How to not Kill your Yard plants

How to not kill your YARD plants

1. 1.       Water Less: sounds crazy but it’s true.  You can kill plants just as well by DROWNING them as by letting them dry out.   Also, better to SOAK them once then water them lightly three times (besides who has time to water three times?)  
2. Prepare the spot: dig a hole twice as big and deep as the root ball, fill the hole w/water first, let drain, then plant, then fill w/water again.
3. Choose the right plant for the right spot: you aren’t a bad gardener just because you can’t get a plant to grow in a certain spot.  Try a different plant.  Certain plants only like certain conditions so try a different plant there.  
4. Follow the Leader: look around at what grows in the yards next to yours, if they grow there, they’ll probably grow in your yard also.  If you want low maintenance plants, copy what the city plants on the roadsides, or what housing developments plant outside their homes. 
5. Buy from places where you can get replacements:  Stop buying from stores like Walmart/Target/Home Depot/Lowes etc.  They don’t guarantee your plants and there’s a higher chance something could be wrong with it.  Buy from nurseries that have LIFETIME GUARENTEES on your plants: if you kill them (as you often will and do, right?), they send you a new one.  No questions, no receipts, no carting your pathetic dead plant back to the store J

a.       springhillnursery.com

b.      michiganbulb.com

c.       there are tons more…

Top Bakersfield easy no-fail plants: 

1.       Leafy “bushes”: Day Lilies (big orange/yellow flowers), Alliums (purple flowers you see everywhere), Cannas (tall purple and green leafy plants),

2.       Top “bushes”: boxwood bushes are everywhere you look in this town, Blue Potato bush (these can get huge), Jasmine (small yellow flowers (actually a vine but often used as a bush), California Bush Daisy (you see these everywhere also)

3.       Top Annuals:  Zinnias, Marigolds, Cosmos (all are easy to grow from seeds)

4.       Perennials: Dahlias, Gladiolus, Shasta Daisies  

5.       ROSES:  want flowers? These are the best any day.  Very hardy, love the sun, just keep in mind there are many varieties: do you want a tree, a bush or a vine?  Make sure you pick the right kind.

6.       Vines:  Bougainvillea vines (careful these can be CRAZY), Trumpet vines,

7.       Berries:  Don’t forget about Raspberries, Blueberries, Boysenberries, Blackberries, and Strawberries. Easy to grow and you get berries also!  Look for thornless kind if you have kids

8.       Citrus Trees:  Oranges, Lemons, Limes, Grapefruit all grow super well here in Bakersfield.

9.       Palms and Others: All kinds of palms grow here and they do very well (sometimes too well!): Sego Palms especially! Banana trees, Birds of Paradise, and Ferns!