Welcome to our March edition. I very much appreciate those of you who follow my articles. They are intended to be as much informative, as enjoyable to read. I have fun writing (though
it’s work) and sharing aspects about the landscapes that would not be known just by sight. All the jobs are rewarding, being that they are creative as well as challenging and they all have an aspect of surprise to them. It’s as if each job takes on its own person- ality. Sounds strange, I know, unless your work has a creative element to it, then you understand. There are the natural surroundings, the light that ex- ists – shady or sunny conditions, the mounds we create which are unique to each yard and add depth, the boulders, which are unique in and of themselves and bring in a variety of sizes and shapes and color. All these factors contribute to the “personality of the landscape” and we work to complement it. This month’s clients were Mike and Vickie. Their landscape was no exception. The backyard was a typical size yard for their village in Gold River. The medium to smaller yards here are more challenging, and the use of space must be more calculated. The way the yards were planned out is interesting. Normally, all the space is in the back, and the side yards have limited space which are primarily for entering and exiting and/or light landscaping. For Vickie, her kitchen window faces the non-entrance side of the yard. Therefore, this side yard carried some importance, and fortunately the layout of the yard allowed for it. If you picture an “L”, that was our portion to landscape. Initially, when we met, I did not care for the 2/3-to-1/3-ratio, because it felt too chopped up. However, as we talked about what she was hoping for and what she viewed from inside the house, the goal became clear. I could now see how the awkward division of space could be used to achieve our goal of a contemporary Asian accent landscape.
Mike and Vickie both liked lawns, just not their lawn. The shadiness and roots of the Redwoods made growing lawn impossible except for the east end. However, it did not make any sense to just have a patch of lawn. The Mondo grass family could be a lawn alternative since Vickie did not want any- thing fake in her yard (e.g. synthetic turf). Mondo grass being a shade plant would do well. We would plant it and then use ornate gravel to achieve our semi – Asian feel. However, prior to all this, we had to deal with the drainage. The Redwoods were adversely impacting the drainage and raising the overall grade of the yard. Also, the roots had gone under the concrete patio and several stress cracks were very visible. The raised elevation of the yard caused the patio to be about 1 1⁄2” below grade. Water pooled along the patio edge leaving the first two feet of patio always soiled. The solution was not another drain that the Redwood roots could affect, but rather to add channel drains along the edge of the patio. The water would run off the land- scape and be collected into the channel drains which framed the patio. To make this work we needed a small tractor trencher to cut through the roots for us to place the channel drains into. As an extra step to protect the patio from further damage we installed root guards. This did add extra cost to the job, but it ensured that the drainage would work and that they would not need a new Patio unless they wanted one. Next to consider was the footpath. People have patterns or habits, and I noticed
By Arthur Navarrette Executive Care Landscaping
Vickie exits from the kitchen slider (side yard) to her current steppingstones which are round aggregate – both outdated and too lightweight to be safe. We would upgrade both safety and design with a contemporary steppingstone. We chose a modern, slightly grayish/white steppingstone (2’ by 2’) with a smooth finish to be the perfect complement, and it brought safety to a ten. The next feature would be a dry stream bed. Half of our jobs, especially the no-lawn-landscapes, have dry stream beds of different shapes and sizes. I have seen many done incorrectly. They look like cobble set on top of the ground. It’s important to dig down and work on an interesting shape or position for the boulders so it looks like nature may have really placed them. Done correctly, it’s an asset to the overall natural feel that we are working towards. Finally, we were ready for plants, which can make or break all the work done up to this point. Because I am writing in February, there is still the presence of winter in the landscape. In a month, things will look better, and in two months flowers and new growth will be present. The test of a yard well landscaped is that it always looks good regardless of the season, but it looks better during growing season. This yard has silk plants (I have yet to landscape with those), and represents three shade variations (light, moderate and heavy shade). Determining where one ends and the other begins is a bit tricky. I relied on my compass and my knowledge that it was installed in October. In October the sun was just beginning to “lay down in the sky,” so, combined with the Redwood trees, this means the yard would be moderate to heavy shade until April or May. The selection of plants had to go through this period, year after year. With the years of growing plants, there is still an ele- ment of hopeful estimation. This is the challenge of landscaping – knowing how far the plants can be pushed in either direction. Too much sun for shade plants can cause them to burn, and too much shade for sun plants can cause them to be leggy and weak.
It’s an unknown science, and there is no literature that precisely documents sun or shade durations for plants that number in the hundreds for our two zones. My best teachers have been the plants themselves.
Spring is here, and I have appointments already into the first week of April. I will say a creative and correctly done landscape is well worth the wait. Doing the job twice, in my opinion, is not an option. We have three crews and once I complete the estimate, I can usually get a crew over there within a week or two. If you have a graduation or a special occasion coming, please let me know and I will see what I can do. Gardeners, if you plan to use seed, now is the time. Till the ground well so that the roots do not struggle and fertilize moderately to heavily with organic fertilizer. Water so that the soil stays moist, but not wet. Until next time – Good Gardening, Arthur