NEW website offers great advice!

Earlier this month, SAWS launched a new website, Garden Style San Antonio.  It offers tools, tips and techniques on landscaping in San Antonio.  This is a great site for a DIYer or anybody who is looking for ideas.  Check it out at  http://www.gardenstylesa.com

Get some Jumbo Foliage with Elephant Ears

Elephant's ears love jungle like weather so they'll thrive anywhere summers are hot. However, they like to have moist soil so that is a big consideration here in SA with our seemingly never ending drought. A container is the easiest way to provide ideal growing conditions for elephant's ears with frequent watering..  In beds, plant in areas that remain constantly wet like near a backyard pond or stream.  Foliage will die back in the fall but bulbs will survive in the ground if they are mulched.

A comment that had to be shared...

Here is a recent comment we had posted to a Testimonial Tuesday blog posting earlier this month.  It was such a great kuddos to our employees for going above the call of duty that we had to share with those who may have missed it!  It also displays a capability that many don't know about Preferred - not only do we create great water features for our clients but we can assist in cleaning and repairing them as well.

"I want to compliment Augustine, and Helper, for coming to our home...earlier than appointed, on a Saturday morning and finding the reason that our pond was losing water.
Lots of water.
After working around the entire bog, they discovered, that the roots from the Monster Taro plant, had forced the edges of the liner to collapse.
They removed the entire plant...I hope... whose root ball was enormous, and the water level has remained the same since.
They were thoughtful and enjoyable to have.
We are so glad for the help.
Thanks,
Laura
p.s. I am very happy with the job that these two gentlemen did and understand that there is a gift certificate from the company, coming their way!"

Before and After

Here are pictures of a recent project we did enhancing a pergola...

Before

After

Are you wasting water?

In the last post, we discussed watering techniques and today we are going to continue that discussion showing you the steps to determine the amount of water your sprinkler system applies to the lawn.  This will help you decide how long you should run your system to apply 1 inch of water each time.

1. Set out 3-5 empty cans in a straight line going away from the sprinkler (or sprinkler head).  Set the last can near the edge of the sprinkler's coverage.
2.  Run the sprinkler for a set time such as 1/2 hour and then measure the amount of water in each can.
3.  Each can should contain a different amount of water.  Usually, the can closest to the sprinkle will have the most water.  The sprinkler pattern must overlap to get an even wetness of the soil.  Use this information to find out how long it takes your sprinkler to apply 1 inch of water.  For example, if you find the most cans contain about 1/4 inch of water after the sprinkler runs 1/2 hour, it would take 2 hours to apply 1 inch.

Run the irrigation system long enough to apply at least 1 inch of water or until runoff occurs.  If runoff occurs first:
1.  Stop sprinkler and note running time.
2.  Allow water to soak in for 1/2 hour
3.  Start sprinkler and if runoff occurs again, repeat above steps until at least 1 inch of water has been applied and allowed to soak into the soil.

Many soils will not take an inch of water before runoff occurs.  If this is a problem with your lawn, try using a wetting agent, also called a surfactant, which reduces the surface tension of water making it wetter.  This wetter water runs into the soil at a faster rate and goes deeper than water in a non-treated soil.

*This information is courtesy of the Texas A&M Agricultural Extension Service.

Watering Techniques

Ideally, a lawn should be watered just before it begins to wilt.  Most grasses take on a dull purplish cast and leaf blades begin to fold or roll.  Grass under drought stress also shows evidence of tracks after someone walks across the lawn.

Early morning is considered the best time to water.  The wind is usually calm and the temperature is low so less water is lost to evaporation.  The worst time to water is late evening because the lawn stays wet all night, making it susceptible to disease.

It takes about 1/2 inch of water to achieve the desired wetting depth if the soil is high in sand, and about 3/4 inch of water if the soil is loam.  For soils high in clay, an inch of water is usually necessary to wet the soil to the desired depth.

If watering is too light or too frequent, the lawn may become weak and shallow rooted, which in turns makes it more susceptible to stress injury.

Not sure how much water your sprinkler system puts out?  In our next post we will list the steps to figure it out as well as check the distribution pattern.

*Information courtesy of the Texas A&M Agricultural Extension Service.

Can your flowers take the heat?

How are your annuals and container plants looking now that we have hit the oven like temperatures of July?

Lantana - "New Gold Trailing"

 For many of us, despite daily watering, our annuals that were blooming and bright in May are now looking faded, leggy and lifeless now that we have hit the high heat of summer.  So what are we to do?

Coleus - "Big Blonde"

If you want to work with the flowers you have, you can cut back your annuals half way, just above a set of leaves.  In a week of two, you will see new growth that will provide new blooms.  An alternative is to replace the faded plants with fresh new plants.  But what should we replace them with? 

 We need some tough plants that are easy to grow and can beat the heat!

Here are our top five annuals* that can tolerate the intolerable heat!

Moss Rose

1.  Coleus - Big Blonde is just one of the varieties that have been cultivated to take full sun with the temperatures as high as 107 degrees, in both humid or dry conditions.  This particular variety has a light green leaves with magenta stems.

2.  Lantana - The new gold variety  loves 100 degree heat and little water and it will bloom throughout summer.

3. Moss Rose - This succulent plant is low growing and very tolerant of the summer heat and dry conditions.

4.  Sweet Potato Vine - This plant is available in many different leaf colors and shapes.  It works great in a hanging basket.

Sweet Potato Vine

5.  Vinca - Thrives in hot weather and will flower all summer long.  It is available in upright or prostrate varieties.

Vinca

*Many of these can be considered perennials too with our typical mild San Antonio winters

Testimonial Tuesday

Here is recent feedback from a client who had Preferred Landscape and Lighting redo her landscaping and install LED lighting.

"Due to a fire at my house, the entire yard ended up being a construction site as the house was being rebuilt.  Preferred came in and totally redid the landscaping. I was extremely impressed with how they cleaned it up, established new drainage (better than I had before) and gave me a beautiful yard of no grass, but gravel walkways, flowering shrubs and plants and strategically placed large boulders.  I can see that the new drip irrigation system is already saving me money.  Every single person who came to work was polite, accommodating and ready to work when they arrived. I am totally pleased with the end result and would recommend this company to anyone which I have been doing as friends and neighbors ask who did the new landscaping.  Thank you Preferred Landscaping and Lighting!" Joyce C

Happy 4th of July!

All of us at Preferred would like to wish you a happy and safe 4th of July.  Thank you for all that have served this country so we can enjoy our freedom!

Summer Lawn and Garden Checklist

Now that we are in July and the hot weather is definitely here to stay, here are some tips for your lawn and gardening during this month.  With the hot temperatures and little rainfall predicated, your lawn and garden are likely to slow down and conserve energy.  Here is how you can help keep your lawn and garden happy!

Trees and shrubs:

• Stop fertilizing to allow them to reduce growth during the heat of the summer.  
• Water trees infrequently but deeply.  
• Apply extra mulch at the base of the tree to help retain moisture.  
• Prune dead or damaged limbs.

Annuals and Containers:

• Water container plants daily 
• Deadhead faded blooms to increase blooming.
• Pinch back leggy stems to encourage branching.

Lawns:

• Continue to mow as needed but set your mower to the highest setting
• Keep lawn mower blades sharp
• Mulch grass clippings to help shade and feed your lawn