Welcome to our April edition. We are featuring another client this month because Benjamin and Kathleen’s job that we featured last month has not changed much. They live in northern Auburn, which is just a tad cooler than it is here. Therefore, the yard currently does not look much different than February’s photos. We will circle back around and feature this job in April’s edition, so please hold on to February’s article for comparison. For this month I want to feature Ed and Melissa’s front yard landscape. We completed it in September 2017, and it was part of a series of articles named “Being Creative” that we ran in the fall of 2017. It has about a year of growth, if you discount the two winter seasons.
I enjoy keeping up on the yards we do when I am in the area working. I like to see how they are coming along because each landscape to me is like a painting – unique and special and completed for specific clients. I like the before picture that shows the lawn, and the main picture that is almost identical in angle. My favorite is the second picture with a view from the house to the street because of the combinations of features it shows. Though the landscape is just barely coming out of winter, it maintains its charm and curb appeal, which is a true test of a good landscape. It was a fun job. The only time Melissa would come out is when I would bring her out. Some clients are very hands on and come out often, and others feel as though they would be in the way, which is how Melissa felt. I told her that we are working for her, and that she was the boss, and if she didn’t come out, I was going to bring her out. Part of her reason for not coming out was explained to me in our first meeting. They told me they really didn’t have a clue about landscaping or what they wanted. They only knew that they didn’t want lawn and wanted it to be low maintenance. They wanted a pathway from the sidewalk to the front door, and some color.
Most of these requests, except for the pathway, we incorporate into all our designs as it is Not wanting to give up, I felt that maybe if I took Melissa to Green Acres with me to view the plants, she might come up with a more personalized request. However, her reply was that she was so out of her realm, she was afraid she’d be a hindrance to me. She felt more comfortable just having me do it. She had been reading my articles and was confident that the job would go much better if she just let me complete the vision I had for the yard. Because of this, I spent a little extra time asking her questions until I felt I knew her well enough that I could accurately represent her. Her husband Ed’s only concern was for low maintenance. Even though people may not have a clue as to what they want, their personalities clue me in to the type of landscape they would enjoy. Also, touring clients around Green Acres and learning their preference in plants, and asking specific questions outlines their personalities for me. This then allows me to accurately represent them.
In starting this job, the first thing was to remove the lawn. We then began checking the irrigation and converting it to drip irrigation, and typically we add an additional valve for more water pressure. Most drip irrigation systems are stretched, covering too many plants. As a result, the plants suffer as they mature having insufficient water pressure. This one change alone makes a huge difference in the fruition of the plants. Following this, we check drainage and then begin our normal procedure of amending the soil by tilling in a special blend that I have made just for Executive Care. (A side note: because we do this upfront prep work, we are often higher in cost than other landscapers. It takes a couple extra days, but we are adding longevity and enjoyment to the landscape by creating a healthy soil environment for the plants to flourish in).
You will notice that we used mocha lava rock as opposed to mocha brown bark. It’s somewhat hard to notice the full size of the trees at first glance since they are still deciduous, however it is because of the leaf fall of both their trees and the neighbors that we decided to use the lava rock. Initially when a landscape is first completed the lava rock makes the landscape look somewhat “desert – tee.” However, after the plants mature, it looks sharp. It has a neat and clean appearance and is very easy to blow clean (low maintenance). Because lava rock is porous, it is cooler than other rock mulches. It is the only rock mulch we use because of this.
I went on an appointment about a year ago where the landscape was going on three years. I thought the cost was considerable for what was done. It was a corner lot with 80 percent of it being in lawn, which is the easiest and least expensive part of any landscape. More lawn equals a lower bid, another “trick of the trade.” Unfortunately, it was installed in our drought years, and the City of Roseville began sending notices of excessive water usage, and an increased rate for continued water use. Instead of paying more for the water, they let all the landscape die, except for a few trees and plants that they hand-watered. The client was super frustrated, and I was mad. They were much like Ed and Melissa — not knowledgeable regarding landscaping, and they were taken advantage of. Make sure and do your homework in selecting a landscaper. It is much better to wait, than to pay double because the first job was done incorrectly.
Gardeners – our winter gardens now need to be added to the compost pile. Garden beds should be well fertilized with an organic fertilizer lightly tilled under and allowed to sit for a couple weeks prior to the next planting.
Until next time, Good Gardening.