Facebook | Environmental Concept

Facebook Environmental Concept:

For information about drought tolerant gardening and rebates related to weather based irrigation retrofit, contact us at info@envconcept.com. Or call us at (818) 787-7329 to find out how you can do more in your garden to preserve resources.
bewaterwise.com"

Walk Through Wednesday - Santa Monica Mediterranean

It's time for Walk Through Wednesday again! This week, Environmental Concept is featuring our Santa Monica Mediterranean landscape.

Rich and luxurious landscaping greets guests at this Santa Monica property.

A mixture of a water feature, hedges and native plants create the perfect seating at the front entrance.

Rich and luxurious landscaping greets guests at this Santa Monica property.

An illuminated fountain at dusk.

Taking the mix and match approach, this driveway combines Cecile Brunner Roses, trellises and bluestone in an ashlar pattern.

This cozy outdoor fireplace provides the ideal setting for family time.

A waterfall pours into a custom built swimming pool.

Exquisite lighting and tall hedges form privacy and ambiance.

###

Environmental Concept’s philosophy is based upon a goal to restore, beautify & preserve California’s natural spaces for future generations. With a diverse team of professionals, Environmental Concept works to increase awareness about water conservation & sustainable eco-systems using mainly microdrip & weather-based irrigation controllers. For more information, please visit www.envconcept.com.

Walkthrough Wednesday - Bel Air Old World Estate

Sprawling grass surrounding a Bel Air home.

A blend of Achillea, Antheia and Phygelius edge a grassy lawn.

Lavender blooms along a stone walkway.

Concrete seats nestle against a concrete wall.

Sour Grapes and Peppermint Geraniums mesh harmoniously.

Fruit trees and Apple Scented Geranium plants separate a grassy lawn from a walking path.

Wisteria twines above visitors.

A child’s art area is complimented by bright Wisteria.

Wisteria creates a canopy above a colorful art center.

###

Environmental Concept’s philosophy is based upon a goal to restore, beautify & preserve California’s natural spaces for future generations. With a diverse team of professionals, Environmental Concept works to increase awareness about water conservation & sustainable eco-systems using mainly microdrip & weather-based irrigation controllers. For more information, please visit www.envconcept.com.

Creating an Outdoor Living Area

The best way to create an effective outdoor living space is to analyze the wants and needs of the client and their family and match those necessities to specific solutions. Do they have children? Are there pets? What is the purpose of their landscape? Environmental Concept believes that every client is individual. Every situation and family that we have encountered has been different, but for the most part, the common factor is a wanting a comfortable livable space and outdoor extension of their home.

If the main purpose of the outdoor area is for entertaining, create a focal point by incorporating a fire pit or built-in kitchen for company to gather around. Aim for inviting.

The landscaped area should welcome guests to stay a while. Plan for the amount of guests your client typically accommodates.

If possible, use versatile seating arrangements.

Don’t limit your outdoor living space to only hardscaped terrain. Hardscape typically designates common areas and walkways, but consider permeable paving. Sprouting greens between the pavers not only feels great under your feet, it also allows water to drain to the soil below.

Work with the natural beauty of the environment by letting the terrain and region make decisions. Native planting incorporates indigenous vegetation that thrives in local areas. In turn, native plants require less water and maintenance than typical landscapes.

Always apply inspiration from the home’s architecture and design to the outdoor and stay true to the original style.

###

Environmental Concept’s philosophy is based upon a goal to restore, beautify & preserve California’s natural spaces for future generations. With a diverse team of professionals, Environmental Concept works to increase awareness about water conservation & sustainable eco-systems using mainly microdrip & weather-based irrigation controllers. For more information, please visit www.envconcept.com.

Santa Monica Green Modern - Walk Through Wednesday

Environmental Concept decided that we should share some of our favorite and more memorable projects in a feature called Walk Through Wednesday.

So for the First Walk Through Wednesday, Environmental Concept would like to present "Santa Monica Green Modern."

Drought tolerant plants line the side yard of this luxurious Santa Monica home.

Shark Tooth Agave and Asparagus Fern mingle on a hillside in front of this very hip residence.

This front entryway merges custom fencing, lush vegetation and geometric hardscapes.

This fire pit creates an inviting focal point.

Custom seating in an extended outdoor living area. The space on the patio should be just as livable as the interior of the home.

###

Environmental Concept provides earth-friendly landscape services to fine residences and commercial properties in Los Angeles, California. Tania Gybels brought her unique perspective to the world of Los Angeles horticulture in 1991. Her work has been featured on HGTV and Oprah. For more information, please visit www.envconcept.com.

Introducing Weather Based Irrigation

Environmental Concept would like to introduce you to a ground-breaking smart sprinkler control system that gives homeowners an easy way to save 30-70 percent of the landscape water being applied by using the ease and convenience of the personal computer and automatic weather updates from the internet.

Weather based irrigation systems incorporate a wireless controller that syncs with your personal computer daily to automatically adjust the amount of watering based on weather and seasonal conditions. The system saves water and plant replacement costs by stopping the sprinkler system on rainy days, automatically decreasing the watering schedule on cold or humid days, and increasing it on hot and dry days. Once the program is set-up, you can log in and review your water savings and make adjustments if necessary. And, with line sensors installed, the system can tell you if there is a leak or line short and shut down the affected station until a repair is made. Also, there will be an internet service connection available so that we, as your service provider can log on and review your system settings.

This type of controller is now required by state law on all new home construction. The system takes the responsibility of water management away from the maintenance gardener and makes water saving decisions for you based on information regarding weather in your area gathered daily from the internet. If a connection is lost, the controller waters based on manual settings and history of previous seasons. It’s truly revolutionary and cost effective!

                                                                       Photo by Rachel Pasch

This system should pay for itself within one year considering water savings and the rebate available.

Residents within the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California are eligible to qualify for an $80 rebate if the Cyber-Rain system is installed by May 31, 2010, or before rebate funds are depleted. For properties larger than 1 acre, a rebate of $25 per irrigation station is available. Cost for retrofitting an existing irrigation system can be as low as $600.00.

We believe that all of our clientele should be using weather-based irrigation on their properties before the end of 2010. Call us to get a proposal for your weather-based irrigation install soon, so that you can take advantage of the rebate while it’s still available. 

For more information about weather-based irrigation or rebates for the Southern California residents:

http://www.cyber-rain.com

http://www.socalwatersmart.com

###

Environmental Concept provides earth-friendly landscape services to fine residences and commercial properties in Los Angeles, California. Tania Gybels brought her unique perspective to the world of Los Angeles horticulture in 1991. Her work has been featured on HGTV and Oprah. For more information, please visit www.envconcept.com.

Rose pruning in Los Angeles

It’s that time of year again in Los Angeles for all of us rose enthusiasts. Yes it’s time for our annual winter/spring rose pruning.

The pruning of rose bushes can be confusing, especially when you start talking about hybrid teas, old garden roses, shrub roses, once-blooming roses, and English roses.





The class of rose and the time of year it blooms influence the type and amount of pruning. General pruning principles apply to all roses, but there are differences between classes. The closer one gets to species roses the less severe the pruning. Hybrid teas have the distinction of requiring the most severe pruning for optimum bloom and plant health.

Because of the variety of rose types available, one may need to have an understanding of how the rose flowers. Pruning should also be looked at as applying a few common sense principles to accomplish several tasks. These tasks are to remove dead, damaged, or diseased wood; increase air circulation; keep the shrub from becoming a tangled mess; shape the plant; and encourage the growth of flowering wood. Always prune above a bud that faces outward on the plant. That way, when the plant re-sprouts, it will grow outward. This improves air circulation throughout the plant, which decreases the occurance of blackspot and other fungal diseases.

Always remove old or diseased canes at the bottom of the plant. (Rose stems are called canes.)
Remove crossing stems from within the plant. They will either rub together, opening a spot for disease to enter the plant, or will grow together, making future pruning difficult.


What some people don’t realize is that different types of roses require different types of pruning. While hybrid tea roses benefit from a hard cut leaving just a hard wood fan, many heirloom roses need much less branch cutback and really only require a general thinning and shape. Here are some examples of how certain varieties should be pruned for winter/spring growth.





Hybrid teas

Start by cutting all old rose canes to the ground.
Move on and shorten the entire shrub by 1/3.
Next, remove any crossing branches.
Make sure you prune to an outward-facing bud. This is especially important with the teas.

Floribundas
Repeat-flowering shrub roses bear flowers on mature stems that are not old and woody. Severe pruning of these roses would result in reduced flower production. In their first two or three seasons in the garden, shrub roses can be left unpruned. Wait to see what shape develops and then try to prune so that the shape is maintained. Many modern shrub roses are pruned by a method called the "one-third" method. Suggested pruning sequence:
In the spring, remove one-third of the very oldest canes. This helps keep the plant from becoming an overgrown thicket of poor-flowering canes.
Replace these canes by identifying about one-third of the very youngest canes that grew the previous season.
Remove the remaining canes.

Rose climbers and ramblers
Climbers and ramblers may need a few seasons in the garden before pruning is necessary. In many cases, pruning is limited to removing winter-damaged wood. Pruning is similar for both classes. The difference is in the timing. Because ramblers are once-blooming, they are pruned right after flowering in early summer. Because climbers are repeat bloomers, they are pruned in early spring. Reducing the side shoots or laterals to 3-6 inches stimulates flower production, resulting in more blooms. Training canes to grow more horizontally encourages the growth of bloom producing side shoots.

Old Garden roses such as roses, alba, gallica, bourbon, centifolia, damask,eglantine, moss , noisette etc
These roses are pruned much like modern shrub roses with some important considerations based on class. Old once-blooming roses such as Alba, Gallica, Centifolia, Damasks, and Mosses produce flowers on old wood, all pruning should be delayed until after flowering. Then, you do as little or as much pruning as is required to maintain the plant. Thinning and removing old wood is encouraged. These roses may not need annual pruning if there is no dead or damaged wood present.

Last but certainly not least, always prune about 1/4" above an outward facing leaf which has five leaflets. See below to note difference between the three leaflet and five leaflet leaf.

###

Environmental Concept provides earth-friendly landscape services to fine residences and commercial properties in Los Angeles, California. Tania Gybels brought her unique perspective to the world of Los Angeles horticulture in 1991. Her work has been featured on HGTV and Oprah. For more information, please visit www.envconcept.com.

Butterflies in my garden!

Fennel, basil, parsley and sage all attract black swallowtails such as this one above. They are so interesting to watch as they complete their cycles in the garden. I don’t mind sharing with them; I just plant a bit more than I need for the kitchen. This butterfly had just emerged minutes before I took this image. This is what her caterpillar looks like whilst eating my fennel:

The Monarch butterfly eats mainly milk weed (asclepias sp), so it’s important to have at least 2 small plants for them if you want to see beautiful Monarch butterfly chrysalis such as this:

If there were just one reason not to use any broad spectrum pesticides (and there are too many reasons to count), it would be to preserve these beautiful creatures in your garden.

Below is an image of Monarch caterpillars chomping on the milk weed!

It's entirely possible and very beneficial to create an environment where friendly insects can cohabitate with us in the garden. While I understand that some of my clients may not be entirely happy to see a joyful praying mantis after she has eaten her mate (and any other insects that may have the misfortune of being less aggressive than her)…

A butterfly is always a welcome addition to the garden and is enjoyed by all.

###
Environmental Concept provides earth-friendly landscape services to fine residences and commercial properties in Los Angeles, California. Tania Gybels brought her unique perspective to the world of Los Angeles horticulture in 1991. Her work has been featured on HGTV and Oprah. For more information, please visit www.envconcept.com.