Keeping Luxury Luxurious

by Karen Stretch, regional editor

About 15-20 people make up the grounds crew at the Montage resort and hotel that sits on 30 acres of ocean front property in Laguna Beach, Calif. The crew tries to use native plants, such as agave, yucca and palms, as they are more tolerant to the salt and wind of the ocean air.

Laguna Beach is a quaint community that draws visitors with its beautiful beaches and dramatic sea cliffs, which form beautiful coves full of tide pools and turquoise water. The streets of downtown Laguna are lined with quaint shops, art galleries, and restaurants featuring turn-of-the-century architecture. Its easy to see why tourists and residents of California converge year-round on this pristine beach community.

The elements that define the era ?EUR??,,????'??? stone architecture, crown moldings, rich dark wood, copper gutters and shingle-style roofs ?EUR??,,????'??? were the inspiration for the design of the Montage resort, a 262-room luxury hotel done in a craftsman style that sits on 30 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds.

Sweeping panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean are visible from nearly every vantage point of the Montage resort in Laguna Beach, Calif. The grounds crew walks the property of the Montage every week, along with a landscaping consultant from Valley Crest, before deciding what changes need to be made to the site.

The hardscaping at the Montage is cleaned using two ride-on machines by Tenant. One is a dry sweeper and the other is a combination sweeper and scrubber that recycles the water it uses as seen in the lower right quadrant.

Sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean can be seen from nearly every point of the resort, inside and out. The landscaping features winding pathways lined with indigenous plants and trees and large, expansive lawns.

The exterior of the hotel is hardly visible to motorists passing by on the Pacific Coast Highway. Mature trees, some as old as 60 years, conceal the low-lying buildings. A bluff-top path winds throughout the property, which allows guests to safely enjoy views of the breaking waves below.

Seaside Maintenance

Maintaining the landscape of the Montage is Keith Thompson and his crew. Thompson has been with the Montage since its beginnings in 2003 and has more than 30 years of experience in the profession. Thompson has more than 15 trade school certifications and has been trained in the technical fields as well. Both Thompson and his team attend yearly seminars to stay current with new practices in the grounds maintenance profession and also attend
safety courses.

Recycled water is used for plant irrigation at the Montage. A variety of plants suited to the Mediterranean climate of southern California can be found on the grounds including statice (Limonium sinuatum), echium (Echium candicans), and cape honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis); all requiring less water and maintenance due to their high tolerance to drought conditions.

Because of the warm climate of Southern California, the Montage has the opportunity to hold many events outdoors. The 6,000 sq. ft. ?EUR??,,????'??Pacific Lawn?EUR??,,????'?? and the 5,000 sq. ft. ?EUR??,,????'??Ocean Lawn?EUR??,,????'?? provide beautiful settings for receptions and dinners. Thompson and his crew maintain the lawns using John Deere reel mowers for the Pacific and Ocean lawns (the resort considers these their event lawns) and Honda rotary mowers for the smaller lawns on the property. All of the lawns are re-seeded in mid September through the beginning of October.
Maintaining a ocean-side landscape comes with a unique set of issues due to the salt, sand and wind. Thompson and his crew use Sea Isle 1 turf on the large event lawns.

Being a luxury resort, the Montage is especially attentive to all of their guests wants and needs. In an effort to avoid waking their guests too early in the morning, the grounds maintenance crew mows the lawns between the hours of 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. All of the mowing equipment used on the grounds are hand-pushed.

The 6,000 sq. ft. ?EUR??,,????'??Pacific Lawn?EUR??,,????'?? and the 5,000 sq. ft. ?EUR??,,????'??Ocean Lawn?EUR??,,????'?? provide beautiful settings for receptions and dinners. Keith Thompson and his crew maintain the lawns using John Deere reel mowers for the Pacific and Ocean lawns (the resort considers these their event lawns) and Honda rotary mowers for the smaller lawns on the property. All of the lawns are re-seeded with perennial rye in mid September through the beginning of October.

The hardscaping at the Montage is cleaned using two ride-on machines by Tenant. One is a dry sweeper and the other is a combination sweeper and scrubber that recycles the water it uses. Every week, an assessment of the grounds is taken before deciding what changes need to be made.

“We work with a landscape consultant, Valley Crest, and the three of us walk the property weekly and make judgments on what needs to be done based on this walk,” said Thompson.

Native Plants

Native plants are primarily used throughout the grounds. Thompson uses a variety of plants in every season. The larger plants are canary palms, New Zealand Christmas trees and Washingtonia palms and bougainvillea. Aloe, Mexican sage, marigolds, pansies, birds of paradise, rosemary and cyclamen (for winter color) are some of the smaller varieties used throughout the grounds.

Aside from the elements, the biggest pest the Montage faces are the many rabbits that live on the grounds. While they may look cute and cuddly to the guests, the rabbits create headaches for the grounds crew because of their appetite for the lush green lawns and beds of marigolds.

The grounds crew of the Montage have approximately 1,200 flats that they change four times a year. Cyclamen (pictured here) is used during the winter months to add bright, vivid color. Aside from the elements, the biggest pest the Montage faces are the many rabbits that live on the grounds. While they may look cute and cuddly to the guests, the rabbits create headaches for the grounds crew because of their appetite for the lush green lawns.

Thompson and his crew are proud of the time and effort they put into the landscape of the Montage Resort ?EUR??,,????'???and they should be! Their hard work shows throughout every square foot of the property, making the resort even more visually appealing inside and out.

?EUR??,,????'??Between our Montage team and our consultant, Montage has had a great deal of success in the overall landscape development – we are very proud,” said Thompson.