Keep your landscape looking good all summer long

How to water, what to plant and more!

Just like that it's starting to get hot out...well for our standards. We're still not like our neighbors to the east who are battling 100+ degree days everyday.  The June Gloom is gone, which means that we can see the temperature rise to the 90's over the course of this month and through September. If that happens, be sure to come back to this blog as our pros have listed a few tips and tricks to ensure that your home will continue to be the envy of the neighborhood all summer long.

As we do with every month, below are a  few tips and planting recommendations from our nursery pros. 

• Watering: With temperatures starting to creep up on us, it's always a good eye to keep an eye on the material in your landscape to see how it is responding. Some material in our landscapes will need a little extra water to get through these hotter months. Remember, to always deep water no matter what month we are in. Short applications are not effective as the water does not completely saturate the entire root zone. Slow and steady wins the race here. For more information on our watering schedule,  download our water guide.
• Fertilizer: As it gets hotter a tree or two, or maybe even a palm may experience some heat stress. No need to panic as our nursery pros have developed custom blended fertilizers that are designed to trigger growth responses and supplement the essential micro and macro nutrients that plants need to thrive in Southern California.  We have fertilizers for everything on your landscape. From palms, to fruit and citrus, to flowering trees. In addition, we also have fertilizers that can assist in the material on your landscape that is still recovering from any stress. These can be purchased at all Moon Valley Nursery locations or online. 
• Mulch: This is perhaps the easiest you can do, plus a layer of mulch always looks fantastic. Adding a few inches of mulch can help keep your soil cool during the warmer summer months and warm during the cooler days. Mulch is available at any Moon Valley Nurseries location. 

Below are a few trees our experts recommend planting for this month

Desert Museum Palo Verde
This tree is becoming a must-have for all Southern California homeowners! Shade, flowers, and attractive multitrunk growth is what has made this tree so popular so fast. Additionally, this tree is water wise and once established you have to water once to twice per year. It is an amazing tee. It is also a hybrid different older Palo Verde species that brings our the best qualities in each. The trunk has a blue-green color that provides a great contrast to its yellow flowers and the layered shade provides two great benefits, as the tree looks light in your yard while providing sunlight to any shrubs you'd like to plant below the massive umbrella shaped canopy. The flowers will bloom at multiple times throughout the summer. 

Tipu
The other tree on this list which provides yellow flowers is the Tipu. The Tipu tree is one of the most popular trees we offer at Moon Valley Nursery, and it is everywhere in our city. We guarantee you passed one on the way to work today. They are very fast growing trees that have an upright growth pattern creating and providing a large area with shade. These trees are also drought tolerant once established and they can handle even the hottest summer days. It produces a unique show of golden blooms from late spring and into early summer that contrasts beautifully with its feathery green foliage. If you are looking for shade and color, this is your tree. 

Majestic Ash
The Majestic Ash trees we have at Moon Valley Nurseries are far superior to what you will find anywhere else. These are a grafted cultivar that is grown specially by Moon Valley Nurseries for decades, what makes these trees even more spectacular is they do not produce a seed thanks to the expert growing process. That means minimal clean-up throughout the year. The foliage is super shiny when in normal winters the foliage can stay. Once established, this is a great water wise tree and can be beneficial for erosion control if you have a hilly home in the Southern California area. 

Hollywood Hedges
Ficus Nitida | Japanese Privet | Carolina Cherry | Podocarpus | Italian Cypress | Japanese Blueberry | Bamboo
Our customers are always asking us about natural privacy and we always point them to our "Hollywood Style" hedges. They are called "Hollywood Style" hedges because as the growers we are able to grow the biggest hedge material you will find in Southern California. Our hedges are so big and so thick that you will be able to block out an unwanted view from a neighbor's house or even a light on the street in less than a day. Above are a few select varieties we offer for our "Hollywood Hedges". Be sure to click on them to learn more.

Crape Myrtle
If you've been driving around town you can't miss these flowers. They are literally popping everywhere and are a great way to add stunning summer color. The blooms can last until late summer and they bloom in red, white, pink, and purple. At Moon Valley Nurseries, we offer this tree as a single-trunk or multi-trunk. In addition, the Crape Myrtle trees grown at Moon Valley Nurseries are superior thanks to mildew resistance, which you will not find anywhere else. In addition, they Crape Myrtle's foliage will turn a showy bright orange in the fall.

Date Palm
The ultimate palm for your pool, the Date Palm are usually found at most resorts and shopping centers. Around pools, the Date Palm provides excellent shade due to its wide fronds and it has practically no litter. The Date Palm looks great when planted in clusters of 3 to 5 palms and is hardy to cold, heat and drought tolerant.

Canary Island Date Palm
If you're looking for a palm that just says 'wow', look no further than the Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis). These palms  have a wide beautifully brown colored trunk accented by their pineapple cut crowns and their deep green, exotic looking fronds, that make this an extremely showy palm and focal point. These are gorgeous when lit up at night and work well by themselves or planted to line walk-ways, pools, sitting areas and driveways. 

King Palm
King Palms are some of the best palms to plant around pools, tropical landscapes, or as focal points in front of a home. As the King Palm develops, it produces a great canopy of shade and when it comes to color, the King Palm is one of the best palm varieties for Southern California. The trunk is smooth with a lime-green crown shaft and a brown trunk that shows the growth rings. At the top, dark-green fronds rarely drop below the crown shaft adding a rich color that makes the lime-green crown shaft pop.

Piru Queen Palm 
The Moon Valley Piru Queen is specifically designed for our climate. They are custom grown at our farms to be extra hardy in heat and cold. These palms have distinctive appearances compared to other palms that you will see and their thicker trunks and fuller crowns make these stand out when compared to the rest. Plant the Piru Queen Palm wherever you want to add tropical flair. These palms are great planted in groups to help provide shade and are awesome in tight planting locations.