4 Critical Problems and how to fix them El Niño is serving up moderate rainfall so far, but more is in store. At this point, the NOAA forecast predicts above-normal throughout this month. First, make sure your drainage can handle rain. It is one of the biggest problems we see this time of year. I […]
Fixing drainage problems in the San Francisco Bay Area — 4 Common Problems and how to fix them The San Francisco Bay Area is in shock. Many of us are racing against time to secure our properties temporarily before the next monster storm hits. Downed trees, flooding, building damage, and the loss of homes and […]
Prevention and Control of Top 7 Invasive Weeds The top 7 invasive weeds that we highlight this month are predators that will leach water and nutrients from your desired plants. Some of them are highly flammable. Our treatment recommendations for getting rid of the top 7 emphasize the least toxic practices. Getting rid of these […]
What’s Unique about Gardening for Pollinators in the Bay Area Most important is plant types. Because of the bay area microclimates, planting in the right environment is critical. Plant vigor will be impacted by sun exposure, fog, heat, soil type and wind. Learn about pollination in a stunning video (below) that catches them in the […]
Why your weeds keep coming back Have you noticed an abundant crop of weeds this spring? One reason – the heavy rains of last fall and winter may have awakened long-dormant seeds. Does it feel like the long rainy winter just erased all the backbreaking work you did last year? Our guide to weeds includes […]
8 Easy Drought Tolerant Plants for Your SF Bay Area Climate. And, how to care for them. These plants are beautiful and tough. They will save water and add color to your garden. One of these 8 plants will work for your SF Bay Area climate. Whether you live in the hottest inland part of […]
Prevention and Control of Top 7 Invasive Weeds Using the Least Toxic Practices Our report on the top 7 invasive weeds in the SF Bay Area was re-worked from one I posted in 2016 weeds typical in the San Francisco Bay Area including the most invasive weeds. The top 7 invasive weeds is focused on […]
I’ve updated our post about drainage from March of this year. We talk again about solutions to landscape drainage problems. There is additional detail added including graphics that describe the drainage problems and solutions. One of the solutions described below is a dry creek bed. It was a project of Gardeners’ Guild at Spring Lake […]
The photo above is breathtaking reminder of the toll our rainy season has taken on San Francisco Bay Area residents. El Niño surprised us with a ferocious encore performance. Many of our properties, roads and highways are still recovering. Highway 37 is an extreme example of what happens when drainage fails. Five feet of water […]
Indicators for the Northern California rainy season are uncertain. Although we’ve had heavy rain early in the season, and more is predicted in the next week, none of the long range weather modeling has been conclusive. We can only hope for a wet winter. You can bet that there will be high winds, and […]
If you are a Property Manager, you are likely knee-deep in budget season Remember that landscaping can increase the value of a house from 5% to 12.7%. On a $400,000 home 5.5% is $22,000; 12.7% adds $50,800.* Conversely, a degraded or disorganized collection of plants detracts from a home or commercial building’s value. Bob Vila says that […]
Their Place in Nature Weeds are not all bad. They provide some benefits (listed below). The definition for weeds is “a plant out of place”. But considering most people welcome weeds as much as they do taxes, this definition seems more fitting: “plants whose undesirable qualities outweigh their good points.” (Taken from Penn State’s website) […]
We are especially proud of our construction division this year. Gardeners’ Guild received three awards for a construction project in Mill Valley. National, State and Regional landscape trade organizations have recognized our exceptional work! The National Recognition was first place. The property is situated on a steep slope overlooking the Mt Tam. The homeowners wanted […]
The Village at Corte Madera is taking steps toward more sustainable practices in their landscaping! We recently performed some landscape renovation work to planter beds on the east and west sides (against the buildings) of the shopping center. Drought resistant plantings including Ornamental grass (Fescue), Limonium, Phormium (New Zealand Flax), Cistus (Rock Rose) and Alstroemeria […]
Below are photos of our sheet mulching project on Carlson Blvd, Richmond Annex! Located between San Pablo Avenue/El Cerrito to the east, Carlson Boulevard is the main thoroughfare through what is referred to as the the annex, connecting downtown Richmond with downtown El Cerrito. Some sheet […]
Richmond Annex is a neighborhood in southeast Richmond. It is mostly residential and located between San Pablo Avenue/El Cerrito to the east. Carlson Boulevard is the main thoroughfare through the annex, connecting downtown Richmond with downtown El Cerrito. This corridor is experiencing a rebirth and Gardeners’ Guild won the bid to install the landscape into […]
Upon being told that the Cherry trees were in bloom at UC Berkeley, I made sure to head over there the very next day and take pictures. What Cherry trees? And, where? They are located at the Westgate entrance at UC Berkeley. Gardeners’ Guild planted them – thirty-five of them! It is a project to […]
This is Phase 1 of a complete landscape renovation project in Emeryville, for a condominium association. It is being done in conjunction with a building renovation This phase includes an irrigation upgrade, excavating all the soil in planter beds, new shrubs, trees and ground cover. It is scheduled for completion around the end of February […]
Recently I drove along with our President and Director of Business Development to one of our current landscape installation projects in the East Bay. It’s the West Gate Cherry Tree Project in Berkeley. In fact, it is right outside of the west entrance to UC Berkeley. The purpose of the project is to recognize the […]
We receive calls from many people throughout the San Francisco Bay Area who have poor soil. It happens enough that we thought people might be interested to know more about the process of rebuilding. If you have the following problems chances are poor soil is the culprit: Soil is cracked and dried in the summer […]
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