Plant Of The Week: Mexican Poppy

Mexican poppy is a common name for several plants and may refer to as Argemone mexicana Mexican prickly poppy, flowering thistle, cardo or cardosanto is a species of poppy found in the southwest and Mexico and now widely naturalized in many parts of the world. An extremely hardy pioneer plant, it is tolerant of drought and poor soil, often being the only cover on new road cuttings or verges. It has bright yellow latex, and though poisonous to grazing animals, is rarely eaten, but has been used medicinally by many people including those in its native area, the Natives of the western US and parts of Mexico.

A. mexicana seeds contain 22–36% of a pale yellow non-edible oil, called argemone oil or katkar oil, which contains the toxic alkaloids sanguinarine and dihydrosanguinarine. Four quaternary isoquinoline alkaloids, dehydrocorydalmine, jatrorrhizine, columbamine, and oxyberberine, have been isolated from the whole plant of Argemone mexicana.

The seed pods secrete a pale yellow latex when cut open. This argemone resin contains berberine and protopine.

Toxicity

The seeds resemble the seeds of Brassica nigra (mustard). As a result, mustard can be adulterated by argemone seeds, rendering it poisonous. Several significant instances of katkar poisoning have been reported in India, Fiji, South Africa and other countries. The last major outbreak in India occurred in 1998. 1% adulteration of mustard oil by argemone oil has been shown to cause clinical disease.

Katkar oil poisoning causes epidemic dropsy, with symptoms including extreme swelling, particularly of the legs.

Traditional Medicine

The Seri of Sonora, Mexico use the entire plant both fresh and dried. An infusion is made to relieve kidney pain, to help expel a torn placenta, and in general to help cleanse the body after parturition.

When the Spanish arrived in Sonora they added this plant to their pharmacopia and called it cardosanto, which should not be mistranslated to blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus). Use in Hispanic cultures includes as a sedative and analgesic tea, including for use to help alleviate migraine headaches. The seeds are taken as a laxative.

An Argemone mexicana tea is used by traditional healers in Mali to treat malaria. The whole plant is used to make a tea and as much tea as possible is drunk until symptoms disappear. This use was studied (2010-2012) by doctors Bertrand Graz and Merlin Wilcox, in conjunction with Mali's National Institute of Research in Public Health, using the "reverse pharmacology" methods of Dr. Ashok Vaidya. Before preparing the tea, the toxic seeds were removed to minimize any risk for the patients.

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.

Photo Credit:
"Argemone Mexicana" by Vikramjit Kakati - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Argemone_Mexicana.jpg#/media/File:Argemone_Mexicana.jpg

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Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Should You Hand Dig Your Weeds?

Generally there are three choices in weeding - small, medium, and Oh, No What Is That. The easiest way is to remove the weeds when they are small. Before we dig into the ways of dealing with small weeds, let's briefly tackle medium and large weeds.

Dealing with Large Oh, No What Is That Weeds

Pulling up large weeds is not recommended if they are close to your good plants because if their roots are tangled together you may severely damage your good plants. So pulling is limited to medium sized weeds and large weeds that are distant from your good plants. Pulling weeds is slow hard work.

It is faster and safer to cut medium and large weeds at or just below the soil surface. A knife, garden hoe, or wheel hoe can be used on medium and large weeds. Remember that you want to cut the weeds off right at, or slightly below, the soil line. A tool like our grape hoe works well for large areas and paths, while any small sharp hoe will work well close to your good plants. A wheel hoe fitted with a Stirrup Hoe (also called an Oscillating Hoe) will also work very well for open areas and pathways.

If you let your weeds reach the medium to large size, then you will need to keep cutting them back during the entire gardening season. Once the season ends you should dig out the roots of the large weeds, especially perennial weeds.

Removing Small Weeds Is The Best

It is indeed best to manage your garden so that you only have to deal with small weeds. The secret to this has been known to farmers for many years, but rarely used by gardeners. Now that gardeners are kicking the herbicide habit it is time for this weed secret to be shared.

The secret is knowing where weed seeds sprout, and when they are easiest to kill.

Two rules of winning the war on weeds are consistent effort and getting an early start. The problem with most attempts at managing these weeds is that we gardeners tend to fight them a while and then let up. Once they have a chance to get some green leaves up in the sunshine for a few weeks they have replenished their reserves and we basically get to start over. Remember, never let 'em up for air.

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

What Is Commercial Landscape Maintenance

Commercial Landscape maintenance, or groundskeeping, is the art and vocation of keeping a commercial property landscape healthy, clean, safe and attractive, typically in a garden, yard, park, Institutional setting or business property. Using tools, supplies, knowledge, physical exertion and skills, a groundskeeper may plan or carry out annual plantings and harvestings, periodic weeding and fertilizing, other gardening, lawn care, snow removal, driveway and path maintenance, shrub pruning, topiary, lighting, fencing, swimming pool care, runoff drainage, and irrigation, and other jobs for protecting and improving the topsoil, plants, and garden accessories.

Groundskeepers may also deal with local animals (including birds, rodents, reptiles, insects, and domestic animals or pets), and create means to attract or repel them, as desired or necessary. A garden may also be designed to include exotic animals, such as a koi pond. In larger estates, groundskeepers may be responsible for providing and maintaining habitat for wild animals.

A commercial property manager is a person or firm charged with operating a real estate property for a fee, when the owner is unable to personally attend to such details, or is not interested in doing so. The property may be individual title owned or it may be owned under sectional title, share block company owned and may be registered for residential, commercial office and retail or industrial use.

Typical duties expected of a property manager include finding/evicting and generally dealing with tenants and coordinating with the owner's wishes. Such arrangements may require the property manager to collect rents, and pay necessary expenses and taxes, maintaining the appearance, landscape and physical buildings, making periodic reports to the owner, or the owner may simply delegate specific tasks and deal with others directly.

A commercial property manager may arrange for a wide variety of services, as may be requested by the owner of the property, for a fee. Where a dwelling (vacation home, second home) is only periodically occupied, the property manager might arrange for heightened security monitoring, house-sitting, storage and shipping of goods, and other local sub-contracting necessary to make the property comfortable when the owner is in residence (utilities, systems operating, supplies and staff on hand, etc.). Property management can also include commercial properties where the property manager may operate the business, as well as managing the property. Some jurisdictions may require a property manager to be licensed for the profession.

The commercial property manager has a primary responsibility to the landlord and a secondary responsibility to the tenant or business customer. The relationship the property manager has with the landlord and with the tenant are crucial in forming the expectations of both parties to the lease since both parties will seek and expect certain rights and benefits out of it.

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

February Greens Keeper Commercial Landscaping New Customer Incentives

We want to make sure you know that we are welcoming new customers.  Do you have a commercial property that you would like to see if we can add to our regularly scheduled landscape maintenance?

For all new customers (now through the end of February 2016) will be providing free fertilization for the next year. Yes, Free Fertilizer for your first full year. Take this opportunity to compare what you are spending now and what you could save by using Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance.

Now would also be a good time to mention we don't charge anything for the installation of winter lawns. This means you do not pay anything for scalping and removal of summer lawn, sprinkler tune up, and top dressing where needed. And the seed is provided at the market price. We also offer a full range of tree trimming options for our customers including emergency storm damage clean up and tree removal. Lawn fertilizer is done quarterly normally for the price of fertilizer only.

We are a service oriented family owned business specializing in commercial landscape maintenance, providing high quality care based on open communication, and the highest quality service.

We offer a full range of options for our customers by tailoring a maintenance program to the specific individual needs of each property, and budget. We will strive to keep your landscape safe and beautiful, while at the same time keeping your costs as low as possible.

We meet or exceed the highest insurance standards, with $2000000 business liability, $1000000 commercial auto, and $1000000 workman's comp. We list all our customers as additional insured at no extra charge upon request.

Our vehicles are clearly marked and our employees are in uniform for easy identification. All our employees are verified through the I-9 verification system and have successfully passed background checks.

Keep in mind that Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance can Help!  Please contact us at; Sales: 623-848-8277 We serve businesses like yours throughout the entire Phoenix Metro Area.

Presented by:
Greens Keeper Landscape Maintenance, LLC
623-848-8277
http://www.commerciallandscapecare.com
greenskeeperllc@cox.net

Famous Parks: Hyde Park

Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in London, and one of the Royal Parks of London. The Park is the largest of four parks which form a chain from the entrance of Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Green Park (19 hectares), past the main entrance to Buckingham Palace and then on through Saint James's Park (23 hectares) to Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall. The park is divided in two by the Serpentine and the Long Water.

The park is contiguous with Kensington Gardens; although often still assumed to be part of Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens has been technically separate since 1728, when Queen Caroline made a division between the two. Hyde Park covers 142 hectares (350 acres)[2] and Kensington Gardens covers 111 hectares (275 acres), giving an overall area of 253 hectares (625 acres), making the combined area larger than the Principality of Monaco (196 hectares or 480 acres), though smaller than the Bois de Boulogne in Paris (845 hectares, or 2090 acres), New York City's Central Park (341 hectares or 840 acres), and Dublin's Phoenix Park (707 hectares, or 1,750 acres). To the southeast, outside the park, is Hyde Park Corner. Although, during daylight, the two parks merge seamlessly into each other, Kensington Gardens closes at dusk but Hyde Park remains open throughout the year from 5 a.m. until midnight.

The park was the site of the Great Exhibition of 1851, for which the Crystal Palace was designed by Joseph Paxton. The park has become a traditional location for mass demonstrations. The Chartists, the Reform League, the Suffragettes, and the Stop the War Coalition have all held protests in the park. Many protesters on the Liberty and Livelihood March in 2002 started their march from Hyde Park. On 20 July 1982 in the Hyde Park and Regents Park bombings, two bombs linked to the Provisional Irish Republican Army caused the death of eight members of the Household Cavalry and the Royal Green Jackets and seven horses.

Hyde Park was created in 1536 by Henry VIll for hunting. He acquired the manor of Hyde from the canons of Westminster Abbey, who had held it since before the Norman Conquest; it was enclosed as a deer park and remained a private hunting ground until James I permitted limited access to gentlefolk, appointing a ranger to take charge. Charles I created the Ring (north of the present Serpentine boathouses), and in 1637 he opened the park to the general public.

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

Plant of the Week: Ocotillo

The ocotillo cactus, scienetific name, Fouquieria splendens, but also referred to as coachwhip, candlewood, slimwood, desert coral, Jacob's staff, Jacob cactus, and vine cactus) is a plant indigenous to the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Desert in the Southwestern United States (southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas), and northern Mexico (as far south as Hidalgo and Guerrero).

Ocotillo is not a true cactus. For much of the year, the plant appears to be an arrangement of large spiny dead sticks, although closer examination reveals that the stems are partly green. With rainfall, the plant quickly becomes lush with small, ovate leaves, which may remain for weeks or even months.

Individual stems may reach a diameter of 15 ft at the base, and the plant may grow to a height of 33 ft. The plant branches very heavily at its base, but above that, the branches are pole-like and rarely divide further, and specimens in cultivation may not exhibit any secondary branches. The leaf stalks harden into blunt spines, and new leaves sprout from the base of the spine.

The bright crimson flowers appear especially after rainfall in spring, summer, and occasionally fall. Flowers are clustered indeterminately at the tips of each mature stem. Individual flowers are mildly zygomorphic and are pollinated by hummingbirds and native carpenter bees.

Planting ocotillo can be done year-around with care. Ideal plants have been grown from stem cuttings and from seed. Transplanting large bare-root plants has marginal success. They should be planted to the original growing depth and, as with cacti, in their original directional orientation: the original south side of the plant, which has become more heat- and sunlight-resistant, should again face the brighter, hotter southern direction. If their direction is not marked, success is again limited.

Ocotillo plants prefer well-drained, sandy or gravely loam soil with low to moderate amounts of organic content. Ideal locations are sunny, open, unrestricted and those where surface water does not collect. Transplanted plants require irrigation to become established, but once established, they can survive on 8 inches of rainfall per year.

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

Establish A Commercial Landscape Maintenance Program

What do your customers think about the overall image of your property? What does it convey to the customers, employees or tenants? At the moment someone approaches your property, from the curb to your entrance, they are forming their impression of your business.

What they are seeing or not seeing will enhance or detract from their perception of what it’s like to live, work or do business with you. What does you entrance look like? Is there seasonal color in the form of annuals and perennials? Are the tree branches pruned away from walkways and front doors? Are leaves and debris cleaned up?

Establishing a landscape maintenance program for your property is one of the most important things you can do to keep the curb appeal and overall value of your property at a consistently high level. There are a number of items to keep in mind regarding the maintenance program and the hiring of a landscape maintenance firm to perform the specific duties outlined in your landscape specifications.

How about the common areas? Is the turf weed free? Is the landscape crew just cutting the grass, or does it have a manicured look and even cut? If it’s a residential area with a clubhouse or pool, how is that area maintained? Are grass clippings being picked up inside the pool area or are they being blown into the pool and left on the turf? Are shrubs trimmed and landscape beds well defined? Do all these areas add or detract from the status of your property?

With a well thought out landscape maintenance program in place, you are on your way to making that first impression of your property an experience of quality and professionalism.

Begin by evaluating your specific landscape needs and work from there. It’s important for you, if you are going to get several bids on your property, to establish your own specifications. There are several reasons for this. First of all, you are setting the standard for the type of service you desire. Second, you are establishing that all bids are going to be for the same basic service. Third, it’s much easier when you are looking at the bids during the selection process to evaluate the additional services each company has to offer.

Some of the basic specifications that you should include in your bid package are: the contract time frame, spring and fall clean-up details, areas to be mulched, the number of shrub and tree trimmings you want included, the number of weekly cuttings for the season, fertilization needs and any special areas of concern. The package itself should include the written specifications, a plot map outlining the boundaries of the property, a request for references, and the name of a contact person whom the landscape representative can call with questions regarding the scope of the work. Also include a reasonable deadline for the bid and stick to it. If a company cannot get their bid to you on time, what will happen when they are supposed to be there maintaining the property?

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