Home & Garden

The term “Hybrid” has been used frequently over the last two decades for many things from fruits, vegetables, and farm animals to fertilizers, plastics and automobiles.  Hybrid can be defined as the “offspring of genetically different parents.”  Often, the hybrid product can be more efficient than what it is replacing.  As technology improves, the costs generally go down and quality improves.
Now let us apply this definition to Santa Clarita, Castaic and Stevenson Ranch. 

People think, “When I push the button, the garage door goes up and down so everything is fine!”  Not true.  Like any moving object, garage doors need to be serviced periodically.  We recommend a tune up every two to three years.  Why service your garage door and “waste” money when things seem to be working fine?  Because it can save you big money in the long run.

Five-year program designed to help participants conserve, reduce water costs
Castaic Lake Water Agency (CLWA) is offering a free customized program to help large landscape customers improve water use efficiency and reduce irrigation costs.
The Water Use Efficiency Program for Large Landscape Customers starts with an on-site assessment of a customer’s landscaping and irrigation equipment, and that assessment produces recommended actions the customer can take — complete with an analysis of costs and benefits — to improve irrigation efficiency.

The arrival of the new year signals the beginning of summer-flowering bulb planting season.  Gladiolus, Dahlias, Lilies, Freesia, Cannas, and many other summer blooming bulbs should be planted now.  A little time spent in the garden this month will ensure a wealth of color all summer long.
Few plants are easier to care for than bulbs.  To get bulbs established, dig a small hole, sprinkle some bulb food or bone meal in the hole, drop in the bulb, and cover with rich soil.  It is not necessary to do much else. 

When new furniture, such as a sofa, is purchased, it is almost always necessary to change the window treatments. Many people dread this activity; however, there are some simple steps that can be taken to choose the ultimate window treatment for your home that will be both easy to install and beautiful to look at.
Examine the room: The first thing to do is examine the room. What kind of room is it? Are there a lot of windows? Is it dark during the day? What kind of furniture is in the room? These questions can help determine the kind of window treatment that is necessary.

The winter nights are drawing in with days becoming shorter and many of us travelling to and from work in the dark. Winter nights mean colder nights and keeping the heat in will be very important as it is every year. One way to do so is by having double-glazing around the house, which will allow the heat to be kept in.
Double-glazing has many advantages as well as its insulation qualities as it will help you cut down on your household bills. This is simply because you do not have to have your heating on all the time which will save you money and you are also doing your bit for the environment.

Last month I discussed the budget for your project.  Once you have arrived at a budget for your project, the next step is to come up with a scope of work that fits within your budget.  This is a trial and error process.  Many homeowners would like to have their project completed with a scope of work that exceeds their budget.  Most home owners do not know how to come up with a clearly defined scope of work.  Usually, the scope of work which may include drawings and specifications are done by an Architect, Engineer, Design Build Contractor or Certified Construction Specifier and occasionally a Designer.  Of course, as a design build contractor, I would prefer doing the drawings and specifications, but it really depends on the magnitude of the project.

College of the Canyons has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation, seed money that will allow the college to grow and develop its Gardens of the Canyons project located on the COC Valencia campus.
On Monday, December 6, Michael Wilding, COC Assistant Superintendent/Vice President, Student Services, and Jill Mellady, chair, COC Foundation, accepted a $5,000 check from Jim Bizzelle, Vice President of Community Development for Pardee Homes, a subsidiary of Weyerhaeuser, during an informal presentation ceremony in the college’s Circle Garden.

When new furniture, such as a sofa, is purchased, it is almost always necessary to change the window treatments. Many people dread this activity; however, there are some simple steps that can be taken to choose the ultimate window treatment for your home that will be both easy to install and beautiful to look at.
Examine the room: The first thing to do is examine the room. What kind of room is it? Are there a lot of windows? Is it dark during the day? What kind of furniture is in the room? These questions can help determine the kind of window treatment that is necessary.

Hi, I’m Hal Monheim, the owner of Palmdale Glass for the past 24 years.  I’ve also lived in Santa Clarita for the same twenty-four years.  I’m proud to call Santa Clarita my hometown.  Most days I commute “up the hill” to Palmdale but I do get to spend quite a bit of my time working with customers in the Santa Clarita Valley.  
At Palmdale Glass our entire crew takes great pride in a job well done.  As the owner, I decided years ago that my daily job would be working as much as I can directly with our customers.  Our day-to-day operational duties are handled by a team of long term key people that really do a wonderful job.  

What is organic?  The term organic is used in many avenues in our day-to-day life.  Take for example some of the following; organic matter, organic chemistry, organic compound, organic farming, organic clothing, there is even organic computing… and of course organic pest control.  The term organic is an adjective that can carry up to 14 definitions according to Dictionary.com.  And can be defined as: noting or pertaining to a class of chemical compounds that formerly comprised only those existing in or derived from plants or animals, but that now includes all other compounds of carbon.

How many times last year did you say that while looking for something important?  With the New Year here, wouldn’t you like to start doing things differently?
“Getting Organized” has consistently been among the top three New Year’s resolutions because clutter and chaos affects us both physically and mentally.  We all seek balance and control in our busy lives and our clutter saps us of energy, causing undue stress and creating feelings of being overwhelmed.
There are also “hidden” costs of clutter: that bigger house to store more stuff costs more in heating/cooling bills, general upkeep, bigger mortgages and higher taxes.  Then there’s the cost of time spent procuring, using and maintaining this extra “stuff,” not to mention using up valuable space for storage.
Research shows that:

Best wishes to all for a safe, healthy and Happy New Year.  And for those searching for New Year’s Resolutions, maybe I can help.
First I would say, in my mind, for a resolution to be valid, there are two requirements.  One, it must be something worthwhile.  Otherwise, it would be of no value.  Second, it must be doable.  Otherwise, it would be unrealistic.

It is time to take advantage of a New Year and a new start.  Since most of us are staying put we might as well like the space we are in.  The New Year brings new beginnings and hopes for everything possible.  Why not decide to like the space you are in?  Make yourself feel good about your decision to stay.  Upgrades are a good thing in helping to keep your home up to date, and when you go to re-sell you have gotten to appreciate the work yourself first.

There are lots of very simple tricks that you can do to add life to your environment.  Here are my favorite ten:
1.  Art.  Have you ever walked into a room that has no art or pictures on the walls whatsoever, and noticed a feeling of emptiness?  Framed posters, prints, photographs and paintings give a room depth and dimension.  They also add color, style and underscore the mood or theme of a room.
2.  Add interesting furnishings but try also to stay true to your style. 

The cool, short days of winter usher in the bare root planting season.  Bare root plants have been tended in commercial growing fields for several years then dug and supplied to retailers with their roots, bare of soil, but kept moist enough to prevent dehydration.
Roses, fruit trees, grapes, and berries are all available at this time of the year in bare root form.  The selection of these plants will be better now than at any time of the year.  Nurseries will often have more than 100 different varieties of roses available. 

We all know that we want to do all we can to protect and clean up our environment.  There are over 80,000 new products on the market to go green in maintaining your pool.  However, only a small handful of these products have actually been tested.  The efficacy of these products can raise more questions than answers.  However there are some pool service applications that are considered environmentally friendly and that are being tried by professionals around the nation. 

This is the time of the year that you will begin finding bare root plants in your local nursery, a bare root plant is one that is sold with the roots exposed, instead of in a container of soil.  
An assortment of plants are available this way such as roses, fruit trees and shrubs, berries, grapes and several perennials including daylilies, irises, and hostas.  For these types of plants you will find a significant savings purchasing plants in this condition.