Going Native Spotlight:Leland Sisk11432 Marin WayGarden Grove, CA 92840 What was the impetus for you to Go Native? I retired 1 May 2009, and could not see myself mowing a lawn. I also did not want to pay a lawn service to mow it either. So-Cal was/is in a drought, and we wanted to be mindful of our water usage and conserve whenever possible. Also, the runoff from chemicals put on lawns eventually winds up in the ocean and we did not want to pollute our oceans. Plus, we felt native plants were so much more beautiful than a lawn.How did you hear about Apiana/Brady Redman?Bradys name was on a list of approved landscapers at the Tree of Life Nursery that sell native plants in San Juan Capistrano. I spoke with a couple but quickly decided on Brady. He is just a personable guy.How was the process and transition from old to new?Initially, I roughed out a plan from a list of plants obtained from Tree of Life, Brady refined my plan and then he and his assistant installed our garden. Are you pleased with the results? Have you noticed any added benefits from Going Native (lower water bills, curb appeal, less maintenance, etc)?My wife and I are ecstatic with the results and here are the reasons why. We now have blooms the entire year because something is always in flower. Our water bill has been cut in half. We use no chemicals. Our front garden is certified by the National Wildlife Foundation as being a wildlife habitat. Is that great or what? Our garden just this past week won the inaugural Grand Prize award from the City of Garden Grove for the home with the best use of native and low-water usage plants in the landscaping. It doesnt get much better. Yes, maintenance is minimal and we do get lots of comments and lots of admirers.
Going Native Spotlight:Ali Giti5625 Paseo de PabloTorrance, CA 90505 What was the impetus for you to Go Native? I wanted to conserve water where possible, and my front yard and back yards were all grass. I converted my back yard to a rock garden but the hillside in front was a challenge. Given that it was on a side of my house where parents are always walking their kids to school, I wanted a landscape that was native, water-wise, beautiful and one that attracted butterflies and birds. The hillside was also a challenge in that its a small portion of our side yard and very steep, so the landscape had to also be able to secure the soil and prevent it from eroding.How did you hear about Apiana/Brady Redman?I heard from Brady by calling a native nursery in OC and they recommended that I get in touch with Brady so he came highly recommended and thats how we ended up meeting with him. I gave him some ideas as to what I wanted to do and he took care of the rest How was the process and transition from old to new?The old yard had a lot of ivy, and as a matter of fact, there was a retaining wall below it all that I never even knew it existed! I had laborers come in, remove the ivy, clean the dirt, remove a lot of soil and had it ready for Brady. His part was to design and proceed with planting as well as to set up the irrigation. The transition was simple in that we were not around; we left it when it was dirt and came back to a fully planted hillside! Working with Brady was great because we set it up so he could do the work while we were on vacation. I would say it was as easy and painless as it gets!Are you pleased with the results? Have you noticed any added benefits from Going Native (lower water bills, curb appeal, less maintenance, etc)?We are very pleased with the curb appeal and the beautiful resultas well as the scents from the various native plantsspeak for themselves.The added benefits are that I don't have to worry about my side yard soil eroding as the new landscaping held up well through all the winter rains, we now have a beautiful side yard for kids and families to enjoy as they walk by to park and school by our house, and the native look, and smell, is amazing! Maintenance is conducted by Brady; he comes over twice a month and weeds and checks for water levels and that has worked well for us.I am saving up so I can have all of the grass from the front yard removed. I look forward to having Brady come back to completely plant the entire yard and get rid of the grass that costs me a lot of money to maintain and is not good for the environment. I can't wait to completely change the entire front facade of our front yard!
Press
California Natives
Links
Habitats
Home
Design
Contact
