The Wonderful World of Landscaping

Featured Residence

2010-09-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

Here at Pierre, we take pride in not only the initial installations we do, but the continual maintenance of our clients’ properties. This article features an inside scope on one of our residences that we installed landscaping and now maintain on a weekly basis.

This photo of the back yard shows the freshly cut Marathon II sod that overlooks a breathtaking view of the hills of Porter Ranch, California.

This photo of the courtyard shows the wide variety of plants in the landscaping. The olive tree in the middle towers over the beautiful Hidcote Lavender and Japanese Boxwood hedges. The bright yellow and orange Daylilies frame the area behind the hedges along the wall.

The courtyard fountain features a stunning mix of ground cover. The bottom layer consists of White Alyssum and pink and red Dianthus. Bordering the fountain’s edge are Bearded Iris and Blue Salvia flowers.

The top layer of the fountain is filled with White Alyssum and bright pink and red Ivy Geranium plants.

The front wall of the property is lined with a stunning row of Hidcote Lavender and white rose bushes. The design creates an eye-catching contrast against the Marathon II sod.

The front steps leading to the property’s entrance have a striking landscape design that is both symmetrical and well-contoured. The steps are enclosed by Ligustrum Privet hedges with two dazzling Spiral Juniper bushes at the top.

*Words from the property owner* -

"Pierre Landscaping did our entire installation and are currently doing the maintenance. They are very professional and do a great job. My garden looks amazing thank to Pierre!!"

Cistern Systems

2010-07-13T15:52:00.001-07:00

With California being plagued by drought and local pollution, water management and thinking “Green” is a very important responsibility in the landscape industry. With the uses of current technology, it is possible to take a very big step forward in helping the water saving movement.

Although the use of cistern systems date all the way back to 4000 BC, they are still widely used in this current day and age. Here is an example of one of our residences that has implemented a successful cistern irrigation system. This system is a very technical, yet simple to follow, method of recycling water and using it to water the landscaping.

The system starts with run-off water from sources like rain or landscape irrigation that is drained into an underground cistern tank.

The tank is then connected to an electronic water leveler. This home uses a Levolor Model K-1100 to measure the amount of water in the tank. When the water level is below the certain height that is pre-set by the homeowner, the controller will then activate a domestic water source to fill the tank and reach the required level.

When the water level is at the required height, a pump activates itself and takes water from the cistern tank and canals it through the irrigation system.

This action is executed by an outdoor irrigation controller, in this case an Irritrol 6 Station Outdoor Controller (RD600-Ext-R). The recycled water is now used to water the outdoor landscaping.

Systems like this can seem complex, but the benefits of being water savvy are infinite. The hope is that through developing technology in perfecting these systems, recycling water can become the standard for the future.

ELMER AVENUE RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY

2010-06-29T14:50:00.001-07:00

City officials of Los Angeles, industry representatives, and the residents of Elmer Avenue have joined together today to celebrate a monumental step forward in water management. The ceremonial ribbon cutting of the Elmer Avenue Neighborhood Retrofit represents the five year, $4 million dollar project dedicated to improving the way we use our water. Designed and led by the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council, this project partnered with the residents of Elmer Avenue to create an invaluable example for the future of our city.

Elmer Avenue is a 24 house residential street that is located in Sun Valley, California. For many years, these residents have dealt with constant flooding issues that have caused considerable water pollution. Through 10 years of cooperative research through the Water Augmentation Study and community meetings with the Elmer Avenue residents, the Watershed Council’s dream became a reality.

The community enhancement project used a selection of strategies in order to reduce flooding and water pollution, increase local groundwater supplies, and increase green space. On this 40 acres of land, water is directed upstream into an aquifer through active and passive methods. Due to this method, Elmer Avenue produces 16 acre-feet of annual groundwater recharge, as well as dramatically reduces polluted water from reaching the Los Angeles River.

City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works Commissioner Paula Daniels said during the ceremony that this project is, “weaving nature into the urban fabric.”

Aside from the initial goals of the project, the visual appearance of the street is something worth remembering. Not only is the street beautifully landscaped with climate appropriate trees and shrubs, the street is enhanced with solar street lights and storm water stream systems along both sides of the street that give the appearance of an urban moat.

With the project being led by the Watershed Council in collaboration with the City of Los Angeles, several other industry leaders, and landscaped by our very own crews here at Pierre Landscaping, the Elmer Avenue Neighborhood Retrofit Project is a large stepping stone into what we all hope to be a very bright “Green” future.

Founder of the Watershed Council Dorothy Green was quoted by her peers that through groundbreaking projects like this, “We are unpaving Los Angeles and taking back our streets.”

Pros & Cons of Artificial Turf

2010-03-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

Lawns can be an environmental nightmare when you live in a climate like Southern California. Water use, due to restrictions in 2009, is down to levels of 25 years ago. Cost savings can be substantial for this alternative. Here are some facts to consider:

PROS:
-Maintenance on synthetic sod is once a year at $350
-Life expectancy is 20 years, with warranty 8-12 years
-Synthetic turf will pay for itself in 2-3 years
-Clean up after pets is easy: scoop or rake then rinse with a hose
-Yard debris can be raked, blown or vacuumed easily
-No worries with lawn disease or pest problems

CONS:

-Upfront costs are about 80% higher than sod
-It isn't "real" grass (but it looks real)
-When the temperature rises, so does the turf temp
-Ecologically: it does not return oxygen to the air

read more..http://ecoalliance.com

The Focus Remains: Water

Even with the amount of rain we have received this winter, our depleted water supply remains at a critical state. Water conservation and restrictions are now a way of life for us in Southern California. There are still funds available to homeowners for rebates on water saving landscape upgrades to your current irrigation system:

Smart Timers (weather based irrigation controllers)
Rotor Spray Heads (rotating sprinkler heads)
Synthetic Turf

There is still about 87% of the funds available for this rebate program, so check it out and cash in on the savings. Also available for rebates are clothes washers and water saving toilets.

read on...
https://conservationrebates.com

Landscaping Tips for March!

2010-03-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

Plants

• Pennisetum ''Purple Fountain Grass'' and Miscanthus ''Siver Grass'' should be pruned down to the ground before new growth begins. This will assure a plant full of fresh beautiful growth. As a side note on the Purple Fountain Grass, you can cut them down again in September if they are huge and falling over. They will re-grow quickly and look much cleaner during the dormant winter months.

*TIP - No need to be gentle, use the power hedge trimmers for this.*

• Liriope ''Lily Turf'' is another common grass like perennial that can be cut down now just as the new growth is emerging. Liriope push this new growth in the early spring and you can use this opportunity to get rid of all that snail damaged foliage. Be careful not to cut off the new shoots or you’ll be stuck with blunt tipped foliage for a year.

Water Saving

• Mulch, mulch, mulch! Hold in that awesome rain we are having as long as you can. The trees are done dropping leaves so no need to worry about raking up your mulch along with the leaves. A nice thick layer of shredded wood mulch this month will help keep your sprinklers off and keep those weeds at bay. We use a bulk wood mulch called “Forest Floor” that in my opinion is much more natural looking than the bagged mulches.

Annual Color

• We are still planting Snaps, Pansies and Violas as they will hang on nicely through late spring. Primroses and Cyclamen still look great, but as soon as it warms up they are toast. I just saw Marigolds available in a nursery. There is still a chance of frost damage on summer color like Marigolds, Petunias, Impatiens and Begonias unless you are on the coast. Here is Los Angeles we can still get frost in the canyons and valleys. If you can’t resist the marigolds, don’t forget about the snails. They most definitely won’t forget to eat them overnight.