Tag Archives: lawn replacement

The Natural Front Yards Process (Part 4): Finishing Touches and Watching it Grow

Finishing touches

When we finish a yard, we create an informal sketch labeling all the plants for the client.  If you applied for a rebate with the water district, we provide you the proper information about the plants in your yard to receive the rebate.

This is an example of a plan our clients receive
This is an example of a plan our clients receive

 

We apply a preparation of compost tea, which feeds beneficial soil organisms and helps the plants get settled in their new homes.

Once everything is all set up, it is time to relax, sit back, and watch the plants as they start to fill in!

When the plants are first planted, they look very small and spread out because we use young plants to minimize customer costs.

Here is a house when we first planted it
Here is a house when we first planted it

However, they will fill in when they reach their adult size.

Here is the same houses a few years later
Here is the same houses a few years later

Remember the house from from first post in the series?

The first Natural Front Yards we installed - before the process
The first Natural Front Yards we installed – before the process

Here it is about a year later.

The same house after about a year
The same house after about a year

The Natural Front Yards Process (Part 3): Planting and Irrigation

Plant Placement

Before we put the plants in the ground, we place them around the yard to adjust for factors like aesthetic balance, and mature grown size.
Before we put the plants in the ground, we place them around the yard to adjust for factors like aesthetic balance, and mature grown size.

After purchasing the healthiest and most compatible plants from the nursery, we place them around the yard to get a sense of spacing, balance, practicality, and beauty.  Even though plants often start out small, we give them a lot of space to grow. Some plants, like Ceanothus, multiply in size several times even in the course of one year!

3beforeafter

Once the plants are placed, they are ready to plant. We dig a hole in the mulch to create a pocket which we fill with planting compost. We add beneficial Mycorrhizal fungi to the plant roots to help establish the root system and improve the soil health.

When we install Natural Front Yards, we minimize the amount of large equipment that we use. A major reason people rototill and add compost when planting is to improve drainage. With our program, we allow for proper drainage in our local clay soil by planting high, with the plant crowns about 2″ above the soil surface, in the mulch.

Irrigation

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

NFY drip irrigation
The black 1/2″ tube creates the “grid” which will be covered by mulch.
NFY drip irrigation (4)
The drip tubing is laid around the young plants.

We make sure that your drip system is connected to a controller and that the controller is set to properly water the plants.  We install a smart controller that automatically adjusts according to your local weather via the attach weather station that is mounted on your roof.  During our final walk-through visit, we go over how to program the controller and how to adjust it as the plants become established.

From here, the yard is basically finished. We just need to add a few finishing touches.

Stay tuned for the last installment of the blog series!

The Natural Front Yards Process (part 1): Before it even starts

While we specialize in installing environmentally sustainable yards, we are also happy to share the process with others. The process is quite simple, and this blog series will take steps to demystify it.

Whether you are a prospective customer wondering what will happen, or you want to transform your own front yard, this should prove helpful.

Analysis and Planning

When Earthcare Landscaping developed Natural Front Yards, we looked for ways to streamline and simplify the process of installing a yard. We replaced multiple design meetings and a strict set of plans with the Natural Front Yards system. The customers tell us their basic preferences, and we create a flexible plan based on the attributes and requirements of the space.

During our first visit we look at the space to determine if it qualifies for the program and to get an idea of plants that will look good in the yard.  We discuss  which plants the customer wants to stay, their general plant preferences and if they want any plants for screening.  We also discuss whether they would like an add-ons such as boulders, walkways, walls or fruit trees. All plants will be included in the new drip irrigation system that will be installed. Once we have agreed to work together and we have a deposit, the customer is on the schedule and we are good to go.

A client's house before the Natural Front Yards's installation
This is the house of our first NFY client before the Natural Front Yards’s installation

This is also a good time to see if you qualify for a lawn replacement rebate. To find out, check your local water agency. Where we work, if the customer is in the Santa Clara Valley Water district, then they can move forward with getting a rebate on their Natural Front Yard.

Rather than creating a strict plan, we create a flexible plan that focuses largely on water-wise plants that look best at the nursery at the time. After everything has been installed, the owner receives a plan with all the plants labeled.

From here, we are ready for installation. Stay tuned for the next part of this series!