Landscape Ideas for Dallas: Annuals-Pentas

By Dallas Landscape Contractor

Maria Bargellini

Pentas or Star Clusters are great annuals for Dallas. These African natives come in bold colors like red, hot pink and purple. part sun (the morning kind) to dappled shade in Dallas. This is not a drought tolerant plant. As with most annuals it will require regular watering. What does that mean you ask? Well here goes. It needs to maintain it’s moisture. Annuals are typically bought in 2-6″ containers. When the first 2 inches are dry it needs to watered. Place these great Dallas annuals close to your entry points so that they can be hand watered when necessary. Expect your blooms in late spring through to fall.

This is also  a great plant for butterfly gardening in Dallas. It mixes well with the usual annuals like Begonias and Dusty Miller. I like to plant them with Gregs Blue Mist Flower (Ageratum), which is also widely used as a butterfly garden must have. If you want to take great pictures of butterflies, especially Monarch’s go to the Texas Discovery Garden and hang out by the Mist Flower–you won’t be disappointed. Pentas are widely used in borders or bedding plants but they also do well when grown in containers.

Please consider becoming a member or volunteering at the Texas Discovery Garden. It’s a fantastic place to go to with your family or just yourself. There’s great people that work there. I have and will continue to volunteer there. I learn something new every time I go. The people that work there are not only great to talk to but extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the Texas Discovery gardens. They have educational program throughout the year and are definitely worth taking a look at.

Landscape Contractor in Dallas Maria Bargellini describes a retaining wall project in Frisco

Here’s the project before picture. This customer has 3 of the coolest little pugs ever and unfortunately because of all the shade and drainage issues he had 12 little paws making tracks in his house. In addition the railroad tie were bursting at the seams and needed to be replace.

Problems

Drainage issues

Railroad tie retaining wall that was falling apart

Area was too shady to grow ground cover

Solution

We built a retaining wall to match the existing stone–making it stronger and more attractive

Added a drain to carry water away from the space

Installed artificial turf to eliminate the mud issues

The retaining wall was in a sad state, primarily because it was improperly installed. Lack of drainage can wreak havoc on a retaining wall. Unfortunately these issues aren’t apparent at the time of installation but over time as the water forces itself out through what ever means it finds.  Before he had mud and decay and now he has great looking artificial turf, a fantastic new wall, and  3 happy little girls.

What’s the difference between hot and cold compost piles

Landscape Ideas Dallas: Cold and Hot Compost by Dallas Curb Appeal Landscape Contractor Maria Bargellini

A hot compost pile is just that, a pile of compost that is made to create heat to more quickly activate the biology in your decomposing matter and produce compost faster than a cold compost pile. You need to contain your pile in a made structure or purchase a bin that will limit the amount of airflow in your pile.

Temperature in a hot compost pile can reach over 170 degrees. Care must be taken not to allow the pile to reach or stay at 170 degrees. 130-150 degrees is ideal to kill weed seeds and excite the worms and microorganisms.  To lower the heat you can turn your pile or simply add water to it. For faster results your hot compost pile should be a mix of brown carbon material such as fallen leaves, and green nitrogen filled material such as grass clippings.

A cold compost pile is one that does not depend on the use of a container but may be contained in one. It is started the same way as a hot pile but the layers are not added all at once but overtime as it is collected. This may take 1-2 years to yield compost. Shredding of material can speed up the process. Care must be taken to ensure that the pile does not dry out and that it is turned regularly to mix the contents and stimulate the micro and macro organisms.

How to make a Simple Compost bin Dallas

Landscape Ideas Dallas: How to start a compost pile by Dallas Landscape Contractor Maria Bargellini

Now-a-days compost bins are available in almost any box store but for those of us who want to do it the old fashion way- here are some ideas your can use.

Materials Needed

• Chicken wire or any type of wire lath (preferably metal)
• Post–Metal or wood (preferably with holes in it)
• Tie Wire
• Tarp or plastic sheathing
• Hammer
• Pliers

Directions

• Your container(s) should be made no smaller than 3cft. (3’ tall x 3’ wide x 3’ long) for effective composting.
• Pick a shady spot and layout and mark your 3’x 3’ section(s)
• Set your post on the 4 corners of your marks. If your compost pile begins to bulge in the middle you can add additional post later.
• Unravel the lath and stretch it out around the inside of the post.
• Use the tie wire to fasten the lath to the post to secure it in place

Landscape Ideas: What to put in your compost pile

Landscape Ideas Dallas: Cold and Hot Compost by Dallas Curb Appeal Landscape Contractor Maria Bargellini

What to put in you Compost

• Fruit pieces & cores
• Vegetable scraps
• Grass Clippings (Fresh/Old)
• Hedge Clippings (small preferably
• Coffee Grounds/ Tea Bags
• Cardboard & Paper (Shredded or Ripped glossy OK)

What NOT to put into your compost

• Meat and Fish
• Cheese or other dairy
• Left Over Food
• Metals, Glass or Plastic (recycle properly instead)
• Animal or Human Waste
• Fireplace, BBQ or Coal ashes

Put smelly food compost items inside your pile toward the center so that it can be broken down faster and reduce smells that entice animals to have a party in your pile.

Landscape Ideas: Tips on Buying Compost

Landscape Ideas Dallas: Tips on buying compost by Dallas Landscape Contractor Maria Bargellini

1- Pick a good supplier

In the world of google and web complaints there’s bound to be good or bad stuff on-line about your compost supplier. Do your research.

2-Know what’s in your compost

Ask your supplier where they get their materials for their compost and what the organic content is in their compost blends. The highest grade compost is called Class A or Class I.

3-Be careful with manures

Some compost is made with animal or human waste. There is no regulations for manure and there’s no way to be 100% sure what’s in it.

There are many factors in using manures in your compost.

4-Do not use compost for edibles

Unless you’re 100% sure of what’s in it, do not use compost in food producing gardens.

5-Ask a professional

Most landscapers professionals in Dallas will be happy to supply you with a resource for compost..

6-Ask your neighbor with the great yard

Everyone has that house in the neighborhood that’s lush and gorgeous. Ring the bell, compliment them on their garden and ask them what they are using. Gardeners love to share.

7- Consider making it

The best organic compost is the one you make yourself from materials in your own organic gardens.

Soil building systems

Living Earth Technologies

Compost Classes

Landscape Ideas Dallas: Compost Classes by Dallas Landscape Contractor Maria Bargellini

These are links to organizations, nurseries, and other resources to help you help you get the most out of your composting efforts.

If the links are not currently showing a listing for composting classes check back periodically as these websites offer a wide variety of classes throughout the year and update their list regularly. In addition you may request for classes to be created and held if you have enough interested members.

Worm Composting Classes Keller

City of Dallas- Green Calendar—There were composts classes recently held in Dallas and luckily for us Dallas County has been making great strides in offering classes to educating the community on composting and other organic practices.

Texas Discovery Gardens Classes—I have taken the master composter class at the Texas Discovery Gardens and it was a Great Class. I got more than my money’s worth and I am grateful to the Discovery Gardens for affording me the opportunity to learn from their tremendously knowledgeable and helpful panel.

Dallas County Master Gardeners—This is a great resource that is not used often enough. Great gardening advice is just a simple FREE phone call away.

North Haven Gardens—I just love this place, they have great classes and a fantastic staff.

to view and download for free, Joeseph C. Jenkins The Humanure Handbook A guide to composting human manure. click here

The City of Denton Compost click here.

Compost and temperature

Bat Guano

Landscape Ideas Dallas: Bat Guano by Dallas Landscape Contractor Maria Bargellini

Bat Guano is a fantastic type of manure to use whether you put it into your compost pile or directly into your garden. Bat Guano is the excrement (feces and urine) of bats that has been collected from their caves.

Guano is useful because it has a high concentration of nitrates and phosphorus. Also, a bats diet consists of small insects and fruit which make their guano ideal to use as it is less likely to contain foreign pollutants, or harder to break down materials. Bat Guano is a very fine particle manure. Its texture is closer to sand making it water soluble which makes it a versatile manure to use.

Bat Guano has several uses. It has even been used to make gun powder and explosives. The Incas collected guano from the coast of Peru to enrich the soil, much like we do today. Bat Guano was such a commodity in the late 1800’s that it is said to have been one of the reasons for The War of the Pacific’s, between Peru-Bolivia and Chile.

Although I think Bat guano is the best manure to use I do not personally use any type of manure in my compost pile or garden unless 1- I know the animal it’s coming from and 2- If I what the animal is being fed and lastly 3- If that animal is not fed antibiotics or any other type of foreign or synthetic material.

Bat Guano is great to use but unfortunately the constant harvesting of the guano may be linked to a decline in the Bat population, read more here

How to Start a Compost Pile

Landscape Ideas Dallas: How to start a compost pile by Dallas Landscape Contractor Maria Bargellini

Materials list

• Compost Bin – 3’Long x3’Wide x 3’Tall (more info…)
• Brown material l- Dead Leaves, ground up twigs, dead & decaying plants (Carbon)
• Green material – Freshly picked plant material grass clippings (Nitrogen)
• Water
• Meat or compost thermometer

Directions

For a hot compost pile you should have all the materials on hand and select a location in the shade. Your hot compost pile ingredients should be in the same state of decomposition. Placing large items, like branches in your pile will slow down the process. Compost should not have any recognizable material in it when it is harvested. It should look and smell like compost.

Start the bottom of your pile with twigs and small branches so that air can flow through. Line the first 12 inches or so with this type of material. Compost needs both moisture and air to support the biology that will begin to once your pile is created.

Mix your brown and green material on top of those branches in a layer of 1-2 feet high and mix them together while adding water. This material will become heavy with water. Make sure the layers are light enough to comfortably manipulate with a garden hoe or your hands. You should take care to not over water the layers. Pick up a handful and squeeze it. You should produce a few drops of water and not a stream. If you have too much water add more brown/green material to soak it up.

For faster results you can shred your material into smaller particles and/or add an accelerator to your pile. You may also add amendments such as, Cottonseed and, Alphapha meal in your layers as you build your pile.

Repeat the process for each of your layers until you have reached a minimum of 3 feet in height. Your pile will start to heat up overnight and will continue to do so as long as it is turned every 3-7 days and kept moist. Plunge your thermometer into you’re the center of your pile to check for temperature. You want your pile to be in the 130-150 range. This range will be needed to kill weed seeds that may be in your hot compost pile. Be careful to not let your compost pile over heat as it will kill the living organisms in your pile.

You will know when your pile is ready for harvesting when it is dark brown in color and has a sweet earthy smell. Do not put the compost on your lawn or garden when it is steaming. Let it cool off and serve it up to your plants.

Landscape Ideas: Sell your home in Dallas faster

It’s that time of year again—The grand sell off begins in the springs and continues until school just about starts here in Dallas. Open house and for sale signs go up all across the metroplex. Here are a few tips to help you get them in the door and bidding on your house.

Landscaping: This doesn’t have to be an expensive undertaking. Weeding and mulching can make a huge difference. Remove any dead and dying plants. Shape up shrubs-think clean and neat.Stay away from different shaped and sized meat balls littering your beds

Annuals: For smaller yards I like to use annuals in the same color for a more striking display. Avoid small little pockets of color in favor of  larger more linear sections of color. Place the annuals at the ends of the beds and at the entry way. If you can afford it a little color in the middle will look great. Try Begonias, Potato Vines, or impatiens.

Pots: Pots are a fantastic investment because you can take them with you after you sell your house. Use bold colors plants that have scent like

Scented flowers: Roses, Alyssum, Lavender, Rosemary,  Thyme and Lilies all smell fantastic. You can use them both indoors and outdoor to make your open house guests really feel welcomed. They will be filled with thoughts of  welcoming their own guests into their new home (your old home) with sweet smelling flowers.

Clean: Obviously your home should be clean inside, but it should be equally as clean on the outside. Dirty windows and doors gives the impression that your house isn’t well kept inside. I detest cleaning windows and you’ll be pleased to know that most window cleaning companies will charge about $8 a window-well worth the money if you ask me. Don’t forget the fans too–I hate a dusty fan.

Inside Lighting: Make sure that you remove as many curtains and blinds as you can to let as much natural lighting in. Of course bedrooms need them but they are fairly easy to re-install after your open house or viewing. For evening viewings don’t be afraid to use scented candles and lamps to make it feel comfy and cozy. If you use scented candles or warmers make sure that the scent isn’t overwhelming and that you only use one scent. I like to use vanilla for several reasons.

• Most people don’t dislike it
• It’s subtle enough to not feel like you are masking a foul smell
• It’s easier to match your candles with warmers and sprays

Outdoor Lighting: Why stop selling your house at dawn. Install landscape lighting to showcase your house at night as well. You can even add a light on the sign so that passers by can see the contact  information. Low voltage lighting is notconsidered a permanent installation in most localities, because the transformer is a plug in piece of equipment and the wires are not buried very deep. Check with your town or agent to make sure that this is true in your case. If it is, it’s a great investment because you can take them with you when you sell the house.