Landscape Architect Articles

LCDBM November 2010 Off The Clock: Orange County's CLCA Members Give Locals Ideas On Water-Wise Gardens11-03-10 | News

Orange County's CLCA Members Give Locals Ideas On Water-Wise Gardens

By Amy Conrad for The Orange County Chapter of the CLCA

Tropical with a Conscience, designed by Brooke Dietrich, features tropical plants including succulents, agave plants and a large palm tree.

In order to provide an inspirational example of how low-water use plants are suitable for landscapes around California, volunteers from the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) Orange County chapter and other landscape designers, in collaboration with Costa Mesa, California City Council, voluntarily designed eight new water-wise demonstration gardens at Costa Mesa, Calif. City Hall. Due to the gardens needing less water, savings on landscape maintenance fees and irrigation savings are passed on to local taxpayers.

Go Green With Low Water Plants and No Water Stream, was designed by Katie Cool, which features a dry stream surrounded by water-efficient decorative grasses and succulents ?EUR??,,????'?????<

ProCompany Competitors Work Together

The volunteer landscape designers were CLCA Orange County chapter Treasurer Cherie Ciotti-Roco of CCR Landscape, and CLCA Orange County member Laura Dalton of Laura Dalton Landscapes. Landscape designers Katie Cool of Cool Designs for Landscapes, and Brooke Dietrich of GREEN Landscape to Envy, also donated their design services to plan out the gardens. Village Nurseries of Huntington Beach donated all the plants needed for the gardens.

California Cottage, another garden designed by Katie Cool, models an English garden theme with water efficient plants from regions of the world with similar climates as ours. It features water-efficient plants from regions of the world.

Eight Different Garden Designs

Starting in 2008, the project took about two years to accomplish. Gardens were designed with a theme in mind and they demonstrate inspirational examples of water-wise plants that residents can then plant in their own yard.

Tropical with a Conscience; California Shade Garden; Go Global - Save Water; California Cottage; Filtered Shade; Mediterranean; A Red Garden and Go Green With Low Water Plants and No Water Stream were the design themes.

''Mediterranean'', designed by Katie Cool models a Tuscan garden theme including plants that create the look of the landscapes in Italy. Katie also designed ''Filtered Shade'' and features shrubs that adapt in low-water shade areas and ''A Red Garden'', which features red and pink roses and plants that all have a shade of red.

The ''California Shade Garden'', designed by Laura Dalton, features plants that are water efficient but can also thrive in the shade.

About the California Landscape Contractors Association

The California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) is the only statewide trade organization of licensed landscape and landscape-related contractors. The CLCA aims to serve, protect and promote professionalism; and advance public awareness of the landscape industry including water conservation. For more information, please visit www.clca-orangecounty.org.