San Tan Valley Handyman Shares Tips On How to turn your yard into a water saving Paradise Part 6

San Tan Valley Handyman With Ideas On Plants For the Drought Season in San Tan Valley.

Hi Readers.

Use My Guy, your local San Tan Valley handyman here with part 6 in my series on xeriscaping.  Boy I really did not realize that this was going to turn into such a large series.  It’s amazing how many pants there are that are drought resistant, fruitful and beautiful.  Most people do not associate plants that are native or even tolerant of Arizona’s heat with flowers and fruit but as I have learned over the last few weeks there are hundreds of thousands of plants out there that either flower, produce fruit or even do both.  For those of you new to the series xeriscaping is an underutilized landscaping technique that utilizes drought tolerant plants that are native to Arizona and the Sonoran desert and watering techniques that drastically reduce wasted water.

I am wrapping up the series by listing plants in order of blooming season.  The reason I am doing this is so that you can have blooms in your yard year round.  Last week I listed plants that bloomed in the spring and this week I am going to list plants that bloom in the summer.  If you follow this guide then you will have a beautiful yard that has blooming plants in it year round which the local fauna will love.  So read on and enjoy!

Plants that bloom in the summer:

Vines:

Baja Passion Vine

Baja Passion Vine.  This is a twining vine that loves the sun but also appreciates a little shade in the afternoon.  It boasts purple and white showy flowers that turn into edible fruit, fruit begins to appear in the summer, hardy to 25 degrees Fahrenheit.  Water once a week in the summer. 

Pink Trumpet Vine.  This is a sprawling vine that can grow up to twenty feet tall and ten feet wide.  With pink clusters of flowers that bloom from late summer to fall it is sure to be a favorite.  It is hardy to 25 degrees Fahrenheit so it is a good idea to cover it if you know a frost is coming.  This vine needs to be watered at least once a week in the summer.  

Trees:

Arizona Rosewood

Arizona Rosewood.  This is a beautiful tree that is quite resistant to cold and heat.  One of the cool features of this tree is that it only grows to the height of ten feet so it does not take up very much yard real estate.  It flowers in the early summer with showy white clusters and needs to be watered once a week in the summer.

Shrubs:

Langmans Sage.  This hardy shrub is very resistant to cold and can survive temperatures as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit.  With lavender blooms that appear in the summer and stay through fall this shrub is sure to be a beautiful addition to your yard.  Water once a week in the summer.

San Marcos Hibiscus

Ground covers:

San Marcos Hibiscus.  This is an Arizona favorite that blooms from summer through fall.  The large yellow flowers attract many different pollinators that will bring extra color to your yard in the summer.  This ground-cover can grow to three feet tall by four feet in width and should be watered weekly to ensure that the flowers don’t wither away.

While there are not nearly as many blooming plants for the summer season there are still more than enough to add a significant amount of color to your yard during the summer months.  These plants do require a little more watering to ensure that the blooms stay healthy throughout the hot summer months but they will be well worth it.  My watering tip for the week is timing.  During Arizona’s summer months it is crucial to water early in the morning to ensure that the water goes into the ground and does not get evaporated by the hot sun.  The best time to water is early in the morning just as the sun is coming up usually between 4:30 and 5:00 am.  Watering at this time will ensure that the water drains into the ground because the wind usually does not blow as hard early in the morning and the heat is not so high that the water is evaporated before it properly drains into the soil.

When looking for a landscaper we understand how hard it can be to find someone you trust that’s why we here at Use My Guy Services are your San Tan Valley handyman dedicated to having an A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau.  We are also on Angie’s List where we have an A rating as well in addition to winning the Super Service Award for 2015.  You can also check us out on Yelp and Facebook where we have dozens of 5 star reviews.  So look no further because we are your trusted source for all your handyman needs from plumbing and electrical to shelf hanging and irrigation maintenance, installation and repair.  Call us at (602)316-9187 to speak with a member of our friendly and helpful staff or check us out online for a complete list of services offered and for more information about our family and how you can be a part of it.

Thanks for reading.

Use My Guy Services your Local San Tan Valley Handyman

How To Turn Your Yard Into A Water Saving Paradise part 5

 Hi Readers.

Use My Guy here with another installment in my series on xeriscaping.  This week I’m going to begin wrapping the series up by giving some suggestions on plant placement and irrigation methods.  For those of you that have not been following the series here’s a short recap on what has been discussed so far.  First of all the definition of xeriscaping according to Merriam- Webster is” a landscaping method developed especially for arid and semiarid climates that utilizes water-conserving techniques (as the use of drought-tolerant plants, mulch, and efficient irrigation)”.  What this means for you as a homeowner.  If you practice these techniques then you will save yourself time and money because A) You will spend less time watering your plants and B) You will use less water and will therefore be doing a large part in the conservation of Arizona’s most precious natural resource.

A perfectly xeriscaped yard in full summer bloom.

    Over the last four weeks I have talked about plants that are drought resistant and heat resistant, most of them are even resistant to freezing temperatures.  Most of these plants only need to be watered once a month to once weekly.  Compared to most of the plants that most Arizonans have planted in their back and front yards these plants are drought resisting superstars that will attract a variety of native fauna to your backyard.  Additionally most of these plants provide beautiful blooms that will attract local pollinators year round.

    So let’s get down to business.  This week I am going to talk about great combinations that will provide shade, blooms, variety, pollinators and even fruits in your yard year round.  I will organize them by season and list the type of plant before the name of the plant, so let’s get started.

    First up is spring, this is the most exciting part of the year when it comes to blooms and pollinators because this is the time of the year when most plants are in bloom and when the flowers are blooming the pollinators are buzzing.

Lilac Vine

Vines: Lilac Vine, purple showy flowers, blooms late winter to spring, prefers full sun, needs watering once a week. 

Trees: Anacacho Orchid, white or pink flowers, blooms spring through summer, water once a week during drought.  Blue Palo Verde, yellow flowers, blooms early spring through summer, water once a month, great for shade.  Chilean Mesquite, yellow flowers, blooms in spring, water once a month, great for shade. 

Blue Palo Verde

Shrubs:  Barberry, yellow flowers which turn to bright red berries, blooms late winter through spring, water once a month.  Baja Ruellia, purple trumpet shaped flowers, blooms spring through fall,   

water every two weeks during drought.

Flat top Buckwheat, pink flowers, blooms in the spring, water twice a month during drought conditions.  Oleander, pink to white flowers, blooms spring through summer, water twice a month, makes a great hedge.  Pink Fairy Duster, pink showy flowers, blooms spring through fall, water twice monthly in drought conditions.

Grey Ice Plant

    Ground Covers:  Gray Ice Plant, orange to red flowers, blooms in the spring, water twice a month in drought conditions.  Trailing Dalea, purple flowers, blooms spring through summer, water once a week in drought conditions.  Damianata, golden and yellow daisy-like flowers, blooms in the spring and in the summer, water once a month in the summer.

    Cacti:  Argentine Giant, white showy flowers that bloom in the evening, blooms in the spring, needs no supplemental watering.  Prickly Pear, reddish to yellow blooms that turn to edible fruit, blooms in spring and the fruit appears in the middle of summer, no supplemental watering.  Spruce Cones, small pink and white flowers, blooms in the spring, water once a month in drought conditions.  Mexican Fencepost, pink flowers, blooms in the spring, no supplemental watering, makes a great yard barrier.  Saguaro, white showy flowers, blooms in the spring, needs no supplemental watering.

Prickly Pear

    These are all drought resistant plants that bloom in the spring if you continue to follow my blog I will go through each of the seasons and by the end of it you will be able to make educated choices about what plants are complementary of each-other and how to keep your yard in bloom year round.  My tip for watering in this article is automation.  There are many different brands and styles of irrigation system timers and you are sure to find one that fits your needs.  Because all of the plants mentioned in the articles only need to be watered between once a week and once a month you will need a relatively inexpensive timer that only has four stations on it.  Each station gets programmed for different groups of plants that have different need.  For instance station one can water plants that need to be watered once a month, station two can be set to water plants that need it once a week and so on and so forth.  With some time spent on a timer you can automate your entire yards irrigation system and never again have to spend your own precious time watering your yard. 

    When looking for a landscaper we understand how hard it can be to find someone you trust that’s why we here at Use My Guy Services are on the Better Business Bureau where we have an A+ rating.  We are also on Angie’s List where we have a 5 star rating as well in addition to winning the Super Service Award for 2015.  You can also check us out on yelp and Face book where we have dozens of 5 star reviews.  So look no further because we are your trusted source for all your handyman needs from plumbing and electrical to shelf hanging and irrigation maintenance, installation and repair.  Call us at (602)316-9187 to speak with a member of our friendly and helpful staff or check us out online for a complete list of services offered and for more information about our family and how you can be a part of it.

Thanks for reading.

Use My Guy

 

  

  

How To Turn Your Yard Into A Water Saving Paradise Part 4

Hi everybody, Use My Guy Here with another installment in my series on xeriscaping.  Over the last three weeks I have talked about shrubs, trees, vines and grasses that that need little to no supplemental watering.  This week I will cover Cacti and next week I will wrap it up with perennials and groundcover.

For those of you that have not been following xeriscaping is a landscaping method that was developed specifically for arid and semi-arid climates that utilizes water conserving techniques such as drought resistant plants and efficient irrigation techniques.  In my final article I will bring it all together with ideas for how to water efficiently and ways to ensure that the water you use goes to the plants it was intended for.  If you are reading this article then you are already on your way to helping Arizona conserve its natural resources and saving yourself a good deal of money in the process.

Now for the fun part, the plants of course.  Cacti have long been what many non-Arizonans have identified Arizona with.  The good news is that there is more to Arizona than the mighty saguaro and the prickly pear cactus but this article is going to be all about them.  Cactus is kind of the poster child for drought tolerant plants because that is exactly what they excel at.  They are basically storage units for water and when drought comes no plant is more prepared for it than the cactus.  Cacti have shallow root systems and can store water that will last some of them for up to two years.

Prickly Pear

First up is the Arizona favorite the Prickly Pear.  This cactus is named for its reddish, pink fruit that comes into maturity between early spring and summer.  This is a versatile cactus that has beautiful, showy, yellow flowers.  It also bears fruit that can be eaten raw, turned into jellies and jams and even used in the summer favorite lemonade.  A Prickly Pear only needs to be watered once a month in the summer if there is a drought going on and even then it doesn’t actually need it.  Watering it once a month will help it to thrive instead of just surviving.

Saguaro

Next we have what is perhaps the most iconic plant in Arizona, the Saguaro cactus.  This amazing plant is an integral part of the Sonoran desert ecosystem because it is host to many animals.  The Gila Woodpecker and the Gilded Flicker will excavate cavities in the Saguaro and when they leave many different species of birds will take up residence in the empty hole.  Additionally many different animals use the Saguaro as a food source.  The fruit that is dropped is nutritious and water dense and the flesh of the cactus is used as a source of water for many animals during periods of drought.  If you are looking for an iconic plant that will bring beauty and a wide variety of fauna into your yard then the Saguaro Cactus is a great choice.

Spruce Cone Cholla

Spruce Cones are a unique addition to any yard.  These conifer shaped cacti love full sun and only need to be watered once a month during a drought.  This cactus flowers in the spring and produces yellowish white, showy flowers that fade to a light pink before dropping.  One of the cool aspects of this cactus is that it needs no help propagating.  Its propagation is as simple as one of the branches falling off, no extra care is needed.

Mexican Fencepost

Last on my list for the day is the Mexican Fencepost.  This is an   This cactus has white spines and is ideal for fencing off property or planting in front of windows to keep teenagers in and burglars out.

interesting looking pipe cactus that can grow up to twenty feet tall by ten feet wide and has white flowers that appear in the spring.

Any of these cacti will add beauty and value to your home and when planted in conjunction with the other plants that have been introduced over the last few weeks will create a wonderful and varied landscape that will love and your neighbors will covet.  When looking for a landscaper we understand how hard it can be to find someone you trust that’s why we here at Use My Guy Services are on the Better Business Bureau where we have an A+ rating.  We are also on Angie’s List where we have a 5 star rating as well in addition to winning the Super Service Award for 2015.  You can also check us out on

yelp and Face book where we have dozens of 5 star reviews.  So look no further because we are your trusted source for all your handyman needs from plumbing and electrical to shelf hanging and irrigation maintenance, installation and repair.  Call us at (602)316-9187 to speak with a member of our friendly and helpful staff or check us out online for a complete list of services offered and for more information about our family and how you can be a part of it.

Thanks for reading.

Use My Guy