For those of us who live here in the Valley of the Sun, we know that the Phoenix Metro Area isn't all brown sand and tumbleweeds. Many folks are surprised at the variety of plants in the desert. They are especially pleased when they discover that many desert plants stay green all year long, and have lovely flowers. This weeks plant of the week is Orange Jubilee or Orange Bells.
Orange Jubilee (sometimes called Orange Bells) is one of several desert plants that I recommend for people who want desert plants that are perennial (you need to plant them only once), hardy, low care, relatively drought resistant, easy to find, pretty cheap to buy, and provide lovely color many times during the year.
The botanical name for Orange Jubilee is Bignoniaceae, Tecoma Hybrid.
The Orange Jubilee is an evergreen shrub that loves sun and heat. It blooms from late spring through early fall. These desert plants are drought resistant, and do well in almost any soil. The Orange Jubilee blooms are bright orange and tubular; they look like elongated bells, which is why some people call them Orange Bells plants.
This beautiful desert plant attracts hummingbirds and bees. The leaves are a vibrant green color. Orange Jubilee plants can grow to eight feet tall or more, and to several feet wide. Orange Jubilees can be trimmed to control size and can be shaped, but most are left natural allowing branches to get longish and weepy. If they get frost damaged during the winter, you can just cut them back and they will grow again in the spring.
For those who want to know more about this plant in technical or scientific terms here you go:
Scientific Name: Tecoma alata (formerly known as Tecoma stans 'Orange Jubilee',
also known as Tecoma guarume)
Common Name: orange bells, orange trumpet flower, cahauto
Family: Bignoniaceae
Origin: Peru
Landscape Use: Used similarly to T. stans as a medium to large floral accent shrub, background screen, specimen around large patios and ramadas exemplifying regional or Spanish architecture; best used in oasis and transition landscape designs settings, moderately attracts hummingbirds.
Form & Character: Evergreen large shrub, upright and open, stiff and rigid, festive, informal, subtropical to tropical. Though evergreen, winter is a time of quiescence for orange bells.
It doesn’t matter to us whether you want desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help. We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.
Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net
Silly question, everyone knows that weeds are a nuisance and are always harmful to your lawn, Right?
There are some undomesticated or feral plants, generally considered weeds, yet having some positive effects or uses, often being ideal as companion plants in gardens.
Beneficial weeds can accomplish a number of roles in the garden or yard, including fertilizing the soil, increasing moisture, acting as shelter or living mulch, repelling pests, attracting beneficial insects, or serving as food or other resources for human beings.
Weeds are often considered the bane of the organic gardener’s life. Even the most committed organic gardener can confess to being tempted to purchase a bottle of the chemical weed killer in order to get rid of the invasive creeping Charlie or nut’s edge. While weeds are known to be annoying and to sap the nutrients from the soil, there are actually several beneficial weeds that every gardener should be aware of. Just like beneficial insects can have a positive impact on the health of your garden, so can beneficial weeds.
The Definition Of A Beneficial Weed
It is a well-known organic gardening fact that there are numerous plants and herbs that serve well as companion plants in order to keep pests at bay. These beneficial companions are typically planted on purpose in order to make a concerted effort at organic pest control. Seeds for these beneficial companions are found at most garden centers, and they are often considered to be “domesticated” varieties.
A beneficial weed, on the other hand, is a plant that is not typically thought of as being “domesticated,” but it does still serve as a beneficial companion to your vegetables and flowering plants. Since a large number of gardeners are more concerned about pristine flower beds and lush green lawns that are free from the occasional pretty yellow dandelion, the majority of beneficial weeds are pulled up or poisoned with the harsh chemical weed killers.
The reality is that if these beneficial weeds were left in place, they would actually stave off hordes of unwanted pests and also help to keep the soil filled with valuable nutrients. With knowledge of what weeds might actually serve a positive purpose on your property, you can take your organic pest control and soil improvement efforts to extra lengths, all by allowing nature to work her magic.
The plant world can actually be rather brutal, and the process of allelopathy is just one such example. Allelopathy is a process by which a plant produces biochemicals that will have a marked effect on the overall health of other plants around it. Allelopathy is not necessarily a positive process in all situations. For example, nut’s edge can drive gardeners absolutely insane once it has been allowed to gain a foothold in the garden. Not only it is difficult to control, but it also releases toxins into the soil, thus making the soil inhospitable for other plants. This type of process can be beneficial for other plants, however. For example, many consider lantana a weed, but it can inhibit the growth of milkweed roots.
It doesn’t matter to us whether you want desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help. We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.
Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net
“The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” How many times have we heard that old saying or as some call it a wives tale? I would guess many times… that is how many.
Here are some variations you may have missed.
Robert Fulghum, author of that classic book "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" put it this way: "The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. No, not at all. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered correctly.
The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank Paperback – March 1, 1995. Written by Erma Bombeck. "She is marvelously funny, direct as a hypodermic, a virtuoso in the field of suburban living....Lovely stuff."
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Other people's lives always seem more desirable than our own. We're never satisfied with what we have. The proverb has been traced back to 1545. The original idea can be found in the poetry of Ovid (c.43 B.C-A.D. c.18): Fertilior seges est alenis semper in agris ("The harvest is always more fruitful in another man's fields"). First attested in the United States in the Bangor Daily News (Me.) (1959) and the New York Times (1959). Variants of this saying include: The grass is always greener over the next hill; The grass always looks greener on the other side of the hill; The grass is always greener on the other man's lawn; The grass looks greener on the other side of the pastures; The grass is always greener across the street, etc.
Here at Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance we know the grass always looks the best when it is properly cared for. That is the grass is correctly chosen for the amount of sunlight, given the right nutrients, properly watered, protected from various pests and of course even that the grass needs to be and is cut properly. There is much more to a green lawn than scattering some seeds and hoping it gets enough rain.
So how green is your winter lawn?
It doesn’t matter to us whether you want desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help. We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.
Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net
Yesterday had some of our scary weather. Some folks didn't get a drop and others had 60 mile per hour winds. Are you in one of the areas with damage to the Phoenix Metro area as well as other parts of the state? If you are in the Valley of the Sun and need help cleaning up after this latest weather event we want you to know we are here to help.
We hope you and your family are all OK. The high winds and hail have caused property damage and reduced trees, out buildings and landscaping to rubble.
Storm Damage Cleanup
If you are looking for help in your cleanup efforts give Greens Keeper a call at 623-848-8277
You want to get your property damage corrected as soon as possible. This goes well beyond just the aesthetics of how the property looks. You want to make sure your property is safe. You want to make sure that debris doesn’t cause even more damage and flooding on and beyond your property.
We offer more than just the look of the landscape of properties. We offer clean-up and haul-away services that can get the storm damage restoration underway as soon as possible.
Our crews will arrive on site and begin working to minimize your properties' damage.
We have more than fifteen years of experience in helping business owners recover from unexpected events, storm and water damage.
We will work directly for you or with your insurance company, you decide.
While removal of fallen trees is many times the most visible part of storm damage, there are others. Water run-off can be damaging as well.
Our process involves immediate assessment of your property to identify hazardous areas and help minimize additional damage that the erosion or blockages can cause to landscaping. Controlling run-off and erosion can also be mandated by local regulations.
This means that if you have things we think could be a liability on your property related to the landscape, we will communicate with you.
We meet or exceed the highest insurance standards, with $2,000,000 business liability, $1,000,000 commercial auto, and $1,000,000 workman's comp. And we can list you (the customer) as additional insured at no extra charge.
Rather than having to worry about the landscaping on your commercial property you can let Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance do all the work for you and take the burden off your shoulders all together. Give us a call at 623-848-8277 and let’s talk about it.
Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net
In keeping with the scary season here are the Top Halloween mazes from around the world.
Penn & Teller New Las Vegas -- The eccentric magicians have accidentally nuked Sin City, leaving the desert gambling oasis covered in radioactivity. The comedic 3D maze at Universal Studios Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights in Florida takes visitors on a day-glow journey through Las Vegas after one of the duo's illusions goes horribly wrong.
Graves Academy -- The Haunted Halloween maze at Hong Kong Disneyland takes visitors inside a once-prestigious private school where students are taught a terrifying curriculum and bred for evil. Headmaster Alistair Graves, a dark arts master and strict disciplinarian, has turned the decaying academy into a portal for unbridled evil.
Alice Cooper Goes to Hell / Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare -- The Alice Cooper mazes at Universal Studios in Hollywood and Orlando draw on elements from the shock rocker's theatrical concerts with a soundtrack culled from his concept albums. The Halloween Horror Nights mazes feature themes of unending darkness, eternal torment and unimaginable horrors inspired by the song lyrics.
The Passing -- Thorpe Park in the United Kingdom introduced the new up-charge maze at this year's Fright Nights. With a suffocating burlap sack over their head, each person is sentenced to death and must blindly make their way through the claustrophobic maze to their own burial.
Alone -- Busch Gardens Tampa in Florida introduced the "solitary scare experience" in 2010 at Howl-O-Scream with the up-charge Alone maze that takes up to four people through the attraction at a time. The back-story involves an obsessive hoarder named Alexander Daedalus and his impressive collection of oddities. But whatever you do, don't touch anything. During the tour, the scare actors call you by name and purposely split up your party.
Ghostly Legends -- Ocean Park asked visitors to vote on the most haunted places in Hong Kong and turned the survey results into a maze at Halloween Bash. A possessed and demented disc jockey serves as the guide through 10 Hong Kong haunts populated by supernatural beings like an eight-headed girl, an ice crystal monster and a woman covered in butterflies.
Take Away -- Prepare to have your appetite spoiled at Europa Park's Horror Nights during the grand opening of a Chinese fast food restaurant (known as "take away" in Germany). The Take Away maze at the German theme park sends visitors on a behind-the-scenes tour of the disgusting kitchen where a cleaver-wielding cook prepares caged cats as the main course.
It doesn’t matter to us whether you want desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help. We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.
Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net
Lophophora williamsii or peyote is a small, spineless cactus with psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. The English common name peyote comes from the like-spelled Spanish name, which in turn comes from the Nahuatl name peyōtl said to be derived from a root meaning "glisten" or "glistening". Native North Americans are likely to have used peyote, often for spiritual purposes, for at least 5,500 years.
Peyote is native to Mexico and south-western Texas. It is found primarily in the Chihuahuan desert and in the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosi among scrub, especially where there is limestone.
Known for its psychoactive properties when ingested, peyote is used worldwide as an entheogen and supplement to various transcendence practices, including meditation, psychonautics, and psychedelic psychotherapy. Peyote has a long history of ritualistic and medicinal use by indigenous Americans. It flowers from March through May, and sometimes as late as September. The flowers are pink, with thigmotactic anthers (like Opuntia).
The various species of the genus Lophophora grow low to the ground and they often form groups with numerous, crowded shoots. The blue-green, yellow-green or sometimes reddish green shoots are mostly flattened spheres with sunken shoot tips. They can reach heights of from 0.8 to 2.8 inches and diameters of 1.6 to 4.7 inches. There are often significant, vertical ribs consisting of low and rounded or hump-like bumps. From the cusp areoles arises a tuft of soft, yellowish or whitish woolly hairs. Spines are absent. Flowers are pink or white to slightly yellowish, sometimes reddish. They open during the day, are from 1 to 1 and a half inches long, and reach a diameter from ½ to 1 inch. Lophophora williamsii seedling at roughly 1 1/2 months of age.
The cactus produces flowers sporadically; these are followed by small edible pink fruit. The club-shaped to elongated, fleshy fruits are bare and more or less rosy colored. At maturity, they are brownish-white and dry. The fruits do not burst open on their own and they are between ½ to 1 inch long. They contain black, pear-shaped seeds. The seeds require hot and humid conditions to germinate. Peyote contains a large spectrum of phenethylamine alkaloids. The principal one is mescaline. The mescaline content of Lophophora williamsii is about 0.4% fresh (undried) and 3-6% dried. Peyote is extremely slow growing. Cultivated specimens grow considerably faster, sometimes taking less than three years to go from seedling to mature flowering adult. More rapid growth can be achieved by grafting peyote onto mature San Pedro root stock.
The top of the cactus that grows above ground, also referred to as the crown, consists of disc-shaped buttons that are cut above the roots and sometimes dried. When done properly, the top of the root will form a callus and the root will not rot.[10] When poor harvesting techniques are used, however, the entire plant dies. Currently in South Texas, peyote grows naturally but has been over-harvested, to the point that the state has listed it as an endangered species.[citation needed] The buttons are generally chewed, or boiled in water to produce a psychoactive tea. Peyote is extremely bitter and most people are nauseated before they feel the onset of the psychoactive effects.
It doesn’t matter to us whether you want desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help. We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.
Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net
We all hate weeds. They are unsightly and steal resources from real plants. Did you know it is best to get rid of them before rather than after you plant a new lawn?
Weed Management Before Planting
An integrated approach, utilizing several methods, is the most economical and effective means of controlling weeds. Develop your weed management plan for landscapes before you plant by following these five basic steps:
Site assessment. Before soil preparation and when the weeds are visible, evaluate the soil, mulch, and slope of the site so problems can be corrected or future problems anticipated before planting.
Site characteristics to look for include drainage, soil compaction, shading, and water infiltration rate. Identify the weed species in the area, with particular focus on perennial weeds. The best time to look for winter annual weeds is mid- to late winter; perennials and summer annuals are easiest to identify in mid- to late summer.
Site preparation. The most often overlooked aspect of a landscape maintenance program is site preparation. Control existing weeds, especially perennials, before any grading and development are started. Glyphosate (Roundup, etc.) can be used to kill existing annual and perennial weeds. Pre-plant treatment with fumigants (available to licensed pesticide applicators only) or soil solarization can be used if time allows; however, 6 weeks are required for solarization and it is most effective when done during the time of highest sun radiation, from June to August in the Phoenix Metro area. Annual weeds can be reduced by irrigating the area after final grading, allowing the weeds to emerge. While the weeds are still small, a shallow cultivation (less than 1 inch), scraping the weeds off the soil, or spraying with a post-emergent non-selective herbicide and then repeating this process of irrigation, emergence, and removal 2 or 3 times will greatly reduce annual weed competition and population.
Define the type of planting. There are more weed control options if the planting consists entirely of woody plants as opposed to herbaceous annuals or perennial plants, or a mixture of all three. If there is opportunity to do so, consider using mowing strips, planter beds, and borders to reduce weed encroachment and delineate planting types. Choosing drip irrigation and microsprinklers over conventional or flood sprinkler heads will also help in reducing weeds since the water is placed at or near your plants.
Don't introduce weeds. Weeds are sometimes introduced in the soil brought to the landscape site either when amending the soil or in the potting mix of transplants.
Encourage rapid establishment of desired plants. Use the best management practices to get the plants established as quickly as possible so that they become competitive with weeds and more tolerant of herbicides applied to the site. Hand-weeding and keeping weeds from producing seeds in the landscape will greatly reduce overall weed populations.
It doesn’t matter to us whether you want desert landscaping, lush lawns or some type of landscaping in between, we can help. We serve businesses like yours all over the Phoenix Metro Area. To find out how give us a call at 623-848-8277.
Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net
