Tucson summers can destroy certain plants and landscapes with the excessive heat and damaging sun rays. Your plants may start wilting or even look “sunburned” if they are not cared for properly by a professional landscaper. To prevent the disappointment of a burned summer garden, here are some quick tips to help your plants recover from heat and sun exposure:

Find Some Shade
Sun sensitive plants need immediate shade after overexposure to the sun. If the plants are potted, then move them to a covered porch or indoors. If the plants are in the ground, then cover them with a fabric sun screen that is rated for landscaping. Watch the plants over the next few days to see how well they respond. They may soon need to be placed back into indirect or minimal sunlight.

Water the Soil
Give your plants plenty of water throughout the day during their recovery period. The soil may have hardened due to excessive drying, so you may need to soak the ground a few times to hydrate the roots. Add water to the entire plant to cool it off. Ensure the water spray is light and will not damage any sensitive foliage.

Trim Dead Leaves
Dead or scorched leaves and foliage take a toll on your plants. They require the plants to spend more energy that could otherwise be dedicated to healthy remaining parts. Use gardening shears to cleanly cut off these dead and dying areas. This will allow your plants to focus their energy on staying healthy.

Spread Some Mulch (Decorative Rock or Wood Mulch)
Mulch is a crucial element of plants and trees that are growing outdoors. Mulch helps contain the moisture in the soil and protects the plants’ surface roots from the sun. Ensure you have sufficient mulch covering the entire watering basin of each plant.

Don’t let this summer’s heat destroy your yard. Trust the expert landscapers of Santa Rita Landscaping to keep your yard healthy and beautiful year-round. Call us at (520) 623-0421 to schedule a consultation right away.

Kenrokuen Garden is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, because it is so beautiful and carries so much history. This garden features a vast artificial pond, a storied history of its creators, and six important characteristics of a garden. Read on to learn more about Kenrokuen Garden.

The Maeda Family

The Maeda family, or clan, were the original developers and keepers of Kenrokuen Garden. It is believed that the garden was in development from the 1620s to the 1840s alongside the construction of Kanazawa Castle. The Maeda family lived in the Kanazawa Castle and used it for defensive purposes. It was burned down, but other important and cultural buildings—such as the Ishikawamon Gate—have been constructed in its place.

The Six Characteristics

Kenrokuen stands for “having six factors,” or “having six characteristics.” These characteristics are attributed to bringing out the garden’s perfect landscape. The six characteristics are: spaciousness, tranquility, artifice, antiquity, water courses, and magnificent views. All of these different characteristics lend themselves to the garden’s look and feel, which attracts viewers year-round and from around the world. These characteristics come from the garden’s large pond, rolling hills, extensive history, and beautiful views.

The Kasumigaike Pond

One of the most famous structures in the Kenrokuen Garden is the big, artificial pond called Kasumigaike. This pond is so large that it has often been compared to a vast, open sea. An island was constructed in the middle of the pond, and there is a legend of an immortal hermit living on the island. It is believed that this hermit grants long life and eternal prosperity.

Tucson’s summer sun and heat is here, so it is important to prepare your yard for the harsh conditions. Your Tucson landscaper can help you set up a timed watering schedule, add rock mulch, and place shades around sensitive plants. Here is a closer look at how to protect your yard this summer.

Time Your Watering

Water is the most important ingredient to live a healthy lifestyle, and that is the same for your plants. However, you must time your daily watering so your plants receive the most benefits. For example, watering during the hottest times of the day will actually waste water and money, and the water will dry up before it can benefit your plants. Water your plants during the cooler mornings and evenings, so they can receive the most benefits. Your landscaper can set up an irrigation system or sprinkler to water your plants during these times.

Add Thick Rock Mulch

Mulch refers to an added layer of insulation that surrounds your plants and trees. This layer keeps the soil moist, and it protects your plants’ vulnerable roots from hot and cold temperatures. There are many types of mulch that will benefit your plants and add some color to your yard. A common Tucson mulch would be gravel. In addition to these rock mulches, you may also choose grass clippings, wood mulch, straw, compost, and shredded newspaper.

Provide Shade

Providing ample shade is another requirement to protect sensitive plants this summer. Plants can get sunburned and stop flowering if they become overheated or sunburned. You can prevent this by placing shade cloth over your sensitive plants and gardens during the hottest part of the day. Your landscaper can recommend ultraviolet-rated plant covers, shade trees, and patio umbrellas to keep your plants protected.

Work with Santa Rita Landscaping to keep your yard protected and beautiful year-round in Tucson, AZ. We have over 30 years in business as Tucson’s premier landscapers, so we know how to keep Tucson plants healthy. Please call us at (520) 623-0421 to schedule our services.

The Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden is the largest botanical garden in Southeast Asia. Located near Pattaya, this 500-acre garden sits on a slightly larger plot of land that began as a plantation, then later became a conservation area before it was finally opened to the public as a botanical garden. Among its gardens, visitors can explore a variety of plants and flowers that are both native and non-native species to Thailand’s tropical climate.

Garden Areas

Within Nong Nooch’s larger gardens are several different “garden divisions,” each of which follows a particular theme. These garden divisions include the French Garden, the European Garden, Butterfly Hill, the Orchid & Bromeliad Display Garden, Flower Hill, Ant Tower, and the Cactus & Succulent Garden. Each garden aims to highlight either a particular gardening technique or a specific world climate or region, transporting visitors across both space and time as they traverse the property’s paths. The Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden has also gained fame for its collection of cycads and maintains an onsite cycad gene bank.

Thai Culture

In addition to its amazing collection of botanical specimens, the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden also hosts several cultural displays, presentations, and celebrations each day. Visitors can learn more about rituals and practices such as Thai weddings, dance, boxing, and sword fighting. The garden also contains two restaurants that serve both Western and Thai food, giving visitors the option to enjoy a literal taste of Thai culture during a day spent among the flowers, trees, and footpaths. If you’re interested in taking your experience in the garden to the next level, you can even stay on property at either the onsite hotel or rent one of several Thai-style homes located on the grounds.

Whether you run a small local business or large franchise location, you must be concerned with how the property is kept. Your business’ property should not look overgrown, dead, or dull, because it can turn off customers from working with you. Let’s take a closer look at why year-round commercial landscaping is so important.

Continual Maintenance

When running a business, you may not have time to go out to pull weeds and mow the grass. Though these tasks are very important, they are not your first priority while running a company. Instead of wasting your valuable time working outside, or paying a regular employee to do these tasks, trust a qualified commercial landscaper to do the job. Year-round, professional landscapers can maintain your property so it looks beautiful and clean for your employees and customers.

Annual Flower Plantings

Tucson weather can be great for certain plants, flowers, and trees. However, it can also spell disaster for some plants unless they are properly cared for. By hiring a year-round commercial landscaper—who is knowledgeable in planting for Tucson weather—you can keep your property’s plants and flowers looking great all year. Your landscaper will know how your plants respond to your property, and he can plan the planting season accordingly. This is very helpful to keeping your property beautiful year-round.

Customer Satisfaction

Part of your company’s first impression comes from what your customers see before they even enter the door. If your property looks rundown or overgrown, then your customers may choose to not work with you or they may have little faith in your abilities. With a year-round landscaper on the job, however, your customers will always see a well-kept and beautiful property, even during the dead of winter. This will help your overall customer satisfaction and hopefully gain you new customers throughout the year.

Santa Rita Landscaping knows how important Tucson landscapes are, especially for businesses. Please call us at (520) 623-0421 to learn more about our commercial landscaping contracts and how your business can benefit.