Almost a month ago, we posted a picture on our Facebook page of a succulent garden that was planted in a small concrete cinder block wall.  We took the picture at the EPCOT Flower and Garden show that was presented by HGTV.

Since that time, we have had a few questions as to how it was done. We didn't know, so we went and asked the garden experts at the show. They gave us a step-by-step on how they created the garden focal point - allowing us to share that knowledge with our awesome customers and anybody else who would want to add this fun feature to their landscape.

Step 1

Lay bottom course of concrete blocks, angling blocks occasionally to make plant pockets.

Step 2

Lay second course "stair step", so cells at the end of bottom course are exposed. Angle blocks occasionally to make plant pockets, but not directly over bottom plant pockets.

Step 3

Lay top course similar to others.

Step 4

Once you are happy with the design, remove sections and glue together with outdoor adhesive or mortar. Weight top cells with extra blocks until cured.

Step 5

Drive metal stakes through open cells and into ground, every 2-3 blocks, Partially fill staked cells with mortar if you need extra stability.

Step 6

Push a piece of hardware cloth (chicken wire will do) into the bottom of an open cell to hold up plants. Glue the wire in place with an outdoor adhesive.

Step 7

Cut a piece of landscape fabric to fit and lay it on top of the hardware cloth to hold in the soil. Use the outdoor adhesive to hold this in place as well.

Step 8

Fill the open cells with lightweight potting soil mix and plant with succulents or other drought-tolerant species of plants.

Step 9

Sit back and enjoy the wonderful new addition to your landscape.

 The wealth of the nation is its air, water, soil, forests, minerals, rivers, lakes, oceans, scenic beauty, wildlife habitats and biodiversity…That’s all there is. That’s the whole economy. - Gaylord Nelson (Founder of Earth Day)

Summer is just around the corner.

For some of us that means some “Dog Days” ahead. For others, maybe not so bad. But one thing that is certain is that most of our country has been faced with drought issues for a few years now. From the Southwest to the Southeast, the presence of rain has been scarce.

• Use native plants to your area.
• Choose low-water grass types.
• Plant trees and shrubs to slow erosion and cool down the area.

• Hand watering is not very efficient.
• Drip & Micro Spray Irrigation is best for all plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees.
• Watering early in the morning is best.
• Water the lawn, not the pavement, by adjusting the sprinklers.
• Chemical fertilizers speed up the growth of lawns, not using them means less to water.
• Raise the cut length of your mower. Taller grass shades the roots and promotes healthier turf & requires less watering.
• Do not puddle the water by over-watering. Water less time and more often to give it time to soak in if you have harder soil types.

Many plant enthusiasts who use drip irrigation and micro irrigation in their landscapes and gardens know that one of the best ways to water plants with just the right amount of water is to use an electronic timer.  Mister Landscaper has had various types of electronic timers over the years - each one adding more features as technology improved.

We are happy to announce that we have just added a new automatic water timer (Product Number: MLWT-TIMER). This timer comes fully loaded with tons of great features, which makes it much better than our previous model.

Just for comparison's sake, we listed some of the differences between our new timer and our old one so you can see for yourself if an upgrade would be worth it.

Our new timer can be set to the nearest minute, versus the old one, which was to the nearest hour.

Our new timer has a run time of 1 to 240 minutes, while the old timer could only run from 1 to 99 minutes.

Our new timer has 11 different watering cycles to choose from. The old timer had only 8 cycle choices.

Our awesome new timer has a manual run time of 5 minutes up to 240 minutes. Compare this to the old timer which only had a 30-minute option.

The new Mister Landscaper timer takes 2 AA batteries instead of the hard-to-find 9-volt blocks.

With the new timer, it is much easier to change the battery, with no screws to undo - unlike the older one in which two screws had to be removed.

One of the neatest features in the new timer is a rain delay setting. This allows you to delay 1, 2, or 3 days before a run cycle. The old timer did not have this feature at all, so it is a great add-on for sure.

All of the new features make this new electronic timer a definite plus in our drip irrigation and micro irrigation product line.  It allows customers to set their watering times for their landscapes and gardens, then go about their lives, knowing that their gardens will get just the right amount of water they needs.  The avid gardener could even go on a vacation and not have to get a garden sitter. Nice.