Coming at you with my week 4 of Landscape Coach Tips. These tips are things you can do in your yard with the items you have at home. They are being shared daily over on instagram / facebook and weekly here in these emails! Enjoy.

LANDSCAPE COACH TIP 16:

Plant in the fall then enjoy all the bulbs in the spring. Last October my eldest son and I planted a variety of bulbs, the first I’ve ever planted. I planted them knowing I wouldn’t water them any extra or even remember where we put them. So it was a great surprise when they came up this Spring! Plus we are home to enjoy them day after day after day after day after day.

This one is the Purple Sensation Allium from High Country Gardens (This nursery first started in Santa Fe and now they are an online only nursery shipping plants all over the country.) This allium is planted amongst the vinca major plants so they were hidden until they bloomed. Now we’re patiently awaiting the Rainbow Fireworks Allium to pop up. Do you have bulbs in your garden and are they bringing you joy?

LANDSCAPE COACH TIP 17:

This tip is for the kiddos or fun loving adults. Create an obstacle course in your backyard with stuff you have lying around. One of my kids has been having a hard time going oudoors due to his fear of getting coronavirus so I had to get real creative with our outdoor time. Therefore an obstacle course was created, I pulled out all the balls, bats, etc….basically anything I could find.

Here is what our’s looks like.
OBSTACLE COURSE:
1. Jump rope 2x’s
2. Shoot basketball into bin.
3. 2 hits of the baseball with the bat.
4. Roll ball through tunnel.
5. Kick soccer ball into goal.
6. Throw frisbee through the swings.
7. Shoot nerf guns at the target.
8. Hopscotch to the finish line.

Get creative, use whatever you’ve got. This was enough to get my fearful son outdoors because he couldn’t stand to hear us all laughing without him. Kids got exercise, stayed safe, laughed, and learned a few new sports. An unanticipated side effect was a newfound interest in sports they’ve never really played before like baseball and basketball. Win Win. 

LANDSCAPE COACH TIP 18:

One thing that makes me really happy is having a nice clean looking outdoor living space. The one tool I swore I’d never have + changed my world = leaf blower. The leaf blower cleans up my patio space in under 5 minutes. It’s awesome. If you have one, use it! If you don’t have one a broom will suffice. I hope a clean, clutter free outdoor patio and porch brings you joy too!

PRO TIP: Kids LOVE helping when they get to use the blower. #life skills #homeschoolcovidstyle

LANDSCAPE COACH TIP 19:

Make a bee bath. A bee bath is a bee water feeder. Line a shallow bowl with rocks. Add water, but leave rocks as dry islands to serve as landing pads. Place teh bath at ground level in your garden. (Put it near problem plants- those that get aphids- and the beneficial insects that come to drink will look after them.) Refresh the water daily, adding just enough to evaporate by day’s end.

LANDSCAPE COACH TIP 20:

Plant Nursery updates
There has been a lot of changes with the plant nurseries in town as they pivot to work with the changing times. I know the weekend is coming and many of you may be anxious to get over to the nurseries so you can get planting in your yard.

Please note a few things before you go.

1. Follow the directions each nursery has for curbside pick up.

2. Have a list at the ready before you order or call the nurseries. (If you need help creating a plant list, I offer this service! Just comment below and I’ll get you set up.)

3. Be patient, nurseries are extremely busy right now and they are doing their very best to keep up.

4. Wear a mask and practice social distancing when you do visit the nurseries.

5. Local nurseries are best since they know a lot about adaptive and native plants for New Mexico. Plus they sell many locally grown and well adapted plants.

VISIT THE BLOG POST FOR ALL THE DETAILS.