Photo - Tumbled Paver Patio

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

5 Fantastic Landscape Contractors for San Diego

In honor of my 100^th post for this blog, I am starting a new category of post called “5 Fantastic..”.  Here is the first one.

I have worked with all of these contractors on jobs throughout San Diego.  2 of them have already been mentioned in previous posts.  Some of them are great for large jobs, some for small jobs, but they are all good, licensed contractors.  Here they are, in alphabetical order;

Dame Landscape

Steve Dame

License # 808111

(760) 443-0522

Green Gardens Landscape

Tyler Bilyk

License # 871156

(858) 539-3120

www.sdgreengardens.com

JCMS Landscaping

Jesse Cyrns

License # 716313

(619) 334-9464

www.jcms1.com

Nature Designs Landscaping

Steve Jacobs

License # 597755

(760) 945-4321

www.naturedesigns.net

Rossco Landscaping

Ross McCright

License # 515049

(858) 472-9459

Photo - Hybrid Tea Rose 'Hot Princess'

Photo by Doug Kalal

Don't forget that this weekend is the San Diego Rose Show.

See my post earlier in April for more details.

Photo - David Austin Rose 'Molineux'

Photo by Doug Kalal

Photo - Floribunda Rose 'Tuscan Sun'

Photo by Doug Kalal

Nursery Review - Jungle Music

     In San Diego there are some terrific specialty nurseries.  When it comes to palms and cycads, the best in the county is Jungle Music, up in Encinitas.  Jungle Music is owned and operated by expert Phil Bergman and it is a treasure chest of everything from the ordinary (King Palm) to the very unusual (check out Phil’s Blushing Palm).  My favorites are the Mexican Blue Palms (Brahea sp.). 

     The web page for Jungle Music is one of the best in the country.  Phil has listed countless articles on everything from how to plant a palm tree;

http://www.junglemusic.net/articles/HowToPlantAPalm.html

To diagnosing cycad problems;

http://www.junglemusic.net/cycadadvice/cycad-my-cycad-is-in-trouble.htm . 

If you are interested in palms or cycads, the Jungle Music web page is the first place to start.

      This weekend Phil is having his annual 2-Day Palm & Cycad Sale where a lot of his incredible specimens are 20% off.  May is a great month for planting palms and cycads.  So head on up and check out the fabulous Jungle Music.

450 Ocean View Ave, Encinitas, CA 92024

(619) 291-5605  (Phil’s phone)        www.junglemusic.net

Photo - Ladybug on Golden Gaillardia

Photo by Doug Kalal, taken at Miramar Nursery.

Photo - Planting Rocks

A rock that has been in a garden for decades has

been slowly buried by dirt, mulch and plants.

These type of large rocks add character to the garden.

If you just drop a rock on your yard, it will look like

a rock monster pooped there.

Dig a hole and bury at least 20% of the rock.

Then bury the rock with dirt and later mulch & plants.

Now, you have a planted rock.

Photos by Doug Kalal, taken at a client's garden in San Carlos.

Gardening Tip - How to Plant a Rock

       I know what you are thinking.  “What is that weird designer from San Diego talking about?  Who wants to plant a rock?”  Let me explain.  Occasionally I have a client who wants a rocky, minimal plant landscape.  An important aspect of making the new rocks looks natural is “planting them”.

      The next time you are walking in a canyon, look at the rocks.  Over the last few thousand years, those rocks have been slowly buried with debris.  In order to make the rocks in your new landscape look natural, you need to bury them.  Here are the steps.

1)     Buy a rock.  KRC and Southwest Boulder & Stone are 2 very good places to buy rocks in San Diego County.  Here are their webpages;

          http://www.krcrock.com/

          http://www.southwestboulder.com/consumers/

A medium size boulder, like the one in these photos, can weigh a couple of hundred pounds.  Unless you want to destroy your vehicle, let the vendor deliver it.  They have special trucks with a mini crane that can place the boulder directly into your landscape.

2)     Dig a hole.  In order to make the boulder look like it has been there for thousands of years, you need to bury at least 20% of the rock, so start digging.  Dig the hole before the rock is delivered.  If you just drop the rock on the ground and don’t bury it, you are left with something that looks a rock monster just pooped on your yard.

3)     Inspect the rock before placing.  A really nice rock with have variation in the color, rough edges and shape.  Before the crane drops the rock in the hole, inspect the rock to pick the most interesting side.  The crane operator can spin the rock so that you can see all sides.  Make sure the best side of the rock is the side that is above ground and the most visible to you.

4)     Put the rock in the hole.  Have the crane operator drop the rock in the hole.

5)     Backfill the hole.  Fill in extra soil and mulch around the rock so that it looks buried.  I like to place plants close to the rock so that the plants will eventually partially cover the rock and give the landscape a nice aged look.  The rocks will also help the plants by serving as mulch for the plant’s roots.

6)     Water the rock.  No, I am not kidding.  Rocks in a quarry get covered with lots of dust.  After all the mulch and plants are in place, water the rock to rinse it off.

Photo - Pink Trumpet Tree (Tabebuia impetiginosa)

Photo by Doug Kalal