Residential Landscaping | Down to Earth Landscaping Inc.

Using Soil Amendments to Create a Low Maintenance Garden in Santa Barbara

May 11, 2012 By Bruce Koehler

This week begins a series of blogs that will spotlight methods for creating a low maintenance garden. This week’s topic is “How to Use Soil Amendments to Create a Low Maintenance Garden”.

These blogs will provide you with a few tips on how to transform your garden into one that essentially takes care of itself. Who knows, you may be closer to “going low maintenance” than you think!

Soil Amendment and Low Maintenance

In an earlier blog dated March 14, 2012 we discussed the importance of amending soil. Proper soil preparation and amendment is the starting point for having a healthy landscape. As a matter of fact, the quality of soil also directly impacts the maintenance required in your yard’s landscape because well amended and prepared soil keeps plant material healthy and strong and the result is a low maintenance garden that will require fewer instances of fungicide, fertilization and dry soil.
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Filed Under: Garden Maintenence, Residential Landscaping Tagged With: landscaping tips, soil amendments, Soil preparation

Santa Barbara Landscaping Company – 5 Customer Service Rules

April 19, 2012 By Bruce Koehler

Bruce & Mark Koehler " The Natives"

Customer Service Rules for Santa Barbara Landscaping Company

In this week’s blog, I’d like to share a value central to our landscaping business here in Santa Barbara—Customer Service.

In our Santa Barbara landscaping company, we strive to deliver our customers with the highest level of professional service in every thing we do. Delivering quality customer service begins with devotion to a honing a craft and caring and respecting the customer’s time and project needs.

Customer service in today’s marketplace tends to range from pathetic to mediocre. Rarely will you find someone that goes the extra mile. This is an opportunity to rise above the crowd and make a positive impression.

At Down To Earth Landscapes, Inc. we prefer a “embracing” approach, blending the best the technological age has to offer with old-fashioned craftsmanship and caring and attentive service. Our team differentiates itself from other companies through this holistic approach to managing your residential landscaping project.

That means that we are always up to date on the newest horticultural technologies and with internet marketing and social media networking. This means we want to connect with people wherever they feel most comfortable….Face-2-Face or online.
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Filed Under: Residential Landscaping Tagged With: Landscape Design, santa barbara landcaping company

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.
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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.

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