Miramar Nursery is having a tree sale

Fall is the perfect time to plant most trees and Miramar Nursery is having a tree sale on their large 24" and 36" box specimens.  Here is the webpage for more info;
http://miramarsale.com/Tree_Palm_Sale.pdf

Photo - Tumbled Paver Patio with Stone Veneer Covered Retaining Wall

A large CMU retaining wall was built in order to create

this additional space in the client's backyard.  The wall

was then covered with a stone veneer from El Dorado.

A matching paver was selected from RCP to create the

finishing touch on this wonderful new outdoor space.

Here is RCP Block & Brick's webpage for more

product info.

http://www.rcpblock.com/

Photo by Doug Kalal, taken at a client's garden in Encinitas

Photo - Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha)

This perennial is easy to grow and a great hummingbird plant.

Photo by Doug Kalal, taken at a client's garden in El Cajon

Photo - Dry River Stream Made from Recycled Glass

A dry river stream made from 3 different colors

of blue recycled glass.

American Specialty Glass takes old windows & bottles

and melts them down into 10 different sizes for a wide range

of uses.  The most popular size for landscape use is the

¼ inch – ½ inch. Available in 18 colors, recycled glass

 is heated and tumbled to remove the sharp edges.

Here is the American Specialty Glass web page with more info;

 http://www.americanspecialtyglass.com/

Photos provided by American Specialty Glass

Garden Elements - Recycled Landscape Glass

         Anybody who gardens knows the importance of caring for the environment around you.  Recycling clippings to make mulch, recycling kitchen scraps to make compost, even recycling concrete to make pathways are a few of the ways that garden lovers can recycle materials.  American Specialty Glass has taken that philosophy one step further.  American Specialty Glass takes old windows & bottles and melts them down into 10 different sizes for a wide range of uses.  The most popular size for landscape use is the ¼ inch – ½ inch. Available in 18 colors, recycled glass is heated and tumbled to remove the sharp edges. 

      In the landscape field, American Specialty Glass products can be used for mulch, fire pits, at the base of water fountains and for creating amazing dry river streams as seen in the photos below. Here is the American Specialty Glass web page with more info; http://www.americanspecialtyglass.com/

      The price for recycled glass depends on the amount ordered.  American Specialty Glass ships in everything from 1lb bags to 50lbs bags.  It takes roughly 7 lbs of ½ inch sized glass to cover 1 square foot to a depth of 2 inches. Here is a chart showing all their prices. http://www.americanspecialtyglass.com/media/pricelist.pdf.

Glass bottles about to be recycled

Recycled Green Glass after heating and tumbling

Recycled glass used in a water fountain base

All photos provided by American Specialty Glass

Photo - Pillar wrapped with Stone Facade

Does your patio have a pillar supporting

a shade structure or a second floor balcony?

You can convert that pillar into a little

counter for drinks by wrapping it first with

backer board and then a stone facade.

Top it off with a nice 9 inch capstone and you

now have a drink shelf.  For more facade colors and patterns

(also known as stone veneer), here is the RCP website;

http://www.rcpblock.com/products_veneer.html

Photo by Doug Kalal, taken at a client's garden in Rancho Penasquistos

Photo - Round Water Fountain

Water fountains are great ways to bring

sound into your garden.  They also attract

small birds which can help with insect control.

Photo by Doug Kalal, taken at a client's garden in La Jolla.

Photo - Paddle Plant mixed with Blue Chalk Sticks

The foliage of these 2 succulents contrast nicely and

create a colorful space without any flowers.

Photo by Doug Kalal

Adventures with a Gopher Snake

I was at a client's house last week when I spotted a small snake in the bush.

Since the client had a 2 year old grandson who was about to play outside,

 and I thought it might be a rattlesnake,

I decided the snake needed to be removed. 

I used to just kill snakes whenever I saw them,

but I have since learned how important

snakes are in controlling rats and mice in San Diego.

I called a snake expert who said to just scoop up the snake

with a flat nosed shovel and dump it in a large plastic container.

NOTE: You should not try this at home.  Do not handle

any snake unless you are sure it is not venomous.

Once the snake was in the box and the lid was on, I was relieved.

The snake was quite annoyed to be captured and

kept striking at the sides of the box.

Later I realized that this was a gopher snake and one

of its defense mechanisms was to imitate a rattlesnake

by puffing out its cheeks, shaking its tail

 and striking like a rattlesnake. This behavior along

with the rattlesnake like markings helps to confuse the snake's enemies.

Now that the snake was secure, I walked across

the street to an open canyon to set the snake free.

Gopher snakes are a constrictor type of snake. 

They grab and squeeze their prey to death. 

Rats, mice, lizards and insects are the food of choice

for gopher snakes.

Be free! And kill those rats!

For more information on this and other snakes

check out this web page;

http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/p.c.catenifer.html

Photos by Doug Kalal and my client

Photo - American Sweet Gum Tree (Liquidamber styraciflua)

This is a great tree for fall color, but watch out

for those spikey seed balls that start to drop from the

tree in the fall.

Photo by Doug Kalal