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November 29, 2006
Our 2007 Calendar
Our 2007 Calendars, Everything in Black & White, will be mailing out soon. This year's calendar features, well, black and white photography. If you would like a free copy of the calendar please send us an email with your name and address.
Enjoy a great holiday season!
This Year's Cover
Some of the monthly images
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 09:29 AM | Comments (0)
November 28, 2006
Common Mistakes: Don't Paint that Concrete!
A continuing entry in our Common Landscape Mistakes series:
It might seem like a good idea, but painting concrete rarely turns out well. From time to time I see concrete walkways or driveways that have been painted over. Painting can make an old outdoor concrete surface look new for a while, but the drawbacks are numerous. Painted concrete chips and fades considerably, almost guaranteeing that in a couple of years that nice consistent looking surface is going to be faded, stained, and flaking. Painting concrete also usually reduces the roughness of the surface, making it more likely someone will slip on the smooth surface when wet. In addition to these draw backs, because it's not done very often, painted concrete often looks strange in the landscape. Unless an earth-tone is selected, the color often stands looking strange in the context of the neighborhood.
Alternatives to painting are replacing the existing concrete with new colored concrete. Or, if the concrete is in good shape, there are specialized concrete stains available that can add color while not flaking or reducing traction on the material.
For More:
Article on Acid Concrete Staining
Scofield- Stains, Dust-on and Integral Concrete Colors
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 02:43 PM | Comments (0)
November 15, 2006
Planting Natives in Winter
There was an interesting article in the latest Sierra Club Yodeler newsletter for Marin on planting native plants in winter time. Planting in late fall or early winter helps plants get established and ready for spring growth. New plants can also take advantage of winter rains.
Native Plant Nursery Listings:
Marin Chapter California Native Plant Society
Yerba Buena Chapter Nursery/Plant Listing
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 06:26 AM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2006
Cool Junk- Artefact Design & Salvage
One of the problems with new landscape installations is just that, they're new, nothing has the character or patina of age. A good solution to this is to find unique accents that can give a new project some character. Artefact Design & Salvage located in the Cornerstone complex in Sonoma, is a great place to find interesting accent pieces from around the world. Artefact imports garden and objects that can make interesting design features in the garden. Whether you are looking for objects d' arte or something shabby chic, they have a little bit of everything.
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 02:35 PM | Comments (0)
November 13, 2006
Unique Fall Color- Ginkgo
Ginkgo's are in full show this time of year- changing from their hearty green foliage to the golden coat of autumn. These trees are unique botanically among showy fall trees, being among the most ancient know tree specimens and belonging to their own division classification with no direct relatives. Other unique qualities include insect and disease resistance, and a specially veined leaf, which does not display the typical palmate and pinnate veination of most other broad-leaf trees. There are a number of interesting cultivars available- with the most commonly used variety in Northern California being 'Autumn Gold.'
For More:
Article from Wikipedia
List of Cultivars (.pdf)
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 03:55 PM | Comments (0)
November 11, 2006
Hiring a Contractor- The 1st Meeting
Being Prepared For the First Consultation Meeting with a Potential Contractor
Here is an insider’s view of some helpful tips for hiring a contractor and questions that you should ask during the first meeting/consultation.
The biggest consideration in my mind, and one that I see prospective clients miss over and over again, is that during this first consultation you are interviewing the contractor. This is much like a job interview- you are trying to make an intelligent choice about a company that you will be trusting to install your project and with whom you will be investing a considerable amount of money and time. While defining your specific project and relaying your needs is important, and will help the contractor address these needs, you also need to be assessing the contractor and whether you want the company to install your prospective project. A successful project is more than the installation itself, or dollars and cents- the experience and relationship you have with your contractor is also very important. With this in mind, a few key tips for starting off the process:
1- Take notes: Frequently, when I talk with prospective clients they do not take written notes of our consultation meeting. In my mind this is a mistake, as the contractor I always take notes of all the projects I go on relating to scope, budget, project background, client preferences etc. When hiring a contractor if you don’t take detailed notes and talk to multiple contractors it may difficult to remember the details.
2- Before the first meeting/consultation discuss the details: Many times when I go on a consultation, the first time a husband and wife discuss their wants and the project scope in depth is when they first talk with me. This is a mistake- the more clarity you can have going into the first meeting, the better the contractor will be able to meet your needs. It often helps to have a list typed out of the elements, key considerations or design details you want for the project. Give a list to each contractor you talk to, it will help them meet your needs, and make their estimate more accurate. If there are disagreements about what type of spaces you want, what you want to spend, or other key considerations, discuss them before you meet with potential contractors, not during the first meeting.
Example- Project Scope
-Remove existing concrete patio- replace with flagstone or new concrete
-Plantings- low maintenance, Mediterranean style
-Install lights on front path
-Remove oak tree in back yard
-Target budget $50-75,000, etc, etc…
3- Ask about the Company’s Resume: When interviewing a job candidate for a position, the key point of reference is their resume. Ask the same type of questions of the contractor- if they have a website use this to do some research as well.
Examples of Some Key Questions
-How long have you been in business? Tell me about the owners, what background do you have in the industry?
-Who will I be working with throughout the project?
-What does your typical job look like?
-How do you handle contracts and change orders?
-Do your crews/employees do the work? Do you use subcontractors?
-How long does a typical project take to install?
4- Do your homework: The more information you have going into hiring your contractor, the more you will be able to make an informed decision on selecting a company that fits your needs.
-Ask neighbors or friends about their landscape projects and how much money they spent
-Read garden magazines or research online to get ideas
-Start to think about materials and styles you want for the project
-Look in the neighborhood for examples of projects, styles, materials or particular detailing that you like.
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)
November 10, 2006
It's Masonry!
Here is a bit of a humorous note for a Friday- one of my little irritations (excuse me while I get on my soapbox) is the mispronunciation of the word masonry.
Masonry being defined as: work constructed by a mason, esp. stonework: the crumbling masonry of ancient walls.
I frequently hear subcontractors and other contractors refer to the craft of the noble mason as "masonary", which unless they are using some sort of masonry mercenaries is incorrect- it's masonry!
Some of our "Masonaries" on a current project
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 10:23 AM | Comments (0)
November 07, 2006
Common Landscape Mistakes
In posts this week we are going to focus on some common detailing mistakes made by homeowners and professionals alike in residential landscaping. Some of these are little things, some are major errors, but all are good things to be aware of when working on landscape projects.
Common Landscape Mistake: Overplanting
This is a common problem we see in residential landscape projects, planting too densely or not realizing the mature size of plantings being installed. To a certain degree this can be stylistic and subjective, some people prefer dense plantings, but at times it can look downright comical. Often wanting things to look good right away, plants are planted too close for their mature sizes. Also, frequently shrubs are planted too close together. For example an Angel's Trumpet is planted 2.5' away from a Butterfly Bush, both of which can grow to 6'x6' in size. The most important thing is to remember to balance the immediate impact of plantings with their more mature look in 2-3 years.
Frequent plant spacings (on center)
1-2' Small flowering perennials and annuals
2-3' Woody shrublets, small shrubs, most grasses
4-6' Larger shrubs, hedging shrubs, large grasses
8-12' Small scale trees, aggressive vines, aerial and regular hedging shrubs
Dense plantings aren't always a problem- with these Lavender and grasses, tighter groups are desirable for distinct massings.
Notice the same planting about 18 months before, when the plantings had first gone in. The Lavender here is planted between 2-3' apart, but just coming out of the container the planting still looks insignificant.
These ornamental grasses and New Zealand Flaxes are another example of density used properly. Problems can arise when larger shrubs with courser texture are planted in the same way.
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 01:12 PM | Comments (0)
November 02, 2006
Seeded Concrete Aggregate Stones
Seeded concrete aggregates give a good alternative to basic broom or exposed concretes and are commonly used for walkways, patios and driveways. Seeded concrete is a process by which small decorative stones are embedded into prepared concrete. The top layer of the concrete is then washed away exposing the stone color.
There are a few different stone color options that are available for different design aesthetics. In Northern California the most commonly used stones are Mexican Pebbles, Pami Pebble, Salmon Creek Pebbles and Red River Rock Pebbles. See the photos below-
Mexican Pebbles- Colors are blacks, dark blues, with occasional lighter yellow or blue tones- frequently used in Japanese gardens
Left- Pami Pebble colors are lavenders, light blues and greys, Right- Red River Pebbles are reds, yellows, grays. There are some similar colors to Pami Pebble but more intense
Salmon Creek- Yellow, orange and red tones
Salmon Creek 3/4" Aggregrate Installed
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 04:10 PM | Comments (0)