by angela@diggingbliss | Apr 3, 2007 | Uncategorized
On the drive to between Sacramento and Mendocino, by way of Hwy 37 –> 128–> 101 N– 1, lupine and California poppies are quite spectacular right now, especially against a startlingly green background. Everything is green, leafing out and beginning to bloom. Ceanothus and lilac are blooming.
The change of scenery from the Valley to the coast is very dramatic. You go from flat land with a 360 degree view to rolling, oak-studded foothills, and then into the deep dark redwood forest. Then suddenly… boom… there’s the Pacific Ocean. The transitions are very sudden, which makes the drive interesting and makes the sunglasses go on and come off many times.
I was thrilled to discover I’ve got wi–fi at the rental house for the first time ever, so I can now glance up from my untethered laptop while composing a blog post and see the ocean. This afternoon, I may venture out back to one of the Adirondack chairs and check my e-mail while enjoying the peaceful waves crashing in the distance. This is one happy “camper”.
Yes, I am addicted to modern technology and yelled a “Praise Jesus!” when I also discovered my cell phone works here for the first time ever. If I were forced to go tent camping sometime in the not-very-likely future, I’d be one of those panicky techno junkies scrounging around every morning for my solar iPod/cell phone charger while wondering who’s gonna go out in the freezing cold to start the fire… to boil the water… to make my French roast coffee. Must… stop… thinking about tent camping.
Outside right now, birds are chirping and it looks like it’s going to be a sunny, non-windy day. No formal plans today except to wander around town on foot and by bike. S’later!
by angela@diggingbliss | Mar 30, 2007 | Uncategorized
I’m just a blogging fool today. That’s because I should be cleaning and running errands and packing before my trip.
Here’s what’s blooming in my front yard right now. Had gone out to check the mail and couldn’t resist grabbing my camera.
Emily rarely smiles for the camera. In fact, she rarely sits still for the camera. It’s difficult to get good pictures of her because the moment she knows you’re paying attention to her, she jumps down and starts rubbing against your leg. When I was photographing poppies this morning, she bit me to get my attention.
yellow ‘Lady Banks’ rose
Pink cyclamen
Ixia
Calif. Poppies against Western redbud (Cercis occidentalis)
More Lady Banks
Poppies and Ixia, both of which get by on natural rainfall
by angela@diggingbliss | Mar 30, 2007 | Uncategorized
Buzz Kill
I enjoyed this piece, and it relates to recent news regarding bee die-offs across the country. I’ll be looking for bees when my lavender blooms. I’m pretty convinced my veggie garden productivity last year was aided by the constant buzz around my lavender plants. It wasn’t an intentional planting arrangement, but it seemed to help and it sure beats having to hand-pollinate.
If you’re not a paid Salon subscriber, you will have to sit through an online ad or two before reading the article. Such is life in the frugal lane.
by angela@diggingbliss | Mar 30, 2007 | Uncategorized
I’m going to
Mendo next week. Will check in from
Moody’s if there’s anything
horticulturally significant to report. Yes, I’m bringing my camera. Not sure what the weather will be like, though. I’m hoping to get in some good bike rides, but if it’s raining we’ll have to go to plan B, which is to eat and lounge by the fire. It’s all good.
by angela@diggingbliss | Mar 29, 2007 | Uncategorized
Recently, the Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership published the River-Friendly Landscape Guide, along with a companion brochure for homeowners titled “Choosing a Landscape Professional.” The brochure gives general guidelines for choosing an ecologically aware landscape professional, but doesn’t list local companies following “river-friendly” landscape practices. That left me wondering– Who in the Sacramento area offers organic or river-friendly or ecologically sound (i.e. sustainable) landscape maintenance services?
Guess what? I found a couple.
The emphasis seems to be on lawns, probably because nearly every house has one and it’s still a measure of residential prowess. It’s also true that while neighbors compare lawns like cars, nobody seems to want to maintain their own.
We hire mow-and-blow crews and maintenance companies employing traditional methods for keeping grass frequently shorn, weed free and dark green… but at what cost? High water requirements aside, lawn maintenace has traditionally contributed to fertilizer and pesticide runoff into our creeks and rivers, not to mention the residual hazards to people, pets and wildlife right on our very own properties.
In today’s copy of Inside Arden, I learned about State of the Earth, a local company offering residential and commercial landscape services promoting, according to their website, “… sustainable landscapes by using intelligent practices and organic materials, creating more robust and vibrant plant communities that looks great and can cope more successfully with seasonal changes and threats from pests.”
State of the Earth
Phone: 916-978-9630
E-mail: service@stateoftheearth.comSnail Mail: P.O. Box 255366, Sacramento, CA 95865
I’ve also heard much about Steve Zien’s Living Resources Company over the years. According to the Living Resources Company website, they “…will evaluate your soil type, fertility, and percolation rate, grass type, turf density, pests present, and thatch depth. A custom organic fertility and pest management program is then designed and implemented to improve and maintain your landscape at its best. Normal maintenance includes foliar fertilization, pest control monitoring, and recommendations. Pest control and weed control can also be included at the option of the client.”
Living Resources Company
E-mail: bugs@organiclandscape.com
Snail Mail: BUGS, P.O. Box 76, Citrus Heights, CA 95611
Phone: 916-726-5377
In a related vein, if you have a chance to install an ecologically friendly landscape or want to revamp your old landscape, you might want to call licensed contractor Dave Roberts of Roberts Landscape. His focus is sustainable landscapes and his creds are impressive.
David R. Roberts, Owner
5960 South Land Park Drive #174
Sacramento, CA 95822
Telephone : 916/444-6458
Fax : 916/441-6066
QUALIFICATIONS
- State of California Contractors License #590317, C-27 Landscape http://www.cslb.ca.gov/
- Bachelor of Science in Ornamental Horticulture 1975 California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
- Member of the California Landscape Contractors Association http://www.clca.org/
- California Department of Pesticide Regulation Qualified Applicator License #30038
- California Certified Nursery Professional #626 since 1975
INSURED
- Liability
- Workmans Compensation
REFERENCES
If, on the other hand, you’re a DIY’er, by all means order the River-Friendly Landscape guide and frequent the UC IPM website. Your lawn and garden can look as green and pristine as your neighbors’ without a single skull-and-crossbones-bearing product.
Whether you’re a DIY’er or prefer to hire out, you now have some very viable options for switching to greener methods of maintaining your yard without risking the health of your family, your pets, your neighbors and everything downstream of you. Imagine if we all did that (cue John Lennon music).
My next quest? A list of landscape maintenance companies using quiet, non-polluting tools. Am I dreaming?
