December/January 2018

Living in Southern California has many benefits for winter landscape refreshing. Because the rainy season has yet to start, now is a good time to take a critical look around your existing landscape and specific areas that are not doing as well as others. Cutting back old and overgrown foliage and giving everything a good trim can be an easy afternoon project that instantly provides a fresh, neat, and tidy look. Winter is also a good time to do sod removal of any area that has not sprung back from summer and consider replacing it with an island planter bed. This area will look great outlined with curbing and replaced with a planter bed utilizing drought tolerant trees, shrubs, and plants. Additions to consider include built up areas within the island to create texture and interest along with boulders, weed barrier, drip irrigation and rock or mulch. Adding landscape lighting in the curb is also an option that showcases the area at night.

DIY Curbing Maintenance. Winter is also a great time to remove hard water spots from and seal your curbing. I recommend using a solution of 50/50 white vinegar and water in a spray bottle or Hudson sprayer. Simply wet all areas of the curbing that have hard water spots and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then using a household cleaning brush, go over all areas of the curbing spraying extra vinegar solution as needed. Rinse well with plain water and let dry completely. Visit your local hardware or home improvement store and purchase a clear concrete sealer in either matt, semi-gloss, or gloss finish and paint on the curb with a roller. Applying the clear sealer during the warmest part of the day will ensure the best results of it drying before nightfall where the possibility of moisture/dew may affect the finish.

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