Archive

May is a dependable month for blooming flowers here in southern California as the temperatures rise, days get longer, and plants are thriving from essential nutrients provided by April rains. It’s the ideal time to enjoy color in your property’s landscape, with a little planning in late winter and early spring. And the best news […]

As businesses across the country are forced to close due to the pandemic surrounding COVID-19, state-by-state guidance is being provided by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), to help landscaping service companies navigate provisions, allowing continued operation as essential businesses. In California, the provision related to landscaping services is: “Workers such as plumbers, electricians, […]

Managing a property’s landscape is just one element you’re responsible for, when managing commercial real estate or HOA communities. But with an overwhelming amount of options and competition in the industry, it can be difficult and time-consuming to award your property’s maintenance to a landscape contractor, when they range significantly in size, price, years of […]

Living walls are a newer trend in landscaping and offer creative ways to enhance indoor and outdoor spaces that may or may not have areas available for traditional (horizontal!) landscaping. So what’s the deal with living walls – they’re beautiful and artistic, that’s undeniable, but are they beneficial? Here’s everything you need to know about […]

Tis the season for Poinsettias, one of the most well-known and coveted “Christmas plants” in North America. While commonly seen throughout the holiday season and used for decorative purposes by millions, the poinsettia has an interesting history that some may not know. Here’s everything you need to know about Poinsettias, the beautiful holiday plant we’ve […]

Looking for ways to brighten up your property’s landscape while keeping maintenance costs low and water efficiency high? Now you can have it all – color AND water-savings – with Landscape Roses exclusively developed and produced by Waterwise Botanicals, a local nursery serving San Diego County. Landscape Roses offer diverse application options – including shrubs […]

Benchmark’s Spring Valley Work Order team recently completed an estimated $75k, 5-week long project at the San Diego Zoo, in collaboration with several zoo departments, including horticulture, entomology and the Zoo Hospital. The Zoo’s goal for the project was to create a large area for harvesting animal food, utilizing resources available onsite. This included plantings […]

We’re proud to announce the recent acknowledgment Benchmark received from the CLCA at their annual Beautification Awards Ceremony, for a recent project at Bio Legend San Diego, in the category of Commercial Construction – Large. Bio Legend develops world-class, cutting-edge antibodies and reagents for biomedical research, in a state-of-the-art facility in San Diego, CA. The […]

Q: When Should You Remove or Replace Shrubs on Your Property? A: Removal or replacement of shrubs depends on the type of shrubs on your property, their placement, and the condition of the plants – are they overgrown, appearing unhealthy, not in ideal locations for healthy growth, in need of constant pruning or hedging? If […]

Late summer and early autumn are typically the hottest times of the year for southern California. Fall is also one of the driest times of the year. Although the drought in southern California has officially ended, measures should still be taken to reduce water usage on your properties. These measures should include steps to not […]