by Emily Vogler | Apr 11, 2023
If you’re looking for low–maintenance plants that are easy to care for and provides a pop of color to your home, cacti and succulents are the perfect choice. With their intricate and unique shapes and vibrant blooms, these plants can bring a lot of personality to any space. Though they’re often thought of as desert plants, cacti & succulents actually come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and colors, making them ideal for any kind of home décor. The care for these plants is fairly straightforward, but there are some tips and tricks to help keep your plants healthy and happy. Here’s what you need to know to get started:
1. Choose the right pot
When selecting a pot for your cactus, make sure it has plenty of drainage holes. Cacti don’t like to sit in soggy soil, so it’s important to make sure the pot has enough holes for water to escape. Succulents should be repotted every few years to ensure they have enough room to grow. Choose a pot that is only slightly larger than the existing one, and use a well-draining succulent soil mix.
2. Pick the right soil
Look for a special cactus potting mix that contains a combination of sand, peat moss, and perlite to help promote good drainage.
3. Get the lighting right
Most cacti thrive in bright, indirect sunlight. If you’re not sure where to place your plants, pay attention to how much light the area receives throughout the day. Succulents need plenty of bright, indirect sunlight to thrive. Place your succulents near a window that gets at least 6-8 hours of indirect sunlight each day.
4. Water, but not too much
Cacti need regular watering during their active growing season, but you should reduce this during the winter months. Be sure to water your cacti thoroughly, and then allow the soil to dry out completely before watering again. When it comes to succulents, less is more. Overwatering succulents can cause them to rot or become soggy and die. Aim to water your succulents once every two to three weeks, and make sure to let the soil dry out completely between waterings.
5. Fertilize
If you want to give your cacti a boost, consider giving them a light dose of fertilizer once a year. Look for a fertilizer specially formulated for cacti, and follow the instructions on the package. Succulents don’t require much fertilizer, but you can give them a light dose of a balanced fertilizer every few months.
by Emily Vogler | Apr 4, 2023
Gardens of Babylon can help with all your irrigation needs – CLICK HERE FOR A FREE CONSULTATION.
A landscape needs three things to thrive: ample sunlight, fertile soil, and sufficient water to keep turfgrass and garden plants alive. For many homeowners, the water is the hardest thing to manage. Hauling hoses and sprinklers around the yard and garden beds is a chore, especially in oppressive mid-summer heat.
“The biggest advantage, if you have a system set up correctly and a good watering schedule, is that the system is taking care of watering needs for you,” says Tim Nebel, Garden of Babylon’s irrigation manager. It also helps save money, he says, when systems can be programmed to provide water as needed, and adjusted to meet different needs throughout the seasons.
After a disappointing experience with a prior provider, the homeowners requested that we take on their irrigation maintenance in 2019:
How did we help?
Our designer had been collaborating with them on a fencing installation featuring ‘Little Gem‘ Magnolias, two single–trunk ‘Natchez‘ Crape Myrtles to create a shaded canopy above a flagstone walkway, and a River Birch tree near the driveway.
Since the trees were positioned throughout the lawn–as opposed to being planted in a grouping within a garden bed–the challenge was to ensure that both trees and lawn would receive adequate moisture season to season. In this case, high-efficiency MP rotator nozzles were used in lieu of standard rotor heads. The spray pattern of an MP rotator provided superior coverage for the trees than a rotor could have, while still being an appropriate choice to evenly water the grass. The rotors are set to run for a longer period of time, while other nozzles with different spraying functions are also used.
Setting an irrigation schedule–particularly for a landscape with unique plantings and custom contours–is never a one-and-done task. Monitoring the performance of the system as the weather fluctuates over the year is key. To address this situation, the homeowners elected our gold irrigation maintenance package which includes four yearly services: a spring startup, two seasonal adjustments & inspections, and one winterization. The seasonal adjustment/inspections gave us an opportunity to gather information over time, and develop a schedule particular to their yard.
Want to learn why our irrigation program is head and shoulders above the rest? Click here to watch the video! Gardens of Babylon installs and maintains irrigation systems, and offers different maintenance package levels for landscapes of all sizes. Click here to learn more about the systems and book a consultation.
by Emily Vogler | Apr 1, 2023
Spring has officially sprung! What’s the next step for your landscaping? For many gardeners, April is the start of the gardening season. Check out these easy tips to get your yard in shape:
- Re-seed the damaged or bare areas of the lawn.
- Mow established cool-season turf grasses weekly or as needed; raise mower height to three to four inches.
- Contact us for a quote on lawn care. We can help by first completing a soil test to find out the actual composition of your soil. This test measures the soil’s pH level and points out nutrient deficiencies, and is the best way to know the next steps to take to improve the growing conditions in your landscape.
- Replace or refresh mulch around plants.
- Prune spring blooming shrubs and vines after they finish flowering. Allow foliage on spring bulbs to die back and dry before removing, so it can store food for next year. If you would like our help, our team can do a seasonal clean-up for you!
- Plant ground covers and warm-season annuals and perennials as soil temperatures warm and the danger of frost has passed. You can find all your gardening needs at our garden center!
- Check roses, ornamentals and vegetables for powdery mildew, prevalent in mild, moist spring weather.
- Check new growth on ornamental plants weekly for aphids and scale insects and treat with a natural pesticide, if necessary.
- Water all your plants when they’re dry, but be particularly diligent with new plantings that can quickly dry out in our persistent spring winds.
- Start up and test your irrigation system.
To begin your next project, schedule a phone consultation!
If you would like to work with your existing designer, simply fill in their name in the “Project Details” section.
by Emily Vogler | Mar 17, 2023
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Concerned that your evergreens have been permanently lost to the cold? Are you unsure of what to do next to replace your frost–ravaged shrubs? Worry no longer! Our VP of Operations, Dana, has the answers. In this video, she goes over three great varieties of plants that will serve as a brilliant replacement for any evergreens that didn‘t survive the winter chill. Here’s her recommendations:
1. Florida Anise
Florida Anise is an evergreen tree native to the southeastern United States. It produces clusters of small flowers in the late winter and early spring. The tree can reach heights of up to 15 feet and produces a sweet, licorice–like aroma when its leaves and berries are crushed. Historically, the tree has been used to make medicines, flavorings, and dyes. Its dried berries are often used to flavor fish, soups, and other dishes, while its oil is used in perfumes and soaps. Florida anise is also known for its ornamental value, as its glossy leaves and fragrant blossoms make it an attractive addition to any garden. It’s hardy from zones 6 to 9 so it’s going to be a great substitute for those Schip Laurels that you’ve had in your yard forever!
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2. Plum Yews
Another plant that didn’t get nipped by the frost was the Plum Yews. They did very well throughout the cold, so planting more of those would be a great replacement evergreen. They’re native to East Asia and parts of the Himalayas, so they can really take the cold. They’re hardy from zones 6-9. It is an attractive shrub with glossy, dark–green leaves and clusters of white flowers in spring. The fragrant flowers have a sweet, fruity smell and are often used in perfumes and potpourri. Plum Yew is also used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat fever, colds, and headaches. It has been used in landscaping for centuries and is a popular choice for hedges, foundation plantings, and borders. Plum Yew is an easy–care plant that is tolerant of most soil types and does not require much pruning or maintenance.
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3. Spirea
Another plant that survived the cold is Spirea. They are an heirloom plant, meaning that it has been passed down through generations, typically saved by family members due to its sentimental value. Heirloom plants are open–pollinated varieties, meaning they are pollinated by natural means such as wind, birds, insects, or other plants, rather than through human intervention. Spirea is hardy from zones 4-8, and produce small clusters of white, pink, red, or purple blossoms. The shrubs are usually deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves in the winter, but some varieties are evergreen. Spirea grows best in full sun, with fertile, well-drained soil, and regular watering. These shrubs are easy to care for and have few pest or disease problems. They are a great choice for low-maintenance landscaping and can be used to create a colorful, flowering hedge or border. Spirea is also a great choice for container gardening and can be pruned to create a desired shape.
To conclude, what we’ve learned through the frost is that sometimes, the best plant options are ones that have stood the test of time. Heirloom plants your grandmother may have had growing in her garden are still there for a reason!
Watch the full video here:
by Emily Vogler | Mar 14, 2023
Spring is coming up fast! Now’s the time to get cleaning! March is all about removing the old and getting ready for the new. Here’s some tips to help get you started!
- Rake the lawn, even if there are no leaves; it cleans the top layer of your lawn, allowing healthy green grass to make its way to the surface.
- Trim or mow grassy groundcovers such as liriope and Mondo grass before spring growth begins.
- Prune overgrown ground cover such as English ivy.
- Cut back ornamental grasses before new growth appears.
- Remove winter-damage from shrubs and other ornamentals.
- Apply pre-emergent fertilizer to cool-season turf grasses.
- Apply pre-emergent herbicides to your lawn at the same time to control warm season broadleaf and grassy weeds, such as dandelions and crabgrass.
- Fertilize established shade trees, ornamental trees and shrubs as spring growth begins.
- Continue to plant evergreen shrubs, fruit, nut and shade trees.
- Prune all standard roses, except climbing varieties, to 12” above the ground.
- Do not prune spring flowering shrubs and vines such as forsythia, quince, azaleas and spirea until after blooming.
- Now is also a great time to apply fertilizer and overseed/aerate your lawn! This would be an ideal time to fill in those bare spots and help jump start the turf.
To begin your next project, schedule a phone consultation
If you would like to work with your existing designer, simply fill in their name in the “Project Details” section.
