Evergreen perennials are often fast growing and require periodic pruning to renew them and keep them vigorous. With all the warm weather he had in January things have already started growing and it’s important to remove old growth to make room for new blooms and foliage. Perennials such as penstemon and Santa Barbara daisy benefit from a hard shearing this time of year. I often use a special Japanese serrated knife to speed up this chore. This tool is called a root knife, and is available at leevalley.com , which carries many hard to find gardening tools and accessories. With the root knife you can grab all of the foliage of a plant like catmint with your left hand, and slice off all of the old growth with your right. The new shoots that remain quickly produce new blooms and the plant looks 100% better. Once the danger of hard frost has passed, it will be time to cut back frost tender evergreen shrubs such as fuscias and loropetalums (Chinese fringe flower).
Author: Milo (Page 12 of 12)
With all the dry weather we’ve been having lately, many of my clients are talking about taking out their lawns, if they haven’t done so already. Milo Mitchel Landscaping specializes in drought tolerant and native landscapes and is therefore perfectly suited to replace your lawn.
There are two main methods of replacing a lawn, and I’ve described them both below:
The first method employs a permaculture technique called sheet mulching. This consists of covering the lawn with a layer of cardboard then mulch and letting the grass turn to compost. When the grass is composted, you poke holes in the cardboard and plant, but this usually takes between 6 and 8 weeks. If you plant too soon, you end up with a lot grass coming back. The main expense of this method is the labor involved with collecting and spreading out the cardboard. It can take a couple of days for one person to collect and spead out cardboard then mulch, taking care to trench around the edges so that the cardboard doesn’t stick up. The main advantage of this method is that you recycle all of the valuable nutrients contained in the layer of sod.
The second method is more typical. This involves rolling up strips of sod and either hauling it away or advertising a free pickup for neighbors who need sod. Once the sod is removed, a load of compost is rototilled in. The main expense of this method is either hauling away the sod and or the the cost of purchasing and rototilling in compost. The load of compost costs around $200 delivered, and the rorotilling takes a half day, and we rent a big tiller for $60. With this method it is easier to plant and the plants tend to get established more quickly as the soil has been loosened for the roots. When my crew and I have done this method in the past for a typical suburban front yard, it has cost between 2 and 3 thousand dollars for the complete landscape, including all plants, as well as labor and materials associated with converting spray to drip irrigation, then mulching. Of course this depends on the size and number of plants that you choose. My estimate is that the first method could save you around 3-5 hundred dollars on installation.
Welcome to milomitchel.com, the home of Milo Mitchel Landscaping (MML). MML is a cutting edge landscaping company focused on implementing sustainable practices in the home landscape. Engaged in a wide variety of design and installation projects, MML is pioneering new sustainanble techniques, as well as honoring the time-tested principles of organic gardening.
This website will explain the core principles on which Milo Mitchel Landscaping is based. It will also catalogue and display current projects. In addition, the site will expore gardening in a philosophical light with articles and links.
Comments and criticisms are welcome and MML clients are encouraged to share their experiences. See the Contact link to post a comment.