San Luis Obispo Landscaper Blog

It’s easy to be seduced by those inspiring before-and-after photos of a garden transformation. The juxtaposition of the expectant “before” and the dazzling “after” images persuades us that change can be effortless and instantaneous. But, in reality, landscaping takes time and the process entails . . . well, DIRT.

Sanctuary, solace, serenity. Nature lifts the spirit and calms the mind. Our everyday lives are often in stark contrast to such tranquility, dominated by technology and driven by nonstop interactivity. We are inundated by artificial stimuli: bright computer screens, traffic noise, loud music, flashing televisions, captivating smart phones.

California native plants are known for their vibrant winter blooms, but also for their summer dormant season and for this reason are sometimes overlooked for Mediterranean gardens. It is possible to maintain a beautiful and water-wise garden year-round that includes California natives; all it takes is some strategy.

The hostess approached tentatively as I put on my coat to leave the party. "I'm going to start a new veggie bed!" she said excitedly, and then her face fell. "But I don't know what to do with the old soil. Is it okay to use it?"

With their reputation for hardiness, it's easy to think that succulents need only blazing sun, rocky soil and the occasional raindrop to survive. Fortunately for our earthy endeavors, that's not the case!

You've seen this guy hefting rocks, demoing concrete, and pruning, stacking, and planting away. Like all landscapers, David also spends a good deal of time fighting pests and plant predators. Gardens by Gabriel works to be as organic as possible, and that includes pest control.

Happy coastal growers, Senecio are one of the most forgiving succulents when it comes to propagation. It's time for us to start a new batch, so we're going to take you through it step-by-step.

Renee Gunter of Urbanscapes for Sustainable Living designs and creates drought-tolerant gardens in the greater Los Angeles area. Her passion for planting sustainably is evident on her Facebook page, which we follow.

Maysun Wells dips his hand into a barrel full of what appears to be white sea glass. "Someone just gave this to me!" he says, loosing the semi-translucent pieces back into the bin. "I use clear glass like this if I want to create a different look from the wine bottles."

Central Coast Landscape Products is one of our go-to destinations for soil, stone, mulch, and in general all things landscape prep. They've recently begun a radio campaign and invited us to put our spin on their products. Check it out and CONVERT YOUR DIRT!

Not to get too colloquial about it, but Megan and Matti are pretty far out. Horticulture hunters, this couple runs the eclectic and engaging faroutflora.com, a blog devoted to the exploration and documentation of all things horticultural and happenin'.

This year's AAUW Tour was a smashing success! 500 people toured through one of the five gardens on the tour, that of Vince and Janet Marino, a garden that we created.