Cutting Costs by Cutting Out the Lawn
A sustainable landscape begins with a functional design that is environmentally friendly and cost efficient.
As water costs continue to rise in the state, combined with a growing concern about the amount of available water, more Californians are considering sustainable landscapes for their homes. And in choosing this wonderfully drastic alternative to traditional lawns, they are lowering both their water bills and maintenance time by huge increments.
"Right now, the way things are happening in this state, we are not going to have any more water," says Len Loomis, a retired Thousand Oaks resident, who had his 4,000-square-foot front lawn removed last year after three decades and replaced with a plethora of native and California-friendly plants that require much less maintenance and water.
"Water costs have increased a lot in southern California and water rates [in this area] are not tiered to take into consideration those with extra large lot sizes by accident. We were looking to get down a couple of tiers on our water bill and wanted to reduce our water usage on an annual basis by 40 percent."
To help him achieve his goal, Loomis chose Chuck Carr, owner of Carr Landscape Management in Porter Ranch, near Northridge, to create a sustainable front yard that would also be the envy of his neighbors.
Sustainable Definitions Vary
There are varying definitions of what sustainable landscaping encompasses, but essentially it should include an environment that is in balance with the local climate and one that requires minimal resource inputs such as fertilizer, pesticides, energy usage and, of course, water. Millions of dollars are spent annually in designing, implementing and maintaining traditional/urban landscapes. Unfortunately, long-term problems often arise when these processes are not properly executed.
While a landscape developed using sustainable practices will improve the environment by conserving resources, the key is understanding that the design process, plant selection and implementation of the plan must all seamlessly work together.
"We started about two years ago really putting in these native landscapes," says Carr. "We use native plants for a natural look that need very little supplemental water. It's still very cutting edge. For 150 years, we've been looking at roses and green grass; a very eastern-style landscape. But more people are now interested in whether water costs are going to go up."
Loomis estimates that in the past five years his water bill had risen from $85 a month to $300 a month.
With his new yard, his water bill last month was $65.
"I'm a senior and am very concerned about the plight of seniors that are trying to retire in place rather than go into assisted living. Some seniors are finding that they can hardly afford to flush the toilet."
Factors to Consider
In considering a sustainable landscape, it is vital that both the landscaper and client consider a number of factors such how the space will be used, plant requirements, site conditions, the visual look to be achieved, timeline, and budget.
In working on this project, Carr determined what his client's needs were, what was affordable and whether his goals could be achieved: that is, to drastically reduce his water bills.
"Len had a huge front yard and had to water it daily to keep it alive," says Carr. "He was hardly using his front yard; it was just for the neighbors to look at."
The two decided on a project that came in at about $4 per square foot. Carr used CLCA's imaging program, Better than a Thousand Words, an innovative software program that can be customized to nearly any project. With BTATW, the contractor starts with a digital photo of the site before populating the image with a wide variety of California-specific plants, trees, hardscapes and water features. This gives the client a clear visual of what the site will look like, thereby eliminating many unwanted surprises.
Carr removed Loomis' sprawling front lawn and replaced it with 44 varieties of California-friendly plants such as kangaroo paw, salvia, butterfly bush, rosemary and mulenbergia (mully grass) and many more. With a palette of reds, orange and purples, the plants bloom all year long and are constantly changing.
"A misperception is that the sustainable look is a desert look with cactus," says Carr. "This project looks like if you were hiking in the southern California hills where you'd see grasses and a lot of flowers. It's got kind of a wildflower random look to it."
The entire project took about eight weeks to complete. Carr says the plants were quite small when they first went into the ground and that it can take a solid year for the project to really look great. Loomis didn't need to wait. He loved the end product immediately.
"We call it a meadow," Loomis says. "We wanted the yard to bloom all the time and it does. We have two paths in our yard, so we have also called it our private pocket park. It is absolutely gorgeous."
805 magazine, a local lifestyle publication, thought so too. Loomis said they came and took photos of his yard and interviewed him as well. Additionally, the sustainable design is also attracting a large number of birds, butterflies and small animals.
"I counted 35 different varieties of birds one day," says Loomis. "We also had a plethora of hummingbirds and monarch butterflies too. And we had rabbits, but interestingly they have not harmed any part of the vegetation."
Incorporating Other Sustainable Materials
In addition to drought-tolerant plants, water-saving irrigation systems are a must in creating a sustainable landscape. For instance, irrigation specialists can create designs using appropriate technology. Depending on the situation, a drip or subsurface irrigation system may be used. If a system has been used for more than five years, newer technology is available such as evapotranspiration controls, soil sensors or refined control panels. Even if the system is new, irrigation heads may need to be realigned to prevent overspray onto sidewalks, for example.
Numerous building materials can also be incorporated into the design. It's important to be creative and use fewer virgin materials. For instance, hardscape materials may already exist on the site such as old bricks, stones, or other pavers that could be used for a driveway or to line a planting bed. Yard waste and kitchen scraps could be utilized to generate compost onsite to be used as soil amendment.
There also numerous recycled landscape products on the market in a variety of textures and colors, with many combining recycled plastics with wood byproducts. Requiring little maintenance, they make great choices for decks, fences, benches and planters. Materials such as asphalt with rubber tires, concrete made from fly ash, or decomposed granite are also good choices, the latter which was used as a path in the Loomis project and which looks remarkably natural.
Carr, who has been a landscaper for 17 years, clearly loves this profession. Coming from a sales and marketing background, he enjoys sharing a vision with a client and making it a reality.
He's been so busy that he is having difficulty finding the time to redo his own yard. "My backyard is eclectic," he laughs. "I have tropical back there, a Japanese garden, fruit trees. It's California-eclectic style. Anything goes."
By Lisa Kopochinski