California is the quintessential palm tree state, with warm climate, great mountains and beaches. It has been associated with palm trees for years, lining the city streets, parks and many homes.

While many tree companies have proper equipment and trained employees, the issue arises that many do not, and this creates a dangerous situation for the employees and others around them. The issue arises when there is several years of fronds, interlocked and suspend or held by a few attached fronds.

Transplanting can be a traumatic experience for your plants. The key to the plants survival is to duplicate its existing environment in its new home.

Gently remove the plant and keep the root ball intact with as much soil around the base as possible. Dig a hole at least two times larger than the root ball and create a soil mound in the center of the hole. Fill the hole with water and help it settle.

The benefits of a landscape committee can be beneficial and far reaching within a community. This committee should be designed to assist the Board of Directors in beautifying the property and maintain property values. This team should research and make proposals to implement ways to help their association.

It is always best to have a clear and concise mission statement for the committee, so they know their responsibilities as well as limitations. They should have a leadership role regarding landscape projects, member requests, budgets and supervising projects.

Most people ask the question, “Is there really a difference in drought tolerant and drought resistant?” The answer is yes, especially in Southern California during this time of water restrictions and drought.

Nothing is more depressing than wilting or dying flowers. Don’t give up hope because there are some simple ways to make them last longer. You should be able to expect cut flowers to last seven days in your home:

1. Keep the water level in place, always in a clean vase.

2. Cut the garden flowers when it is cool or early in the morning.

3. The ideal temperature for flowers is 40-50 degrees. Store your flowers in the fridge overnight.

4. Remove all the leaves from the part of the stem that is submerged under water.

Reclaimed or recycled water is the process of converting water into water that can be reused for other purposes. Reuse may include irrigation of gardens and agricultural fields or replenishing surface water and groundwater. Reused water may also be directed toward fulfilling certain needs in residences and businesses and could even be treated to reach drinking water standards.

The presence of disease and pests in Southern California is nothing new, but a few species have made their presence known and are having devastating effect on common native and landscape tree’s.

The Polyphagous Shot Hole Bore is making itself known in Southern California by infecting trees with a disease known as Fusarium Dieback (FD). This disease interferes with the transportation of water in trees and eventually leads to drying branches, overall health decline and death.

To better understand how to design for a landscape, the elements that make up the outdoor living areas are referred to as hardscape and softscape. Hardscaping and softscaping are the complete opposites of each other, yet both are necessary to make landscape fully functional. In recent years, both terms have become more common, but there is a major distinction between the two.

Ideally, a well-designed landscape incorporates a balance between hardscaping and softscaping. We’ve all seen properties, maybe in your own neighborhood, that have to much of one of the other.

Reviewing your water bills is very important and informative. Over the last two years with the recent increase of water rates, many have not understood the reason why the cost of water has increase from 15-30%.