- Humanitarian Award
- Recognizes a project donated by the entrant, benefiting a worthy cause
- Mark Schroeder & Co. Inc.
- Project Name: Pacific Hope Church
- Award Sponsor: CLCA Women’s Auxiliary
From the January-February 2010 issue of California Landscaping magazine:
Who won: Mark Schroeder & Co. Inc., a San Diego design, build, construction and maintenance firm.
For what project: Renovation of the landscape at Pacific Hope Church in the Kearny Mesa community of San Diego
Who participated in the renovation and how long did it take? “We had a lot of volunteer labor from the church,” Mark Schroeder says. “It took about a year, working on nights, weekends, whatever it took.” Schroeder’s family belongs to the church and his company donated over half of the material and labor. Schroeder’s construction manager, Kirk Clay, also volunteered his time and expertise.
How did this project come to your attention? The building the church had recently moved into had been extensively renovated, but landscaping on the one acre site “hadn’t been touched in probably 20 years,” Schroeder says.
What did the renovation entail? “We re-did the landscape around the church, which was old and tired, and gave it a clean slate,” Schroeder says. The site was demo’ed and re-graded. Trees, lawn, irrigation and drainage systems were all taken out.
What did you include in the new landscape? New drainage and drip irrigation systems were installed, along with low-voltage landscaping lighting, young trees, drought-tolerant plant materials and about 2,000 square feet of artificial turf. Volunteers used rocks and boulders excavated from the site for new planting beds that wrap around three sides of the church. A children’s play yard and parking lot also got attention.
What kinds of trees did you use? “We wanted to save water and have a low-maintenance landscape that would look good year round,” Schroeder says. Almost two dozen young trees were planted, including: crape myrtle; Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum); pink trumpet tree (Tabebuia ipe); and golden rain trees (Cassia leptophylla). “Using as little water as possible, while providing good shade, was a big criteria. We also used ‘clean trees’ for the most part, especially in the parking lot, so we’d have minimal leaf drop.”
What challenges did you face? Because he wanted to create interest and provide a little barrier from the street traffic, Schroeder contoured the area where the artificial turf was going to be installed. “Laying artificial turf on contours is not easy. ... It’s like trying to lay carpet on a hill,” he says. “This is the first installation we’d done that had a slope. We learned along the way that we had to splice, or cut, wedges, whenever we had a hill. But it looks so good on the slopes.” Another challenge was achieving a beautiful end product with the help of volunteers who had never done this kind of work before. “My guys did the tricky stuff, and the volunteers did the back-breaking work,” Schroeder says. “The volunteers all appreciated being able to help. It was a joint venture and joint reward for all involved.”
Are the church members happy with it? “Oh, yes. They love it. We have people walking by all the time who say, ‘This is the best landscaping around a church we’ve ever seen. Who did this?’ People are using the church every single day, and at night, the lighting looks great. They love it.”
Materials for the Pacific Hope Church landscape were donated by: Mark Schroeder & Co.; Horizon Irrigation Supply; Hunter Industries; Miramar Nurseries; Village Nurseries; Pardee Tree Nursery; Designed II Nursery
