heat through. Place a generous serving spoon full of the yam/bean/onion mixture on the tortilla. Sprinkle with the cilantro and cheese.
Serve warm with a salad.
Yam Easy Sweet Potato Fries
2-3 Yams/Sweet Potatoes peeled & cut into fries
2 Tbls of Olive oil
Sea Salt and Pepper, Chili, etc to taste.
Pre-heat the oven to 425° Put yams into a large bowl or plastic bag. Sprinkle olive oil over yams. Mix and toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle sea salt, pepper and other seasonings over yams and toss again to distribute seasonings. Place yams one layer thick (without touching) on a large cookie sheet. Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Serve as a side dish with a protein and a salad. Incredibly easy!
By Cindy Poore
According to a recent article in the Los Angeles times, El Niño is a sure thing. Los Angeles area is supposed to get 60% above average rainfall during the months of January, February and March. That statistic was confirmed by Bill Patzert, climatologist with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge who said in the article, “I’m quite optimistic that the entire state is going to get hosed”. ( Hosed being a very technical term for WET!)
This is going to make things difficult for lots of us. We have been conserving on our water all year. Now, it is going to be wet, very wet!
New challenges come with too much water versus too little. The first thing that you will notice is the ground will get saturated early on and continued rainfall just rolls off into puddles, lakes and actual new streams all across your property!
Not sure if you are good in the drainage department? Prepare by buying straw wattles and sand bags. Store them in a dry location so you can get to them when needed.
If you are lucky, your lot is properly graded and you (or previous owners) haven’t added anything that prevents the natural run off of excess water. If you are unsure, ask us to check the grade on your property and help you spot problems before they happen.
Before it gets too late, lets look at a few other things you can do to prevent problems.
Check your gutters and valleys on your roof. Blown leaves and dirt can accumulate in these areas, causing back up which will make water back up and get under your roof and cause water damage inside.
Clear piles, equipment and debris away from the house foundation. This will help water move away from your home and reduce the chances of flooding.
Check your outdoor lighting. Longer night hours mean we will be coming and going in the dark. Maybe you need some additional lighting outdoors to make that easier?
With rain, comes weeds. Call us to apply a weed killer and preventer now to keep your yard nearly weed-free all spring and summer! Before weeds show up is the best time to apply a pre-emergent weed control.
Several years ago, we had a very wet winter and even though people wanted us to spray their weeds, we couldn’t because it was too wet or windy and the weeds went wild! Early is better in this case.
- Staying Home May 31, 2020Staying home has new meaning since the tragic and crazy world of COVID-19. While most are keeping a low profile at home, Perfection Landscape knows that we are essential for helping our clients care for their home environments. We continue to do maintenance for our regular and new clients keeping with social distancing guidelines for […]
- Weeds are Back! March 10, 2018Is your yard Exploding with weeds ? You may think a few weeds here or there aren’t much to worry about, but did you know most weeds are capable of producing over a thousand seeds each? Rain and the warmer weather that will follow will make conditions just right for hose little land mines […]