Are you concerned about your lawn or landscaping with this drought?

Now would be a great time to install a custom irrigation system and protect your investment.

We are experiencing unusual heat this season and Leyendecker Landscape can help.

By designing a watering system to suit your needs, you can actually save money on your water bill and conserve water.

Whether it be your lawn, flowerbeds, or adding drip lines to containers and hanging baskets.

Watering by hand can be inconsistent and it is hard to keep track of how much water you actually use.

Automatic timer systems will allow you to track water usage, resulting in; conservation of water.

From my experience as a Landscape Designer, landscapes will do better and thrive when watered on a consistent basis, only 10-20 minutes a day, however many days a week. Depending on your landscape needs.

Investing in your home or business is a good thing.

Did you know that there are 5 different varieties of Bluebonnets or Lupinus Subcarnosus???

The Bluebonnet became our lovely state flower in march of 1901. Other varieties include Lupinus Texensis, Lupinus Havardii, Lupinus Concinnus, Lupinus Plattensis.

Something else people don’t realize is that the best time to plant Bluebonnets is in September and October.

This allows the root system to fully develop through winter & then surprise us with outstanding color in March, April and even May.

Many of the Spring blooming wild flowers follow the same rule and germinate in the Fall for that burst of Spring color.

I LOVE TEXAS!!!!!!

This is a project we finished last week & it only took us 2 full days. What a difference it makes.

This is a 4 step process:

1. Grade the area first. The area must be graded in a sloped way so that the water runs off naturally.
2. Place and install a natural stone border. (Ledgestone in this case)
3. Adding a Limestone Flexbase then compacting the Flexbase down so it creates a hard but level surface. By adding the appropriate amount of water the Flexbase will mold and grade properly.
4. Finally add your chosen gravel. Here we used Blackstar Gravel to compliment the stone.

This is a simple way to improve your property while adding value. That sounds like a good investment to me!

All my best – portia

For more information or if you have any landscape needs – please call me! 713-426-0649

Now is the time to get your soil conditioned for Spring!

Compost! Compost! Compost! (available at most nursery outlets)

The key here is to increase the amount of soil bio-activity that you have. By adding at least 1-2″ of good clean compost twice a year (once in the Spring and once in the Fall) you will increase the amount of trace elements which generate and feed soil building living microbes. This is a great way to condition Houston’s notorious clay soil.

If you have compaction (when your soil seems to be rock hard) issues, usually caused by overly chemically fertilized lawns. Basically killing the living microbes within your soil.

Try adding 1/2″ to 1″ of compost in addition to a generous sprinkling of gypsum. The Gypsum speeds up the process of breaking down the hard clay, improving the soil structure and allowing more absorption of moisture and vital nutrients.

We dig dirt!

all my best, Portia

If you have any questions call me at 713.426.0649 or e-mail at portia@leyendeckerlandscape.com

You are a great & much needed addition to our New Year!

Change has finally come and I am looking forward doing my part in making America a better place.

It is great to be an AMERICAN!!!!!!!!

Photo credit: Reality Photography (& i was there!)

WOW!!!
After Christmas and New Years came my Birthday and I had a wonderful time.
This year was spent in a low key manner. The early part of the day I enjoyed spending time at home with my animals, reading and watching movies.
Later about 4:00 Deb and I went to the Sushi Bar “Zake” on Shepherd.
It was amazing!

I think it is going to be a great year.

Happy New Years Eve everyone!!!!

This is one of my favorite fountains in Houston. It is on Allen Parkway and it is so much fun to go and watch people playing with their dogs.
The dogs actually get in the fountain and then run like crazy. It’s great!
I will probably drive by it today and take advantage of it’s calming effects.

Can’t wait for 2009 to get here

Who said you can’t have some color in the Winter time.

Here in the Blue Glazed pots (pots – Joshua’s Native plants in the Heights) we have a variety of texture and color. I recommend a little bit of fern texture, some bold foliage, a bit of Variegated
material and something creeping or cascading.

* Starry Eyes Nierembergia
* Thelmas Pink jacobinia
* Nierembergia garacilis / Pink Buttons
* Variegated Pedilanthus/ Lady’s Slippers
* Kingwood Torch Coleus
* Bellis-English Daisy

Thanks to Tree Search Farms, where the pickin’ is good when other nursery’s tend to be
bleak this time of year.

If you have any questions on what works this time of year, feel free to contact me through this blog or email me.

Happy Holidays!!!!!!

Jatropha integerrima:
Common names are Peregrina or Spicy Jatropha
Family:Euphorbiaceae
Zones: 9-10 (sensitive to frost)

Peregrina is a evergreen shrub or small tree with glossy leaves and clusters of small star shaped bright scarlet flowers.

A native to the West Indies and is especially known for being cultivated in Cuba and Florida.

This wonderful plant has also been discovered to be a great source of Bio fuel. It is being grown and harvested in large capacity throughout many parts of Africa just for this sole purpose.

Peregrina is a spectacular shrub when in bloom, attracting many varieties of Butterflies and Hummingbirds.

Jotropha is a very diverse genus which includes cactus like succulents, herbaceous perennials and woody trees. It can be trained or pruned easily to form a single trunk tree/espalier, or it can be trimmed as a dense flowering shrub. It likes well drained soil and can be drought tolerant.

Please Note:
Keep all parts of this plant out of the mouths of people and pets, for it is extremely toxic if ingested.

Please feel free to write me to ask any questions you might have and I would love to hear your comments on my blog.

All the best,
Portia