Natural Front Yards

WHAT MAKES NATURAL FRONT YARDS UNIQUE?

• How can the prices be so low, yet still be quality work?

Choices are limited, design time is minimized, and the plants are initially smaller (have patience!). You don’t meet with the designer (see the next question). The soil is sheet mulched instead of rototilled. We don’t use expensive, heavy equipment  EarthCare will still perform the same high quality professional installation and back it up with a guarantee.

• Why won’t a design be done first?

A design won’t be done first in order to reduce the overall costs.  The design costs will be reduced as well as the costs in tracking down and obtaining all the specific plants.  This program is not meant for garden lovers as much as it is for those that are interested in low-maintenance, inexpensive and environmentally-friendly yards.  Therefore if the client is a plant lover and has to have specific plants in their garden or to know and research all that will be going in beforehand, this program may not be for them.   As part of your ‘Completed Natural Front Yards Package’, we will draw up an informal sketch (jpeg of sample drawing) of your completed yard so you know what plants you have.

• How do you get rid of the lawn?

First we scalp it and then smother it with newspapers or cardboard and thick mulch. We will hand weed any escapees! Heavy infestations of Bermuda Grass or Oxalis (Bermuda Buttercup) may make the yard unsuitable for the program.

• What is “sheet mulching”?

Sheet mulching begins with spreading layers of overlapping newspaper(or cardboard for Bermuda and oxalis), then covering with 3″ to 4″ of mulch.  Typically the bottom 2″ to 3″ will be free mulch obtained from an arborist and the top 1″ layer will be a redwood chip or something more “attractive”.

• Why such a thick layer of mulch?

A thick layer of mulch is important in minimizing future weeds.  Mulch has many other benefits as well.  It reduces the amount of water that is needed.  It protects the soil and eventually breaks down and adds nutrients to the soil.  It also helps to reduce stormwater run-off and looks attractive.

• If you are piling that much mulch on, why won’t the mulch fall onto the sidewalk?

Prior to sheet mulching, the soil will be dug down around the edges.  About a 2″ band that is 3″ deep at the edge will slope back up to the grade.  The soil will be spread throughout the middle area or used in mounding, if this option is chosen.

• But I have clay soil-don’t you have to amend it?

The main reasoning for rototilling and adding compost when natives are planted now is that the drainage needs to be improved.  With this program the drainage issue will be addressed by planting so that the crowns are about 2″ above the soil surface.  We improve the Soil Foodweb by using Mycorrhyzae (beneficial fungi), and  Aerobically Activated Compost Tea . The mulch will be spread to just that level around them and will improve the soil gradually over many years.

• What about trees and shrubs I want to keep?

The Natural Front Yards Specialist will meet with you to determine which plants to save. They will be included in the irrigation system that will be installed.

• How long will the installation take?

This depends on the size of your front yard and any additional options you might choose.  For example, if your lawn area is 1000sft, it will take approximately 3-4 days to install a ‘Natural Front Yard’.

• Is there a minimum or maximum size for this service?

No, but there is a base price.  For areas smaller than 1000 square feet the costs will increase from the base cost of about $3/square foot.

IRRIGATION/MAINTENANCE

• What kind of irrigation will my yard have?

Drip irrigation will be routed to each plant from a rough grid of ½” tubing laid on the surface of the soil, but under the mulch. Smaller tubing with emitters will spiral around the plants.

• Can I turn off the water at some point?

After 2 or 3 years you should be able to shut off irrigation to most native plants,
However, since there is a summer dormant period, they will look better with occasional (monthly) summer water.

• What kind of maintenance does a NFY need?

Once established, your Natural Front Yard will need minimal maintenance.
Earthcare will provide maintenance for the first year, starting bi-weekly then reducing to quarterly. Maintenance will be to primarily remove any weeds and check irrigation lines to make sure they are working properly. Leaf removal is not included.

• Can meadows or low, spreading groundcovers, e.g., strawberry or vinca be planted?

No, they are too high maintenance for the way this program will be implemented.

• How much water do you think can be saved by replacing a 1000 square foot lawn with this program?

Initially over 400/ gallons per week can be saved during the dry months and much more when the plants are more established after two to three years.  To put this in perspective, this savings would from the beginning add up to about 12,000 gallons/ year or roughly 12% of the total water used for a single family detached home.

MORE ABOUT OUR ‘ADD-ONS’

• What are “LED lights”?

“LED” refers to light emitting diode.  They use a third or less of the energy of an already efficient halogen light bulb.  These LED’s are bright and have a life expectancy of over 10 years without maintenance!

• What are “downspouts to drywells”?

We will divert the water from your roof’s downspouts into the ground. The downspouts will be connected to a buried 3″ rigid, solid drain pipe, and will empty into a drywell usually 10′ to 15′ away from the house.  A drywell is typically 4′ deep and 12″ in diameter and filled with gravel.  The idea is to get rainwater to absorb deep into the soil, but when the ground becomes too saturated, an outlet is provided so the excess water can then flow into the garden, away from the house.  There are two main benefits to this practice.  One is in getting the water away from the foundation of the house and thereby reducing uneven settling of the foundation and the potential of water pooling under the house, causing mold issues.  The other significant benefit is in keeping the rainwater onsite and not contributing to storm water pollution which affects our creeks, wetlands and Bay.  There are numerous agencies and non-profit organizations dedicated to this cause.

• What is an “ET” timer?

The short answer is that it is a timer that is controlled automatically by the local weather.  ET stands for evapotranspiration, which is the amount of water in the soil that is lost to evaporation.  CIMIS (see their website) keeps a record of this info.  These timers use technology that pools information from local weather stations and CIMIS to determine how much and when to water.  When the timer is first installed it is adjusted for many factors, including plant type, sun vs. shade, slope, soil type, drip vs. sprinkler and more.  Once set up by EarthCare they can be adjusted easily in 5% increments by the client if necessary.  There is currently about a $4/monthly fee for the technology, which is paid to the company that services the controller, not to EarthCare.

• What does EarthCare consider a “quality timer”?

A quality timer is one that is from a reputable company, easy to operate and has multiple programs.  The different programs will allow the timer to water a backyard lawn every other day, pots daily and our area as needed.  We like the Rainbird ESP series.

• How big are “small, medium, and large” boulders, and what is “Sonoma Fieldstone”?

Small boulders are usually about 1 ½’ in diameter, medium are 2′ to 2 ½’ in diameter & large are 2 ½’ to 3′ in diameter.  “Sonoma Fieldstone” is a common type of boulder used locally in the Bay Area.  It is grey, tan, brown & sometimes a little red in color.  It often has moss growing on it.  Other types of boulders could be used, but they will be more expensive since most others are not mined locally.

• What are considered “simple paths”?

Simple paths are mulch of a contrasting color or flagstone stepping stones.  The use of flagstone in concrete or sand, concrete and fines paths are discouraged for this program primarily due to their expense.  There are a couple more drawbacks for these more “elaborate” paths.  One is that often they require more excavation and grading.  And another is that they require a separate crew, adding to the overall complexity and therefore increasing EarthCare’s overhead costs on this program.

• How is a “mulch path” constructed?

Mulch paths simply use different mulch for the top layer than the rest to delineate it.  No borders will be used for them.  Over time they may need to be replenished in order to maintain their distinction, but the way the plants are planted should help with this.

WARRANTY / ETC.

• Isn’t your normal guarantee now for only 4 months, why make this one for 1 year?

Because this is a new program, we want early adopters to feel confident they are making the right choice.  EarthCare professionals will be maintaining the first gardens ourselves for the first year after installation.  We want to keep careful notes of which plants do well and which don’t.  We will be responsible for plant replacement, unless a plant has obviously been vandalized due to a human or pet “accident”. Unless it is a specific tree or larger plant custom ordered, we reserve the right to replace with a different type or size of plant.

• Is there a minimum or maximum size for this service?

No, but there is a base price.  For areas smaller than 1000 square feet the costs will increase from the base cost of $3/square foot.

• Why didn’t EarthCare think of this idea sooner?

This concept was first conceived by Ryan Marlinghaus, EarthCare’s president, 10 years ago.  Apparently it requires inordinate available time and energy to bring an idea to fruition.  Ryan has been so focused and often overwhelmed with the day to day affairs of running a business that this available time never existed until more recently.  This has been made possible by talented, dedicated and now very experienced EarthCare managers, Deva, Lisa, Ulan and crews.

• Can this service be combined with other parts of a more traditional landscape job?

Yes, though it is not encouraged because it is essentially involving two different divisions of the company and therefore may not be as cost competitive.

• Can this program be implemented on a backyard or any area other than a front yard?

Yes, but there are a couple of reasons why this program focuses specifically on the front.  Most front yards today are simply maintained enough to look okay to the neighbors and are not used to play or for entertainment as back yards are or for utility like side yards typically are.  The more heavily trafficked areas of the yard, generally are going to be more extensively landscaped.  This will take the form of patios, paths, raised beds and lawns.  These elements almost always require more grading and disturbance of the existing soil therefore not making this program a good match.  This program is also appropriate for commercial, multi-residential or any other site where the area to be landscaped is existing and the primary function is to look attractive.

• Does this mean that EarthCare won’t do other types of landscaping or will be soon phasing them out of its normal service offering?

No, we will continue to offer and focus on our full array of services.  It is our intention by offering this program to reach a broader audience.  We wish to reach those that previously couldn’t afford our services or just didn’t want to spend that much on their landscape, but are interested in quality service and protecting the environment.

Have a question about Natural Front Yards that we didn’t answer here? Ask us now.