VW tarantula in desert garden.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Eye-catching Tree
This eye-catching tree is growing in a park in Orange County. Southern California is home to lots of trees that bloom in winter.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
How to Get Rid of Your Lawn
You may wonder why anyone would want to get rid of a lush green lawn. A well-manicured lawn is beautiful and a sign of prosperity. Well, there are many reasons to get rid of a green, energy consuming lawn. Environmentalists want to avoid polluting the environment with the fumes and noise created by gasoline-powered lawn mowers. Residents of cities with water shortages may not be allowed to water their lawns, or the price of water is outrageous. People who like to watch wildlife may choose to plant native plants that attract hummingbirds, songbirds, and butterflies. Others may just be tired of maintaining all that green grass or paying a gardener, so the lawn gets replaced with masonry, shrubs, trees, or a low maintenance ground cover.
There are many ways to get rid of your green, energy consuming lawn. Homeowners who have the money to pay a contractor can have their property professionally landscaped and put in a pool, a sports court, planters, walkways, a vegetable garden, or low maintenance plants. People who do not want to spend a lot of money can replace their lawn with low maintenance plants on their own.
There are several types of spray-on grass killers that will get rid of your grass. These take a while to kill the grass, and you may need to reapply them several times. Some of these products are eco-friendly, biodegradable, and safe to use around pets, while others are not. Doing an Internet search and reading the labels will provide you with lots of information about these products. Grass in a small area can be removed with a hoe after a good soaking. This requires more manual labor than the spray-on grass killers, but it works instantly. Another way to kill your grass is to cover it with anything that will block out the sun.
A couple of years ago, we decided to kill our front lawn. We began by shutting off the sprinklers during the middle of a Southern California summer. We were amazed that the grass did not die. We had to spray with grass killer to get rid of the grass. We covered the grass with a light layer of newspaper and a couple of inches of mulch to keep the grass from coming back. We left the big evergreen tree in the front yard and added an orange tree.
We planted California native plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. We did some research and planning before purchasing plants. We planted a wide variety of plants, so that we would have flowers blooming year round. We gradually added a rustic looking swing made out of logs, statues, rocks, an arbor, and a couple of redwood mulch paths. We are extremely happy with the results. Our yard is peaceful and full of wildlife. We do not have to pay a gardener anymore and our water bill is a lot less. Our friends, relatives, and neighbors love our yard. They bring their children over to watch the hummingbirds and butterflies.
There are many ways to get rid of your green, energy consuming lawn. Homeowners who have the money to pay a contractor can have their property professionally landscaped and put in a pool, a sports court, planters, walkways, a vegetable garden, or low maintenance plants. People who do not want to spend a lot of money can replace their lawn with low maintenance plants on their own.
There are several types of spray-on grass killers that will get rid of your grass. These take a while to kill the grass, and you may need to reapply them several times. Some of these products are eco-friendly, biodegradable, and safe to use around pets, while others are not. Doing an Internet search and reading the labels will provide you with lots of information about these products. Grass in a small area can be removed with a hoe after a good soaking. This requires more manual labor than the spray-on grass killers, but it works instantly. Another way to kill your grass is to cover it with anything that will block out the sun.
A couple of years ago, we decided to kill our front lawn. We began by shutting off the sprinklers during the middle of a Southern California summer. We were amazed that the grass did not die. We had to spray with grass killer to get rid of the grass. We covered the grass with a light layer of newspaper and a couple of inches of mulch to keep the grass from coming back. We left the big evergreen tree in the front yard and added an orange tree.
We planted California native plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. We did some research and planning before purchasing plants. We planted a wide variety of plants, so that we would have flowers blooming year round. We gradually added a rustic looking swing made out of logs, statues, rocks, an arbor, and a couple of redwood mulch paths. We are extremely happy with the results. Our yard is peaceful and full of wildlife. We do not have to pay a gardener anymore and our water bill is a lot less. Our friends, relatives, and neighbors love our yard. They bring their children over to watch the hummingbirds and butterflies.
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