Licensed Landscape Contractors in Santa Barbara

April 9, 2012 By Bruce Koehler

Santa Barbara Licensed Landscape contractor

Down to Earth Landscapes, Inc. Team

This week I will address “unlicensed” Landscape contractors working in Santa Barbara.

First Things First. Let me introduce you to our team. We have been serving Santa Barbara and Ventura counties for over 40 years

Down to Earth Landscapes, Inc

STATE CONTRACTORS LICENSE # 751997
Fully Licensed, Bonded & Insured
Members of the Better Business Bureau and California Landscape Contractors Association

A licensed landscape contractor is not necessarily a measure of competence; however it certainly states a certain degree of professionalism and commitment to the industry. The State of California, through the State Licensed Board promotes quality construction through a licensing and regulatory system designed to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public.
[Read more…]

English Garden Landscape Design in Santa Barbara

April 3, 2012 By Bruce Koehler

English Gardens and Country Gardens in Santa Barbara and Ventura

On our website, we’ve shared the appeal of a English garden in Santa Barbara mentioned how much we love to install

Formal English Garden

them. English gardens often have a practical, country feel that is intentionally unmanicured in their design. We love to use them because of their natural feeling and “wild” nature. However, the English garden design, is much more involved than many might expect.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Garden Maintenence, Landscape Design, Specialty Gardens Tagged With: English Gardens

Rock Walls in Santa Barbara Landscapes

March 22, 2012 By Bruce Koehler

In honor of St. Patrick ‘s Day and my Irish heritage, I’ve decided to spend the month of March blogging about the contributions Irish immigrants have made to Santa Barbara landscapes. This week’s topic: Irish rock walls in Santa Barbara.

History of the Irish Rock Wall

The Irish rock wall, also called the dry stone wall, is an ancient landscaping form used across Europe and the Western Mediterranean region. Rock walls of this sort are found in any region where materials are plentiful. The word “dry” refers to the construction of a rock wall without the presence of mortar. This tradition employs a method of building a wall by fitting each piece of stone against the next until the wall resembles a perfectly constructed puzzle. These rock walls are particularly abundant in the West of Ireland, especially Connemara.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Hardscapes, Landscape Design, Rock Walls Tagged With: Irish Rock Walls, Landscape Design, landscaping tips, Rock Walls

Soil Amendment Tips for Santa Barbara Landscapes.

March 14, 2012 By Bruce Koehler

Soil Preparation is important

Soil amendments and proper soil preparation are essential when installing a new landscape. As a matter of fact, it is arguably the most important component of a successful landscape. Clients often pay for a new landscape completely unaware that the installer doesn’t even have a clue what needs to go into the native soil for proper plant growth. Often enough, even the person doing the installing is unaware that THEY are unaware of it.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Landscaping, Residential Landscaping Tagged With: landscaping tips, soil amendments, Soil preparation

6 Ideas for Creating Great Curb Appeal Landscaping in Santa Barbara

March 1, 2012 By Bruce Koehler

Front Yard Landscaping and Curb Appeal

Curb appeal landscaping frames the house and leads the eye to the front door, creating a unified, balanced look. Homes with great curb appeal landscaping have lawns are neatly manicured, shrubs trimmed and flowerbeds are free of weeds.

According to a survey published in the Journal of Environmental Horticulture, it was found that a well-designed front yard can add 10 to 12 percent to the value of a home. This particularly true in a subdivision where the homes look alike in other aspects,

The landscape designs that added the most value were those that used a sophisticated design scheme with a thoughtful combination of deciduous and evergreen shrubs. Consult with a licensed landscape contractor for ideas.

Six Landscaping Suggestions for Creating Curb Appeal

Step into the street and take a good look at your home and front yard. Analyze its curb appeal as objectively as possible. Make a list of the yard’s good points, as well as any drawbacks. Perhaps the sidewalk leading to the home makes a sharp entrance that would benefit from the softening effect of landscape plants. Old, tired evergreens or shrubs may need renovation or even removal. Shrubs may be too large or small for their allotted space or look out of balance with other plants.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Garden Maintenence, Residential Landscaping Tagged With: curb appeal, Front yard landscaping

Top 5 Landscaping Mistakes in Santa Barbara.

February 21, 2012 By Bruce Koehler

Landscaping Mistakes are costly. This blog will help Santa Barbara homeowners avoid making serious landscaping mistakes when starting a outdoor project.

Landscaping Mistake #1: Hiring an Unlicensed Gardener

The biggest landscaping mistake homeowners make in Santa Barbara is hiring an unlicensed landscaper or an ordinary gardener. Beware of the following:

Unlicensed contractors routinely provide a business license number that is not a contractor’s license number.
Unlicensed laborers may cause you to be financially responsible for injuries, fire, or property damage.
Unlicensed contractors usually don’t carry workers compensation insurance or liability insurance.

Always hire a licensed landscape contractor! Licensed Landscape Contractors are trained to provide grading services, install planting and irrigation, and construct structural elements of design. Some may also be certified in landscape design or irrigation. Certification means they have had additional training in these areas by a trade association such as the Irrigation Association or California Landscape Contractors Association.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Garden Maintenence, Landscape Design, Landscape Drainage, Residential Landscaping

Landscape Water Drainage in Santa Barbara

February 14, 2012 By Bruce Koehler

7 Water Drainage System Tips

Water drainage is one of the most important phases of a landscape design and installation project. Why?

Water drainage in your landscaping is as important as landscape irrigation. Sometimes water drainage gets overlooked and not implied. Proper water drainage is important to residential landscapes because it solves many water-related problems caused by; excessive rainfall, standing water and soil erosion.Effective draining can also help prevent foundation damage due to earthquakes.

Excess amounts of water in landscaped gardens and lawns may result in plant diseases and that can cause the death of expensive flowers and trees which you have watch for years grow to look great and become central focal points throughout your yard.
When there is no landscape water drainage in place, homeowners are at risk of damaging their home’s foundation. Landscape water drainage systems are perfect for the removing water away for your structure in areas around your home which are low and prone to flooding. There are various types of landscape water drainage systems available, which can be installed to newly built properties or existing properties to divert water away from buildings.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Garden Maintenence, Landscape Drainage Tagged With: landscaping tips, water drainage

Pruning Your Garden in Santa Barbara

February 8, 2012 By Bruce Koehler

pruning rose brushes in Santa Barbara

Pruning Your Garden’s Roses, Fruit Trees and Grape Vines

After 30 year of providing landscape design and maintainance services for hundreds of properties in Santa Barbara County, the most common question about pruning is “When is the best time to prune rose bushes, fruit trees and grapevines?”

The answer to this question is that it all depends on your area or location and its microclimate. The biggest mistake people make regarding pruning is that they often do it too soon. This can be disastrous. A lot of uneducated gardeners prune roses and stone fruits as soon as early December. This is a serious mistake in Santa Barbara County. Let’s get started with rose pruning.

Commercial Landscaping Company in Santa Barbara, Ca

December 22, 2011 By Bruce Koehler

You’ll have over 40 years of commercial landscaping expertise on your project. Our goal with any commercial landscaping design and build project is to minimize future maintenance costs, eliminate the unnecessary costs of redoing work and have a visually pleasing outdoor environment for your property.

Who We Serve

Our commercial landscaping division serves the following organizations:

Residential and commercial developers
General contractors
Property management companies
Commercial property owners and
Landscape architects

We have teams that specialize exclusively in commercial landscape installation and we have years of experience working with other trades. We prefer working with fellow contractors and project superintendents during the earliest phases of a project. You can count on your projects going smoothly and within the budget while we’re on the job.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Landscaping, Landscape Design Tagged With: Commercial Landscaping, santa barbara landcaping company