Posts Tagged perennials
Fall Planting Guide for California: Sowing the Seeds of Spring
As summer’s heat begins to fade and the days grow shorter, September marks the perfect time to start planting for a vibrant spring garden in California. The mild temperatures and occasional rain showers create ideal conditions for seeds and young plants to establish strong roots before winter dormancy. At DK Landscaping, we’re passionate about helping you make the most of this planting season, ensuring your garden bursts with color and life come springtime.
Flowers to Plant in September
Embrace the anticipation of spring by planting these stunning flowers now:
- Bulbs: September is prime time for planting spring-blooming bulbs like tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, and anemones. These beauties will add pops of color and cheer to your garden as the days grow longer.
- Wildflowers: Consider sowing a wildflower mix for a naturalized and pollinator-friendly display. California poppies, lupines, and clarkias are excellent choices for a vibrant spring meadow.
- Cool-season annuals: Pansies, violas, primroses, and snapdragons thrive in the cooler temperatures of fall and winter, providing early color to your garden.
- Perennials: Fall is an ideal time to divide and transplant perennials or plant new ones. Consider options like columbine, coreopsis, and penstemon for long-lasting beauty.
Vegetables to Plant in September
Extend your harvest season and enjoy fresh produce throughout the fall and winter by planting these vegetables:
- Leafy Greens: Lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula, and Swiss chard thrive in the cooler temperatures of fall and winter.
- Brassicas: Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage are perfect for fall planting, as they prefer milder conditions.
- Root Vegetables: Carrots, beets, radishes, and turnips can be sown in September for a late fall or winter harvest.
- Alliums: Plant garlic and shallots in September for a flavorful harvest next summer.
Shrubs to Plant in September
Add structure and year-round interest to your landscape by planting shrubs in the fall:
- Evergreen Shrubs: Ceanothus, manzanita, and toyon provide beautiful foliage and attract pollinators.
- Flowering Shrubs: Consider planting camellias, azaleas, and rhododendrons for stunning spring blooms.
- Fruiting Shrubs: Plant blueberries, raspberries, and currants in the fall for a delicious harvest next year.
Essential Tips for Successful Fall Planting
- Prepare Your Soil: Amend your soil with compost or other organic matter to improve drainage and fertility.
- Choose the Right Location: Consider each plant’s sun and shade requirements when choosing a planting spot.
- Water Wisely: Water deeply and less frequently, allowing the soil to dry out slightly between waterings.
- Protect from Pests: Monitor your plants for signs of pests and take preventative measures to protect them.
- Mulch: Apply a layer of mulch around your plants to conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature.
DK Landscaping: Your Partner in Fall Planting
At DK Landscaping, we understand the unique needs of California gardens. Our team of experts can guide you through the fall planting process, providing personalized recommendations and professional installation services to ensure your garden thrives.
Contact us today for a free consultation and let us help you create a stunning spring garden that will bring joy and beauty for years to come.
Remember, fall planting is an investment in the future of your landscape. By taking advantage of this ideal planting season, you can create a vibrant and flourishing garden that welcomes spring with open arms.
Backyard Beauty On A Budget
Want to build the garden of your dreams, but don’t want to shell out your hard-earned dough? Creating a low-maintenance yard on a budget has its challenges, but there are many ways to meet them. Good planning, a little gardening knowledge, creativity and a willingness to think outside the window-box are all you need to make your yard an enjoyable oasis for family and visitors alike without breaking the bank. DK Landscaping is here to you a less-expensive way to make your yard a better place!
DEFINE YOUR SPACES
Clearly defining the space you need whether it be, dining area, cooking area, shady lounging area, play area can make a great impact on your yard. Doing this can be as inexpensive as repositioning the furniture and accessories you already have. You may also want to build or buy a storage shed to keep kids’ toys out of sight when not in use.
BUY TREES
If you have to spend money on the landscape spend it first on trees. you should always put trees in your landscape before anything else. It is worth a little extra money to get a good landscape tree. There are a lot of trash trees that will send up suckers, leave huge messes on your lawn, require hours of pruning, and die just as your landscape matures. For shade trees, named hybrid maples, oaks, and sycamores are almost always a safe bet. Avoid birches, most elms, poplars, and some ashes which grow fast, but are ultimately short-lived.
THINK VERTICALLY
If your backyard features a large, flat lawn, add some dimension by positioning boulders (available at landscaping supply stores) throughout the space. You might choose to arrange them individually or cluster a few together. Don’t be afraid to cut into the lawn to accommodate them and leave some space around for planting colorful perennials or small shrubs.
BUY PERENNIALS
As tempting as all those beautiful annuals are on the nursery shelves, think ahead. Every year you will need to replace them, as they die. This is one of the quickest ways to burn through a landscape budget. If you are willing to start annuals from seed (or any other plant for that matter) go for it! Just don’t buy them in a pot (or pony packs, or flats). Perennials on the other hand get bigger and more attractive year after year. A single $2, 4″ potted perennial can be a 8-foot mound of color within three years. The annual will be about the same size as the pot and will have cost three times as much.
TIP: Buy in the fall when perennials are on sale. Trees, shrubs and perennials are the bones of any garden. Unfortunately, they cost an arm and a leg at the beginning of spring and summer. Everyone thinks that you have to plant these at the beginning of the season. The reality is that they can also be planted in the fall when temperatures are cooler. The best part is that trees, shrubs and perennials go on sale at the end of the season, from anywhere between 5o to 75 percent off their regular price.
Freecycle and Craigslist
Check out Freecycle and Craigslist to find all manner of garden goodies. Everything from plant divisions to garden tools, pots, containers and even garden furniture often for deals during spring and summer.
You can easily start many plants from seed, get free divisions and cuttings from generous neighbors to help you save cash when planting your own garden. Hardscape goods are really expensive, but you can easily source them from other gardeners who are undergoing remodeling projects. Buying trees, shrubs and perennials at the right time of the year will earn you the biggest savings when landscaping your yard. Use these frugal gardening tips to help you easily landscape your yard into the verdant paradise of your dreams. If you’re interested in learning more about landscaping, consider contacting DK Landscaping for a free consultation (707) 280-3632. Serving the greater Sonoma County areas.
Fall Landscaping Tips and Tricks
Sonoma County embraces the fall season as temperatures begin to dip and daylight begins to wane. It marks a time of change when our summer perennials and annuals die back, the leaves fall from the trees, and our irrigation systems get turned down.
Fall is an opportune time when we should welcome a change in landscape by dressing up your yard with some of fall’s favorites like mums, gourd’s, pumpkins! They are everywhere, in a variety of colors, from yellow to deep red.
MUMS are inexpensive and can be purchased just about everywhere. They make for great boarders, or can be planted in mass for a striking display. And the best thing, they are hardy perennials and can withstand low temperatures and frost. If planted early enough they will come back next spring. As an alternative to mums, you can use Coleus, Sedum, Firethorn, Snap Dragons, and Pansies to add stunning beauty to your landscape. Throw a few pumpkins in the mix and you’ve got a gorgeous garden display.
TREES are another way to spruce up your landscaping. They are not only beautiful but require less work than your summer-time trees. DK Landscaping recommends Hickory, redbud, sugar maples, and birch trees create marvelous landscapes of fall color. 
Lastly, don’t forget to incorporate hay bales, pine straw, pumpkins, gourds, cornstalks and potted plants – all that the harvest season has to offer!
Just following these simple fall tips and tricks will make your landscape pop with color, and keep your landscape looking beautiful and colorful all season long. It will make your home extra inviting for visitors including some little ghosts and goblins on Halloween night.
DK Landscaping is your Northern California’s premier’s landscaping company. For more information and/or a free consultation how we can add a little color to your fall life, please give us call (707) 280-3632.
Protecting Your Landscape From Frost Bite
The temperatures in Northern California are beginning to drop which means winter will be before us, before we know it. Night time temperatures that get down to freezing and below will damage some trees and plants if you don’t take precautions against frost. These low temperatures can begin late November and continue through February and beyond.
DK Landscaping helps you prepare your landscape and provides tips to protect your delicate plants from frost bite.
WINTERIZE
Fall is prime time to clean up your landscaping and remove the dead landscaping before it gets too cold. Removing dead plants can also stop the growth and spread of fungi that could infect your plants’ new growth in the spring.
PLANT
Planting trees and shrubs in the fall is a an optimal time before the first frost arrives and best time to take advantage on some great end of the season deals. Planting in the fall gives roots plenty of time to become established before the next growing season begins. Not only will you get to enjoy the changing leaves for a brief time, you will also put less stress on your young trees because of the cooler weather and rain conditions fall offers.
MULCH
Mulching can be a great first step in preparing for winter’s frost. If you are unfamiliar with mulching, check out our previous blog post called Mulch About Fall. There are many benefits to mulching your lawn and plants, especially before winter. Mulching in the fall can help protect your plant’s roots as well as help them retain moisture during the cold, dry winter.
Just a few preparations for winter can guarantee that your landscaping will come back fresher than ever in the spring.
For more information on the care of your landscape, please contact David or Kathy Lee from DK Landscaping (707) 280-3632.
Mulch About Fall
Did you know that mulching in the fall is just as important as it is in the spring and summer months? We mulch in the spring and summer months to suppress weeds, retain moisture and feed and warm the soil. However, when the temperatures begin to drop and the ground freezes, root systems can be exposed. The primary reason for winter mulching is to protect our plants from the harsh conditions of winter freezes, thaws and winds. Mulch acts as an insulator to balance the temperature creating a warm, heavy blanket of protection.
Neglecting to mulch in the fall can be damaging to your plants in the spring season. And the cost of mulching is nothing compared to the cost of replacing some of your favorite trees and shrubs. It also adds a beautiful aesthetic to your landscape in the winter months.
Using fall leaves as organic mulch is a great benefit to your landscape. They will break down over the course of the wintertime and create a layer of nutrients for your plants to draw from. Adding a layer of leaves over your perennials will help regulate soil temperature of the wintertime, as well as give new shoots a protective blanket as they enter the world in the spring.
DK Landscaping offers mulching installation in Sonoma County. Contact us for more information on the benefits of fall mulching (707) 280-3632.
