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Dryer conditions can happen anytime and anywhere. Sometimes it's hard to know what to do to make your home and landscape more water efficient, while still making a visual impression on the design. 

A new trend has been popping up in many arid and drought-affected climates that combines landscape design with efficiency and conservation.  Many of the cascading water fountains in these regions have been turned into planters.  Where water used to pour over the rims of these fountains, plants have taken its place - creating a unique design element that raises the eye above the ground and gives structure, dimension and focus to the overall landscape.

Mister Landscaper happened upon this great example of how these fountains can be transformed at the EPCOT Flower & Garden Show, so we wanted to share it with our customers.

Below is a step-by-step, how to turn your fountain into a planter.

Step 1:

Drill holes in the basins of your fountain.

Step 2:

Cover the holes you drilled with mulch, pot shards, or landscape fabric.

Step 3:

Fill the basins with lightweight potting soil.

Step 4:

Plant drought-tolerant plants of different colors and textures. (In our example, succulents were used.)

Step 5:

Water your new planter regularly, but only when the soil is dry.  Using a Drip Irrigation system like our Patio Watering Kit with dripper stakes will make sure that your new planter gets just the right amount of water to keep your plants healthy and still conserve water.

Step 6:

Enjoy the new addition to your garden. It is bound to turn some heads, or maybe start a conversation or two with the neighbors.

Take a look at the U.S. Drought Map below. It is easy to see that  much of the country is currently experiencing some kind of drought condition. In certain areas the conditions are mild, and in some of them things are more extreme and unusual. The map above shows the parts of the country that are experiencing water shortages as of May 1st of this year.

If you find yourself in one of these areas, what can you do to compensate for the lack of water, while continuing to keep your plants, not only alive but healthy and thriving?

Below we have a simple list of things that will help any garden or landscape thrive in a less-than-adequate watering environment. 

• Use correct watering techniques: Water early in the day or late in the evening to reduce evaporation loss. Water less frequently, but for longer lengths of time, to encourage deep root growth. Check hoses for leaks before watering plants, and position sprinklers so they water only plants -- not the road or house. Some simple adjustments can save water and reduce runoff.
   
• Condition the soil: If you add organic matter to clay and sandy soils, it will increase the penetrability of clay soils and the water-holding capacity of sandy soils.
   
• Mulch the soil surface: This helps cut down on water loss due to evaporation. A two-inch layer of mulch or compost is recommended. Apply mulches to shrubs, trees, annuals, vegetable gardens and even containers.
   
• Collect compost for mulching: Use food scraps, yard trimmings, and other organic waste to create a compost pile. Compost is a rich soil amendment that can help increase water retention, decrease erosion and replace chemical fertilizers.
   
• Shelter container plants to conserve water: Move your container plants to areas with partial shade to keep them from drying quickly in hot windy areas.
   
• Install a drip irrigation or micro irrigation system: A low-flow irrigation system can save up to 70 percent of all water used in garden care, making it a feasible way to water in drought conditions. Also many areas allow low-flow irrigation in gardens and landscapes even when there are watering restrictions.
   
• Discourage competition: Pull any weeds to discourage competition for water. Consider a landscape fabric between the soil and your mulch to further reduce weeds.
   
• Use rain barrels to collect rainwater: By using rain barrels to collect water you can eliminate the need to suck up water from your utility, but rather use what nature has given to keep your plants thriving when rain is more scarce. 

If you do all of these things, it will have an impact on your garden and landscape. It will also help when the rain is not falling quite as much as you need it too.

Almost a month ago, we posted a picture on our Facebook page of a succulent garden that was planted in a small concrete cinder block wall.  We took the picture at the EPCOT Flower and Garden show that was presented by HGTV.

Since that time, we have had a few questions as to how it was done. We didn't know, so we went and asked the garden experts at the show. They gave us a step-by-step on how they created the garden focal point - allowing us to share that knowledge with our awesome customers and anybody else who would want to add this fun feature to their landscape.

Step 1

Lay bottom course of concrete blocks, angling blocks occasionally to make plant pockets.

Step 2

Lay second course "stair step", so cells at the end of bottom course are exposed. Angle blocks occasionally to make plant pockets, but not directly over bottom plant pockets.

Step 3

Lay top course similar to others.

Step 4

Once you are happy with the design, remove sections and glue together with outdoor adhesive or mortar. Weight top cells with extra blocks until cured.

Step 5

Drive metal stakes through open cells and into ground, every 2-3 blocks, Partially fill staked cells with mortar if you need extra stability.

Step 6

Push a piece of hardware cloth (chicken wire will do) into the bottom of an open cell to hold up plants. Glue the wire in place with an outdoor adhesive.

Step 7

Cut a piece of landscape fabric to fit and lay it on top of the hardware cloth to hold in the soil. Use the outdoor adhesive to hold this in place as well.

Step 8

Fill the open cells with lightweight potting soil mix and plant with succulents or other drought-tolerant species of plants.

Step 9

Sit back and enjoy the wonderful new addition to your landscape.

 The wealth of the nation is its air, water, soil, forests, minerals, rivers, lakes, oceans, scenic beauty, wildlife habitats and biodiversity…That’s all there is. That’s the whole economy. - Gaylord Nelson (Founder of Earth Day)

Summer is just around the corner.

For some of us that means some “Dog Days” ahead. For others, maybe not so bad. But one thing that is certain is that most of our country has been faced with drought issues for a few years now. From the Southwest to the Southeast, the presence of rain has been scarce.

• Use native plants to your area.
• Choose low-water grass types.
• Plant trees and shrubs to slow erosion and cool down the area.

• Hand watering is not very efficient.
• Drip & Micro Spray Irrigation is best for all plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees.
• Watering early in the morning is best.
• Water the lawn, not the pavement, by adjusting the sprinklers.
• Chemical fertilizers speed up the growth of lawns, not using them means less to water.
• Raise the cut length of your mower. Taller grass shades the roots and promotes healthier turf & requires less watering.
• Do not puddle the water by over-watering. Water less time and more often to give it time to soak in if you have harder soil types.

Many plant enthusiasts who use drip irrigation and micro irrigation in their landscapes and gardens know that one of the best ways to water plants with just the right amount of water is to use an electronic timer.  Mister Landscaper has had various types of electronic timers over the years - each one adding more features as technology improved.

We are happy to announce that we have just added a new automatic water timer (Product Number: MLWT-TIMER). This timer comes fully loaded with tons of great features, which makes it much better than our previous model.

Just for comparison's sake, we listed some of the differences between our new timer and our old one so you can see for yourself if an upgrade would be worth it.

Our new timer can be set to the nearest minute, versus the old one, which was to the nearest hour.

Our new timer has a run time of 1 to 240 minutes, while the old timer could only run from 1 to 99 minutes.

Our new timer has 11 different watering cycles to choose from. The old timer had only 8 cycle choices.

Our awesome new timer has a manual run time of 5 minutes up to 240 minutes. Compare this to the old timer which only had a 30-minute option.

The new Mister Landscaper timer takes 2 AA batteries instead of the hard-to-find 9-volt blocks.

With the new timer, it is much easier to change the battery, with no screws to undo - unlike the older one in which two screws had to be removed.

One of the neatest features in the new timer is a rain delay setting. This allows you to delay 1, 2, or 3 days before a run cycle. The old timer did not have this feature at all, so it is a great add-on for sure.

All of the new features make this new electronic timer a definite plus in our drip irrigation and micro irrigation product line.  It allows customers to set their watering times for their landscapes and gardens, then go about their lives, knowing that their gardens will get just the right amount of water they needs.  The avid gardener could even go on a vacation and not have to get a garden sitter. Nice. 

Depending on where you live, you might have already started your vegetable garden or are in the planning stage.

Irrigation is a very important part of any garden, especially vegetables. Too much or too little water can affect not only the quality of your produce but also whether you get any produce.

Mister Landscaper’s Vegetable Garden Drip Kit is perfect for your home vegetable garden. It’s easy, time-efficient, and includes everything you need to water up to 100 linear feet of vegetables. Take a look.

Mister Landscaper’s Vegetable Garden Drip Kit… The right amount of water for all your vegetables.

Join the discussion... Are you growing vegetables? If so, which ones? How is it going?

We are happy to announce that Mister Landscaper’s awesome product line of Low-Flow Garden and Landscape Irrigation is BACK in 52 Lowe’s stores in North Carolina and South Carolina.   Yeah!

We provide quality Micro and Drip Irrigation products that are tested and designed to be the best - and our customers know that. By asking for Mister Landscaper again and again, you let us know that what we are doing is right, and we will keep creating, manufacturing, and developing the best garden and landscape irrigation products on the market. 

If you would like to find us in a Lowe's store near you, Check out our store finder: http://misterlandscaper.com/storelocator.

Thank you to all of our loyal customers who would not settle for anything else but Mister Landscaper.

- Mister Landscaper Team

COMMUNITY… What is community?

Wikipedia defines it as:

A group of interacting people, living in some proximity (i.e., in space, time, or relationship).

In space, time or relationship, life is certainly about relationships, wouldn’t you agree? We all have the longing to be part of something big, to form relationships with others, preferably those that have the same interest, or better yet, the same passion as you and me.