HOLIDAY 2013 GIFT GUIDE

This holiday season you may be wondering what to give that special someone or the friend/colleague on your list.  You want to shy away from the typical stores that everyone and their cousin goes to.  Something unique and cool is more your cup of tea that will make your gift more memorable for the holidays and not to mention useful.  If this sounds like you then I have the perfect gift ideas for you to consider giving this holiday season.

Manure Tea:  Yes you read right!  What I am referring to is simple... Cow shit.  You want me to give what to my loved ones?  Manure tea is great for plants.  A natural fertilizer that will help boost the growth of your native/friendly/edible plants.  This product is manufactured and harvested in California which means that you will be boosting the American economy and buying something truly useful.


The Drunken Botanist:  (info taken from website) "Sake began with a grain of rice.  Scotch emerged from barley, tequila from agave, rum from sugarcane, bourbon from corn.  Thirsty yet?  In The Drunken Botanist, Amy Stewart explores the dizzying array of herbs, flowers, trees, fruits and fungi that humans have, through ingenuity, inspiration, and sheer desperation contrived to transform into alcohol." I am sure that you can think of at least one person (sure more) in your life that would love this book.




Woolly Pockets:  If you know of someone that has limited land (room) to have a garden or perhaps no land at all, then this is the perfect gift.  Going vertical just might be the perfect gift for someone you know.  You could even buy the book Garden Up as a companion to the Woolly Pocket.

Mason Jar Solar Lights:  This is a DIY gift that any garden enthusiast will enjoy.  Perfect for patios, balcony's or front porches.  Simple and inexpensive to make and easy to install.  I have 12 in my front porch that I share with my neighbor.



Succulent Plant Arrangement:  This is a great way to get your creative juices flowing and give something that can be tailored to the recipient.  Very low maintenance and low water loving plants.  This could be good for both indoors or out.

SANTA ANA LAWN GONE

When I received a phone call from a husband and wife in Santa Ana to bid designing their front yard and creating a lawn less garden, I was thrilled.  I love killing lawns!  To be truthful I don't like the actual labor aspect of it but I do enjoy proposing it gone on paper and seeing it gone in the real world.  If you have kids or animals that are going to realistically have use for lawn then by all means have it.  I have even designed gardens with lawn just for that purpose but in this case no was using the existing lawn space.  

The design intent was (aside from removing the lawn) to have a California native plant palette, decomposed granite pathways with accents of flagstone, a round flagstone/DG seating area and an energy efficient irrigation and lighting system.  Other design features include two pilasters at the entry with a 4 feet wide decomposed granite path that was designed to mimic a sidewalk that did not previously exist.

A few of the plants we are using in this project are:

• Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn'
• Ceanothus thyrsiflorus 'Skylark'
• Cercis occidentalis
• Erigeron glaucus 'Bountiful'
• Salvia meulleri 

 In the end these homeowners are getting a garden that suits their every lifestyle, is within their budget and most importantly was professionally done in a reasonable time frame.  They did not have to do any work and were able to go about their normal day while someone else (me and the contractor) took care of it for them.

I you are interested in renovating your landscape but are not sure where to begin then I have an option for you (OC residents only).  It's really simple!  A complimentary landscape design consultation at your house to go over what your needs are and give you ideas on what is possible in your garden.  If you are interested then simply contact me and we can get rolling.

CONCEPT DRAWINGS ARE A MUST

I like the idea of having concept drawings.  Giving my clients two options for their garden based on my vision for the space and their desires.  Usually they have pictures and saved images of what they like but they have no clue if that would work in their space or what the cost is.  Sticker shock is never pretty.  Having concept drawings that are designed to accommodate what you can afford to spend is easier for your wallet to swallow. 

In the case of my client in Corona the concepts were meant to reflect what they wanted to keep.  The plants they and I liked as well as new materials that would coordinate will with what they already have.  The ultimate vision was to have a mostly CA native drought tolerant garden that needed little water and minimal maintenance.  Both options that I gave them will work just well but I believed and they agreed that the bottom option was more conducive to their needs. As you can see each circle is meant to represent a plant and is draw according to the eventual width of the plant.  This eliminates over crowding and excessive massing. 

If a plant is ultimately going to get 6 feet wide and it must be drawn with a 6 feet wide diameter circle.  This will allow you to see you much room you really have to work with.   The same goes for the hardscape.  If you are planning to have a path that goes from the street to the house then you need to account for the fact that someone will need to be able to walk on that path with ease.  Typically 4 feet is the standard path width for one person.  You may want a much bigger path if you have to accommodate a wheelchair.

Once a concept drawing has been selected then I can take that one step further and create detailed drawings and a licensed landscape contractor can bid from.  That is the next step of this project.  Stay tuned!