With the new year here, it’s time to start thinking about your yard. Should you add some new plants to the back? Or redesign a section? Or get a whole yard makeover? No project is too big or too small, so let us help you with your new year plans and goals for your yard.
If you’re thinking that you want to be outside more and try new things with your yard, you have come to the right place. We love hearing about new projects, seeing finished yard installations, and helping create designs for our customers that last them a lifetime.
The weather is perfect for planting trees, shrubs, and other plants right now. Planting trees and plants now will give them the time to establish before the temperature really starts to heat up. Giving trees and plants time to develop is beneficial because they can focus on root development.
The soil in our region is also perfect for new trees and plants to establish a strong and stable root system. Healthy, established root systems will create a boom of green spring growth in just a few short months.
With the low temperatures this time of year, it is important for homeowners to be diligent about how much water plants are receiving and how often. During the colder months, it’s best to water in the late morning. A later morning watering schedule will give your landscape time to absorb all the water throughout the day.
You will still want to water your plants the same amount of water for each watering session. You just don’t need to water as often! Pay attention to your plants for signs of under and overwatering to change up your watering routine.
Using the proper fertilizer during this crucial time ensures that your landscape is recovering all the needed nutrients. Your landscape has been getting a nice break from the heat, but it needs a bit of extra attention during the cold weather too. Take note of your plants, trees, and lawn to determine if they need light fertilizing to get them through the winter. The better care they receive now, the quicker they will bounce back when spring is here again.
Our nursery experts recommend using Super Charged Moon Juice during the cold weather. Moon Juice helps accelerate moisture intake, along with providing vital nutrients that plants might be losing because of the winter weather. This will help protect your trees and plants from the freezing temperatures and still stay healthy into spring.
For more information on our Super Charged Moon Juice and other fertilizer products, click here.
This is an excellent time to control young and tender weeds in your yard. Remove the weeds before they seed, and you can avoid having them in your landscape. If they start to grow too fast, pre-emergent herbicide sprays can help control the problem. You can find these sprays at any nursery location.
The Manzanillo Olive tree is known for its glistening silver foliage and its gnarled trunk that adds contrast to most landscapes and existing foliage. It can be used as a focal point and an excellent option for planting in groups. It can also be used for privacy screenings because they keep their dense canopy all year long while adding a unique look. This olive variety is a great tree to incorporate some landscape lighting!
Japanese Privets are excellent shrubs for winter planting. They are fast-growing evergreens that grow deep green foliage. In spring, they bloom petite, showy white/cream/gray flowers followed by attractive blue/black/purple-colored fruit that contrasts beautifully with the foliage. We can plant these shrubs from the coast to the desert. We like to use them as a privacy hedge, tall screen, or windbreak.
Orange trees(pictured) are one of the most popular citrus trees to grow in the southwest region. There might even be neighborhoods around you named after the old orange farms that existed, or still exist. Our weather conditions make for the perfect growing environments for this citrus tree. Some of the best varieties to grow in our region are Navel, Sweet, Tangerine, and Tangelo oranges – all delicious!
Lemons are one citrus variety that can be considered ever-bearing as they often produce two crops per year. Meyer lemons are a favorite due to their many culinary uses and their thin rind that makes squeezing the freshest lemon juice a breeze! Some other great varieties to plant are Lisbon and Eureka lemons.
Grapefruits trees are great citrus for regions all across California. They can be planted to increase the length of time you can harvest fresh citrus from your yard. These fruits are typically ready January through May and are ready for harvest again later in the year. The most popular types of grapefruits to plant and grow are the Red and White varieties.