Happy New Year!

Here we are in a new year!  I am hoping this year will be as fun and successful as the previous one was.

So on this mild January morning, I am thinking about planting some vegetables in my raised beds.  My tomatoes bit it last month in a very cold snap.  I harvested all the little tomatoes before the freeze and ate them (with delight) as they ripened.  I have some greens  still going, but not very strongly.  What to plant, what to plant…

Have you seen this resource?  Published by the Pima County Ag Extension office, it is a wonderful guide for what to plant when.  After finding the elevation zone that Tucson is in, I have reviewed my options.

http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/az1435.pdf

I am going to plant carrots, spinach and cauliflower.  I’m going to do tomatoes again this year, but not for a few months.  I bought a “Sweet Baby Girl” variety last year and was very impressed with it.  It went dormant in the summer, but pruned it back some and had a second crop in the fall.  Yum!  And did you know that cauliflower is an excellent source of many nutrients, including omega-3?  Having revised what I’m eating last year, I have discovered that I love cauliflower and red, orange and yellow peppers a LOT!!!  I’m sure I’ll like the cauliflower even more if I am able to grow it myself.

Raising vegetables doesn’t mean you have to turn over your yard and all your free time and become a farmer.  Large pots with herbs or lettuces or spinach take up little space and time.  And there is a great satisfaction to bringing in something from your yard to consume.  Give it a try!

 

Happy Holidays

The holidays are on us again.  Hannukah starts tonight and Christmas is days away and I think Festivus has just ended.  Anyway, Casa Serena Landscape Designs and I wish you a very blessed holiday season.  Spend a little time acknowledging all your blessings.  I come from a large family and I live far away from them all.  Still, I am so blessed to love them enough to miss them.  Honor the love you have for those who have moved on from this life.  And enjoy the wonder and delight of kids enjoying the lights and the presents.  And the yummy food!  Don’t forget the food!

One reminder that Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is poisonous when ingested (keep an eye on your cats) and many of the holiday cookies contain ingredients that can make your dogs sick! (chocolate and raisins, to name but a few).  And tinsel, especially the icicle variety can cause BIG issues when ingested by pets; think GI tract floss or worse!  A trip to the ER vet is probably not on anybody’s Christmas wish list!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah…whatever you celebrate, enjoy your celebration!

Cold weather

Wow, this is a cold snap!  They said on the news this morning that this is the coldest December on record…and it’s only the 6th!  Sheesh!

With these cold temps so early, I think a lot of home owners may have been caught off guard and some plants went to the great garden in the sky last night.  Lots of companies have email freeze alerts that you can subscribe to, so you’re not caught off guard.  I get mine from The Contained Gardener, a local company that specializes in plants in containers.  Not only do they send out freeze alerts, they also send out a great newsletter with useful information on your potted plants and offer classes.  Check them out….http://www.thecontainedgardener.com/

I will admit that I am a lazy gardener.  If a plant is going to kick the bucket on the rare freezing nights, I probably have stayed away from it.  I don’t have interest in covering and uncovering a plant.  You have my respect if you do want to devote that kind of time to your plants. If you’re going to cover your plants, make it worth it!

For instance, don’t cover plants that are going to die anyway.  Red Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) is a great example.  It’s supposed to die back to the ground every winter, so covering it is really not necessary.  You will not end up with a better looking plant next year, if you are able to keep the cold away.  You’ll probably have a leggy plant that is not as full as it would be if you had allowed it to follow its natural pattern.  Same with Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans).

Also, don’t bother covering plants that are able to handle the cold.  Most of our typical desert plants CAN withstand an occassional freeze.  Think about plants you see in unimproved areas, such as washes or public areas.  No one has time to cover those plants.  These include plants like barrel cactus, prickly pear, aloes and agaves.  (I’m talking normal conditions here, not like the stretch we had in February, which was an extreme for our climate.)

Also, if you’re going to bother covering your plants, do it correctly.  Use the proper frost cloth and drape it all the way to the ground.  The plant itself doesn’t have a warming mechanism.  The hope with covers is to trap under the cover the radiant warmth the earth absorbs during the day.  If you just drape a towel across the top of a shrub, it may not be very effective.

You may even want to consider if you want to keep pampering these plants.  I know of few people with extra time on their hands.  No one will judge you if you decide your time is better spent on other things than covering and uncovering plants.  Or considering potting up your  more fragile plants and bringing them indoors or putting them under a porch or other sheltered area.

For further information about landscape design and improving your exterior spaces, contact Rachel Gioannini, Casa Serena Landscape Designs at 520-955-1861 or www.casaserenadesigns.com

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m a little early in wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!  Like most of  you, I have more trips to make to the grocery store before the feasts commence and after that comes the official “HOLIDAY SEASON!” and all the craziness that holds.  Always so busy rushing from place to place, buying things, and hopefully not accumulating too much holiday debt nor poundage.

Please take a few minutes to consider all the goodness that surrounds you during the Thanksgiving holiday.  That is, after all, the whole point of Thanksgiving…to give Thanks!  I know I am so very richly blessed and it is somewhat naive of me to ask that everyone be conscious of the gifts that have been bestowed on them.  Some people have family that is far away, possibly in danger, some people are going through difficult times, some people are in constant pain or depressed.  But if you have warm sunshine on your face or a soft pet asking for a little love or someone is smiling at you, or heck, you’re still just sucking in air, there are blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rachel

Update on recent job

Anyone who runs a small business knows testimonials are vital.  I wanted to share a recent testimonial and post some before and after pictures.

“We enjoyed working with Rachel; she is was professional, client centric, and fun!  She understood what we were looking for, worked within our budget, stayed on top of the project so we did not have to, kept us informed, helped us pick the right contractor,  improved on our ideas, was the contact point with the contractor, and continually followed up.  The end result – we LOVE our yard!  It is the oasis we wanted.”

Sandy and Bernie Weisberg, Tucson AZ

Need I say testimonials like that warm the cockles of my heart.  That end result is EXACTLY what I’m hoping for with every single job.  Here’s some pictures:

BEFORE--Front Yard

AFTER--Front Yard

BEFORE--facing north

AFTER--facing north

Garden tour

Today, I am writing about the APLD “Small Garden Gems” Garden tour.  6 small gardens, all lovely and different, all with great ideas for you to “borrow” for your own space.  Added incentive is a progressive brunch, something different in each garden.

AND ONE OF THEM IS MY DESIGN!  It’s the residence that has won an ALCA Award of Excellence, an APLD Merit Award and the Monrovia Nurseries Distinctively Better Plant Design Award.

Here’s the flyer.  Please get your checks in quickly!!!  The deadline is Saturday, the 22nd!  Hope to see you there.

APLD 2011 Small Garden Gem Tour

Communication

I haven’t always been a small business owner, nor in sales, so a lot of the education I’ve had in these past 6 years has been about things other than landscape design.  What I have been for decades is a consumer.  I like to spend my money at clean, organized places and with people who are personable, smile at me and seem to be paying attention.

My frustration of late is clients who will not return calls or emails.  I go and meet with a client.  Generally, the initial meeting ends with me saying that I will follow up by email and also giving them a time frame.  And then I honor what I’ve said.  And then, I’m left waiting.  I say, straight out to clients, “Please reply to my email.   If you decide not to go with me, please just let me know.  (smile)  This is business, it’s not personal.  I promise not to be hurt.”  And the client will nod and say, “Oh, of course, absolutely.”  And I wait…and wait and wait.  I don’t mean to sound peevish.  Is it so hard to just reply quickly with, “Thanks for the proposal.  We are using someone else.”  I would so prefer to get that than to send out two or three emails and wondering what’s up.

On the other side of that coin, recently, I’ve been trying to get some work done at my house.  I’ve had my contractors over and told them the work.  They send a bid and I make a choice and let them all know.  And then nothing!  And then I have to call a contractor and ask do they want my money or not.  I hear the economy is tough and yet, I have to push someone to take my dollars.  Sheesh!

I don’t mean to grouse.  I just wish there could be better communication.  These are really simple things, basic courtesy.

On the positive side, I have a surprise that I will be able to share next week.  Check back then!  Something YOU can participate in and get to see some great stuff, right here in Tucson.

For further information about landscape design and improving your exterior spaces, contact Rachel Gioannini, Casa Serena Landscape Designs at 520-955-1861 or www.casaserenadesigns.com

Autumn around here…

As I type the topic, I wonder if it is really correct to call it “Autumn” when it’s still in the high 90′s.  Well, chronologically, it’s fall!  This has been a very strange September.  Rain 7 days in a row!  Never seen that before.

I moved here in 2000 and that October was the wettest October on record, with just .02″ less than 5″ of rain falling that month.  The result was an amazing! display of wildflowers in the spring of 2001.  Just breath-taking!  We snuck off for a hike at Picacho Peak in April of ’01 and were just surrounded by riotous color.  Now I’m curious to see what happens in the coming spring.  Will the wildflowers take off again?  I sure hope so!

With the recent rain, my poor parched plants are finally looking normal again.  The grass (yes, I have grass…I have dogs, so I have grass) had all but died.  It’s greening up again nicely and looks like I’ll actually have to mow this weekend.

On recent walks, I have also noticed that the termites are doing their job.  If you look at the bottom of prickly pear plants or saguaros, sometimes you’ll notice a brownish “crust” coming up from the ground.  This is termites doing what they did before there were delicious homes to eat.  The brown stuff keeps them safe and protected while they harvest dead plant material.  I’m not an expert on termites, but I think they take the food down to their nests.  I also don’t know for sure, but if you see the termites on the plants out at the far reaches of your yard, I don’t think that automatically assumes they are also eating up your home.

Now is another great time to tour around your yard and see what didn’t make it through this harsh summer.  With the overnight temps in the cool 60′s, it’s a good time to put in new plants.  Keep an eye on your containers though.  With high day time temps and the humidity coming down, the pots will probably still benefit with watering twice a day.

I had hoped to post pictures of the cool kitchen design, the big summer job, but some unfortunate circumstances  have the project in a sort of state of stasis.  The brick “floor” of the kitchen was going to be done by the home owner, who has also done the brick inside the home.  Well, as work progressed, two LARGE expenditures came up.  One was a problem with the water main.  This is almost always a big expense and it was even larger at this site because of the home being up on a hill more remote from the usual city utilities.  The other surprise that came up was the roof on the porch, which turned out to be in worse shape than originally thought, and then was exacerbated by one of our summer storms.  So…the result is that the brick won’t be done for a while.  For me, that just means that the space is unfinished.  For the client, it means waiting to finish the project til the coffers are restocked.  I wish I had an unending supply of money so I could have the brick done for the client.  Wouldn’t that be a nice Christmas present?

Throw open your windows and relish this wonderful weather!  It’s a great time of year to live in the delightful Sonoran Desert.

For further information about landscape design and improving your exterior spaces, contact Rachel Gioannini, Casa Serena Landscape Designs at 520-955-1861 or www.casaserenadesigns.com

One done, one almost done, one starting….

I realize as I go looking for photos to post with this that I will only able to post pics for one job.  Well, that’s okay…I’ll just have to write more later this week.

The job that finished is the one where the clients had lots of fun stuff that they wanted to use in the landscape.  I incorporated a bunch of their objects and they will look even cooler when the plants have grown in more.

The job that is *almost* done is the one with the really cool outdoor kitchen.  With other work obligations taking my time, I haven’t been on site in a while.  Cannot wait to see the job later this week!

Finally, one that is starting is a redesign with some weird parameters that really influenced what could be done.  Mainly, the ONLY access is only 2′-8″ wide, just barely enough for a wheelbarrow to squeak through.  So while I would have liked to do more grading and remove some of the large trees, getting a bobcat back there was out of reach, financially.  How much does it cost to crane in a bobcat?  Oh well, the place is going to be very nice when done.

Okay, well here’s the photos of the job that finished.

Before

After. The trellises are old sliding doors and weigh a ton!

Before

After...more welcoming, yes?

North side of yard before

After. The sculpture on the right is really neat when the wind blows.

Northwest corner before

Northwest corner after. The saguaro under the citrus tree lights up.

Update…

Colored concrete counters installed. Note also the granite shelf. The granite was a remnant from the kitchen remodel.

Colored concrete counters installed and stucco have gone in.  The dirt of the site does little to enhance the beauty of the countertops, but will be gorgeous when finished!

 

New fence posts with adobe caps and adobe cap on the wall. Much sleeker than the old columns.

The new fence posts are also in, with the adobe cap, which matches the house.  Much less visually intrusive than the old columns, which were larger and more ornate.  Note how the post base at the corner of the patio matches the ones along the wall.  A great way to tie elements of the yard together.

Final walk through for the other job will be next week, so look for updates.  Plant set took place in the rain last week, an unusual occurance here!

For further information about landscape design and improving your exterior spaces, contact Rachel Gioannini, Casa Serena Landscape Designs at 520-955-1861 or www.casaserenadesigns.com