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San Francisco Yards And Dwarf Fruit Tree Produce

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

San Francisco yard being the size of postage stamps, what’s a devoted gardener to do for fruit trees?

Consider dwarf fruit trees. In particular, several varieties of dwarf citrus will keep you in lemons, oranges and grapefruits almost year-round.

Dwarf citrus can be grown in the ground where they don’t require much space. In addition, they grow well in containers, outdoors or in a sunny room. There are over 60 types of evergreen dwarf citrus that will produce fruit for your enjoyment.

The Meyer lemon is perhaps the most popular of dwarf citrus trees. The Meyer lemon is sweeter than the typical lemon, so cook enjoy its flavor in many dishes. The hint of tangerine in its taste makes it wonderful for lemonade. Meyer lemon trees flower twice a year; that means two crops of produce each year from each tree. Often, fruit and flowers are present year-round. Best of all, Meyer lemons don’t need a lot of heat for fruit to ripen.

The Oroblanco grapefruit is also known as the Sweetie grapefruit. In mid-winter, the tree produces sweet seedless fruit even where summers are cool. That’s a San Franciso summer, certainly. The flowers are big and fragrant, the leaves glossy. Oroblanco grapefruit trees do well indoor too.

If you want to grow a Mandarin orange you won’t find at the local coop, consider a Kishu Mandarin orange tree. The fruit is seedless, sweet and easy to peel, and ripens early in the year. For a larger orange, try a Trovita orange, this hardy tree is adapted to climates from the coast to the desert. The flavor is sweet and the seeds are few.

Several types of lime will do well. Mexican or Key limes will keep you in Margaritas and Key Lime pie. Protect these from the rare frost with a burlap wrap, or grow in container to move them to a protected location.

Bugs You Actually WANT in Your Garden

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Are you having trouble keeping that garden healthy? Have you spent hours scouring the web on every browser and every 4g internet provider san francisco has to offer? It may surprise you to learn that the key to saving your garden could be right under your nose; skittering about on the ground: Bugs.

It’s no joke and while bugs may account for a lot of damage to your garden there are at least five bugs that you actually are going to want in your garden:

1. Assassin Bug
Growing as large as half-an-inch, these members of the family Reduviidae feed on aphid eggs as youths and move on to Japanese Beetles and caterpillars as adults.

2. Big-Eyed Bug
These creatures are perfect for protecting your beans and potatoes, feeding on mites, leafhoppers, aphids, caterpillars and even spider mites.

3. Minute Pirate Bug
Identified by its black body, white markings and triangle head, this little hunter feeds on a plethora of pests including Thrips and Spider Mites.

4. Parasitic Wasp
Like something out of a horror movie, this predator flies about, injecting eggs into pests like aphids and caterpillars, but the real nightmare happens when these eggs hatch inside their hosts.

5. Ambush Bug
Much like its name, this predator has a penchant for lying in wait for the perfect moment to strike. Related to the Assassin bug, it feeds on damaging pests like moths, however you may want to hold back if you have bees or rely on other soft-shelled insects for pollination.

Landscape Your Yard With Native California Plants

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Landscaping with plants native to California is often the best way to create a low-maintenance, drought tolerant yard. Moreover, many native wildflowers and shrubs can prove to be unexpected beauties, all the while providing excellent habitat for birds and small mammals.
When creating such a garden, a balance can often be obtained between resource conservation and aesthetic appeal. For example, an attractive blend of yucca and ornamental succulents would require very little water, even in drier areas of the state. This singular benefit would be combined with all of the other advantages of using native plants, such as few pest problems, and a low fertilizer requirement.
Additionally, landscapes created with native plants can turn into valuable assets for local wildlife. Xeriscaped yards can serve as bridges between two separated populations, all the while providing food in the form of nectar, seeds, and leaves to pollinators and other small animals. Therefore, rather than disrupting the local balance as a heavily fertilized turf lawn would, plants native to California can create beautiful niches that are still environmentally friendly.
Given time, a zeriscaped yard will slowly mature, allowing older specimens to flower, and perhaps seed entirely new generations that will naturally maintain the vigor and health of the landscape. Excellent advice on how to begin this process can be found by contacting California’s Department of Organic Materials Management.

Growing Roses For Beauty And Profit In Your Yard

admin — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Growing roses for beauty and profit in your yard is a fun way to make a little extra income and provide beauty for the whole community. Choose a good section of your front yard to begin your rose garden, because this will be your best advertising and marketing at no cost. You can plant in a design style such as a circle or you can plant by rows in order to promote each color and kind of rose. Prepare your ground carefully so each plant can get full use of the dirt. Make a selection of one shade and type of rose for the first section and then choose the second color and kind. White, yellow and red roses are the most popular for gifts and holidays, but add unique beauty and style with other cross colors and plantings.

Create a path to the back yard with stepping stones to the next portion of your rose garden. Add more roses of a new design and colors. Try to have a selection of twelve or more colors and selection of roses. You can sale fresh bouquets from the front yard with just a little advertising. Create a nice letter sign to go on the front fence regarding the sale of your roses. Add product to your line, but drying petals for scent, rose hip tea, and dried flowers for long lasting designs. To this you can add your own style of vases or planters if you are going to sale live rose plants for indoor dcor.

Selecting The Right Flowers For Your Bay Area Home

admin — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

If you love flowers, you can take a bold step and grow them in your home. Flowers are beautiful, they have subtle fragrance, bright and beautiful colors to brighten up the environment. There are different types of flowers like Tulips, sunflowers, gladiolas, wildflowers, etc. If you live in the San Francisco bay area, you’ll enjoy growing flowers because the climate is mild and good for outdoor gardening; however there are some things to consider in selecting the right flowers for your bay area home.Additional information can be found at http://blog.anniesannuals.com/2011/07/08/succulents-dont-suck/. First and foremost you have to determine the type of flower or garden you want and if it will grow well with the climate of your area, some flowers grow well in mild climate others don’t. Next is the color. what are your favorite colors? will it compliment or contrast the look of your home? Will your preferred color maintain it’s color even as the climate changes? Space available is also very important when selecting the right flowers for your bay area home.

Fertilise and water your garden regularly with a water soluble fertiliser to help them bloom well. Growing flowers that are renewed annually is a good way of adding color to your flower garden.

Beginning Your Flower Garden In San Francisco Bay Area

admin — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

If you live in the San Francisco area you are fortunate because growing flowers is easy in this area. The weather and moisture are perfect for some types of flowers that are hard to grow in other areas. Having flowers growing in your yard makes your house more attractive. Flowers are also fun to grow when you choose types that can be cut and placed in bouquets for your home. Having fresh flowers in your home is always enjoyable and can give your home a fresh feel.

San Francisco has a mediterranean type climate with wet winters and dry summers. Planning your garden should begin with looking at the types of flowers are best suited for this area. If you want to avoid using a lot of water in the summer there are drought resistant flowers that need little water. The cooler summers make growing Hydrangeas , roses and azaleas easy. These types of flowers love the fog and dampness that San Francisco provides. Poppies are native to California and also do great in this climate. If you plan carefully you can have a flower garden that blooms year round. Choose flowers that bloom in different months and your garden will look beautiful year round.