In My Garden

I love Spring. The energy that the longer days and warmer weather give me is equaled by what I get from  my garden and the plants that are beginning to come alive. Renewal is happening all around me from flowering succulents to budding roses to the carpet of arugula sprouting from the last rain.

I want to stay home, not go to work. I want to get dirt under my fingernails and look forward to soaking sore muscles in a hot bath at the end of the day thinking about tomorrow and what pots I can fill with which plants that have kept me company all winter just waiting for this moment to arrive.

Harmony in my garden, my sanctuary where my soul is revitalized and the faith I have in my small marriage with nature can’t wait for the next sunrise to begin again.

Sunlight, fecund soil, sweet water and my small contribution mixed into a paradise of my own creation; why would I want to be anywhere else but in my own garden?

– Brent Freitas

Shrink Your Lawn or Ditch it All Together

Spring Equinox ushers in longer days and with  the recent arrival of the first day of spring and Daylight Saving Time just kicking in this means more time to devote to our outdoor spaces and gardens. We need to be sure to take time to enjoy our roses’ first flush of blooms, the most glorious of the whole year.

Assess Your Garden
Take a look at your yard. Do you really need that plot of water-guzzling lawn? Across California, lawns are the leading consumer of outdoor residential water use. Let’s be honest, with very little to offer in the way of habitat value, thirsty traditional lawns could be smaller in favor of providing habitat for butterflies, birds, and bees.

In our mild climate, consider the many relaxing benefits of a water feature in your turf-free zone. Many no-turf options combine the use of local native plants, inviting paths, seating areas, perhaps a small meadow of flowering perennials, and water features.

Thoughtful Design
Think about your outdoor activity needs and limiting turf to places where you really need it (like a kids’ play areas). Some types of grassy lawns require less water than others so consider this when combining drought tolerant plantings alongside a lawn. Or, try eliminating it altogether—it’s the most effective way to reduce your outdoor water use (plus it gets you out of the mowing grind).

So if you don’t use it, why not ditch it? Beautiful landscapes that replace turf with easy care, drought-tolerant plants will make you wonder why it took you so long to make the change.  Eye of the Day has over two acres brimming with pots converted to fountains, multi-tiered fountains, beautiful statuary, antique wrought iron, birdbaths, patio furniture and staff who will happily guide you through making the switch to ditch your lawn, and to create a beautiful, peaceful outdoor space.

Photo Credit: Bee, Creative Commons, Pollen covered Bee by Bill Damon is licensed under CC by 2.0 

Know Your Soil: Geology to the Fore with Each Passing Storm Front
By Puck Erickson Lohnas

The sky is grey, a light mist is covering the ground and I hear the earth singing as each molecule of blessed rainfall works its way into the soil, winds between the rock, and trickles become flows. Our vintners celebrate the terroir of their vineyards and the pattern of our spring wildflowers reflects the ground below. Geology gives us the foundational knowledge about our soils, how they were created and what lies beneath them. Now is the time to study your soil to get ready for spring planting.

Do you live on a mesa with a sneaky substrate of clay or caliche that refuses to drain? Or perhaps you are tucked in a valley filled with alluvial gravels that drain like a sieve? The chemical makeup of the soil is important as well. If you have never done a soil test in your garden, you might want to try. Take a sample from your most troublesome spot and send to one of our local labs*. Building the soil leads to improved plant vigor and garden sustainability. Remember as you look at the beautiful peaks and rolling folds of our valley, they share a history with your garden you might want to explore.

*LABORATORIES FOR SOIL TESTING:

Wallace Labs, (310) 615-0116

Fruit Growers Lab, (805) 783-2940

General Soil Science Information:
Marin Master Gardeners: How To Build Healthy Soil 

Photo Credit: Soil Photo, Creative Commons, [untitled 1] by David Goehring is licensed under CC BY 2.0

In our continuing series of conversations with our favorite landscape architects, designers and contractors, we were really happy to talk to Paul Hendershot of Paul Hendershot Design, Inc. in Ojai, California.  All of us look forward to seeing Paul and his big, beautiful dog, Chief, walking through Eye of the Day.  Here are some things we found out when we talked to Paul.

Paul: I have great passion for landscaping.  I listen closely to what the clients want for their outside space and I am committed to creating a landscape that fits the style of the house. I have had great success with all my clients because I work to make their dreams come true and be sure the design fits the property

Eye of the Day: What do you consider your signature style?
Paul: I am very fond of courtyards; rooms and spaces that are meant to be lived in as opposed to spaces that are simply decorative and consequently unusable. I have been using permeable elements such as pea gravel for many years.

EOD:  Has there been anything in particular that has inspired your style?
Paul: I was inspired while traveling mainly in Europe where I saw courtyard settings that had a recurring use of the same and similar plants that I use now. This creates that lush look with very low watering and a permeable ground.

EOD: Have you encountered any obstacles with your clients during the drought?
Paul: My main obstacle with clients has been convincing them to give up their lawns.  But I show my clients many of the gardens that we have done throughout the years that have no lawn to help them recognize what it could be like to give up their lawn.  After they feel the lushness and peacefulness of these gardens, they are convinced that they can live without a lawn.

EOD: What do you see for the future in the world of California landscape design?
Paul: The next developments I hope to see is more courtyards, patios, tree plantings, and permeable grounds. In other words: spaces to live in outside.

EOD: What are your short and long term goals for your business?
Paul: We intend to continue to work closely with our clients and focus on their dream gardens.  During this process, we will continue working with the clients with lots of fun in mind. We want to continue to design gardens, courtyards, and patios that use very little water, keeping abreast of the latest permeable options. We are full of gratitude for the great clients that we get to work with.

…and we’re full of gratitude for Paul and Chief.  To contact Paul, see his website: Paul Hendershot Design

Earlier this year we were fortunate to meet Terra Basche of Terra Malia Designs in Santa Barbara.  She was looking for pots for the new Sonos location in Santa Barbara and found them at Eye of the Day.  We caught up with this busy woman and asked her a few questions about her blooming career.

How did you become interested in landscape design and what was your path to your current career?
I completely fell head over heels in love with succulents back in 1996 when I was attending UCSB. I remember the very visit to Santa Paula Nursery where I ohhh and ahhhed over the variety of colors, textures and structural make up of each individual one. I tried to fit as many in each fist as possible, as I headed to Ivan at check out.

I naturally have a design eye, as those on my mom’s side of the family have practiced every kind of art. I designed succulent centerpieces for my own wedding in 2001 and proceeded to design pots, weddings, gifts and mini-landscapes for friends and family until I started getting offers from others who would actually pay me to do what I loved. When my oldest daughter was born, I quit my 9 to 5 to be a mom, but began to lazily pursue my love professionally on a very part-time basis. Terra Malia Designs was my “second born” back in 2008.

My business presently is a healthy mix of artistic interiors/exteriors for residential and business and wedding floral with a healthy dose of untraditional elements including mixing succulents, tillandsias and other living props, so the plants in tablescapes can be reused and planted back into the ground, so unnecessary waste is eliminated. My business model closely mirrors my life models and beliefs about sustainability and what makes sense. Plain and simple…it feels good!

What are your clients asking you about water-wise planting and hardscaping?
Most often, clients seek me out for my succulent design. I have almost always reached for plants that require low water, as they are just as lovely as those other plants that need lots of water. Saving resources when necessary is responsible.

How do you design a plan that addresses water issues but is welcoming and pleasing to the eye?
There are so many varieties of succulents and cacti; it is easy to create a design that has enough variety for the eye. I enjoy combining succulents with grasses to add movement potential and texture. The continual exotic blooms from succulents create a softer feel, while adding interest. Using the neon green Crassula, mixed with Aloe Striata and Blue Fescue for color variation, for instance, provides the viewer with color difference so each plant can be appreciated, and the style boasts both soft and hard lines with movement in the Blue Fescue.

How did you approach the Sonos project in order to solve the physical issues of a “parking lot?”
Sonos wishes to maintain their offices in the city of Santa Barbara…which means convenience for their employees, but at the same time, means not as much potential for green space. Terra Malia Designs has helped to transform parking lots, patios and rooftops into greener spaces where a more natural environment can be enjoyed.

The Sonos headquarters, located at 614 Chapala Street, has a staff parking lot that backs up to the building. Sonos wanted to create a patio area where staff could go to have an outdoor meeting or sit and have lunch. Terra Malia Designs utilized the Cassetta Liscia Atlas Italian terracotta pots from Eye of the Day placed side-by-side to create a barrier between the parking lot and the patio zone. Visually, the barrier is essential to differentiate the spaces and as the planting has filled in, it has created a space that is more pleasing to spend time.

To see more of Terry Basche’s work, please visit Terra Malia Designs 

THE ROGUE GARDEN: Brent’s Test Kitchen

Hey! All you hoity toity landscape designers—this blog’s for you!

When my professional landscape design friends come to my home garden for the first time, they are usually thrown off balance by what they see: there are pots and containers everywhere.  I constantly rescue or buy plants to try out in our pots to show how they work together in the landscape and also to see how a plant performs in a container versus the ground.

While my garden is a “test kitchen”, it serves as inspiration for Eye of the Day as well as for the genetic sequence I received from my Portuguese great grandfather. He was a truck farmer who indentured himself in 1868 to the Campbell Estate in Hawaii to grow sugarcane. I love putting my hands in the dirt.

My garden at home has helped us at Eye of the Day in many ways. We have learned that French Anduze pottery must be sealed or the glazing starts to fall off almost immediately. So, we tell everyone that if you purchase French Anduze, you must have it sealed to protect the glazing.

Something that every design professional should know about is how to properly plant pots and especially large pots. Pots that have diameters larger than 30” usually have plant material that starts big or will grow large due to the space for more root ball. But after a period of years and sometime climate conditions, a large plant needs to be removed from its container and trimmed and replaced. By replicating these situations in my own garden, I have formulated successful service practices for performing operations which allow clients to benefit by getting the most from their purchase of our products.

Also in my garden, there are odd experimental items like “vertical wall” planters and terra cotta shelf units for the patio. 25 years of business has resulted in a new product. Whether damaged in the container coming from Italy or through rough handling here at Eye of the Day, we take the broken pieces of pottery and produce Tumbled Terra Cotta.

Yes, my garden at home looks like a madman’s landscape but, I love it and I love spending time in this intimate setting surrounded by the products, plants and ideas that fuel my life.

Let me know if you’d like to visit.

Brent, the Rogue Gardener