Spring is in the air!

“April showers bring May flowers” has never been more of a truism than this year. With the first day of spring behind us, Spring is certainly bursting out all over, judging by my hardy sneezes and Mother Nature’s color show. This is truly a magical time of year in your garden as the selection of seasonal color and other plants (edible, perennial and ornamental) is profuse.

Also blooming this time of year are many garden shows and tours. The OC Register recently ran its yearly listing in their Home and Garden section. I am attaching the link for your perusal. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-294556--.html

The comprehensive and varied listing includes contact info for each of the shows so you can get the particulars. I hope you have some fun attending one or more of these shows, so check it out! If you do attend, take your camera and share your images and ideas.

Artificial turf and Spring flowers make for a cheerful entry.

  

This past weekend I cruised through The OC Spring Home and Garden Show in Anaheim which was not included in the info above. It had a lot of vendors for pavers and artificial turf which continue to be great water saving alternatives. Using pavers instead of traditional concrete for a driveway, for example, allows water to percolate down to the soil rather than washing down into storm drains. And artificial turf is a great alternative to our water thirsty lawns (more about that in an upcoming post), especially for problem areas where regular turf has a hard time surviving due to shade, and great  fun for putting greens.

Tomorrow Friday, April 22nd is Earth Day 2011. 

Check out the Earth Day Organizer’s Guide at www.earthday.org/earth-day-2011

which includes a History of the Movement and Earth Day 2011 Theme: Billion Acts of Green http://www.billionactsofgreen.org/ . Sign on and pledge to plant a garden (think container garden- stay tuned for future posts) or any other act of green, if only for that day. There is also a varied listing of events.

Remember you can make any day or better yet every day, Earth Day!

Locally: Be Part of The Solution @ The Ecology Center – SJC 

949-443-4223, http://www.theecologycenter.org/

Spring Water Workshops: Xeriscaping/Drought –Tolerant Landscaping

More garden, Less Water

May 7 - 1:00pm

What’s Your Solution?

-installing a native landscape

-planting an organic veggie garden

-harvesting rainwater

-using a reusable water bottle and to-go ware

-purchasing local organic food

-riding your bicycle

-composting your kitchen scraps

Just do it and have another great day in Paradise!

We hope to keep you in touch with what is going on in your outdoor spaces.