Landscape assistance
The Green Gardener program trains landscape professionals to use sustainable maintenance practices. They provide a list of Santa Clara Valley Green Gardeners who provide professional landscape design, construction, and/or maintenance services.
Guidelines on how to hire a landscape contractor.
Lawn
Need help caring for your lawn? The UC Guide to Healthy Lawns provides detailed information for:
- Selecting turf species
- Site preparation
- Lawn renovation
- Managing pests and diagnosing problems
- Video: Replacing Your Lawn [1 hr 19 min]
Discussion of the pros and cons of artificial turf.
Trees & shrubs
Selection and care
- Tree Selection Guide This guide from Cal Poly allows you to search for trees by specifying the characteristics you're looking for
- Find a Certified Arborist
- Caring for Trees in a Drought
- How to Prune Trees, USDA Forestry Service
- Pruning Overgrown Deciduous Fruit Trees
- Rose Care in Santa Clara County
Pest management
- Pests of trees, shrubs, & woody ornamentals This list of trees and shrubs will help you find information on which pests that affect those plants
- Pests of Landscape Trees and Shrubs A book available from UC ANR, is an excellent guide to managing insect, mite, weed, plant disease, and nematode pests.
Oak tree information
- Living Among the Oaks A Management Guide for Landowners and Managers
- Sudden Oak Death: UC Pest Note and information from the California Oak Mortality Task Force
- Plants Resistant or Susceptible to Armillaria mellea List of trees and shrubs resistant or susceptible to oak root fungus (Armillaria Root Rot). This list, completed in June 2008, includes both UC researched and contributed information.
- Oaks in the Urban Landscape A book available from UC ANR, offers a comprehensive look at the management of oaks in urban areas.
Local tree resources
- San Jose - Our City Forest The mission of Our City Forest is to cultivate a green and healthy San José metropolis, especially our urban forest.
- Palo Alto - Canopy Canopy is a nonprofit that grows healthy trees and healthy communities in Palo Alto and East Palo Alto.