CHINO HILLS SUSTAINABLE GARDEN

 This garden was a low budget design to make the rental nice and pretty for the perspective tenant.  We kept most of the existing plants and added new ones where necessary.  

USING DECOMPOSED GRANITE AS MULCH IN ORANGE

Small but mighty!  What was once lawn, is now the envy of the neighborhood.  This garden uses decomposed granite as mulch, a berm to aid in rain capture, California native / drought tolerant plants and flagstone to add paths.  

This garden is also not crowded with plants.  There is plenty of room to allow each plant to grow and mature.  There are also decorative rocks to add interest to the garden.  

Some materials used...

• Palm Springs gold decomposed granite from South West Boulder and Stone.
• Baja Cresta boulders
• Flagstone
• Ceanothus spp.
• Calylophus hartwegii
• Salvia mueleri
• Blue Glow Agave
• Gambelia juncea
• Apricot Mallow

LARGE BACKYARD MAKEOVER IN NORTH TUSTIN

What I love most about designing gardens, is designing spaces that are not cookie cutter.  Spaces that are unique to the person who is going to live in and enjoy that space.  In this case I was hired by a lovely husband and wife who had a 2 year old son and wanted many things to happen in their space.

Firstly, an area to entertain.  A large curved paver area to enjoy the outdoors and lounge around.  Secondly, they wanted a large grass area for their son to run around and play in.  Lastly, they wanted drought tolerant plants that had some sort of pretty flower colors and ones that needed minimal maintenance.  

All that combined with an energy efficient irrigation and lighting system brought to life this neat project.  Personally, I believe in having a space that is unique to your needs.  One that does what you need it to do, is pretty to look at and is functional.  

RED LAVA ROCK USED AS MULCH

 When you are designing a space you have to consider all aspects of the project.  What is existing, desired and how to connect both cohesively.  In this Fountain Valley project I did just that.  

The direction was clear and to the point.  Expand the planting area, but keep most of the grass.  Use drought tolerant plants and make the space look visually appealing.  I did this but creating a curve that would extend the planting space using a mixture of California native plants and some Aenoiums.  

The decorative boulders are called red cresta form South West Boulder and Stone.  The mulch used is red lava rock that really adds a little something something to the project.  

Overall I am really pleased with how this project turned out.  This video details the installation.  

The plants I used were:  

• Salvia clevelandii - Cleveland Sage
• Hesperaloe parvilora - Red Yucca
• Trichostema lanatum - Woolly Blue Curls
• Strelitzia reginae - Bird Of Paradise
• Festuca 'Siskyou Blue' - Siskyou Blue Fescue
• Calylophus hartwegii - Sundrops
• Aeonium

DECOMPOSED GRANITE USED AS MULCH

The typical type of mulch that is commonly used in gardens is wood chips.  It is the least expensive option and gives you the traditional look.  But there are other options, such as decomposed granite.  Sure the color is different than bark mulch, but the look might just be the punch of wow your neighborhood needs.  It adds a little something.  

In this garden in Costa Mesa, the design is simple using California native plants and working with existing hardscape.  The pow comes from using decomposed granite as mulch.  

SMART IRRIGATION CONTROLLERS

Is your irrigation controller smart?  Old school irrigation controllers allow you to set up the system via the wall panel.  But now with modern technology, you can use your smart phone to control the system. 

This system made by Hunter Industries is called Hydrawise Wi-Fi controller and is designed to save you money, while irrigating properly.  This system works with any Hunter controller.  The system allows you to set it up using the Hunter controller or your smart phone.  It also has a built in weather censor that know to automatically shut of the system if rain is in the forecast.  It also allows you to increase run time if the summer is too hot to handle. 

In this video Hunter Industries explains further about this system. 

CA NATIVE GARDEN MAKEOVER

This garden was a nice project to design as they are many elements for both the front and the back.  In this case every square inch of the landscape was gutted, thus allowing to new features to come into play.  In the front yard we redid the driveway to make it more sustainable and added a path to the gate surrounded by California native plants.  We also added decorative fencing. 

In the back we added the same style pavers, a new wider overhead structure and more California native plants.  We also kept some of the existing plants in both the front and the back yard.  Now the homeowners, can use this garden and be able to properly entertain here. 

DIFFERENT TYPES OF IRRIGATION SYSTEMS

In the world of landscape irrigation there are several types of systems.  Spray (Overhead) systems, drip, rainwater harvesting, laundry to landscape and soaker hose.  With these options how do you know which is best for your landscape?  The answer is simple.

If you have large planter beds then an overhead system is best as it mimics natural rainfall.  In this video Hunter Industries explains their Pro-Spray product guide.



If you have small planter beds where an overhead system will not work well then I would suggest you consider a drip system.  This video will explain your options.



Remember that each garden is different.  Your unique situation will dictate exactly what type of system you have.  How often you water will also depend on the type of plants that you have.  If you are using California native/drought tolerant plants then you should be watering twice weekly for 10 minutes for the 6-8 months and then taper down as needed. 

In regards to the rainwater harvesting and laundry to landscape option is also doable alongside of the the above two.  You should just be careful if you are going to connect your gray water to your landscape that you do not connect it to your edible plants as the dirty water is not safe for ingesting.  You cad read this post here to see my favorite rain tank.

TOP 6 BUILDING MATERIALS SHOPS

As you are thinking about your garden, you must also consider the hard surfaces.  If your existing hardscape is in good condition, then you would give it a good power wash and call it a day.  But if your hardscape needs to be replaced, then I would suggest (with your designer or before meeting the designer) that you go to a building materials shop and look at the different options that are available.  

The specific material that you select will depend on the style of your house, the look that you are going for and your budget.  The cheapest materials will be decomposed granite and concrete, while flagstone, pavers and tile will be the most costly.  What drives the cost is labor.  Concrete takes less time to install then flagstone, thus the cost per square feet is less.  

In some cases you may even be allowed to take a small sample home to see the products in your garden, before making a big purchase.  This is helpful as then you will be able to see what your desired choices looks like under different light conditions in your home, thus allowing you to make the right choice.  

Below is a list of 6 building materials shops.  Each of these shops have various locations across southern California.  

• KRC Rock
• Larry's Building Materials
• Resource Building Materials
• Sepulveda Building Materials
• Southwest Boulder & Stone
• Thompson's Building Materials

If you are in the market to look at hardscape, then I would suggest visiting which ever of these places that is closer to your location (always a good idea to buy local).  Go with an open mind as there are lots of options to look at.  But also make sure that you consider your current or new house color and the style of you home as this will play a role is what you select.  

NEW IRRIGATION VS. RETROFIT

When you are renovating your home, sometimes it is not necessary to get a brand new irrigation system.  But sometimes it is.  To determine whether you need a brand new system or not is not that complicated.  If it is broken or does not work properly or is 20+ years old then I would recommend replacing it.  If it is not that old and works fine then the contractor can either work with it or retrofit it accordingly.  

Regardless of what state your system is in, it is always best to leave some allowance for the possibility that something may need to be replaced.  You have no clue what the buried piping is like, so having a contingency just in case is always best.    

IF IT ISN'T BROKE DON'T FIX IT

Often I get asked by perspective clients, if they should redo their driveway or patio etc.  My response is always the same.  If it's cracked then yes.  If you cannot stand to look at it anymore, then yes.  But if there is nothing wrong with it then why?  Why fix something that is not broken or in need of repair. 

There is also the aspect of cost.  As it relates to hard surfaces, the biggest cost is not necessarily the material but the the labor of removing what is there and the labor of installing something new.  If you can save yourself that cost then I would highly recommend it. 

Regardless of what you do I would also recommend that you gather images of what you like, especially pics of garden that have the same hardscape that you do.  This way you can see how others have made that same surface work.  I would also gather images of hardscaped gardens using materials that you might replace it with.  Then when you meet with a designer, he/she can tell you if what you already have is workable and if what the new desire is will work with your budget.  Most designers can tell you if your budget will work or not.  The key is that you have to be open to compromise, unless you have a lot of money to spend. 

TOP 5 REASONS WHY COOKIE CUTTER DESIGNS ARE BAD

It may seem like a great idea to buy a design that you can immediately download.  It's cheap and easy.  You don't have to go through the process of working with a designer.  But those designs are not tailored to your needs and your house.  Also why would you want a design that everyone can have as oppose to a design that is custom to your lifestyle. 

THE PUTTING GREEN GARDEN

I love a good challenge when designing landscapes and this project was a nice one.  The client wanted a putting green somewhere in the garden, but most of the property was sloped.  That created a challenge to work with.  One what I was ready for and had fun trying to figure out.  Watch this video to see how the garden turned out.  I am very pleased with the result.

TOP 5 LANDSCAPE RELATED WEBSITES

I remember when the only way to look at ideas for a garden or to even look up any information about anything was to go to the library and check out books.  Now however, you can just Google it.  This makes sharing information much easier and more accessible.  So now let's assume that you are looking to get ideas on your garden.  Where do you go digitally to get ideas?  Well, I have that answer.  Below are 5 websites that I would highly recommend to get ideas about landscapes. 

The first, is clearly well known.  Hah That being Google.  Google is my best friend. The one being that tells me everything and holds a wealth of information.

The second, is my favorite second to Google.  That being YouTube.  Why you may ask?  Because you can see videos of landscapes being installed and get various other content about sustainable landscapes much like watching HGTV.  You can click here to see my YouTube channel.  

The third, is Houzz.  This is a great place to get and gather photos not only about landscapes but also interiors.  Most everything that is posed is done so by professionals.  

The fourth is Pinterest.  This site operates similar to Houzz, except it is not just for the building industry but for any industry and lifestyle.  

The fifth is Instagram.  What I love about this site is that it is very visual.  This means that you can see what people who are posting about their landscape design projects are doing in real life.  A great way to get ideas.  You can see my Instagram pictures here.  

DESIGN STORIES - CAPO BEACH CLIENTS INSTALL

I love designing landscapes.  Especially when I get to work with homeowner's that not only have a clear idea of what they like and dislike, but are also open minded.  In this project located in Capistrano Beach I had some existing flagstone to work with and lots of random things that the previous owner had left behind.  Not to mention lots of overgrown plants that made no sense where they were planted. 

As you will see in the video the garden transformed into an entertaining, functional space for the homeowner and her loved ones to enjoy. 

MISSION VIEJO GARDEN UPDATE

This garden was installed a few years ago and I have done a few videos about it, but I wanted to do another update as I was certain that is heat wave might have killed a few plants.  Sure enough I was right.  Check out this video to see what this garden looks like now. 

DESIGN STORIES - IRVINE CLIENTS BACK YARD INSTALL

I design all kinds of landscapes and what I love most is that no two design are alike.  Each design that I do is specific to the environment, the needs of the client and what the client can realistically afford.

In this case the clients wanted a drought tolerant garden using mostly California native plants, functional paths and various features to add interest to the garden.  They also had a pad of concrete that was provided by the developer that was in really good condition that did not need to be removed.

This video shows the entire process of install and should give you a realistic view of what it takes to install a small back yard.

HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU PAY A LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR

When I meet with a perspective clients they ask me the same question almost every time.  How would the contractor cost.  The answer is really not that simple.  It depends on what the design is and what materials are being used.  It also depends on how much there is to demolish and remove.  In most cases I tell perspective clients that if you have a small yard then you will pay anywhere in between 5-15 thousand.  Medium size gardens can run you between 15-40 and large size gardens can cost even more. 

In most cases if you tell your designer what you budget is then he or she can tell you based on that number roughly what you may or may not be able to do.  Bear in mind that in some cases what ends up eating up the cost is not the materials but the labor involved.  In this video I share with you more details on the cost of installation. 

TOP 5 REASONS WHY FREE DESIGNS ARE USELESS

You may have seen some sites or agencies offering you free designs.  Ones that you can download and use and while you may think that this is a great thing, it is actually not so great.  Whomever created those designs has never been to your house and seen first hand what your property looks like.  Nor have any of these free designs been tailored to your specific needs and site conditions.  They are generic, cookie cutter designs.  I am willing to bet that you don't want a generic, cookie cutter garden. 

The other issue is that when a contractor is bidding a design they are going off of the drawings and if those drawings are not exact to your site conditions then they will have somehow make things work.  This means that they will bid as best as they can and assume that may be extra cost based on what your site is actually like.  In the end you will end up paying more than if you would have hired a professional designer to create a garden that is customized for you.  You also need to consider this rule, that most things that are cheap in price (or free) are probably the same in quality. 

In this video I share with you the top 5 reasons why free designs are useless. 

2018 LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY SHOW

Today was treat.  Every year the California landscape contractors association has its annual landscape industry show.  A show where landscape architects, landscape designers and contractors can go to see the various products that are available on the market.  It is also a great place to network and attend some seminars. 

This year was a highlight of lighting, irrigation, artificial turf and a mixture of various other products.  It was nice to see the brands that I love to support and to get to meet other professionals. 

That being said I have to admit that attendance was not what it used to be.  This is something I have a hard time understanding.  If this is a great show to promote and grow your business then why not be there to learn and grow.  I think that educational institutions along with employers should do more to encourage their employees/students to attend such events.  Now I understand that this means having to take a day off of work, but that is worth it if it means that your employee gets to network and help build your business.  Perhaps tomorrow will be better than today.