STEVEN SMITH LANDSCAPE, INC.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-21T14:18:00.000-08:00

Hello and a Merry Holiday to you all. We wish everyone a healthy and happy Christmas season- Be Safe!

Speaking of holiday parties, this year our office staff, Gigi Golden-Smith, Leslie Cochran and myself, Debra Moore, attended the Boys and Girls Club Christmas Tree Lane fund raising event for about our 5th time in a row. Here's a photo of Gigi and Leslie sharing the holiday spirit with the host of the event, channel 8 news anchor/reporter Carlo Cecchetto. Santa brought one of Gigi and Leslie's presents early this year! We always greatly enjoy this annual fashion show/auction/ Christmas tree raffle held at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. We even have a past tree winner amongst our own!(ok it was me!)

Thank you to everyone for a wonderful year. We look forward to a peaceful and prosperous 2012 with all of you.

Always,
Debra Moore, Controller
Steven Smith Landscape, Inc.

Plant of the Month: November 2011

2011-11-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

Cotyledon orbiculata var. oblonga 'Macrantha' or Cotyledon macrantha is a shrub-like succulent from the family Crassulaceae, with a height and width of approx. 2-3 ft. Round paddle shaped bright green leaves have red margins. Showy red flowers bloom on stalks above the foliage in winter/spring. Light shade to full sun with low water requirements.

To see more suggestions for drought tolerant and water wise landscape plants, visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Plant of the Month: October 2011

2011-10-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Arbutus marina or Strawberry tree is a 25-40 ft. tree or four-season evergreen shrub, with cinnamon-colored bark and dark green and glossy leaves. White or pink bell-shaped flowers appear October to December. The edible fruit is a rough surfaced orange-red 3/4" berry.

Arbutus marina tolerates a wide variety of soil conditions. Requires part or full sun and is drought tolerant once established. Can be trained as a single trunked tree, multi-trunked specimen, or grown as a screen or tall hedge.

To see more suggestions for drought tolerant and water wise landscape plants, visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Plant of the Month: August 2011

2011-08-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

Aeonium arboreum is a succulent in the family Crassulaceae with branched stems to 3 ft. tall and 6-8" rosettes of light green leaves. Yellow flowers are in long clusters. This variety, atropurpureum, is all the more striking with deep purple rosettes and is used both planted and in pots for contrast to lighter leaved plants. Plant in full sun near the ocean and part shade inland.

To see more suggestions for drought tolerant and water wise landscape plants, visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Plant of the Month: July 2011

2011-07-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

Aloe bainesii or Aloe barberae is sometimes referred to as the "Dr. Suess tree". The largest of the African aloes, A. bainesii can reach a height of 20-60 ft. and a width of 10-20 feet. A great tree for a succulent garden or large containers. Heavy forking trunk and branches with 2-3' rosettes. Late winter blooming with rose pink flowers in tubular clusters on stalks.Full sun, drought tolerant.

To see more suggestions for drought tolerant and water wise landscape plants, visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Plant of the Month: June 2011

2011-06-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Bulbine frutescens, also known as Bulbinella is a native to South Africa; a flowering perennial with low water requirements. Succulent foliage with star-shaped yellow flowers in the summer, this plant is great for low maintenance borders and is tolerant of poor dry soil. 1-1/2 ft. tall and 2 ft. wide. To see more suggestions for drought tolerant and water wise landscape plants, visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Drought Tolerant Garden

2011-05-17T14:46:00.000-07:00

A recently completed project for a drought tolerant garden including water features. To view more photos of this project, please visit our commercial installation gallery at stevensmithlandscape.com

Residential Estate, Rancho Bernardo

2011-05-05T11:19:00.000-07:00

A recently completed backyard landscape for a residential estate in Rancho Bernardo.
For more photos, please visit our residential installation gallery at stevensmithlandscape.com

Plant of the Month: May 2011

2011-05-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

Cistus or Rockrose is an evergreen shrub with showy spring flowers, drought resistant and tolerant of poor dry soil. Recommended for fire hazard area plantings. Sun-loving and fast growing. This is C. purpureus, the Orchid Rockrose, approx. 4 ft. tall and wide, with 3" wide reddish purple flowers.

To see more suggestions for water wise and drought tolerant landscape plants, visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Paspalum Turf Installation & Maintenance: Municipal Park

2011-04-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Paspalum is a warm season turf grass that is durable, with low watering requirements and "self-healing" properties.It has been used traditionally for golf courses, but now is gaining a more prominent place in the turf grass industry.Steven Smith Landscape installed (and also currently maintains) one of the first largest paspalum turf projects in San Diego County, at Shadow Hill Park in Santee (pictured). We used SeaDwarf Paspalum with optimum mowing height at 1/2" to 3/4", a fine texture and excellent drought resistance.

To see more suggestions for water wise and drought tolerant landscape plants, visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Plant of the Month: April 2011

2011-04-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Red Carpet Rose, a member of the genus Rosa is a groundcover variety, with showy flowers attractive to butterflies.

Fast growing to 2 to 3 ft. tall, 3 ft. wide with dark green foliage and red blooms, spring through fall. Easy care, water wise and disease resistant and useful as a border, container, mass planting and erosion control. Likes full sun and moist but not soggy surface soil.

To see more suggestions for water wise and drought tolerant landscape plants, visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Planting Installation, Cote de Caza

2011-03-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

Recently completed planting installation for a residence in Cote de Caza, Orange County. Featured in our residential installation gallery at stevensmithlandscape.com

Rancho Santa Fe Residence, tree installation

2011-03-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

We recently installed a 60" box tree, a California Live Oak Quercus agrifolia at residence in Rancho Santa Fe. A mature California Live Oak can reach up to 70 feet high, with a maximum height at 20 years of 25 feet.
The photos show our crew offloading and positioning the tree for the installation.

To learn more about our landscape installation and maintenance services, please visit our website.

Plant of the Month: March 2011

2011-03-09T14:17:00.000-08:00

Echeveria lilacina or 'Ghost Echeveria' is from the family Crassulaceae which contains 1400 species, commonly known as succulents that store water in their fleshy leaves. E. lilacina is an attractive, slow growing species with pale-gray/green or whitish leaves forming rosettes up to 10" across and coral-colored flowers that appear on reddish stems in spring. Drought tolerant and good in rock gardens.

To see more suggestions for drought resistant landscape plants,

visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Residential Installations, New Photos

2011-02-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Please visit our Installation Gallery and click on the Residential tab to see new photos showcasing our landscape installations for La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe homes. Photos credits: Doug Livingston, Livingston Associates.

Plant of the Month: February 2011

2011-02-01T00:01:00.001-08:00

Aloe arborescens, 'Tree aloe' or 'Torch aloe' is a drought tolerant densely growing succulent native to South Africa, size is approximately 10 ft. tall and 6 ft. wide. Gray-green spiny edged leaves with bright red or yellow winter flowers in long spiky clusters. A. arborescens shares similar medicinal properties with Aloe vera, for burn treatment etc. Attractive to birds, butterflies and bees.

To see more suggestions for drought resistant landscape plants,

visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Plant of the Month: January 2011

2011-01-04T10:57:00.000-08:00

Senecio mandraliscae or Kleinia mandraliscae is a succulent species of the Senecio group related to daisies. A shrubby perennial native to South Africa, S. mandraliscae grows 1 to 1-1/2 ft. high and 2 ft. wide with blue-gray pencil-like fleshy leaves and small white flowers in mid-summer. Also known as 'Blue Finger' it is used as a drought tolerant groundcover where a blue-gray effect is desired.

To see more suggestions for drought resistant landscape plants,

visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Plant of the Month: December 2010

2010-12-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Lavatera assurgentiflora , Island Mallow, Mission Mallow, Malva Rosa: shrub growing to 12 ft. with 3-5" maple-like leaves. Rosy/lavender white striped flowers, 2-3" wide and resembling a single Hollyhock, bloom nearly all year. Drought resistant, Lavatera can be used as a fast growing windbreak hedge. This plant is a Channel Islands native, but naturalized along coastal California. Needs sun, but has low water requirements. The jewel-like flowers are attractive to hummingbirds.

To see more suggestions for drought resistant landscape plants,

visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Plant of the Month: November 2010

2010-11-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

Aloe vera or Aloe barbadensis, is a drought-tolerant succulent that requires well drained soil. The leaves are used for medicinal properties, especially effective for burns. Clustering rosettes of fleshy leaves. Blooms in the winter with yellow flowers atop a dense spike on a 3-ft stalk. Leaves grow from 1-2 ft. with a spread of 2-3 ft.

To see more suggestions for drought resistant landscape plants,

visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Plant of the Month: October 2010

2010-10-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

Arctostaphylos of the species uva-ursi, is commonly known as manzanita and has several other common names: sandberry, kinnikinnick and bearberry. Evergreen western natives, that range from full size shrubs to small trees. The cultivar 'Point Reyes' is prostrate, spreading and rooting up to 15' in width, with dark green leaves on closely set branches.Waxy bell-like white or pinkish and tiny apple-like pink or red fruit. Heat and drought tolerant. Good on hillsides, near coast.

Plant of the Month: September 2010

2010-09-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

Agave shawii The Coastal Century Plant is a large sized perennial succulent with a rosette of sharply pointed leaves. Sends up a tall yellow flower spike, annually. Fire-retardant, drought-resistant, tolerates poor soil but requires excellent drainage. 1 ft. to 3 ft. high, 5 ft. wide.

To see more suggestions for drought resistant landscape plants,

visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Plant of the Month: August 2010

2010-08-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

Salvia greggii , Autumn Sage or Cherry Sage is a 3-4' tall shrub with 1/2"-1" leaves and 1" rosy red spikelike flower clusters in late spring and summer (fall through spring in the desert). Drought tolerant near the coast. Can be sheared into a hedge. Also in pink and salmon varieties.

To see more suggestions for drought resistant landscape plants,

visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Plant of the Month: July 2010

2010-07-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

Salvia leucantha, Mexican Brush Sage

Blooms summer and fall with velvety purple spikes and small white flowers.
Drought tolerant. 3-4 ft. tall and wide.
Fast growing, full sun or light shade.
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

To see more suggestions for drought resistant landscape plants,

visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Plant of the Month: June 2010

2010-06-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

Echium candicans (Echium fastuosum) 'Pride of Madeira' is a shrubby perennial, very drought resistant with dramatic spike-like bluish purple flower clusters blooming May-June. Effective on slopes for erosion control or at back of a flower border or against walls. 6 ft. high.

To see more suggestions for drought resistant landscape plants, visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Plant of the Month: May 2010

2010-05-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

Cercis occidentalis Western Redbud is a shrub or small tree with 10-18 ft. height and spread. Visually interesting all year long, displaying magenta flowers for a 3 week period in the spring, blue-green foliage in summer, light yellow or red foliage in the fall and red-brown seed pods in winter. This variety of Cercis is drought tolerant and can work well on dry, seldom watered banks.

To see more suggestions for drought resistant landscape plants, visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Landscape in Transition Garden Tour

2010-04-29T15:58:00.000-07:00

A Garden Tour hosted by the American Society of Landscape Architects is scheduled for May 1, 2010.

" A Landscape in Transition" is a guided Bus Tour of private residential gardens and public projects designed by professional Landscape Architects. The tour will highlight the professional work of Landscape Architects and will showcase ways to make existing landscapes drought tolerant. The tour includes a residential landscape installed by and currently maintained by Steven Smith Landscape, Inc. Please visit the residential installation and maintenance galleries on our website for photos for this and other projects.

Palm Removal and Installation

2010-04-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

Steven Smith Landscape was contacted recently by an Association that had a sick Phoenix canariensis palm tree. We determined that the tree died from a Fusarium infection. Fusarium 'wilt' is caused by a soil fungus Fusarium oxysporum and is the most common infection affecting palm trees.This causes older, lower fronds to turn yellow, wilt and die followed by the upper leaves. The die off of fronds is very rapid and eventually the entire plant dies. There is no cure for this disease and trees must be removed. It can be spread by contaminated pruning tools. New tools or disinfected tools need to be used to curb the spread of the disease.

We removed the tree and replaced it with a

36" box Chamaerops humilis which is resistant to infection.
Chris Cutler, Maintenance Superintendent - Steven Smith Landscape, Inc.

Plant of the Month: April 2010

2010-04-01T09:35:00.001-07:00

Calliandra eriophylla known commonly as Fairy Duster, is a low spreading shrub which is native to deserts and arid grasslands in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas and Mexico. Pink Flower clusters bloom February through May, with deep pink to red stamens and bipinnate leaves. 3 ft. tall, 4-5 ft. wide. Highly drought resistant.

To see more suggestions for drought resistant landscape plants, visit stevensmithlandscape.com

weeding

2010-03-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

if your yard is like my yard all this wonderful rain has turned it into a thriving green field - of weeds! so this weekend while the sun was shining, i put on my old clothes and headed outdoors to pluck the bad plants from the good. weeds are water hogs and take from all my beautiful plants- like all my paper whites just coming up.

around my lantana, i came across a particularly virulent mass of weeds and just dug in. i love to pull weeds- one of the easiest ways to beautify any space. plus you get your hands dirty and i love the feeling when the earth releases the roots. right away, i felt the stings of many tiny invisible needles and realized these weeds were probably stinging nettles. now, i knew i should get up right away, wash my hands and find my gloves. but i was in a groove and didn't want to stop. plus, you can't get dirty with gloves on and i am always afraid that spiders have nested in the fingers of my gloves- so despite having many pairs i usually weed without them.

well, never again!!! 24 hours later and i'm still itching! i pulled and pulled these weeds despite being stung over and over until something told me to stop-probably my screaming hands! i washed my hands with facial scrub many times thinking that would scrape out the little needles, but i'm still stinging. so, today, i asked our resident expert here at the office, chris cutler our maintenance superintendent, who suggested using scotch tape on my hands to get the little needles out. and it's working! i don't have any stronger tape or i'd be wearing duct tape gloves right now! he also suggested elmer's glue- spread it over the itching area, let it dry and peel it off just like we did in elementary school. chris also suggested that next time i want to weed, i should stomp on my gloves to kill any spiders and put them on!

now why didn't i think of that?

here's a closeup of what's stuck in my skin and itching like crazy!

happy weeding!!
debra moore, controller
steven smith landscape, inc.

Plant of the Month: March 2010

2010-03-01T15:29:00.000-08:00

Anigozanthos flavidus Kangaroo Paw is an evergreen perennial native to Western Australia. Clumps of dark green sword shaped leaves grow to 3 ft. or more. Anigozanthos come in a variety of colors: red, purple, green, or yellow; flowers are tubular shaped with a woolly texture. A. flavidus is yellow green, tinged with red. Blooms late spring to fall, but spent flowers need to be cut to the ground.

The photo shows this variety in a poolside planter bed, installed by Steven Smith Landscape.

Plant of the Month: February 2010

2010-02-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

Cercidium 'Desert Museum'. Also known as the Palo Verde, this deciduous desert tree is very hardy and features a bright yellow floral display in spring, ample shade, and colorful bark. In 3-5 years it can reach 20 ft. tall and wide. The 'Desert Museum'is a clean, thornless tree, with few seedpods. Re-bloom possible in summer. To see more suggestions for drought resistant landscape plants, visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Plant of the Month: January 2010

2010-01-01T10:06:00.000-08:00

Westringia fruticosa Coast rosemary. An evergreen shrub requiring little to moderate water and full sun. Green to gray-green leaves with white undersides. Small white flowers that bloom all year in mild climates. 3-6 ft. tall, 5-10 ft. wide. To see more suggestions for drought resistant landscape plants, visit stevensmithlandscape.com

Christmas Tree Recylcing

2009-12-31T08:42:00.000-08:00

Hello! The holidays are done, now begins the clean up! One of my favorite holiday traditions is buying and decorating a large live Christmas tree. but, after carefully repacking all my precious ornaments every year, I am always left with a big, messy, outdoor plant that is now inconveniently indoors. Thankfully, the city and county of San Diego have implemented programs to facilitate the recycling of Christmas trees which is very important as the trees can be shredded into something useful instead of taking up space in landfills.

After December 26, 2009, there will be curbside pickup of Christmas trees for those with curbside yard waste collection, according to the city's Environmental Services Department's website:

Curbside collection
- Manual container customers using your own bins should place trees on the curb for collection on your regular greenery recycling pickup day. Trees over four feet in length should be cut in half.
- Automated container customers using the large, green 96-gallon bin provided by the city should cut their trees to fit into the automated container for pickup on collection day.

If you don't have these containers:
Trees can be dropped off during daylight hours through Jan. 23, 2010 at the following 16 locations:

Carmel Valley Recreation Center, 3777 Townsgate Drive
Encanto, Cielo Drive at Woodman Street
Golden Hill Recreation Center, 2600 Golf Course Drive
La Jolla, Kate Sessions Memorial Park, Soledad Road and Loring Street
Logan Heights, Memorial Recreation Center, 2902 Marcy Ave.
Miramar Landfill and Greenery, Convoy Street
Mission Bay, SeaWorld Drive at Pacific Highway
Oak Park, Chollas Lake, 6350 College Grove Drive
Ocean Beach, Robb Athletic Field Recreation Center, 2525 Bacon St.
Otay Mesa/Nestor, Montgomery Waller Community Park, 3020 Coronado Ave
Rancho Bernardo Recreation Center, 18448 W. Bernardo Drive
Rancho Penasquitos, Canyonside Recreation Center, 12350 Black Mountain Road
San Diego State University, Parking Lot D, Alvarado Road
Scripps Ranch Recreation Center, 11454 Blue Cypress Drive
Tierrasanta, De Portola Middle School, 11010 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
University City, Swanson Pool, 3585 Governor Drive.

The Miramar Greenery accepts trees throughout the year

The North County Times posted the following for north county recycling information:

I Love A Clean San Diego has created a hotline number for San Diego County residents who are interested in finding out where they can recycle their trees if they do not have curbside greenery collection with a waste disposal company. City residents can call (800) 237-BLUE (2583) and those living in unincorporated areas can call (877) 713-2784.

In North County, drop-off sites have been designated for communities with no curbside greenery collection.
Carlsbad
Carlsbad-Coast Waste Management Yard, 5960 El Camino Real; Fire Station No. 1 1275 Carlsbad Village Drive; 3420 Camino del los Coches; 6600 Hidden Valley Road; Calaveras Park, 2997 Glasgow Drive.
Encinitas
Encinitas-Moonlight Beach upper parking lot, Third and C streets, through Jan. 9.
Escondido
Escondido-Kit Carson Park, 3333 Bear Valley Parkway, south entrance, first parking lot on right across from adult softball complex; Jesmond Dene Park, 2401 N. Broadway, parking lot next to ballfields, through Jan. 16.
Fallbrook
Fallbrook Refuse, 550 W. Aviation Road
Rancho Bernardo
Rancho Bernardo Recreation Center, 18448 W. Bernardo Drive, through Jan. 4.
San Marcos
City Hall, 1 Civic Center Drive, west parking lot through Jan. 9.
Valley Center
Valley Center Community Hall, 28246 Lilac Road, through Jan. 9.
Vista
Lot between City Hall and Vista branch library on Eucalyptus Avenue, through Jan 9.

Have a happy and safe New Year and recycle everything!
Debra Moore, Controller
Steven Smith Landscape, Inc.

Plant of the Month: December 2009

2009-12-01T09:57:00.000-08:00

Tagetes lemmonii Copper Canyon Daisy is in the marigold family. A shrubby perennial3-6 feet tall and wide, with 2-4" long leaves that are fragrant with a blend of marigold, mint and lemon. Golden orange flowers that peak in winter and spring.

Plant of the Month: November 2009

2009-11-01T09:22:00.000-08:00

Prosopis alba Argentine Mesquite is a nearly evergreen and deciduous tree or shrub, requiring very little water and full sun. It is fast growing with a dense canopy of blue green leaves and spines. Some leaf drop in cold weather. Can reach heights of 30 feet.

Plant of the Month: October 2009

2009-10-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

Mulhlenbergia lindheimeri is a narrow leafed perennial grass that is drought tolerant and likes full sun or light shade. A 5 ft. tall and wide clump of soft, arching blue-green leaves with amber flower spikes that arch 2 ft. above foliage in the fall.

Irrigation Mandate Meeting

2009-09-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hi all, on September 11 we met with counsel person Fry for the City of San Diego. Our goal was to have her help us rescind the 1 day a week irrigation mandate starting November 1st.
Well everything went very well, she has the same opinion as we do. At the next counsel meeting she is going to push not reducing the 3 days a week, but to reduce run times from 10 minutes to 7 and controllers must be turned off when rain fall is greater than 1/4" and must remain off for 48 hours.
Rain fall for the City of San Diego will be measured at Lindberg field.
We think that what San Diego does the rest of the water districts will copy.
If you have any contacts with any water districts get a hold of them and push to not go to 1 day irrigation, but stay on the 3 day cycle.
Will keep you posted.
Steve.

Plant of the Month: September 2009

2009-09-01T13:04:00.001-07:00

Dietes bicolor is also known as Moraea bicolor, African Iris and Fortnight Lily because its blooms open in two week batches. Drought tolerant once established. 1-1/2' tall with clumps spreading to 2'. Yellow flowers with magenta accents last only one day. Green sword shaped leaves. Accent plant with a tropical feel. Full sun.