What does a consultation look like?

As you may have seen posted around the webpage, we’re currently offering free hour-long consultations. So, what does that look like for you? So far this week, I’ve done four consultation sessions, a few for current clients of ours, and a few for some potentially new clients. I’ll give you guys a brief overview of how one of those went, including some pictures, so that you know what to expect when you schedule one.

First off, as stated, these consultations are free, and although I will write you a follow up quote, there’s never any pressure to purchase any services. My hope is to get acquainted with you, your family, and your outdoor space, to strategize how we can best potentially serve you and your needs while meeting your tastes. I also hope to educate you on what is currently happening on your property, as an outdoor space is alive and ever evolving; what was happening yesterday is not the same as today, and today is an evolution in progress to how your yard will look tomorrow.

The above picture is obviously a somewhat neglected front yard. It used to be mulched, which the homeowners removed, and never got around to altering it further. Over the years, weeds have grown and died, soil has eroded toward the street, and baked into a dry cake.

The homeowners were looking for something low maintenance, so grass was out of the question. One of the family members grew up in the country, so appreciated a natural look, making artificial turf a non-applicable option. She has attempted to take care of most of the landscaping herself but work and family life as made that a difficult feat. The suggestion that sold them on the consultation was decorative rock; a 3/4 in. crushed gravel. Immediately I thought that this look would go great with some flagstone pavers as a path across the yard. They liked the idea, since their little one enjoyed running through the yard rather than walking down the driveway.

They also had a dying palm as the centerpiece of the lawn. We agreed this could come out and be replaced by a foxtail agave, possibly with a bigger grade of rock surrounding it as a border, as well as 2-3 other drought tolerant plants in the corners of the yard, surrounded with the same border.

They informed me that they have a drainage problem during the rainy seasons toward the front of the house, where water pools up due to the grade in the backyard. We decided either a repair of the current drainage or a new drainage would need to be installed.

Taking a look at the bed closer to the house, where rock would also be installed, a decision had to be made regarding the current plants. One member loved the rose, but the bed has been receiving too much shade and not enough sun, keeping the rose roots cold and wet, which has attracted a terrible aphid infestation. The interesting thing about aphids is that more often than not, they will attack overwatered plants, yet the symptoms of an aphid infestation makes the plant look dry and underwatered. Therefore, the unsuspecting homeowner will get trapped in a cycle of continuing to overwater their sick plants. One needs to take a close look at the leaves and see if there’s an infestation.

The other member of the family had a problem with the bougainvillea in the front of the house, as this plant was growing so vigorously that it continued to block too much of the front door. We decided it would be a good idea to remove both of these plants and replace them with more calla lilies, as there already are a few healthy ones existing in the bed, and calla lilies appreciate shade, cool and wet soil, and grow low to the ground, not to mention are extremely beautiful.

Labor for this job includes removing 2 inches of dirt from the entire front and fixing the grade to match the driveway, removing dying palm, rose, and overgrowing bougainvillea and replacing with foxtail agaves and calla lilies, removing old terracotta edging which used to retain the mulch, installing landscaping fabric which will have the decorative gravel, flagstones, and plant border small boulders on top of it. The deconstruction of this yard will start with digging up the current drainage system and either repairing, adding to it, or replacing it. Call us at (760) 697-6765 to see how much a job like this costs.

Nathan Van Assen, Hidden Gardens Landscaping.