Tim Stone Real Estate Services

Serving Your Southern California Real Estate Needs

Spring Is Coming To RSM Dressed In Green

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Green 2The winter has been long, and we have certainly been blessed with a lot of rain.  Homes in the Rancho Communities have done well,  soaking up the long needed moisture.  Our hillsides have abandoned the brown draught conditions and now enjoy green grasses and trees.  After years of extremely dry conditions, are soils have been replenished with much needed water, all provided from the skies above.

Now is the time to get your garden ready for a wonderful spring.  Did you prune your plants as we entered winter ?  If not, get it done now so you can enjoy beautiful spring growth and blooms.  Last fall, my rear slope ground cover was thin and leggy, showing mostly grey wood stems.  I trimmed the whole slope to about an inch off the ground, removing all the grey branches.  Why ?  Because new growth only happens at the end, so it just didn’t look nice.  Then I had a load of mulch spread across the whole area, covering the remaining stock.  With the rains came new growth, and now it is filling in as a completely fresh, green, slope.

This is also a great time to put in new plants where they are needed.  Our normally hard soil will be moist and soft, making digging those holes very easy.  Also, the moisture in the soil will help the new plants root quickly and grow right away.  I always start with the small size plants and find they will grow very quickly the first year.

Finally, you may have some plants that “clump” in tight batches.  Anything with bulbs, or succulents, can tend to do this.  It is a perfect time to separate them so they fill in more space.   I have some plants that were in small containers ( tubs or pots ) and I’ve now removed them, separated the main stalks, and transplanted them into my garden.  I’ve watched my neighbors do this with great success.

So … here we go … heading into a spring of vibrant colors, and a summer of lush landscapes.  Hopefully our hills will remain green for many months, but we can nurture our yards to look beautiful all the way until winter.  Have fun, and enjoy the results.

Palm Trees vs Vegetable Garden–Both Win !

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DSC00426Although I love the Palm Trees adorning my near coastal Southern California home, I also embrace a vegetable garden every spring. Of course our tract homes are on smaller lots, and the plants have to share. Palm Trees don’t like that. They want to dominate their space, and their roots prove it.

Each year I would add some topsoil to my "best space" for a garden, cultivate it, and then plant some nice seeds. I do this hoping to get a crop that will impress my grandkids. It doesn’t take much. A few mellons, some cucumbers, strawberries, some peppers, and the tomatoes they refuse to eat. Beans are OK, but they don’t like peas.

As spring started, and the ground warmed up, the seeds germinated, and pretty leaves would shoot up. Soon the plants would spread out, buds appeared, the bees went to work, and small fruit would appear. Then the evil Palm Tree roots went to work and sucked up all the water, the soil hardened, the plants withered, and my hopes were dashed.

I don’t give up.

This year I collected some nice small redwood tubs. The local hardware store sells them with flowers, and when those no longer bloom, the neighbors would toss out the whole thing. Thus, I was able to re-purpose them. Having seen all those ads for container gardening ( and after failing to get a thriving upside down tomato plant ), I decided on a new approach. I put fresh soil into the planters, sowed my seeds, and now I’m seeing some very impressive growth.

I’m hoping the Palm is not named Audrey ( think Little Shop Of Horrors ), and that my plan works. The grandkids will be excited ( and impressed ) and a few extra veggies and mellons would be a nice treat this summer. Of course the wooden bottoms on these containers will keep the roots at bay, and just maybe I’ll have a small, but productive, garden.

For those of you who have small yards ( the norm in all of our Southern California tract homes ), you can maximize your blooms in minimum space using containers. Look around for various types you can re-purpose. Its fun, colorful, and a great way to divert from a very busy schedule.

Hopefully in a couple of months I will be able to post some photos of a plentiful harvest. If not, well there is always the Farmer’s Market.

The Rancho Community

The Rancho Story

Property in Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Trabuco Canyon, Robinson Ranch, Walden, Rancho Cielo, Dove Canyon, Coto de Caza, Wagon Wheel, Las Flores, and Ladera Ranch have a rich history dating … Read more ...