Sage Outdoor Designs » landscape design

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so I think I’ll let this one speak for itself.

One idea that comes to mind for many people looking to save water in their landscape is to incorporate rocks and boulders. They can be a beautiful addition to your landscape if they are designed and installed artfully, but if they aren’t done with a careful eye, they can seem out of place and very unnatural on the site.

If you have existing boulders on the site and you are considering adding more, make sure the new boulders are as close of a match as you can find so that they blend in. By far the best selection of boulders nearby is at Southwest Boulder and Stone in Fallbrook. For those of us coming from the city center, it is a long drive, but well worth it. They offer over 20 types/colors of boulders in a huge range of sizes (including quite large anchor boulders in the 4-5 ton range).

When choosing boulders I start by deciding what primary color I am looking for: browns, greys, tans, reds, creams, etc. Greys tend to have a mountain look, creams look very refined, browns work well with Tuscan or Mediterranean designs, reds look good in a desert landscape.

Next I look at the weathering of the stones. Rounded stones with no sharp edges look more like they have been eroded by a river so they work well near a water feature. The more angular edged rocks look like they belong in a desert dry wash. Look carefully for quarry markings (like chisel tracks or white scuffs) that give the boulder away as unnatural. Some boulders have beautiful quartz veins or metamorphic swirls and patterns that I find fascinating.

Some boulders are named Moss Rock. These have natural mosses and lichens growing on them. They are more expensive because they can not be fresh from the quarry. They make excellent water features, though, because of the woodsy look of the lichens so they may be worth the cost on the right project, especially if you want an instantly aged look.

When installing boulders, it is important to try to make them look as natural as possible in the landscape. If you have existing boulders on your property (usually found in areas like Mt. Helix, Poway, or Crest), look carefully at how they lie and try to mimic them. No boulder should ever be laid directly on the surface of the soil. In nature, most of the boulder is typically buried. Since the more boulder you bury, the more you have to buy, think about burying about 1/3 of the boulder. Try to hide any chips or broken sides of the boulder underground so that only the most weathered parts of the rock show above ground.

Boulders make great seats, and also good “diving boards” into a pool. Two well matched boulders make a great informal entryway. They are lovely at the edge of a water feature, but be careful to avoid the very unnatural “pearl necklace” look where the pool is completely surrounded by same-sized rocks.

If you want to take it to the next level, there are a few designers in the world who have made an art out of designing with stone. This photo (left) is a completely man-made stream designed by David Duensing using Moss Rock. It is so astoundingly natural that it makes his work look effortless, but it is done with an artist’s eye and vast knowledge of geology and erosion. Also, make sure to take a look at the work of Anthony Archer Wills. It is no less than breathtaking.

Want boulders in a garden of your own? Go to our website www.sageoutdoordesigns.com and fill in the contact us form.

Winter in San Diego!

It snowed this weekend in Julian and I snapped this quick photo of pyracantha dusted with snow in front of my favorite shop in Julian: the American Gardener.

They have two spots in our little mountain town: their garden shop on main street sells incredible natural scented potpourri and wreaths made from garden-finds like oak leaves and rose hips; their antique shop, Oakwood Creek, is filled with wonderful finds like mercury glass ornaments and antique apothecary jars.

Quail botanical gardens has recently changed its name to San Diego Botanical Garden. Although it will always be Quail to me, I like the change. I hope it will give them a well-earned boost in attendance. Want to learn more about their reasoning behind the name change? They explain here.

To celebrate the season, they are lighting up the garden at night with more than a hundred thousand fairy lights. There will be carol singers, a Pointesettia Garden, and hot apple Cider. Add it to your list of things to do to get in the Christmas spirit. Here is their information:

Garden of Lights
December 10 – 23, 26-30
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

After the sun goes down, the Garden is transformed into a dazzling winter wonderland with over 100,000 sparkling lights illuminating the Garden for a magical holiday experience. Many of these lights are LED, which are much brighter than regular lights. Adding to the sparkle is the “Poinsettia Garden,” festively decorated with many varieties of poinsettias. Numerous activities include horse-drawn-wagon rides, holiday crafts, marshmallow roasting, visits with Santa, live music, and refreshments. Special Holiday Tales and Tunes for children ages two to six will be offered several nights in December.

Admission: Members, Seniors, Military & Students $8; non-members $12. Children 3–12 $4.

This front yard design was done by Los Angeles based Landscape Architect Rob Steiner, and I like it so much I wanted to show it off as this week’s home highlight. It is full of ideas you can apply to your own front yard remodel. Here are just a few:

1) Concrete cutting. Rob Steiner is known for using the existing driveway (patio, etc) but cutting the concrete to remove sections and create artistic patterns for a very contemporary effect.

2) Pathways don’t always have to be solid. Rob used square pavers in a very ergonomic pattern to connect the driveway to the front door

3) Interesting fencing: Rob used blue colored lumocite to create a fascinating but simple fence. A low fence like this defines the front yard and contrasts nicely with the gently moving Mexican Feather Grass. Lumocite is semi-transparent, so the effect is somewhat like a Japanese Shoji screen.

4) Keep the plantings simple: the more simple the better for a more designer look. Rob used a row of Westringia against the house, a Purple Leaf Plum, Stipa tenuissima, and Miscanthus. The colors of the plant material work with the colors of the house beautifully.

Want to see more of Rob’s work? Check out his website. Want something like this for your own garden in San Diego? Check out our website. We’d love to help!