Landscape Maintenance Failures... The Awful Commercial Landscapes Thread..

[Silas_Sancona]

17 minutes ago, amh said:

A most horrendous invader.

At least where i saw it, plants seemed to be the most abundant in a few spots in a dirt parking lot. Very little beyond that in areas that see far less disturbance.

[amh]

53 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

At least where i saw it, plants seemed to be the most abundant in a few spots in a dirt parking lot. Very little beyond that in areas that see far less disturbance.

I think they like bad dirt.

[Silas_Sancona]

1 minute ago, amh said:

I think they like bad dirt.

An annual that will often pioneer disturbed areas,  at the expense of natives that serve the same role. That said, seems to be far less of an " invader "  compared to both Sahara Mustard, and Stinknet.

[Silas_Sancona]

...And so the { X } hack n go crew strikes again..   May be talking w/ the city about this.  Absolutely  no  reason to chop up 2-3 ft tall Penstemon. 

How does the end product of such abuse even look good to anyone, ..except maybe to those folks who probably shop for their plants at Moon Valley type nurseries / Big Box stores?   

Seriously.. Hedge Trimming Perennials..


Murder one..



Murder another  ..Darn Flowersssss!!


Evil Flowers!!




From attractive,  ...to ugly green blob(s)  that will burn once it heats up again ...and take several months to recover.   {🤬}   

Yeller' green thing on the far right they're hackin' are Little John Bottlebrush that are always chronically iron deficient.  Should have been pulled / replaced w/ better options years ago.



Flowers? ..ugh, how dare plants flower and provide nectar / pollen for wildlife /  actually look nice..   🤦‍♂️

[Merlyn]

Here's a winner from FB Marketplace...make your palms ugly and unhealthy starting at only $60!!!  What a bargain!!!

[amh]

14 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

Here's a winner from FB Marketplace...make your palms ugly and unhealthy starting at only $60!!!  What a bargain!!!

[Silas_Sancona]

A neighborly note to all traveling pest control guys wandering neighborhoods:

When trying to talk to someone about signing up for a pest control service, please know basic info regarding insects..  Entomology is the study of Insects ..Not just Ants.. 🤣😂 ( Which is the subdiscipline  Myrmecology )

Another salesman pitch bites the dust 

[Xerarch]

1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

A neighborly note to all traveling pest control guys wandering neighborhoods:

When trying to talk to someone about signing up for a pest control service, please know basic info regarding insects..  Entomology is the study of Insects ..Not just Ants.. 🤣😂 ( Which is the subdiscipline  Myrmecology )

Another salesman pitch bites the dust 

We get so many of those guys here, every summer, them and the solar guys, constantly.  

[Silas_Sancona]

13 minutes ago, Xerarch said:

We get so many of those guys here, every summer, them and the solar guys, constantly.  

Pest control  / Solar salesmen, ( ..and women, lol ) ...and the occasional Jehovah's witness are about the only folks that stop by..

Solar guys finally got the hint that we are renters, and our landlord, whose office is next door, isn't interested ..at least right now.. ( Installing it would be a smart investment though, for the right price )

Jehovah's witness are harmless..  Like having discussions w/ them, even though it quickly becomes clear as day that i'm not going to join -whatever- they are promoting..



Pest control guys are kind of funny..  Usually younger,  and fairly confident about their sales pitch / product / knowledge..  ..Until i start pointing out Science based things.. 

..Kind of enjoy watching the rug get pulled out from under them as we talk.  They must walk away knowing they just wasted 15-30 minutes getting nowhere, which means one less potential sale, that = $$ in their pocket for the day...

I get it, most of them ..Maybe all.. are probably finishing ..or just out of.. school and trying on a sales career.. Been there, doing the sales thing, a few times,  No worries.. But, lol.. Haven't met one yet who can really wow me with their insight as it relates to insects, why some become pesky,  and how to remedy a problem, without creating a bunch more..

Punch a bunch of holes in the lawn / ground to insert X pelletized pest control product, no matter how safe it might sound, / what choice of words you might use to make the " bad " bugs sound like a scary nightmare, just waiting to invade and destroy - everything-,  applying X product often =  harming other things while dealing with the target things ..beneficial things like Bees that nest in the ground for example.. ..and it's possible that product may mess with the bacterial/ fungal soil biology.  Throwing things out of balance will only increase the #s of the bugs you want to get under control.

Not all insects nest in the ground either, so that application is only knocking down some " bad "  guys.

.  ..and simply sweeping away spider webs ( ..Something this guy mentioned their company does ) won't get rid of them..  That sounds more like a " we get rid of them ( the spider webs ) so your house doesn't look " messy / poor " to passerbys. 

I can knock down my own webs, ..when necessary.  Don't need to pay a Web fairy to do it for me, lol..



 

[Darold Petty]

Nathan,  if you mix spider web and flour it make a poultice to stop bleeding.  Trust me, I saw it on a Randolph Scott 50s' western movie !  

[aabell]

On 6/1/2023 at 3:58 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

...And so the { X } hack n go crew strikes again..   May be talking w/ the city about this.  Absolutely  no  reason to chop up 2-3 ft tall Penstemon. 

Classic case of if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, right? I think these landscape crews just can't stop hacking away at stuff absentmindedly once they get going. In the aftermath of last year's hurricane I hired a local crew of guys with chainsaws to clear the fallen oak out of my garden, and I had to intervene multiple times to stop them from randomly cutting off healthy branches on other trees. Itchy trigger fingers, I'm glad I was watching! I'll never hire outside help to mow or do anything if I can help it, I don't trust anyone not to butcher my plants. 

Edited July 12, 2023 by aabell

[amh]

On 7/11/2023 at 10:23 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

.  ..and simply sweeping away spider webs ( ..Something this guy mentioned their company does ) won't get rid of them..  That sounds more like a " we get rid of them ( the spider webs ) so your house doesn't look " messy / poor " to passerbys. 

I can knock down my own webs, ..when necessary.  Don't need to pay a Web fairy to do it for me, lol..

If you leave the webs up, it'll deter other solicitors.

[Silas_Sancona]

1 minute ago, amh said:

If you leave the webs up, it'll deter other solicitors.

Its kind of funny since i blow down any webs noticed about once a month.. I guess this guy had spotted one i'd forgot, lol.

Besides that, I like when they come around, knowing the meeting will cost them X amount of that days sales quota $$$$  ...is priceless. 🤣

 

[Silas_Sancona]

What wonderful " fur ball - esque " fall colors there are in this shopping center landscape near the house..  Note the dead Pines in the background.  Numerous Pines dropping like flies in a nearby Apmt. complex after this summer, inc. the first signs of death to come on a couple big boys.

Oh wait, those are just over trimmed ..somethings..  ...and a bunch of Gold Lantana that croaked over the summer..





While " Lantana Death " isn't restricted to this particular area,  thinking something -else- may be contributing to the death of these here..  Note the intriguing " mud tube " branches on these..

What?  ..Its another public art feature, 🤣






Will they yank and replace with more soon to be cooked / mud covered Lantana? ..or let things look ..Beautifully Dead  ...I mean who doesn't like musing the meanings behind such Art installations when pulling into the Starbucks / Med Offices here  ..Or simply walking by.



What happens to a majority of Carob Trees planted locally, eventually..












Great tree for dense shade in CA ( Sans the stink of male - flowering trees / Pods off female trees ) but ..the first signs this ..would be nice specimen's days are numbered here in the desert..

[TropicsEnjoyer]

This is a thread i wish i never laid eyes upon, because it’s genuinely infuriating to see all these ignorant “landscapers” butcher poor plants. Who in their right mind thinks “flowers? time to CHOP IT ALL OFF 👹👹” the trimming is just senseless. I would love to have my texas sage and bottlebrush full of flowers like those plants… were. And for all the other plants like the dasylirions and the trees they were undeniably beautiful before their mutilation. It’s a huge shame that the majority of people these days do not understand that they are not giving their plants a haircut, they are scalping them. I like to say “if it’s not brown, don’t cut it down”

[hinovak]

My favorite awful landscape choice in Fort Worth Texas, is when landscape companies here plant a Japanese maple, and put a giant agave and red yuccas right next to it, mixed with a “wonderful combination of holly bushes and like Mexican feather grass and throw a random Texas sage somewhere for good measure…It’s like you blind folded them at the nursery and spun them around and made them pick plants…when in doubt of what style you want to go, just grab one of everything that does not go together and plant it all….and these are landscapes people are paying a fortune for…drives me nuts

[Silas_Sancona]

14 hours ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

This is a thread i wish i never laid eyes upon, because it’s genuinely infuriating to see all these ignorant “landscapers” butcher poor plants. Who in their right mind thinks “flowers? time to CHOP IT ALL OFF 👹👹” the trimming is just senseless. I would love to have my texas sage and bottlebrush full of flowers like those plants… were. And for all the other plants like the dasylirions and the trees they were undeniably beautiful before their mutilation. It’s a huge shame that the majority of people these days do not understand that they are not giving their plants a haircut, they are scalping them. I like to say “if it’s not brown, don’t cut it down”

Never understood the whole " trim things into shapes either " ..AFAIC, it's an dumb, antiquated practice that should have been banned before it became possibly the worst landscape fad ever..

While the TX sage pictured, ..among the countless others that get whacked almost every year... roared back to life after slaughter,  if they wanted them to stay smaller than the variety planted, which can attain 9+ft,  they should have installed a smaller variety.

Atm, those same specimens could use a light winter haircut.. ..But i know the slashing crew will wait until March / April, when you'd want them to look their nicest..

 

2 hours ago, hinovak said:

My favorite awful landscape choice in Fort Worth Texas, is when landscape companies here plant a Japanese maple, and put a giant agave and red yuccas right next to it, mixed with a “wonderful combination of holly bushes and like Mexican feather grass and throw a random Texas sage somewhere for good measure…It’s like you blind folded them at the nursery and spun them around and made them pick plants…when in doubt of what style you want to go, just grab one of everything that does not go together and plant it all….and these are landscapes people are paying a fortune for…drives me nuts

...And i shake my head at some of the weird plant choices smooshed together in some of the newer city landscaping 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️ ...That's just ....Really stupid....   Does -anywhere- in TX make landscape designers / crews go through ...any... legit certification training?  ...before  they're  released into the wild??

Like Mex. Feather Grass ..and it is a reasonable option for use alongside " arid adapted " stuff like the Agave / Hesperaloe / yucca, etc  but, i know there's a pretty good list of other great native TX. grasses that could work in such landscape settings ..that might not be as fertile ( Likes to spread everywhere in CA ) as Mex. Feather..

That stuff mixed w/ Hollies ..or Tx Sage?  ..Can i say FAFO,  Lol..


The whole thing reminds me of a story a friend who recently moved to CA from Tucson was telling me awhile back.. Let alone my own annoyances with ..not only who chooses some of the plants used,  but the nurseries who ignore ( often intentionally )  a HUGE list of far better alternatives..


Regarding my friend's story,  after completing some in Tucson, he'd decided to take a couple advanced tree trimming cert. courses up here and was left quite shocked by some of what he was hearing -in regards to what was considered  " standard " tree care both here ..and down in Tucson-   He and a couple of the " instructors " even got into heated discussions over some of the info a few times.

Aside from my own observations, i personally haven't crossed paths w/ many people -up here- who really pay much attention to such atrocities.. ..That said, probably just haven't stumbled upon such posts on X Y Z yet.. I know there are at least a few folks around the valley  " taking names "

In Tucson?  ..There's -at least- a couple ..very vocal.. groups who post observations on such matters fairly often, esp. during " Hacking Season ", even calling out specific companies -by -name(s)..

I've said it numerous times and mean it  ..Hort / Landscape Trade is wayy overdue for some massive changes.. " Ideas that are trapped in ..or based on weird trends from before the 60's / 70s?? " = Time for the Landfill ..Absolute bottom of it. 

 

[hinovak]

On 12/14/2024 at 1:36 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

Never understood the whole " trim things into shapes either " ..AFAIC, it's an dumb, antiquated practice that should have been banned before it became possibly the worst landscape fad ever..

While the TX sage pictured, ..among the countless others that get whacked almost every year... roared back to life after slaughter,  if they wanted them to stay smaller than the variety planted, which can attain 9+ft,  they should have installed a smaller variety.

Atm, those same specimens could use a light winter haircut.. ..But i know the slashing crew will wait until March / April, when you'd want them to look their nicest..

 

...And i shake my head at some of the weird plant choices smooshed together in some of the newer city landscaping 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️ ...That's just ....Really stupid....   Does -anywhere- in TX make landscape designers / crews go through ...any... legit certification training?  ...before  they're  released into the wild??

Like Mex. Feather Grass ..and it is a reasonable option for use alongside " arid adapted " stuff like the Agave / Hesperaloe / yucca, etc  but, i know there's a pretty good list of other great native TX. grasses that could work in such landscape settings ..that might not be as fertile ( Likes to spread everywhere in CA ) as Mex. Feather..

That stuff mixed w/ Hollies ..or Tx Sage?  ..Can i say FAFO,  Lol..


The whole thing reminds me of a story a friend who recently moved to CA from Tucson was telling me awhile back.. Let alone my own annoyances with ..not only who chooses some of the plants used,  but the nurseries who ignore ( often intentionally )  a HUGE list of far better alternatives..


Regarding my friend's story,  after completing some in Tucson, he'd decided to take a couple advanced tree trimming cert. courses up here and was left quite shocked by some of what he was hearing -in regards to what was considered  " standard " tree care both here ..and down in Tucson-   He and a couple of the " instructors " even got into heated discussions over some of the info a few times.

Aside from my own observations, i personally haven't crossed paths w/ many people -up here- who really pay much attention to such atrocities.. ..That said, probably just haven't stumbled upon such posts on X Y Z yet.. I know there are at least a few folks around the valley  " taking names "

In Tucson?  ..There's -at least- a couple ..very vocal.. groups who post observations on such matters fairly often, esp. during " Hacking Season ", even calling out specific companies -by -name(s)..

I've said it numerous times and mean it  ..Hort / Landscape Trade is wayy overdue for some massive changes.. " Ideas that are trapped in ..or based on weird trends from before the 60's / 70s?? " = Time for the Landfill ..Absolute bottom of it. 

 

The landscape sized nursery material available is in def. of an over haul. I have to mail order most of my cool stuff that I call for in landscape plans, I can literally not source larger unique material from any landscape nursery, even special order. From what I have seen, a lot of growers just go with what’s easy and what they are familiar with. So it’s a repetitive cycle of the same over and over. And too many people associated with landscape instal and design never really try to study plants, their habitat, what they should look like, properly maintaining them ect. I amazed at some of my intern landscape architects lack of plant knowledge. They can design amazing hardscapes and thoughtful plant layout. But have no idea a Japanese maple and an agave should probably not go together. And most of them at the beginning know agave as a blanket plant, and Japanese maples are just the one with red leaves. No idea there are like 300 cultivars of Japanese maples, and the amazing array of agaves. Like a cycad is just a sago palm…no idea at all there are tons of different species. Same with palms ect. 

[redbeard917]

Not to derail the thread, which is important, but the use of concrete block and poorly applied synthetic stucco in AZ makes me wonder if people in that area ever use natural stone or bricks for those walls.

[Silas_Sancona]

58 minutes ago, redbeard917 said:

Not to derail the thread, which is important, but the use of concrete block and poorly applied synthetic stucco in AZ makes me wonder if people in that area ever use natural stone or bricks for those walls.

Older homes, like those in my neighborhood / others around town are often block construction.. Some commercial buildings / bigger custom built homes in various parts of town as well. 

A lot of the newer cookie cutter homes / Com. buildings?  Stucco ..and / or some brick or stone on the outside perhaps, but otherwise stick builds.

If i built my own house ( Here ..or anywhere really )? Stone and stucco w/ 18" thick exterior walls..

Would love to have something like either of these as an enclosed Greenhouse -esque outdoor room..







There's actually a house ( Look up:  Mystery Castle Phoenix )  someone built from stone / other material located in another part of South Mountain Park, where both of these ( ...and a few other stone structures ) are located.