Star Nursery's Green Pages Summer 2018

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Garden Centers

A Flourishing

Summer

Garden

GREEN pages Summer 2018

Garden Centers Las Vegas, NV Ann Road & Simmons 2600 W. Ann Rd. North Las Vegas, NV 89031 (702) 216-STAR (7827) West Cheyenne & Tenaya 7330 W. Cheyenne Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89129 (702) 253-STAR (7827) W. Charleston Blvd. & Cimarron 8170 W. Charleston Blvd.

Las Vegas, NV 89117 (702) 360-STAR (7827) W. Tropicana & Fort Apache 9480 W. Tropicana Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89147 (702) 278-STAR (7827) Boulder Hwy. & E. Tropicana 5340 Boulder Highway Las Vegas, NV 89122 (702) 435-STAR (7827) S. Eastern & Pebble 8725 S. Eastern Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89123 (702) 333-STAR (7827) Blue Diamond & Lindell 5380 Blue Diamond Rd. Las Vegas, NV 89139 (702) 444-STAR (7827)

Pahrump, NV Buol Rd. & Hwy. 372 911 Buol Rd. Pahrump, NV 89048 (775) 727-5300

Star Nursery has been privately owned and operated for 35 years. We are proud to be the premier garden center for all your landscaping needs. Currently, we operate in Southern Nevada, Southern Utah and Northern Arizona with a total of 16 Garden Centers and 9 Decorative Rock Yards. We cater to both residential and commercial clientele.

Star Nursery offers the best in garden supplies. From a large assortment of trees to shrubbery, drought tolerant plants, succulents and houseplants, we have landscape material to suit anyone’s lifestyle. We offer the largest and most complete line of products that include irrigation supplies, gardening accessories, yard tools and our very own exclusive line of Dr. Q’s Garden Products. This line of products consists of soils and fertilizers that are specifically formulated to help you succeed with your gardening efforts in the Southwest Region. We also carry a selection of hardscape products ranging from flagstone to pavers to decorative rock and bulk soils.

Find everything you need to maintain a beautiful landscape or garden space. We pride ourselves in giving our customers the right price and best advice.

Star Nursery -Your Garden’s Partner for Every Bloomin’ Thing Since 1983.

Lake Havasu, AZ Lake Havasu Ave. & College Dr. 1141 N. Lake Havasu Ave. Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403 (928) 505-5255

Kingman, AZ Stockton Hill Rd. & Gordon Dr. 4140 Stockton Hill Rd. Kingman, AZ 86409 (928) 757-3701

Fort Mohave, AZ Hwy. 95 & Boundary Cone Rd. 6325 Hwy. 95 Fort Mohave, AZ 86426 (702) 444-STAR (7827)

Mesquite, NV

Bullhead City, AZ

Commerce Cir. & Pioneer 549 Commerce Cir. Mesquite, NV 89027 (702) 613-4770

Mohave Dr. & Miracle Mile 1579 Mohave Dr. Bullhead City, AZ 86442 (928) 758-STAR (7827) NOW OPEN

St. George, UT Sunset Blvd. & Bluff St. 1145 W. Sunset Blvd.

St. George, UT 84770 (435) 688-STAR (7827) Dixie Dr. & Gubler Ln. 1335 S. Dixie Dr. St. George, UT 84770 (435) 628-8004

Washington, UT Telegraph Rd. & 500 W. 385 W. Telegraph Rd. Washington, UT 84780 (435) 986-0820

Your #1 Source for

DECORATIVE ROCK & HARDSCAPES • Pavers • Flagstone • Wall Block • Stepping Stones • River Rock • Boulders • Bulk Soil • Bulk Sand

•Create a Maintainable and Drought Tolerant Landscape •Use Flagstone for a Beautiful and Unique Walkway

Decorative Rock Yards Nevada

Arizona

Utah

Las Vegas

Kingman

Dixie

2600 West Ann Rd. (702)216-7837

4140 Stockton Hill Road (928) 757-3701

1335 South Dixie Dr. (435)628-8004

Fort Mohave

St. George

6325 Hwy 95 (928)788-STAR(7827)

1145 West Sunset Blvd.

(435)688-STAR(7827)

5380 Blue Diamond Rd. (702) 444-7837 8725 South Eastern Ave. (702) 216- 7852 Pahrump 911 Buol Rd. (775)727-5300

Lake Havasu 1141 N. Lake Havasu Ave. (928) 505-5255

DELIVERY SERVICE AVAILABLE

A note from the editor

Seize the summer season by reinventing some of your favorite things to do. When you think of summer in the southwest, you immediately think of the blistering sun and unbearable temperatures. Your immediate instinct is to lower the thermostat in the house and load up on some refreshing treats, right?

It merely takes a little imagination to make things both inviting and more enjoyable even in the most desolate area of the southwest. Try reinventing the campfire experience in your own backyard. Offer flavors beyond the norm like rolling your chocolate covered marshmallow in some roasted almonds.

Go wild and spend the night under the stars. You can play a game with the kids of “Name that Constellation”. Or, stay indoors and create frozen treats by reaping the rewards of a late Spring harvest by using your strawberries and herbs.

Our Staff

Editor-in-Chief

Nina Gallagher

Art/Design

Taylor White Doug Ryan

Contributing Writers

Crystal Gwaltney Christine MacRae Terry Newcomb Paul Noe

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Regardless of what you decide to do during your summer break, know that there are plenty of options to make your season a memorable one.

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Las Vegas Review -Journal bestoflasvegas.com

2017

INTRODUCING THE HRC 400 CONTROLLER WITH THE B-HYVE PROTM APP.

SAVE WATER AND TIME ALL FROM THE CONVENIENCE OF YOUR BACK POCKET. Monitor, adjust and receive notifications for multiple sites from anywhere with the B-hyve ProTM app and HRC 400 smart Wi-Fi/Bluetooth controller. Now you can finally manage your landscape water usage the same way you manage everything else — from your phone.

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INSTANT 50% OFF PURCHASE PRICE W/ SNWA COUPON

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Try these ideas to turn your area into a relaxing outdoor oasis.

1. Pop up an outdoor kitchen.

Everyone grills in the southwest. And, lucky for us we can enjoy the outdoors most of the year. There’s no need for a fancy grill, but an area for food prep and storage is a definite help in making your next BBQ flow with ease. Add some strings of lights for a canopy effect over your grilling station. Place potted tomatoes and herbs nearby to add to the ambiance.

The possibilities are endless.

2. Got to love shade!

We can all enjoy a little relief from the sun. Create some shade with some potted trees and shrubbery. Build an arbor and anchor it with flowering vines like Star Jasmine. Place an umbrella in your favorite spot. Refuge from the blistering sun is always welcome.

3. Comfort & Joy.

When it comes to choosing your outdoor furniture, the options can be overwhelming. Regardless of style, I tend to look for comfort and stability first. Then, dress it up with accent pillows, potted plants and scented candles. Throw in a bar cart and the rest is up to you.

4. Define your space.

Imagination is key. Decide on an area you’d like to spend your leisure.

Then, it’s like creating a frame around a pretty picture. Use your furniture pieces to anchor the area. Try a trellis to create a dividing wall with some greenery. Shrubbery placed in pottery can work as accents in your space.

5. Tranquility.

Can you say that 10 times? We’re all in search of a little tranquility in our busy lives. And, what better way to create that then to place a fountain in your space? Nothing compares to the soothing sounds of water. It can completely transform your atmosphere. Go the extra mile and plant some seasonal flowers with fragrance nearby. This will definitely add the ambiance and the feeling of tranquility. Namaste.

Let the imagination flow. There are no set rules when creating your outdoor oasis really. It’s all about how you want to feel in your space.

If any of you have recently installed any synthetic turf in your yard (or have been thinking of doing so), we want to remind you that we carry a full line of maintenance items for you. The turf can get dirty over time and it is recommended that it be washed periodically to keep if fresh looking. To make this an easy project, we carry a product, Turf Fresh Odor Eliminator that is a specially-formulated cleaner for washing and deodorizing synthetic turf.

It’s easy to use and works great. Simply attach included bottle sprayer to your garden hose and rinse the lawn. This “Greener Cleaner” is specifically designed for synthetic lawns and is non-toxic, child & pet safe, biodegradable as well as hypoallergenic. Covers over 2000 sq. ft.

You can also gradually lose some of the turf fill that holds the synthetic blades of your turf upright. This is done by heavy traffic, high winds or water from rain or washing. If too much of this fill is lost, the blades will not stay evenly upright and may start to look distressed. We carry 50 lb. bags of Turfill Green Sand to replenish any lost material and keep those blades standing at attention.

For those of you with pets, we have the Turfresh fill with extra deodorizer in it. And to make sure that you get it all evenly spread out, rent a powerbroom from your local equipment rental company.

If you are still thinking about putting in synthetic turf at your place, remember that we have all the materials that you need to complete the job, including the turf!

If you have any questions at all about what to do to get started, stop by one of our stores and pick up a free brochure and installation guide.

EMERALD CARPET SYNTHETIC TURF INSTALLATION GUIDE

One last thing to always remember: if you are replacing real grass with synthetic, you must be aware of any trees or shrubs that may have roots that were growing under the lawn. If this is the case, then these plants will need supplemental watering to compensate for the water that was supplied by the lawn watering. If you notice any decline in the performance of your plants after the conversion, you may need to add additional emitters to some plants or extend irrigation run times to get them more water.

Recipe by: Christine MacRae

A Flourishing Summer Garden

Summer can be a challenging time for plants in the desert. However, if you’ve selected the right species, the right locations and you give them the care they need, they will flourish through the heat.

Check Irrigation Many plants require increased irrigation during the hottest periods, yet once established, many drought-adapted plants won’t require much additional water. Turf, vegetables, container plants, and anything newly planted will require supplemental water during the hottest months. Water in early morning or evening to reduce evaporation loss and follow local watering guidelines. The goal with irrigation is to water deeply and infrequently, this encourages roots to grow where moisture remains longer, and at a depth where soil temperatures fluctuate less in winter and summer. Trees and shrubs need multiple emitters for even watering across the entire root zone.

As plants grow and the canopy increases, emitters should move to the width of the outer branches to encourage an expansive, deep root system that can support growth, and over time sustain with less supplemental water.

When night temperatures remain high, don’t overwater succulents, allow their soil to dry between waterings, and winter growers, like many aloe, iceplants and crassulaceae, should remain fairly dry in summer. Many succulents do not tolerate constant heat, and cannot complete photosynthesis if nights don’t cool off. They can appear shriveled and dry, but are often awaiting cooler temperatures; water should be added only if soil is dry. If tender succulents show heat stress, consider bringing them indoors awhile.

During regular irrigation checks and following rainfall, check for pooling water. Mosquitoes are not only a nuisance, but also a disease vector. Keep all empty containers, plant trays, pools and pet bowls from holding stagnant water, mosquito larvae can survive in just a tiny amount.

Mulch Add several inches of organic mulch like wood chips or compost around root zones. Benefits include retaining moisture, (unless you are watering from above the mulch, in which case the mulch will absorb moisture before reaching the root zone), moderating soil temperature extremes in winter and summer, and providing slow-release nutrients as it breaks down.

Shade cloth Watch new plants for signs of sunburn. Yellowing of succulent tissue on the south and west sides is an early indicator of sun damage. If shade cloth is provided early, the plant will likely recover. However, if the plant tissue becomes tan and papery it can scar, though the damage is rarely fatal. Tree trunks and shrub stems can also burn, especially on young plants or those that have been pruned exposing previously shaded tissue. Use protective trunk wrap or burlap until fall, and be mindful when pruning. Shade cloth rated between 30-60% can help struggling plants through summer, and can reduce plant stress and water needs.

---It is natural for many desert-adapted plants to shed leaves through the warmer months to conserve water loss. The green bark of a palo verde continues to photosynthesize even while leafless, a wonderful arid strategy. Larger leaved plants may show early signs of stress by drooping to signify a need for more water.

Summer is a great time to admire the incredible strength and beauty desert plants have to survive the intense heat. Wise plant selection and maintenance can easily result in a beautiful landscape year-round.

Brandi Eide Springs Preserve

Q: My Ash tree is dying, one branch at a time. When I look closely at the cracked branches, I can see black stuff under the bark. One of my neighbors is having the same thing happening to his Mulberry tree. What should we do?

A: Sooty canker, also known as branch or limb wilt, is caused by a fungus, and is found primarily at low elevations where sunburn damage commonly occurs on trunks and branches of unprotected or stressed shrubs and trees. The fungus has a wide host range and causes diseases in many unrelated plants. The most common symptom of sooty canker is the sooty, black canker that develops beneath bark tissue. This black canker is due to the presence of masses of black, fungal spores that appear under the bark and on the surface of the canker. Symptoms on leaves of cankered branches appear during summer. Because the fungus grows into and kills sapwood, the leaves on branches with cankers, wilt, turn brown and die. Branches die back to the cankered area. Scattered branches are usually affected.

Q: Last fall we replaced a small back yard lawn with artificial turf because the lawn was getting too much shade from a tree that has been growing quite nicely for more than 8 years. Now the tree is starting to decline. It is dropping leaves and is far less vigorous than in the past. Did we do something wrong when we replaced the grass?

A: Yes, you forgot to allow for the watering loss for your tree from the regular irrigation of your old lawn! All this time your tree was growing, it was to some extent relying on the watering of your lawn to get moisture for its feeder roots. When you removed your lawn, you probably encountered some of these roots under the grass. Since you are no longer watering your lawn area, your tree is not getting all of the water that it used to get and now that it is warmer, the tree has to readjust to that. You can help the situation by adding more emitters around your tree or drilling some holes near the edge of your new turf and sinking some perforated drain pipe 2 to 3 feet into the ground and ďŹ lling it with sand or gravel. By directing water into these pipes, you can get extra water down deeper into the soil to help the new feeder roots. In either case, you may want to give your tree an extra deep soaking every couple of weeks though this summer.

Your irrigation system is the key to creating a healthy, water efficient landscape.

Use the tips in this section to know how to water and when.

Flush out your existing irrigation lines for any clogs or build-up from the winter season. Because plants have different watering needs than grass, your irrigation clock should allow different settings for drip and sprinkler stations. Drip irrigation is truly beneficial to plants in desert environments. Drip systems should run longer than sprinkler systems because they deliver water more slowly. Determine the amount of time to water based on the rate of flow of your drip emitters, the types of plants you are watering and the condition of the soil.

Rate of Flow

To find out how fast your drip emitter produces water, measure how many seconds it takes to fill a tablespoon: 14 seconds equals 1 gph (gallon per hour) 7 seconds equals 2 gph 4 seconds equals 4 gph

How Much to Water

Drip irrigation is usually needed less frequently than sprinkler irrigation. The following frequency is recommended by SNWA and should provide most plants with sufficient water: 1 day per week or less during the winter 2 days per week during spring and fall 3 days per week during the summer Drip systems are measured in gallons per hour, whereas sprinkler systems are measured in gallons per minute. In general, the higher the gph flow of your emitter, the shorter your drip system run time.

Emitter Type

Length of Watering

Hi-Flow Emitter (Up to 20 gph)

12 Minutes Each Watering

Low-Flow Emitter (Up to 4 gph)

30 Minutes Each Watering

Low-Flow Emitter (Up to 2 gph)

60 Minutes Each Watering

Low-Flow Emitter (Up to 1 gph)

90 Minutes Each Watering

If your plants appear stressed, check the soil moisture. If the soil is wet, your plants may be over watered. Water less often or for less time. If the soil is dry, check that all emitters are working. If they are, increase the watering time or add emitters only near the stressed plants.

Courtyard Paradise Growing A

For 36 years the desert has been home, and for 18 years the courtyard has been our personal paradise. Every season we look forward to seeing what reseeds and blooms again. We enjoy talking about and observing the measurable growth and beauty of the trees and plants year after year.

Our courtyard faces west and the sunlight beams in starting at 1 pm until it sets in the evening. Our goal was to create a cool, low maintenance landscape loaded with lots of trees for shade, different blooms from spring to early winter, and of course little sprinkles of color here and there. Today, the prickly pear and the jasmine are in full bloom, and the jasmine is sweet smelling, especially when a breeze blows through.

We started by amending our soil, and if you want to succeed in gardening, amending your native soil is a must! The next item on our list was to plant three mesquite trees, one on the south side, one in the center and on the north side of the courtyard. We wanted to create as much shade as possible and challenge ourselves by growing an arbor of trees. As time has progressed we have randomly added trees – there is a chaste with purple blooms, a paloverde and a sweet broom – both have yellow blooms. All three of the trees provide an added beauty to the courtyard arbor and also provide plenty of shade.

We filled in the low ground landscape by planting evergreens like desert spoon, red yuccas and lantanas. Like most we are crazy for color – snapdragons, vincas and a variety of trailing color sprawls in our pots, including rosemary and mint. We keep our herbs close to the kitchen door and the grill where they are readily available for picking and cooking. Sometimes we use long rosemary as the basting brush for grilling, other times we use sturdy wood branches of rosemary as skewers and the handle is the rosemary greens. Be cautious though – they can catch on fire if placed right on the grill!

Snapdragons sprout up all over year after year, they are my favorite as they are easy to keep in bloom most of the year. I snip off the dead blooms and spread them all around, and quite often snapdragons come back again since they do like the cooler weather.

We try to lightly mist the plants and flowers early morning, especially this time of year when the insects come alive. Make sure to feed everything in your landscapes and in your pots. We use all of Dr. Q’s foods and fertilizers, they work well to keep our courtyard paradise healthy and happy, and in turn we are too!

Thank you Dr. Q! ~ Ann Silman

near pools or against walls with reflected heat due to small number of pods and lack of thorns. Creamy white puffball flowers are produced in early spring followed by long bean pods. This plant is extremely drought tolerant once established.

The Mojave Desert is the least understood American landscape.

People unfamiliar with the Mojave Desert can hardly believe the high temperatures and low precipitation that we accept as normal.

It’s no wonder that there are so few trees that call the Mohave home.

A famous author once said that the key to becoming western is getting over the color green. The Mojave will give you much opportunity to test the truth of that statement. But in our cities and yards, trees are essential if we expect to be comfortable in this land of perpetual sun.

Planting trees is a necessary adaptation to human settlement in arid environments. A strong, healthy community forest is built tree by tree, home by home. Tree canopies help to reduce energy demands, reduce water demands, reduce local air temperatures, reduce air pollution, provide habitat for birds, and create beautiful, shady urban environments. Trees have been called “nature’s air conditioner” and “the lungs of the earth”. Their ability to cool and clean the air brings us welcome relief from sun and smog, especially in the concrete-and-asphalt heat islands of our cities.

Trees produce life-sustaining oxygen while absorbing pollutants and protecting soil from erosion by wind and water.

Chitalpa (Chitalpa tashkentensis) – It has large pink, orchid-like flowers produced in terminal clusters primarily during late spring and continuing intermittently into the fall. One of the finest traits is the lack of seed pods for low maintenance gardens. This tree is somewhat brittle and often has awkward branch patterns, but with a little training can be developed into a nice patio tree. ‘Pink Dawn’ and ‘Morning Cloud’ are the two cultivar selections found in nurseries.

Southern Nevada is part of the Mojave Desert, a shrubdominated landscape. While native trees do exist in our desert, they occur in streambeds and at higher elevations. Low elevation native trees tend to be small, compact, shrubby and low water users, perfect for urban landscapes and water conservation needs.

Unfortunately, there are not a lot of these natives that make good shade trees. However, there are many other trees available that come from different areas around the world that have similar arid climates.

Like our own natives, these trees are low to moderate water users and can help add beauty and protection from the sun and wind.

Here are just a few examples: Shoestring Acacia (Acacia stenophylla) – This thornless, rapidly growing evergreen tree produces long, willowy leaves that resemble shoestrings dangling in the wind. It is often recommended for use

‘Desert Museum’ Palo Verde (Cercidium ‘Desert Museum’) – This tree carries genes from the Mexican Palo Verde (Parkinsonia

aculeate), the Foothills Palo Verde (Cercidium microphyllum), and the Blue Palo Verde (Cercidium floridum) and combines the best traits of all three. It grows to 20 ft. tall and as wide in 3 to 5 years.

Large 1 inch blooms appear over a long period; flowering is most profuse in spring, with rebloom possible in summer. Light green stems and leaves. This is a clean, thornless tree that produces few seed pods.

Bottle Tree (Brachychiton populneus) – An evergreen tree of moderate size that is also native to Australia. The bright green leaves are shaped like arrowheads. Clusters of creamy white, bellshaped flowers are produced before summer, often followed by woody, boat-shaped fruits which may be a bit of a litter nuisance.

Bottle Trees are useful for windbreaks and shade in extremely hot conditions.

Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) – This tree is not a true willow, but has narrow willow-like leaves. In the wild it is often found as a multi-trunk shrub, but you can find them available in nurseries in a tree-like form as well. Gorgeous pink or white orchid-like flowers are present from late spring into the fall, attracting hummingbirds and bees. Cultivars include a variety of dark purple and vivid pink flowers like ‘Rio Salado’ & ‘Burgundy Lace’. Extremely tough and resilient, this is one of the best flowering trees the desert produces.

These are just a few of the drought tolerant tree selections that you have for our area. If you would like to learn about more options, stop by your local Star Nursery and pick up a free copy of the Southern Nevada Guide to Tree Selection and Care - ‘Trees for Tomorrow’ booklet. It is full of great information and pictures of the trees that have been proven to do well here.

Chilean Mesquite (Prosopis chilensis) – This fast-growing semievergreen tree has a full, wide spreading canopy. Most seedlings produce prominent thorns, but there are many selections of hybrid, thornless varieties including ‘Phoenix’, ‘AZT’ and ‘Rio Salado’. Mesquites should be irrigated deeply and infrequently to encourage deep rooting and to slow top growth.

Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) – This deciduous tree has a picturesque structure with sprawling, wide-spreading branches.

Its weeping, light-green foliage is similar to the California Pepper, but it can have thorns. A thornless variety known as ‘Maverick’ is available.

We Make 35 Look Good!

Every year and every season is a special one at Star Nursery but this year marks our 35th anniversary as Nevada, Arizona and Utah’s go-to garden center. Family owned and operated, Star sits among only a few dozen Southern Nevada businesses that have served this region, this long.

For our 35th, we’re celebrating all our loyal customers with specials, sales and giveaways, but we’re especially proud of the more than 100 employees that received their Milestone Certificates for service to the company longer than 10 years. Many have been with Star Nursery, Inc. for 20 years or more.

And while we’re celebrating in every store in throughout the year, we held a unique birthday party April 7, 2018, at our Blue Diamond location to recognize and honor these long-time employees. There was food, there was champagne but most of all, there was cake! We commissioned Freed’s Bakery, another long-time LV business, to create a cake that was as spectacular as the milestone achievements of our employees—and boy did they deliver.

Standing nearly 3 ½ feet high and spanning more than four feet in width, this cake featured a Texas Mountain Laurel tree, complete with fragrant blooms that smell like grape drink, our signature red wagon, filled with completely edible fondant succulents in chocolate clay pots, and grass made entirely of frosting and lots of yummy goodness.

The cake-cutting honors went to Jim-Ed Johnson, one of our original Dr. Q’s, who has been with Star Nursery more than 25 years. (He’s the tall guy in the red ball cap at our Eastern Avenue store that knows everything about everything)!

Star Nursery is proud of each and every employee and the unique contribution of talent, knowledge and creativity they lend to our business. Here’s to the last 35 years and to the next 35 years—Star Nursery, Still Growing!

-Terry Newcomb

Your Summer Checklist June • Water wisely. Check your SNWA water guide, or with your local water company, for allowable watering hours and days.

Resist the temptation to constantly water everything in the heat. Plant roots need oxygen too, if soils are too wet or stay wet, plants will suffer. Remember deep, infrequent (every 3 days) watering builds strong roots and helps keep weeds down.

• Mulch - Mulch - Mulch. Now is the time to mulch the garden, trees and shrubs to cool the soil, help retain moisture and suppress weeds. DR. Q’s PAYDIRT™ Planting Mix & Mulch is a premium grade, fully composted garden mulch. Avoid stem rot by keeping mulch away from the stems of flowers and woody plants. In desert (rock) landscapes, gently rake the rock away from the plant, apply mulch layer, and replace rock on top of mulch.

• Control insect pests like roaches, ants, black widows, earwigs and sowbugs (roly-poly) with insecticides like Bayer MultiInsect Killer liquid and granules. Protect against home invasion with Bayer Home Pest Control. It forms an invisible barrier that keeps killing bugs for up to 9 months. If the critters get in, you’ll find them belly-up—the best way to find them if you have to find them at all!

• Plant heat-loving flowers like Star Flowers, Vinca, Marigold, Moss Rose, Texas Bluebells and Zinnias. Blend a good planting mix like Dr. Q’s Paydirt Planting Mix and Mulch into the soil to add organic material, improve soil quality. Plant Perennials: Coreopsis, Gazanias, Portulaca, Salvia, Verbena • Keep your lawn healthy without excessive growth by using a mild, balanced high iron fertilizer like Dr. Q’s Triple Play (7-7-7). Watch for summer weeds like dandelion and spurge. Pull by hand or spot spray with a weed killer like Bayer Allin-One Weed Killer. Don’t spray the whole lawn. Herbicide – high temperature interaction can cause severe lawn damage.

• Fertilize palms Palm trees need to be fertilized when it’s warm, like right now in the summer. Unlike many other plants that do best with spring and fall fertilization, feed your palms now with Dr. Q’s Palm Tree Food to provide the special nutrients like continuous feed nitrogen, magnesium and manganese needed for vigorous growth and rich, green color.

Transplant Palms if needed.

July

August

• Harvest vegetables and fruits. If you have squash, tomatoes or other prolific summer vegetables in your garden, keep on top of the harvest, pick ripened vegetables often. Failure to pick early will give you woody, overgrown squash and mushy tomatoes. Keep your eye on this month’s apples, pears, grapes, peaches and figs, too, to avoid messy fruit drop and get the best harvest.

• Lawn fungus; If you suspect your grass may have this, consult our specialists at the nursery. Fungicide like Bayer Lawn Fungus Control effectively combats the problem. If we have monsoon rains, don’t forget to turn off sprinkler clocks for a day to help conserve water.

• Protect with Bird Block netting as needed. Treat squash bugs with Sevin dust. Always read the label! Avoid top watering of vegetables to reduce the chance for disease.

• Plant late summer, early fall veggies. This is one of the traditional times to plant corn and bean seeds and squash plants. It’s a good time to plant tomato seeds for a fall crop.

Plant now, and have luscious garden produce all fall long!

Plant pumpkins now to harvest for Halloween.

• Watch lawn weeds. Keep an eye on broadleaf lawn weeds, removing them by hand or “spot spray” as needed with a broad-leaf weed killer. If allowed to set seed, they will cause trouble for years to come.

• Start seeds for cool weather flowers. Late August is a good time to plant seeds for pansies, violas, snapdragons, kale and more. By the time plants reach flowering size, cool weather will be here once again.

• To kill unwanted Bermudagrass that has appeared this summer. Use Round-up® or Remuda® for effective control.

Don’t wait too long. Once cooler nights arrive, Bermuda starts to go dormant and herbicides won’t work properly.

• Cut back tomato plants by about 50% to encourage new growth and flowering. As nighttime temperatures cool, plants will set fruit once again and give you a bonus crop this fall! If you determine that tomatoes are done, plant new seeds now for fall plants.

• Water wisely. Continue with June’s watering tips, remembering more is not always better and deep-infrequent watering for trees and shrubs.

• Maintain roses. Roses are going through their roughest time; don’t worry, they’ll spring back in fall. For now, though, you can make their life easier by keeping faded flowers cut, providing them with a cooling mulch layer, and giving them a mild fertilizer like Dr. Q’s® Rose & Flower Food.

• Irrigation check-up: Walk your yard regularly during the watering cycles to make sure all is well and working properly. Check drippers often see if any popped out as heat can make the hoses softer.

• Take a break. Summer’s almost over, and our busiest planting and gardening season, Fall is almost upon us. If you’ve been a vigilant gardener this summer, rest now…there’s work ahead!

SHADE CLOTH

Summer heat is awesome when you’re spending a beautiful day in 80° weather. True garden dreams would be 80° all year round. Alas, living in zone 9, one can only dream. Shoot, I’ll settle for ANYTHING in the 2 digits. Vegas hits 3 digits as early as May. CRAZYYY! Foreseeing the heat, I put on my thinking cap and started the process in my mind in February. I visualized, mulled it over in my head, spent countless of hours on Pinterest and online researching. It was a fun process and I’m here to help you save your garden this summer!

So the solution to keeping your garden cool is, drum roll please….SHADE CLOTH! Your best summer friend! I promise. Your tomatoes, peppers, even Basil, will love you for it! Not to mention your taste buds will have a blast enjoying a juicy cantaloupe in July!

The first step was looking at the environment around my garden. How much sun does my garden actually get. Hmmm.. did I have trees, my house, anything providing shade? NO! It was smack dab in the middle of pure desert, with sun ALL day.

Next, was buying the cloth. 50%, 60% ,70%. What did all those numbers mean?! Back to go visit my BFF, Mr. Handy Google.

I’ll save you guys a trip. The number represents the percentage of sunlight being filtered. So, a 50% will filter out 50% of the light coming in, 60% filters out 60%, etc. Mr. G. also kindly mentioned that most edible plants will do well between 3050% with 60% pushing it to too much light filtered out.

April was coming to an end and I still didn’t have the cloth up. Then came this amazing collaboration with Star Nursery and it really lit the fire under my tush. I put on my garden boots, rolled up my sleeves, headed to my local star nursery to finish gathering supplies and get started.

I chose a 40% over the entire garden and a 50% over the greenhouse. Seeds don’t require much light in the beginning but that’s for another article. It was the perfect balance!

Guys make sure you beat the heat and cover up! Go to your local Star Nursery, get your shade covers and remember to invite me over for some fresh salsa in July! I’ll bring the cantaloupe!

Claudia Ivonne Inspiring you to start a garden www.TheVixenGarden.com

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A plant doesn’t need to have a big footprint to make a big impact.