TOUR OF SOUTH WEST BOULDER AND STONE

If you are in the market to buy gravel, boulders, decomposed granite and other hard surface materials then I would highly suggest you visit South West Boulder and Stone.  They have a wide assortment of hardscape materials to choose from.  They also have many locations across California.  

In this video I show you around their Fullerton location.  Their headquarters is in Fallbrook and is about 15 acres.  If you live in the OC then, Fullerton should be just enough for you.  But if you are in for a treat and have half a day to spare, then I would suggest visiting their Fallbrook site.  

In regards to their products, what I love is that they have a wide selection of choices to choose from.  They have multiple colors of decomposed granite and varying sizes and color of rocks/gravel.  They also (in my experience) have great customer service.  

FULL GARDEN MAKEOVER IN LAGUNA HILLS

When I was contacted by a lovely husband and wife to help renovate their garden in Laguna Hills, I was thrilled.  They had decided that this would be their forever home and wanted it to suit their current lifestyle.  

She wanted a large entertaining area, while he wanted to grill and smoke a cigar fireside.  They also wanted to add paving that led from the street to the front door. That along with California native plants and other sustainable features created a beautiful garden to enjoy year round.   Part two of this makeover will be adding pottery to the garden.  

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

LAKEWOOD BRICK FRONT YARD

 I love using brick as a hard surface.  But rarely do I ever get to.  In this case there was lots of existing brick that had to be worked with and new to be added to tie into the existing.  Coupled with California native plants, made for a beautiful front yard that will become the envy of the block.  

LARGE BACKYARD AT NIGHT TIME

 Last week I uploaded a video of a garden that I designed and the process of it's in stall.  Today I wanted to show you what that garden looks like at night.  Enjoy!  

I will upload both videos here so you can watch both.  

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.  

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.  

KURAPIA AS PATHWAYS

I had posted before about a garden that I designed in which I used Kurapia as a pathway.  This was great, because it was not permanent and using Kurapia is also great lawn alternative.  In this video Matt King of Monarch Sustainable Landscaping shows his use of Kurapia as a path alternative. 

DESIGN STORIES - IRVINE PROJECT INSTALL USING OLSEN PAVERS

The one thing I love about designing outdoor spaces is creating a look that is not cookie cutter.  One that is custom to the client, their home and the environment.  You just can't get a look that suits your every lifestyle with a cookie cutter design.  Nor will it look nice.  In this custom case the homeowners wanted more hard surfaces and less planting since they love to entertain and have lots of parties.  They were also open to the idea of using pavers, which adds permeability to the garden and is very functional.  For both the front and the back we used plant timber top with a runner pattern in color hazelnut from Olsen Pavingstone. 

The planting will take place in March because the homeowner wanted some edible plants that will not be available from the website she buys from until then.  There is also lots of pottery, which still allows for plants, just not in ground.  Overall this project turned out great and I am really happy with the results.  Not to mention the pavers look dope.  The below video is of the install. 

THE DESIGN PROCESS PART 6 - FULL GARDEN DESIGN

Once you have approved the concept plan then the designer takes that and creates detailed drawings that any licensed landscape contractor can accurately bid from.  These detailed drawings come in two forms, hardscape and planting.   The hardscape plan should show dimensions of all the hard surfaces in your garden and indicate the exact type of materials to be used.  The planting plan will show the exact location of the plants as well as have a legend that shows the name, size and quantity of the plants.  The picture to the right is a sample planting plan that I did for a homeowners in Orange.



You can watch the other design process videos here:  http://tinyurl.com/y8ftydfe

DESIGN STORIES - NORTH TUSTIN CLIENTS GARDEN UPDATE

I love going back to garden that I designed and doing a follow up months after it has been installed. This one in particular was installed 8 months ago and looks really good.  It began when the homeowners were tired of their front yard lawn and wanted something different.  They wanted a colorful garden with drought tolerant plants, fun paths and accessories.

I was able to give them what they wanted and then some without denting their wallet.  The result is a beautiful drought tolerant garden that suits their lifestyle and benefits the environment.  You can read the previous post showing the installation of the garden here.



For a limited time I am offering a complimentary landscape design consultation to any Orange County resident.  Contact me and let's get rolling designing your dream garden.  

NORTH TUSTIN / SANTA ANA GARDEN IN PROGRESS

I was hired by a really nice couple in unincorporated area of Santa Ana otherwise known as North Tustin to design their back yard.  It's a big yard and they were stumped on what they could do with the space within their budget.  Their needs were specific.  Various spaces to sit and entertain, an area for their kids to run around and play, drought tolerant native plants and most importantly a functional garden.

That is where I came in creating a beautiful garden that met all of their needs and then some.  As you can see in the picture there is a large grass area that accommodates the large play set they bought for their kids, There are large patio areas.  One off of the master bedroom and one off of the living.dining room.  There is also a pocket decomposed granite area to the top right for those nights when the kids are asleep and you want to be hidden with your glass of wine.

The plants are a mixture of California native plants and some non native plants that the homeowner's really wanted to use.  There is also a raised garden area for edible gardening.  To the far top left is a shed that is going to remain in place until one day (budget permitting) it will be turned into a spare guest room area.

This video shows you the project as it is being installed.  I will do an updated video 2 month or so after installation.

TUSTIN GARDEN REVISITED

I recently revisited a garden that I had designed and was installed in 2013 for a lovely husband and wife in Tustin.  They wanted to loose their grass and replace it with California native plants, a path that leads from the front door to the street and an area to chill out.  I was please to see that the garden was doing well.  Below are some pictures of the garden.

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.

EARTH FRIENDLY MISSION VIEJO GARDEN

I was hired by a lovely husband and wife in Mission Viejo to design their compact front yard.  It was not a big space but just enough to add some pizzazz and a bit of life to what was dead lawn.  I began by having the site measured to ensure that the measurements I was working with would be accurate. I then created two concept drawings that the homeowner's and I met to thoroughly go over.  The attached picture is the winning concept.  We then went to a nursery to look at the proposed plants.  From there I created a final drawing that a referred licensed landscape contractor could accurately bid from.

I like to meet with both the contractor and homeowner(s) to discuss the project in detail so that there is no confusion.  Once the project is underway I coordinate with the contractor to ensure that things are flowing smoothly.  Regular site visits and placing of plants are necessary.

This particular client got an earth friendly makeover using California native plants, pottery and other cool accessories.  This video is a peak into the project.  You can also see photos of this project here.

COMPACT FULLERTON FRONT YARD MAKEOVER

As I have written here before, I love killing lawns and replacing them with plants and various other features.  In this case the homeowner's had already removed the grass and anything else that they did not want to keep.  They also a ton of colorful rocks that were left over by the previous owner that was perfect for repurposing.

In this case we added decomposed granite as the major pathway, California native plants, a dry creek bed and other fun accessories.  The homeowner's also built a light box of sorts to add another dimension to their garden.  The actual construction work for most of the garden was done by a referred licensed landscape contractor.

This video is a peak into the garden.  Enjoy!

You can see photos of this project here.

IRVINE CLIENTS GARDEN

I recently went back to revisit a clients garden in the city of Irvine to check on the garden progress and was pleased at what I saw.  This was a front yard that was lawn and more lawn with some cracked concrete that had to be redone.  Almost everything was gutted and replaced with California native plants, a few California friendly plants, pavers for the driveway and main path along with a wall to denote the outside seating area.



Some of the plants we used are:

• Galvezia juncea 'Gran Canon' - Baja Bush Snapdragon 
• Salvia greggii - Autumn Sage
• Salvia clevelandii - Cleveland Sage 
• Mimulus puniceus - Red Monkey Flower
• Trichostema lanatum - Woolly Blue Curls 

MISSION VIEJO GARDEN

Kill your lawn and increase your property value! This has been my motto for the past few years and I stand by it.  I get that if you need lawn for kids or dogs then by all means have it and hopefully you utilize more sustainable lawn options like Carex pansa.  But otherwise I just don't see the point.  In this case my clients in Mission Viejo had lawn and cracked concrete that they wanted to replace. The kids had fled the nest and having the lawn was no longer necessary.  Their driveway was cracked and needed to be overhauled as it had also created various trip hazards.

In this case there was only one solution...  Gut everything and start from scratch.  The design intent was to use soft set flagstone throughout most of the garden and only mortar set it where it was necessary to do so.  We also used California native plants to help bring in the local wildlife and added two rain barrels to catch whatever water comes out of the gutter.  That combined with some boulders and accessories makes this a true sustainable garden.



The materials we used are:

• Flagstone - color butternut (formerly known as oaklahoma buckskin) from Resource Building Materials in Lake Forest.  They also have several other locations.   
• Rain barrels - provided by the homeowners local water agency.  
• Boulders - already existing on site and re-purposed.
• Plants:
• Existing Crape Myrtles
• Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn' - McMinn Manzanira
• Calylophus hartweggii - Sundrops
• Eriophyllum nevenii - Catalina Silverlace
• Galvezia juncea 'Gran Canon' - Baja Bush Snapdragon
• Mahonia aquifolium - Oregon Grape
• Oenothera speciosa 'Rosea' - Pink Evening Primrose
• Salvia clevelandii - Cleveland Sage
• Salvia clevelandii 'Alan Chickering' - Alan Chickering Cleveland Sage
• Salvia greggii 'Coral' - Coral Autumn Sage

MY HOUZZ OBSESSION

For those who have not heard (although I think most have by now), there is a website called houzz that is specifically designed for the building industry (unlike pinterest that is for everything).  A site in which professional interior designers, landscape designers etc. can post photos of their work that homeowners can save in what is called an idea book.  It is free to join and free to post.

When I first came across this site I thought that I would just post biz portfolio pictures but when I put my home on the market I decided to virtually dream about my future home and that is when my obsession began.  I found myself spending 1-2+ hours at a time browsing the site.  In fact I tell all my potential clients to create houzz boards (although most already have) which then gives me a better sense of what they like.  This is also great for those that want to hire a professional but can't financially do that right away yet still want inspiration.

Some of the other cool features is that pro's can get reviews by clients and clients can share their idea books with the pros.  For example a client of mine in Tustin created a board for his garden inspiration and invited me to be a contributor of that board.  If you are not already using this site then you should and if you are curious this is the board I created for my future dream home.

LAKE FOREST PROJECT UPDATE

In January of 2014 I posted about some concept designs I did for a couple in Lake Forest.

They wanted a native garden and wanted to redo their hardscape.  

The driveway and paths were installed in March of 2014 but the plants were installed in October.

The driveway was redone (per code) using 4" of concrete with rebar.  The flagstone (color: Oklahoma Buckskin) was mortared in for safety reasons. The little step that existed at the front door was removed and a slight ramp was put in.  

A brand new irrigation system was installed with a smart controller that has a rain censor.  The rain censor sends a signal to the system to shut off if there is too much moisture in the air or rain.  

All the plants are native to California, with some plants being specifically native to Orange County. They are all low water requiring plants that also don't need much maintenance.