Agaves

Do you live in a hot dry area?  Do you want to have interesting plants that don't require much water?  Then you may want to plant some agaves!

These desert plants can endure long periods of 100+ degree weather without water.  They range in size from very small to extremely large varieties.  They propogate by setting off "pups" from the main plant that can be removed and transplanted easily.  And, they have a distinctive look that works well when you want an interesting plant to add to your landscaping. 

Some of my favorite agaves include Parry's agave (Agave parryi) seen to the top left on the screen, Queen Victoria agave (Agave victoriae-reginae) on the bottom left, and the Thread-leaf agave (Agave filifera) shown on the right. 

Go to http://www.desert-tropicals.com/ to find information and photos on these agaves and many others.  Once you learn about them, agaves may become your favorite plant!

Save Water - Use an Irrigation Rain Sensor

Tired of seeing your irrigation system running while it's raining?  Ever have to run outside during the rain to shut off your irrigation?  There's a cost-effective and reliable way to help reduce irrigation water waste.  Install a rain sensor.  It absorbs rainwater in proportion to the amount of rain that falls and activates a switch that keeps the solonoid of the irrigation valve from turning on.  Once the rain stops and the sensor dries, your irrigation valve operates normally again.  Some rain sensors can shut your irrigation system off as soon as it detects any precipitation.  Thus, avoiding the appearance that your system is "wasting water."  This is especially helpful for a commercial property or homowners association common area.

Rain sensors can be used with your automatic irrigation controller.  The are easy to install and well worth the small amount they cost in the amount of money they can save you.  They can be used for residential, commercial, and community properties. 

What to do now to have a great landscape this Spring

Are you looking at your brown dormant plants and wondering what you can do to have a great looking landscaping in the spring? Here are some tips to get the most bang for your buck for your landscaping.

• Get your irrigation inspected to ensure that it is working properly. If your irrigation is not working well, your plants will not look good. You may also have leaks that could cost you money on your water bill in the spring if they are not fixed now.
  
  
• Plan what you would like to add to your existing landscaping. Think about the mature size of plants so that what you plant is not too big or to small for the area you will be putting it in.



• Consider adding landscape lighting to add a dramatic evening effect to your plants and trees. There are now a lot of good solar lights available. This gives you the added benefit of not increasing your electricity bill.



• Add a layer of crushed rock to your existing rock to refresh it. Make sure that you get the same size and color as the rock you already have.
  

Now that you’ve looked at easy ways to make your existing landscaping even better, choose a few things to do and you’re ready to enjoy your landscape in the spring!

Deborah Munoz-Chacon, Sonoran Oasis Landscaping

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Bad bunnies in gardens

RABBITS, THE NEVER ENDING EATING MACHINES

What's up with all the rabbits this spring. They're everywhere! And, they eat everything in sight. They're cute and cuddly but don't let that fool you. They are out to destroy your garden.

I have rabbits at most of my client's homes and community landscapes. It seems as if they eat any new plants as fast as we can plant them.

So, I've gotten tough. I guess that's called tough bunny love. I found a great product called Critter Ridder that you can get from Lowe's for about $15. It's a granular animal repellant. Whatever you do, DON'T SMELL IT! You'll be sorry if you do. It's made with white pepper, putrid egg whites, and some other odiferous ingredients. To make it more potent, I added two bottles of cayenne pepper to this already stinky mixture. I think the cayenne pepper is what actually helps to make it work. You sprinkle this around your plants and it smells so bad that the rabbits (and other animals) stay away from them. And, it doesn't hurt the rabbits or plants. Of course, you have to replenish it around your plants every so often. Don't use the liquid version of this called SCRAM. We got that for one of our homeowners association clients for their common area plants and it didn't work. The bunnies just chowed down on the plants like we added salad dressing to it.

So far, so good. No damage since I added the Critter Ridder (with my own improvement). I have a feeling that one bite out of a treated plant and it's the last one that a rabbit will take from that plant ever again. I don't want to hurt the bunnies, just get them to keep away from the landscape plants. I haven't caught one of them trying to eat a treated plant yet but I'm sure it's not a pretty sight. Probably like me trying to eat a jalapeno pepper.

Here's to bunnies...may they eat elsewhere.