Making Way for Cool Annuals

Summer annuals need to come out of garden to make way for cool season annuals

By Tony Tomeo

Silicon Valley Community Newspapers

Posted:   09/17/2012 07:37:42 PM PDT

Here in the mild climates on the West Coast, the difficulty of getting new cool- season annuals into the garden to bloom through autumn and winter is not selecting, procuring and installing the new annuals; it is the removal of the warm-season annuals while they are still blooming and looking so good. Knowing that planting new annuals sooner than later will get them an earlier start is not always much consolation....

To read the full article, click here.

Reduce Your Water Bill By Using This Watering Schedule

According to this website, most landscapes are over-watered by as much as 50%.  You may be able to reduce your water bill by following this watering schedule: http://www.contracosta.watersavingplants.com/WateringTips/HTML/index.html.

Please Note: This irrigation guide is tailored to clay and loam soil, and weather conditions in Contra Costa County, California.

Reduce Your Water Bill by Using These Drought Tolerant Plants

The Contra Costa Water District has compiled a list (and photos) of drought tolerant plants that are tailored to Contra Costa County conditions.  They also identify drought tolerant plants with additional characteristics.  For example, some drought tolerant plants attract hummingbirds or butterflies.  Some plants are good for screening, and other plants are deer-resistant, etc.

To view the drought tolerant plant web resource, click here: http://www.contracosta.watersavingplants.com/

To view a guide on how to use this web resource, click here: http://www.screencast.com/t/Ljllta3uB7t