garden.together.com 415.820.1623... e-mail me about me .... beginners .... design .... detailing .... ethics .... links .... pruning .... water conservation .... photos.... .
iexplore above: native poppies and achillea front non-native blue salvia in a Sacramento installation. Tips for November 2008 Time to plant and prepare your garden for fall: Irrigation Water use is always important, and with the current drought, I urge you all to take a look at how much you can reduce your own water footprint. Compost If you don’t have a compost bin, get one. There are many options, you can buy or make one simply. Now is a great time to mulch your beds with compost, and when the rains come, the compost will slowly feed your plants. See this month’s Green Tip Planting Once the rains start, weed seeds will sprout up everywhere they have water and light. You can do something about light but covering up thin and bare spots with mulch. Use a compost/mulch combo for best results (lay down compost first, then mulch on top)		a natural method Urban Gardening. Nature’s Rules. a garden for everyone... well planned and well tended green space nurtures the senses, cleans the air, provides the perfect backdrop for your next party. From the smallest window boxes to sprawling yards, your gardens enhance your home. And to get the most from your garden, why not enlist some help? I have been putting gardens together since 1997. To learn more about how I can help you get more out of your garden, take a stroll through gardentogether.com. I'll explain, among other things: my mission statement so you'll know what drives my work garden detailing how it can rejuvenate your garden soft edge pruning why I prefer it over common 'hard edge' techniques water conservation how to have a garden and still do your part to preserve this resource pests why I won't use pesticides and why going organic is the best my background and how only a little bit of space started me on my way. So, whether you decide it's time to get your garden together, or you'd like someone to garden together with, give a call so we can discuss your needs and ideas. Dean Ouellette 415-820-1623 garden_together@hotmail.com News Water rationing? This year the governor declared it official: we’re still in a drought. Unless we have an unusually wet winter, we’ll all be water rationing next year as some counties did for 2008. It’s time to get serious about water usage, including reevaluating our plant choices and watering systems. Green Tip for November, 2008 Mulching Nature doesn’t like bare dirt: If you don’t take charge, weeds will gladly oblige. All weeds need dirt, light and water. If you want fewer weeds, then make it difficult for them, and mulch is one of your best tools for blocking light to weed seeds. Mulch also helps conserve water by protecting soil from the drying effects of the sun and wind, as well as shrinking the extremes of soil temperature. The thicker the layer, the more effective the mulch works, just take care with your established plants. Don’t choke your plants. While a deep layer of mulch is great for keeping down weeds and saving water, it can also work against the plants you want to keep, by keeping the crowns (where the roots meet the above ground part of the plant) too moist, resulting in crown rot.