There was an interesting article in the latest Sierra Club Yodeler newsletter for Marin on planting native plants in winter time. Planting in late fall or early winter helps plants get established and ready for spring growth. New plants can also take advantage of winter rains.
Native Plant Nursery Listings:
Marin Chapter California Native Plant Society
Yerba Buena Chapter Nursery/Plant Listing
One of the problems with new landscape installations is just that, they’re new, nothing has the character or patina of age. A good solution to this is to find unique accents that can give a new project some character. Artefact Design & Salvage located in the Cornerstone complex in Sonoma, is a great place to find interesting accent pieces from around the world. Artefact imports garden and objects that can make interesting design features in the garden. Whether you are looking for objects d’ arte or something shabby chic, they have a little bit of everything.
Ginkgo’s are in full show this time of year- changing from their hearty green foliage to the golden coat of autumn. These trees are unique botanically among showy fall trees, being among the most ancient know tree specimens and belonging to their own division classification with no direct relatives. Other unique qualities include insect and disease resistance, and a specially veined leaf, which does not display the typical palmate and pinnate veination of most other broad-leaf trees. There are a number of interesting cultivars available- with the most commonly used variety in Northern California being ‘Autumn Gold.’
For More:
Article from Wikipedia
List of Cultivars (.pdf)
Being Prepared For the First Consultation Meeting with a Potential Contractor
Here is an insider’s view of some helpful tips for hiring a contractor and questions that you should ask during the first meeting/consultation.
The biggest consideration in my mind, and one that I see prospective clients miss over and over again, is that during this first consultation you are interviewing the contractor. This is much like a job interview- you are trying to make an intelligent choice about a company that you will be trusting to install your project and with whom you will be investing a considerable amount of money and time. While defining your specific project and relaying your needs is important, and will help the contractor address these needs, you also need to be assessing the contractor and whether you want the company to install your prospective project. A successful project is more than the installation itself, or dollars and cents- the experience and relationship you have with your contractor is also very important. With this in mind, a few key tips for starting off the process:
1- Take notes: Frequently, when I talk with prospective clients they do not take written notes of our consultation meeting. In my mind this is a mistake, as the contractor I always take notes of all the projects I go on relating to scope, budget, project background, client preferences etc. When hiring a contractor if you don’t take detailed notes and talk to multiple contractors it may difficult to remember the details.
2- Before the first meeting/consultation discuss the details: Many times when I go on a consultation, the first time a husband and wife discuss their wants and the project scope in depth is when they first talk with me. This is a mistake- the more clarity you can have going into the first meeting, the better the contractor will be able to meet your needs. It often helps to have a list typed out of the elements, key considerations or design details you want for the project. Give a list to each contractor you talk to, it will help them meet your needs, and make their estimate more accurate. If there are disagreements about what type of spaces you want, what you want to spend, or other key considerations, discuss them before you meet with potential contractors, not during the first meeting.
Example- Project Scope
-Remove existing concrete patio- replace with flagstone or new concrete
-Plantings- low maintenance, Mediterranean style
-Install lights on front path
-Remove oak tree in back yard
-Target budget $50-75,000, etc, etc…
3- Ask about the Company’s Resume: When interviewing a job candidate for a position, the key point of reference is their resume. Ask the same type of questions of the contractor- if they have a website use this to do some research as well.
Examples of Some Key Questions
-How long have you been in business? Tell me about the owners, what background do you have in the industry?
-Who will I be working with throughout the project?
-What does your typical job look like?
-How do you handle contracts and change orders?
-Do your crews/employees do the work? Do you use subcontractors?
-How long does a typical project take to install?
4- Do your homework: The more information you have going into hiring your contractor, the more you will be able to make an informed decision on selecting a company that fits your needs.
-Ask neighbors or friends about their landscape projects and how much money they spent
-Read garden magazines or research online to get ideas
-Start to think about materials and styles you want for the project
-Look in the neighborhood for examples of projects, styles, materials or particular detailing that you like.
Here is a bit of a humorous note for a Friday- one of my little irritations (excuse me while I get on my soapbox) is the mispronunciation of the word masonry.
Masonry being defined as: work constructed by a mason, esp. stonework: the crumbling masonry of ancient walls.
I frequently hear subcontractors and other contractors refer to the craft of the noble mason as “masonary”, which unless they are using some sort of masonry mercenaries is incorrect- it’s masonry!
Some of our “Masonaries” on a current project
In posts this week we are going to focus on some common detailing mistakes made by homeowners and professionals alike in residential landscaping. Some of these are little things, some are major errors, but all are good things to be aware of when working on landscape projects.
Common Landscape Mistake: Overplanting
This is a common problem we see in residential landscape projects, planting too densely or not realizing the mature size of plantings being installed. To a certain degree this can be stylistic and subjective, some people prefer dense plantings, but at times it can look downright comical. Often wanting things to look good right away, plants are planted too close for their mature sizes. Also, frequently shrubs are planted too close together. For example an Angel’s Trumpet is planted 2.5′ away from a Butterfly Bush, both of which can grow to 6’x6′ in size. The most important thing is to remember to balance the immediate impact of plantings with their more mature look in 2-3 years.
Frequent plant spacings (on center)
1-2′ Small flowering perennials and annuals
2-3′ Woody shrublets, small shrubs, most grasses
4-6′ Larger shrubs, hedging shrubs, large grasses
8-12′ Small scale trees, aggressive vines, aerial and regular hedging shrubs
Dense plantings aren’t always a problem- with these Lavender and grasses, tighter groups are desirable for distinct massings.
Notice the same planting about 18 months before, when the plantings had first gone in. The Lavender here is planted between 2-3′ apart, but just coming out of the container the planting still looks insignificant.
These ornamental grasses and New Zealand Flaxes are another example of density used properly. Problems can arise when larger shrubs with courser texture are planted in the same way.
Seeded concrete aggregates give a good alternative to basic broom or exposed concretes and are commonly used for walkways, patios and driveways. Seeded concrete is a process by which small decorative stones are embedded into prepared concrete. The top layer of the concrete is then washed away exposing the stone color.
There are a few different stone color options that are available for different design aesthetics. In Northern California the most commonly used stones are Mexican Pebbles, Pami Pebble, Salmon Creek Pebbles and Red River Rock Pebbles. See the photos below-
View Larger Image
Mexican Pebbles- Colors are blacks, dark blues, with occasional lighter yellow or blue tones- frequently used in Japanese gardens
Left- Pami Pebble colors are lavenders, light blues and greys, Right- Red River Pebbles are reds, yellows, grays. There are some similar colors to Pami Pebble but more intense
Salmon Creek- Yellow, orange and red tones
Salmon Creek 3/4″ Aggregrate Installed
There was a fascinating article in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) today about efforts in Mongolia to fight sand storms in the Gobi Desert that are progressively becoming worse (expanding goat herds and global warming being two main culprits). The storms frequently blanket Beijing with sand and dust, with material and haze ending up as far afield as Utah.
The solution, a $150 million dollar project to plant Alders, Junipers and other hardy plants (temperatures range in the Gobi from -40 degrees F to 110) in a huge windbreak across the country to help control the storms and dust. Experts are skeptical whether the endeavor will be successful, but Mongolians are hopeful the vegetation project will make a difference in controlling the storms.
Like any vegetation project, the difficulty lies in getting the trees and shrubs to establish and be maintained over the long term. In a couple of decades we may be referring to a second Asian wonder, the “Green Wall of Mongolia.”
Image from Wikipedia
We received an email from Griffin, who writes with a question on the difference between railroad and landscape Ties:
In many projects it seems you use ‘landscape ties’. Are these the same as railroad ties or are they the pressure treated version of railroad ties? The reason I ask is that I don’t like the look or pressure treated wood but am concerned about leaking railroad ties.
A: Landscape ties are nothing more than pressure treated Douglas Fir, typically 6×8. There are a few of different methods for pressure treating- with either a greenish, reddish, or blackish tint (without getting into the different types of chemical treatments used- check with your local lumber yard for the type of pressure treatment that is best for a particular application). Railroad ties, strictly speaking are black in color and coated with Creosote and a number of other chemicals that you really wouldn’t want to use in a residential setting. I hope this explains the difference and our nomenclature.
Here are a couple of photographs from a project in San Rafael that was
installed 4 years ago. The project included a front entrance bluestone walkway,
plantings, urn fountain and entrance gate in the front yard. The interior yard
featured a bluestone entryway, lawn, wood retaining wall and railing, and
plantings.
Entrance Gate, planted with Bougainvillea
Entry Bluestone Walkway and Fountain
This is a project for a new home in Novato. As is frequently the case, the
residence is on a hillside and the space in the back yard is limited. The design
for this project sought to create a usable back patio space, leaving room for an
Asian themed border planting.
Custom Stone Fountain
Curvilinear colored concrete patio
Creeping Fig vines to help soften the existing retaining wall
and Asian themed plantings with Japanese Forest Grass, Japanese Maple, and
variegated Liriope as featured plantings
Working in conjunction with a general contractor on an aspect of a construction project produced the following revision to a concrete paving pattern. The revision was different than an earlier conceptual scheme for the walkway in some small alignment details. While the builder commented that the adjustments could be made in the field, my experience has always been that clarity and specificity on paper save headaches later on.
To quote the architect Le Corbusier- God is in the details.
The State of California put into effect new energy regulations, Title 24, that regulate energy usage of light fixtures installed in commercial and residential settings. One point of confusion is the application of the new law, which went into effect last October, on low voltage landscape lighting systems.
Exterior lights mounted on buildings have a variety of new restrictions regarding fixture energy efficiency, photocells, and motion detection equipment. Fortunately, these new restrictions don’t apply to landscape lighting systems. To quote the California Title 24 Residential Compliance Manual,
“Example 6-15
Question
My House has a row of small incandescent bollards along the walk way to the front door. Do these have to be high efficacy?
Answer
No. The high efficacy requirement only applies to lighting mounted to the building.
Example 6-16
Question
I would like to install low-voltage landscape lighting in my yard. Are these required to be on a motion sensor and photocontrol?
Answer
No. Even though low-voltage lighting does not qualify as high efficacy lighting, lighting not attached to a building, like landscape lighting, is exempt from this requirement.”
These exemptions make sense, because landscape lighting is in a completely different class of application and energy use than other residential and commercial lighting.
Posted by Michael O’Connell at 07:18 PM | Comments (0)
There definitely is a feeling of fall in the air here in Northern California. People often lament a lack of seasons here in California, but they are still here, if a bit more subtle. The days are growing shorter, our Indian summer October weather is here today, and of course the trees are turning. Striking specimens this time of year are Chinese Pistache and Liquid Ambar; two trees that dependably color this time of year.
It is always amusing when planting people’s yards how they are drawn to plants in season. In the fall people want to plant Crape Myrtles and Japanese Maples, in the spring its Flowering Cherry and other blooming fruit trees. Most trees that have this seasonal interest do go deciduous and drop their leaves- thus emerging or departing all the more spectacularly.
Here is a conceptual layout for a project in San Rafael. The Eichler home is being reworking in the front and rear yards to give an updated modern garden that functions as an extension of the residence.
With a feeling of fall in the air and showers descending on the North Bay this morning, we are jolted back to the reality of working in the rainy half of the year. All things considered, California’s Mediterranean climate affords an amazing opportunity to work year round. This is without threats of snow or freezing temperatures endured by most of the rest of the country. Still, working in the summer has the benefit of not staring at 10 day forecasts or satellite and doppler radar each morning.
Working in wet weather will typically slow the pace of landscape projects, but most items can be continued on in the rain; with notable exceptions being large excavation in heavy rain and finished concrete. The other benefit of the onset of fall is being able to start to turn down sprinkler systems from the summer watering schedule.
For More:
“Dealing with Rain in Landscape Projects”
Weather.com – 10 Day Forecast (San Rafael), Western Satellite/Doppler
While our company focuses mainly on residential design and installation, we do from time to time branch out on a commercial or specialty project. A recurring problem on one such restoration project, which occurs when working on native plant revegetation is finding the specified plantings. We have been working on an estimate for a landscape restoration of a creek channel in Marin. The plants specified for the revegetation of the creek banks are California natives, which are not grown in the mainstream nursery trade and only grown by native plant specialty nurseries. The problem that restorations provide are two fold- the plants themselves are not commonly grown and not widely available, and the numbers required to revegitate a restoration site (several hundred for a quarter acre of creek bank in this case) are typically not readily available.
An interesting example of this was a native grower who was contacted by a developer for a revegetation project. Frequently there will be a planning requirement that mandates revegetation with plants native to the site on large developments in California that displace existing vegetation. The builder contacted the grower with his list of several hundred native plants that were specifically endemic to the site, with a time table of 6 months for installation. The grower responded with frustration and amusement because none of the plants were available in the trade and had to be propagated and grown from seed or cutting. This process that can take several years depending on the size of plant required.
There was an interesting piece in the San Francisco Chronicle about soil disposal in Atherton. The city council established a fee of $22 per cubic yard to dispose of soil to offset the cost of wear and tear on roads from large trucks hauling soil. After a voracious outcry from residents they removed the fee. For large basement projects the fees could add up to tens of thousands of dollars.
One would assume that this fee was on top of the cost imposed by the disposal service or dump. Here in Marin disposal fees can run $35-50 per yard for soil debris bins delivered to a project site. At the local dumps the fees are less, $15-30 per yard, assuming the material being disposed is clean fill soil. Using Marin’s prices as a guide, the Atherton fees would have amounted to a 50-100% additional cost. An average residential landscaping project can generate anywhere from 10-200 cubic yards of soil material if large retaining walls or terraces are involved that require extensive excavation.
We are wrapping up this project in Novato, a renovation of an existing back
yard landscape to create more usable area and better transition spaces. We
pushed the spa and retaining wall back into the hillside to create more space,
planting the back hillside and expanded the lawn and flagstone walkways.
Before- The previous spa configuration, while not
unattractive, created unusable lawn space and cramped the back yard
Before- The flagstone walkway that was existing was cramped by
the lawn and spa configuration
The
old spa pad was moved from the center of the yard to the edge of the yard,
creating more open usable space. The hillside was planted with groundcovers and
colorful perennials to open up views from the interior and improve on the bare
hillside.
The
existing flagstone was matched to tie in a seamless appearance with the old
patio.
The
spa was pushed back into the hillside, creating more usable space within the
yard.
We received this question regarding watering roses in more shady areas from a client recently:
Q: We have several varieties of Rose Bushes in our garden. The sun is indirect there and there are trees doing their best to take over. We have been watering these roses every day … in what seems like hours the water has been running.
What would be your recommendation. The soil is rather sandy and tight, but moist.
A: Here is some advice from Berkeley Horticultural Nursery on ‘Growing Roses in the Bay Area:’ “Watering – in the ground: Water established plants deeply at least once a week) more often in hot or windy weather, less often during cool foggy spells). Soaker hoses snaked between the plants will make watering less of a chore and they can be hidden with mulch. Adding 2 in. or more of mulch around roses will reduce the need for water by preventing evaporation.”
Or, Sunset Garden Book recommends basin flooding if you don’t have drip irrigation and are watering by hand — in other words, creating a thick walled basin via a soil berm around the rose bush, about 3 – 4 ft. in diameter, then adding water by the hose to fill the basin. The idea is to deep water with enough water to wet the entire root zone of the rose. In hot weather, you might be filling the basin every other day. In general, by any method of watering, the object is not to get water on the leaves of the rose because it can contribute to mildew.
We are currently working on a project with Ornamental metal fencing around the perimeter of the property. Metal fencing is typically done by fencing contractors because it requires welding that is typically out of the purview of landscape contractors.
Ameristar is one of the larger manufacturers of modular ornamental fencing. This fencing comes in a variety of heights (3,4 and 6 feet) and styles- multiple rails, different ornamental posts and caps. It is frequently used for perimeter, pool and front frontage/entry fencing. The fencing comes in 3 or 4 colors per style and typically powder-coated at the factory.
Digital Mock-up of Ornamental Metal Fence in Proposed Location
We just finished pouring a concrete walkway and pad for a project in Novato.
The concrete finish we used we a seeded aggregate. There are several different
options for seeded aggregate, both in terms of the stone that is seeded, and the
size of the stone seeded.
Example of stone on pathway we just completed- 3/4″
Red River aggregate
Seeding in progress- stones are broadcast and then
embedded into the surface of the concrete. The concrete is washed away to reveal
the packed stones at the surface.
Seeding completed- 3/8″ smaller Pami Pebble
aggregate
Example of another aggregate stone- Salmon
3/4″
Doing some browsing recently through some of our links, I found some additional interesting resources of prefabricated water features. Pre-manifactured water features come in all shapes, sizes, design types and materials.
Trevi, a manufacturer based in Las Vegas, has some interesting designs that depart from your classic Italian fare that you see at most garden centers.
A. Silvestri & Co., out of San Francisco, has a wide array of classical Italian and Spanish inspired designs.
Stone Forest, out of Santa Fe, has unique Granite and Stone Custom Fountains.
View our Materials Guide for more Water Feature resources and information
Our project portfolio is newly updated with current featured projects. Each feature includes a project description, design schematics and details on project installation in construction. The regular work examples galleries have also been updated to reflect our most current work.
Featured Projects:
Kent Woodlands: Entrance Gate, large deck around swimming pool, and flagstone entry
Larkspur: Terraced stucco walls and mediterranean plantings
San Rafael: Outdoor kitchen, space reclaiming retaining wall, and bluestone patio
Tiburon: Landscape with new home construction, plantings, large lawn and fencing
Sonoma: New entrance with flagstone approach and multi-tiered deck, newly articulated entertaining spaces and pool remodel
Here is a basic design element, a detail for wood stairs with railings to provide access for an area above an existing retaining wall. The exposed area underneath the steps is screened in with lattice to provide a storage area.
Plan View
Elevation View
In looking at some other blog pages that link to our blog, it is amazing to see the global reach of the internet and blogs. Two interesting links to note- one came from a site in the UK, Real Oasis, referencing our post about Current Cutting Technology on the peninsula. The other item of interest, a reference to our post on glass mulch from Portugal. I was surprised how easy it was to the read Portuguese posting (as a Spanish speaker it read like misspelled Spanish).
