Operations Tours
Tour The Day Creek Ranch
Date: Friday, July 15
Time: 8 – 11 a.m.
Landscape contractors who tour the Day Creek Ranch in Simi Valley this July will be treated to an oasis that includes numerous native plants, a vernal pool and a 5,000-tree avocado orchard that was installed to comply with Hillside Erosion Control Ordinance (HECO) standards.
The three-hour tour — part of the CLCA Summer Fun Extravaganza — will be led by Jeffery Tobias, owner of Landscapes by Jeffery. Tobias won the 2008 Multi-Faceted Project Trophy Award for his involvement in this $10-million project that took more than three years to complete. Among the components were residential landscape, roadside construction and the irrigation system, which is operated by solar-powered controllers.
“Everything in the confines of the orchard was done out of natural or native materials.” Tobias recalls. “There is no concrete or asphalt, and it was all done with grading, so there is no erosion.”
A highlight of this 260-acre quarter-horse reining ranch — located near the Ronald Reagan Library — is the vernal pool, the only one in Ventura County. It is checked every six months by a biologist. “Just to ensure nothing gets disturbed,” says Tobias.
There are also three wells on the property and a $200,000 water tank. Tobias’ team installed a 5-million-gallon lake next to the vernal pool, which the wells help keep full. The water from the orchard drains into a grassy swell that is approximately one mile long.
“The mouth of the swell opens into the vernal pool, so this is basically doing all your erosion control for you,” says Tobias.
As for what contractors will learn on this tour, Tobias says plenty. “There are so many increments of landscaping on this one property that everyone will get an education and a better understanding of how things work. They can then incorporate it into their businesses at a normal level.”
Valley Crest Tree Company Nursery Division South
Date: Saturday, July 16
Buses depart: 12:30 p.m.
Fee: Free (but participants must sign up)
Location:Valley Crest Tree Company Nursery Division South
Location:3200 West Telegraph Road, Fillmore, CA 93015
Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the Valley Crest Tree Company Nursery Division South. As the largest producer of containerized specimen trees in the West, Valley Crest Tree Company offers an unparalleled variety of high quality trees to landscape contractors. How do they make this happen? During this special operations tour, we'll visit with Valley Crest's knowledgeable staff and explore their specialized equipment. Special thanks to Valley Crest Tree Company for providing lunch and to Landscape Contractors Insurance Services for transportation.