Our Process FAQs

What’s the average timeline from consultation to installation?

From initial phone call to a fully installed garden, our projects typically run between 3-6 months. This is dependent on a number of factors such as:

Time of year (we do not plant in late summer as the new plants will not survive the heat)
Agreeing on a design plan and budget
Availability of our contractor + materials
Amount of demo and prep work required
Client scheduling (school year, trips, holidays, etc.)

What is the LADWP / SoCal Water $mart turf replacement rebate and how do I apply?

Los Angeles County is incentivizing the removal of grass lawns for replacement with drought tolerant landscaping in efforts to reduce the amount of water used for residential and commercial properties across the city. The current rate is $5 per square foot of lawn removed, which can greatly help homeowners fund the transformation of their space.

While you can apply yourself through the SoCal Water $mart website, if you hire us for your project, we complete that application process for you.

To calculate your specific rebate, click here.

What is the sheet mulching process?

Sheet mulching is required at some properties in order to remediate soil after years of compaction, grass, mowing, blowing, heavy fertilizers or neglect. Sheet mulching will kickstart the process of revitalizing your soil with organic matter and fungal activity necessary to give the new plantings the best chance of not only surviving but thriving.

Step by step process:

Remove any existing weeds, grass or hardscaping.
Cover the yard in undyed compostable paper or cardboard. Kraft, rosin or butcher paper also work.
Add a few inches of organic, undyed mulch across the entire surface to discourage weeds, lock in moisture and invite microorganisms and insects to start moving their way through the soil– eating, aerating and fertilizing as they go.
Hand water/soak the entire yard either weekly or bi-weekly to ensure the paper underneath the mulch remains wet.
- This process uses a lot of water – probably more than you’re expecting. The moisture needs to penetrate the mulch, the brown material and the soil.
- Pull away the mulch by hand and use your moisture meter to ensure everything is being properly saturated. Sometimes the top of the mulch looks wet but its dry underneath and vise versa.
After about a month, once the paper has almost fully broken down, it's time to plant!
- There is no downside to waiting longer to plant, as long as the soil is still receiving water occasionally.

NOTE: If you have invasive or hardy weeds like Bermuda Grass, Spotted Spurge, Periwinkle etc., sheet mulching will not be enough to kill and suppress these plants from returning. You will need to remove several inches of your existing soil, water heavily to see where these plants return and then remove them again. Continue this process until the weeds are fully eradicated. Then you can begin to sheet mulch.

How do I incorporate my regular gardeners? Will I still need them?

When converting to a native landscape, your typical “mow and blow” gardener’s work load will shift or reduce greatly due to the fact that neither mowing or blowing are desired for native garden care. Our gardens are mulched for a reason and thrive when leaf litter and plant debris remains in the yard, benefiting the overall flora and fauna community of the space and reducing your watering needs.

The most important things to stay on top of will be weeding and seasonal pruning. We encourage an open dialogue between homeowners and their gardeners so that there is an understanding of the care needed for native plants.

The Theodore Payne Foundation offers wonderful classes on native garden maintenance and even a program in Spanish to accommodate gardeners who don’t speak English or speak English as a second language.

What sort of maintenance is required for a native garden?

Maintenance needs are specific to each individual site. If you are hand watering your garden, that will be a part of your maintenance routine. If your garden has automated irrigation, auditing that system 1-2 times a year to ensure there are no leaks, clogs or broken pipes should be a part of your maintenance routine. Pruning, mulching and staking is a very important part of native garden maintenance.

A majority of native plants only require light pruning or dead heading throughout the year, with a significant pruning in Fall/ Winter.

A great rule of thumb is to always make sure you are not making any cuts on plants during the rainy season. Since you are essentially creating an open wound on the plant, you want to ensure there is no chance for moisture to inspire disease.
Pruning encourages plants to maintain their desired size, allow for light exposure and airflow, and prevent plants from getting “woody” and only producing greenery or flowers at their tips.

How long does it take for my garden to fill in?

Each garden’s growth will differ based on location, watering schedule, time of year planted and quality of soil. Typically we find that plants really start to take off after the first year and at least one great rainy season.

What is a rain capture or water retention feature? Will it bring mosquitos to my garden?

A rain capture feature is an element of the garden that helps collect water from your gutters during a storm and either store it for future use, or slowly disperse it across your landscaping to be absorbed by your plants. The LADWP rebate requires some form of water retention in order to qualify. These features can be more pronounced as a design choice like a dry creek bed, rock basin, or swale, or can be more subtle / hidden such as a mulch basin, rain barrels or underground cistern.

The hidden water capture options are “sealed”, and the visible options such as dry creek beds will never hold onto water long enough to attract any mosquitos.

Do water features/fountains waste water? How do they work and why should I include them in my landscape design?

We believe that water features are incredibly important to a garden ecosystem. So many of our natural waterways, streams and creeks have been eliminated or covered in concrete, and introducing water is necessary for the animals we share our gardens with. As soon as we plug in a fountain, we notice it being utilized immediately by thirsty honeybees or Allen’s hummingbirds in need of a bath.

Most water features will require minimal cleaning. Fountain maintenance is as simple as using a scrub brush, emptying out the dirty water, and refilling the basin with fresh water. The frequency you will need to change out the water will depend on time of year and location. Hotter months may mean the water evaporates more quickly and will require refills more often. The amount required for a small water feature is nowhere near the amount of water that is used for grass lawns or non-native gardens, and neither of these give as much back to our ecosystem.