As a member of the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA), I had the pleasure of touring a handful of professionally designed and installed gardens around Hillsborough, Atherton and Los Gatos. These gardens all exemplified amazing outdoor rooms that reflected the needs of their clients. Here are some design ideas and highlights from the tour:

• Pools and hot tubs
• Outdoor kitchens
• Fountains and koi ponds
• Pool houses/cabanas and guest cottages
• Arbors and pergolas
• Outdoor media rooms
• Bocce ball courts
• Fire pits and outdoor fireplaces
• Edible gardens

Click here for more pictures

Common Ground Nursery put on another wonderful tour this year. It was enjoyable to spend time in these mouth-watering gardens and see the creativity that both the designers and homeowners put into their spaces. Some of the highlights included:

• Vertical landscaping towers. I loved the succulents but you could also plant with strawberries
• Art and water features.  What a great idea to repurpose an old box spring that acts as both a trellis and an eclectic art piece
• Raised planter beds made from materials such as wood, stone and urbanite
• Edibles surrounding pathways provide an element of surprise along the hardscape
• Rainwater harvesting barrels to irrigate the  edible bounty
• Pergolas and arbors that support peas, runner beans and tomatoes
• Safe and effective ways to keep birds from pecking at your fruit

To see all the pictures from the tour, click here.

Water feature installed by SouthBay Landscaping

Landscape installed by SouthBay Landscaping

When you think of landscape design, you think about plants, right? Yes, that is a huge part of the process to creating a wonderful outdoor space but there is much more that goes into the profession.

A landscape designer as someone who mixes both the science of horticulture along with the creativity of design to create an outdoor space.

In my own work as a landscape planner I strive to create beautiful, functional, stress-free gardens with an environmental approach that works in harmony with nature. I can only get to this space by taking a holistic approach. By considering everything, the whole living environment (both inside and outside) as well as your lifestyle, designers can combine science, art and sustainability for a win-win result.

For example, here are some specialties that I include in my service offering:

1. Using Local materials
2. Site-appropriate gardens (California native and water saving Mediterranean plants)
3. Rainwater harvesting and grey water advice
4. Organic vegetable gardens and orchards
5. Fragrant gardens
6. Butterfly and bird gardens
7. Permeable patios, walkways, decks
8. Driveways
9. Fences and gates
10. Arbors and trellises
11. Low voltage and LED lighting
12. Outdoor kitchens
13. Water features
14. Awnings, sunrooms, shade solutions
15. Greenhouses or potting benches
16. Garbage and recycling areas, additional storage
17. Meditation spaces
18. Labyrinths
19. Play areas for families with children
20. Petscapes for dogs and cats
21. Spas and pool/ pool removal
22. Container gardens
23. Retaining walls, seat walls
24. Art and furniture

So the next time you think about landscape design, of course consider the plants but also think ‘Big Picture’.

When it comes time to remove or reduce your lawn there are three standard methods to choose from. First you could remove the lawn manually with a sod cutter or sharp shovel. As you’ll notice I said the word ‘manually’ because it is just that- hard manual labor. Unless you are hiring a professional, the sod cutters for rent aren’t always that sharp and you need to have a lot of strength and push very hard to get results.

The second method, I don’t even like to mention, but unfortunately some landscape professions are still using a chemical kill. This means that they use toxic chemicals that are so strong, they not only kill your lawn but all the good organisms and healthy mycorrhiza that live in the soil. In short, don’t do it. It’s not worth your sacrificing the health your family and pets, yourself or your soil.

So that is why I started using the third method called sheet mulching or lasagna composting. Not only is it all organic but many of the ingredients can be obtained for little or no money. I also like this method because I am lazy. In other words, I can do this process once and it’s done and I don’t even have to break a real sweat!

With in one day with two people, we sheet mulched all 850 square feet of our front yard. As a homeowner, here are the steps I suggest you take:

1. Rebate. Before you do anything to your alive, green lawn, check with your local municipal water department to see if you may qualify for a lawn removal rebate.
2. Gather materials. You’ll need 3 basic items: manure or compost, cardboard and mulch. Click here to read more about where to find these materials.
3. Prepare the site.
   1. Mow the lawn on the closest setting possible.
   2. Take a sharp shovel or pick  and edge around any hardscape that the lawn comes into contact with. You can use this extra sod to make a berm (a raised area of earth).
   3. Remove any items that may get in the way like lights, drip irrigation tubing and rocks. Save any reusable items for later use
   4. Compost you lawn
      1. Lay out about 1-2 inches of compost or manure on top of lawn and water it in well
      2. Add a layer of cardboard and overlap  each box about 25-50%. Designer tips: have the brown side up since it camouflages best with the wood mulch
      3. Add water again until the cardboard is soggy
      4. Add 2-3 inches of wood mulch
      5. Finished!
         1. Just remember to keep your new ‘compost area’ watered well. It should have the consistency of a damp sponge.
         2. In 3-6 months your lawn will be composted into the most gorgeous, friable, earth worm infested soil.
         3. Plant your new garden and enjoy.

These Julie Orr Design top plants choices not only have year-round interest in the garden but they are easy to care for and maintain. Once established in your garden, they only require deep irrigation 1-2 times per month.

1. Salvia clevelandii ‘Winnifred Gilman’- This California native evergreen sage produces sprays of tall blue-violet flowers that attract hummingbirds, butterflies and beneficial insects
2. Eriogonum giganteum-Saint Catherine’s Lace is an evergreen California native plant prized for its fast growing, showy gray foliage and airy white flowers that attract beneficial insects.
3. Epilobium canum- the California Fuchsia is a California native plant that is not only easy to grow but attracts hummingbirds effortlessly with it’s red colored flowers and sweet nectar.
4. Teucrium chamaedrys ‘Nana’- Dwarf Germander is a great substitution in place of lavender where  a year-round evergreen appearance is desired. It’s low growing with pink flowers and does well in both full sun or partial shade.
5. Muhlenbergia rigens- Deer Grass is a wonderful accent plant with strong shape and texture. The long seed heads give enjoyable movement – just wait for a light breeze to help them sway back and forth.
6. Leucophyllum langmaniae ‘Lynn’s Legacy’- Showy lavender flowers bloom through spring and summer with evergreen light green leaves.
7. Ceanothus  ‘Ray Hartman’- One of the best California Lilacs for the garden because it’s more forgiving than other varies when it comes to summer irrigation. Since it is an evergreen, small tree, it makes a good screen or focal point for smaller gardens.
8. Cercis occidentalis- The Western Redbud, also a California native, has the sweetest heart shaped leaves and dramatic winter displays of hot pink buds. It is deciduous and doesn’t like to be over-watered.
9. Carpenteria californica- The Bush Aemone is a delightful evergreen Cal native with dark green leaves year round and white fragrance flowers from spring to summer.
10. Clytostoma calystegiodes- This wonderful evergreen climbing vine has trumpet shaped violet flowers with purple veins that bloom from late spring to summer.The best feature is that old growth by the trunk will still continue to produce leaves and flowers, making it a favorite for trellises and arbors.

In the state of California, landscape designers are not required to be licensed. Since designers are not providing construction drawings we don’t need a license in the way that landscape architects do. Landscape architects are licensed because they are telling you exactly how to build a structure or system.

According to the www.ca.gov a landscape designer may assist with: preparing plans, drawings, and specifications for the selection, placement, or use of plants or drawings for the conceptual design and placement of tangible objects and landscape features for single family dwellings. A conceptual drawing may describe and locate all landscaping but it will never include working drawings.

For example, if your house fell down, you would call your architect. But if your arbor fell down, you would call your landscape contractor. Although the landscape designer provided the conceptual drawing (but no constructions drawings detailing how the arbor was to be built), it was the landscape contractor who built the arbor and is responsible for its structural integrity. Licensing = Liability

That is why I only recommend working with a professional, licensed contractor. The landscape contractors I recommend are not only licensed but insured, bonded and pay workman’s compensation.  Hiring a licensed contractor protects both the homeowner and the contractor under the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) laws and regulations. To check if your contractor is licensed click here.

What is the difference between the trades?

Landscape architects may do either commercial or residential work while landscape designers only work on residential projects.

Landscape architects or landscape contractors can prepare drainage plans, irrigation plans and construction documents. Most residential projects do not require these types of plans but should the need arise; Julie Orr Design can refer you to an expert.

Is Julie Orr Design insured?

Yes

A potential client recently asked me this very important question. Not only did it bring up the “why a landscape designer” question but it also made me think, “why hire me” specifically?

If clients are looking for general designer information, The Association of Professional Landscape Designers, also known as APLD, is a great place to start. They sum it up nicely with these points:

A professional landscape designer:

analyzes the property from architectural, environmental, horticultural and artistic viewpoints and uses these findings to create a customized Master Plan for the site.

develops site-specific solutions to the problems and opportunities of the site using education, experience, imagination, talent and creativity.

provides an artistic eye and gives the outdoor space a form and a sense of style that will be the heart of the design.

helps choose the most appropriate design elements, materials, and plants for the site.

works within a budget and provides advice on how the landscape plan might be installed in stages if needed.

helps avoid costly mistakes by providing a clear direction in which to proceed.

brings a network of industry professionals to help ensure the immediate and ongoing success of the project.

acts as an independent advocate for the client throughout the process.

Hiring  Julie Orr Design:

1. I work exclusively in Computer Aided Design (CAD). Although I was formally trained during my 5-year interior design program to draft and draw by hand, I much prefer the ease and flexibility that CAD offers my clients.  Changes are an easy click away. Also, my clients love the fact that I can email them their plan on a PDF which not only saves paper, but it keeps their plans safe and easy to locate or email to other trade professionals like architects and contractors.
2. Being both an Interior Designer and Landscape Designer has this advantage: Clients love that I maintain an element of their lifestyle when designing their “outdoor rooms.”
3. Sustainable solutions. This is a tall order encompassing not only water-wise plants but all environmental concerns: carbon footprint, shopping locally, air quality, food quality, safety, resource conservation, water reduction and power usage. Take all these environmental concerns, client and site requirements and then make a beautiful garden – that’s my specialty!
4. Advise on rainwater harvesting, greywater (graywater) and rebate options. I interned and created landscape designs for a local rainwater harvesting expert who taught me to always “look up” for water solutions. Where do you think our irrigation water came from before it arrived at the hose bib? Yes, for the most part it started out as rain. What a great “untapped” resource!
5. Talent! Visit my portfolio and noticed that each project is a custom reflection of that particular client. Since each client is unique, no two projects are the same. Why settle for a look that has already been done before? Your ‘custom theme’ is inspired by your wants and desires, not mine.

When hiring a landscape designer, read their references. Check out places like: Angie’s List, Yelp and Linked In. Also, has this designer got unique examples of gardens to share, published any articles or books, and what professional affiliations does she or he belong to? If these attributes and references match up with your core values and goals, you have a winner.