September Tips of the Month

Maintenance

Fertilize permanent plants - Feed established trees, shrubs, ground covers, and warm- season grasses, such as Bermuda.  Repeat in a month.  Remember not to feed California natives or drought tolerant Mediterranean plants.  Feed camellias, azaleas, and rhododendrons too.

Protect against brush fires - Remove all dead leaves and limbs from trees and shrubs, especially those growing close to the home.  The warm Santa Ana winds are notorious for whipping up brush fires, so be prepared.

De-thatch your cool season lawn - Early fall is the best time to de-thatch your cool season lawns such as; Kentucky bluegrass, bentgrass, fescues, and perennial ryegrasses.  Warm season grasses need to be de-thatched in the early spring.  Thatch is a natural build-up of decaying organic material such as grass blades, rhizomes, and stolons.  The organic material builds-up on the surface of the soil; this makes it nearly impossible for water and nutrients to penetrate.  De-thatching a lawn is the process of cutting the lawn and bringing the dead organic material to the top of the lawn (for removal) using a vertically slicing machine.  De-thatching will greatly improve the health of your lawn.  Call for a quote on lawn de-thatching.

 

Design – Free consultation!

September is a great month to start that creative planning process for some landscape enhancements. We offer a free consultation to help capture your vision and show you what your landscape can truly be. We will assist you in this artistic property beautification. Working together our designers will help you brain storm ideas and implement solutions that will generate balance and function in the garden.

 

 

 

Planting

Add cool-season color – pansies, cyclamen, stock, chrysanthemums, marigolds, lobelia, and snapdragons can be planted about mid-month for beautiful fall blooms.   Also it is a great time to plant rudbeckia, Shasta daisies and lion’s tail for fall color.

Bulbs - Nurseries have stocked up on spring flowering bulbs now.  Choices include anemone,    daffodil, freesia, hyacinth, iris, ranunculus, sparaxis, tulip, and watsonia.  It is best to wait until the soil cools in October before planting (except for South African bulbs like freesia, which should be planted immediately).