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

SUSTAINABLE GARDEN MAKEOVER IN MISSION VIEJO

I was contacted last year by a husband and wife in Mission Viejo who had a front and back yard that they wanted to renovate.  They had done the landscape 30 years ago when they bought the house and what they had was perfect for their growing family.  But now the kids have fled the nest and they wanted something a bit more adult suited.   What we did was overhaul 90% of the garden.

In the front yard we redid the drive way with concrete and a flagstone banding.  We repeated that same flagstone (called butternut from resource building materials) as the main path to the front door. Some of the grass in the front was kept (yes they still wanted to keep a bit of grass) and added California native plants in the other planting areas.

In the back yard we replaced what was a small broken concrete pad with the same flagstone that we used in the front yard.   We made it into a half circle shape to add interest.  We also added a gravel path that leads to the shed.  Some existing trees and shrubs were kept but a descent amount of California native plants were added.

In both the front and the back we used bark mulch and re-used some concrete things as the edging between the hardscape and the softscape.  The last remaining item is to furnish the back with nice table and chairs but for now we are going to hold off until winter when they have had a chance to financially breath.  You can see images of this project here.

DECOMPOSED GRANITE AS MULCH

I have a client in Costa Mesa, CA that wanted to go a different more sustainable route to designing his garden. He did not want the cookie cutter landscape that is not even earth friendly. This meant thinking outside the box and coloring outside the lines. As you can see in the before picture the garden is full of lawn and more lawn and more water sucking lawn.

The end result is a California native, sustainable garden that suits the clients every lifestyle. The plants are California natives with the exception of some existing plants. There is a small area of California native Carex pansa

The hardscape is a permeable products made by Vast. The actual tiles are made from recycled materials and because it's not mortared in the seams become permeable. The rainwater harvesting system is from Bushman.

In this case the decomposed that is used as lawn for the dog and the clients little girl. granite was used as mulch to add a pop of color to the garden. Yes typically decomposed granite is used as paving but it can be used as mulch. It comes in a wide variety of colors and can have the same affect as typical bark mulch. This is nice for gardens that are monotone in color and need a bit of pizazz. KRC Rock sells a variety of decomposed granite colors or if you don't like a standard color them you can have one custom made.

YARD CLIPPINGS AS MULCH

If you have any deciduous trees in your yard then you know all too well how frustrating it is to rake up those leaves and put them in bags etc. Well why not avoid all of that and just use those leaves as mulch. Nature gives you these leaves for free so take advantage of that. I am not saying that you should not use mulch. In some cases you might have to, but if you can also use your yard clippings then you should consider it. Just look at all the lovely colors you will have added for free to your yard. A great cost savings!

MULCHING

When you read a set of construction documents you will notice the following note on the planting plan...

"Contractor to install a 2" layer of mulch in all shrub areas."

Usually the landscape designer will specify the exact variety of mulch to use.

Why Mulch?

• Retain soil moisture.
• Inhibit weed growth.
• Prevent soil erosion.
• Use mulch for paving or play areas.

If you are looking to buy earth friendly mulch products you can do so here...