Wintertime brings with it a season whereby home landscape seems to take on less of a priority with maintenance and care. After leaves have fallen to the ground and grasses have turned brown, it appears landscaping goes into a winter hibernation. However, a recent discussion with Bernie Mondragon of Bernie’s Landscaping states this is not necessarily the case, especially if you are planning to get a head start for spring planting. Bernie reports that January and February are the perfect months to transplant plants because most plants are dormant, and they will go through less of a shock. Planting can happen any time of the year, however the ideal time especially for trees is in the fall and winter months.
“During the winter months the best thing that can be done to keep up landscaping is to keep watering,” explains Bernie. “Just because it’s cold doesn’t mean plants and lawns don’t need water. Creating a schedule whereby plants and grass get watered during the middle of the day when temperatures are warmer allows plants to avoid freezing at night.”
Bernie further comments that, “Some of the best drought resistant plants to consider planting in this area are lantana of any color, red yucca, Mexican Desert Bird of Paradise, crape myrtle trees and bushes, Ray Wood ash tree, chitalpa tree, and palo verde trees. These are actually some of my favorite trees and desert area plants.”
With the rising cost of water fees, Mr. Mondragon encourages people to consider xeriscaping their yard if they have not yet done so. There are many options to make a yard look beautiful while conserving water. Synthetic turf is a great option and will save water and money in the long run.
Being one of the busiest landscaping companies in the valley, Bernie does mention there are stresses with being one of the top.
“The last few years have been a challenge to everyone. My company, Bernie’s Landscaping, has not been immune to stringent requirements and restrictions that have been imposed on all of us,” he adds. “The greatest challenge for us has been getting customers to understand we are a small business and have a schedule to follow and we can’t always get to your job right away.”
Timewise, Bernie’s Landscaping is usually booked about two to three months out with large projects. Smaller and emergency projects can be fit in a shorter amount of time.
Clint Freeman is a Broker Associate for Coldwell Banker Best Realty.