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Saturday, February 04, 2012
Feature: March 2006
Open-Air Oases
Local professionals reveal the top trends in exterior design
Story by Don Lipper
Money may not grow on trees, but there is serious green in landscaping.
In 2002, homeowners in the U.S. spent $39.6 billion on their gardens, an increase of 5 percent over the previous year. Lawn and garden sales have increased 8 percent over the last five years. At this rate, we should all pick up our hoes and start looking for work whacking weeds.
Blame it on Sept. 11 or some baby-booming trend, but Americans definitely seem to be in a nesting mode — landscaping professionals all over the region are seeing more and more clients lavish big bucks on their oases each year.
Rather than going to the tropics, a lot of homeowners are demanding lush, leafy gardens in their own backyards. “There is a lot of push for tropical gardens,” opines Michael Glassman, an award-winning landscape designer, television show host and principal of Michael Glassman & Associates in Sacramento.
“People want to feel like they are on vacation. They really want to see palm trees and plants that are indigenous to the tropics.” This even extends to installing misting systems. (No word on whether macaw sales have also risen.)
Misting is also used to cool the cognoscenti who prefer to create their haute cuisine outdoors. “I would say the No. 1 trend in today’s market is the indoor area being brought out and the outdoors coming in,” says Glassman.
This goes way beyond burgers on the grill. Complete kitchens are being installed in higher-end homes as far as the summer Delta breezes reach. They include stoves, ovens, refrigerators, bars, sinks, dishwashers, warming drawers and speaker systems.
If you prefer to make and eat your dinner in a bug-free atmosphere but don’t mind sharing your entertainment with the flies, you may be more inclined to an outdoor recreation area. Many people find a breezeway or large covered patio the perfect place for their large-screen plasma television and weatherproof furniture. Pool houses, cabanas and loggias are also on the must-have list.
If you are thinking of putting in a pool, forget the traditional chlorine filtration system. The hot new device on every pool owner’s must-have list is an ozonator. Glassman describes it as a system that passes water through ultraviolet tubes, keeping the water clear.
On those cooler autumn nights, you can heat your feet with outdoor radiant heating in the floor, gas heaters and outdoor fireplaces. If you want to be really trendy, Glassman suggests you combine your fireplace with a waterfall.
“One trend that you see a lot of is the use of fire and water. We design fountains that double as a fireplace. It’s very, very hot. Since you are using gas, you are not burning wood, and it is environmentally much more sound.”
People who have more time and energy than the average bear are planting a lot more vegetable gardens and fruit trees. Glassman is seeing a return to nature among people who crave fresh fruits and veggies. Mini vineyards are especially popular among budding viticulturists who lack the back 40 but still want to make their own wine.
For clients who don’t care for the great outdoors under any circumstances, Glassman has found the perfect solution: Bring the plants inside.
“I think the whole Tuscan thing is over, thank God.”
— John Nicolaus, principal landscape architect, The HLA Group
“All-weather conservatories are becoming more popular,” Glassman says. “When it gets cold, you can heat it. But because they don’t retain heat very well, you should try to put them on the south side — that’s where you get the winter sun. The only thing about it is in the summertime you are going to die from the heat. You have to make sure you have proper venting from the top so that the hot air escapes, and then some way of shielding it in the summer, whether it’s a shade cloth or a shade tree to block out that sun.”
In fact, deciduous trees are great in any part of your yard and can help lower your power bills in winter and summer. John Nicolaus, principal landscape architect with the landscape architecture firm The HLA Group in Sacramento, says “planting deciduous shade trees around buildings for passive solar purposes has always been important.”
In the summer, when the tree is in full leaf, it will shade your home. In the winter, when the leaves have dropped off, “the more the sun shines in during the daylight hours, the warmer your home will get.”
For many, Sacramento’s high cooling costs in the summer are only one factor in landscaping design. The other is their water bill. “Current trends we see in commercial and residential settings include water-wise landscapes, less turf and more low-water-use plants,” says Thais Del Castillo, a landscape architect with LPA Sacramento.
Part of the water-wise movement includes picking native California plants, including grasses, evergreen shrubs and ground cover. “Using the correct plant to suit a particular location is important,” warns Del Castillo. “Not all natives are low-water-use.”
So is Sacramento a bastion of environmentalism? Please excuse Michael Glassman while he stifles his gales of laughter. “No. Sorry to burst the bubble, but it is the professionals who are pushing it. The homeowners aren’t buying it. They are still indoctrinated to have their lawn.
People want green, lush things, not dry cactus rock and drought-tolerant plants. It seems that every time people go over to more drought-tolerant things, we get an El Niño here and they get drenched, so people say, ‘Why am I worried about saving water?’ ”
Glassman has seen a slight shift in attitude among people who are now paying for water based on the amount they use. Some of them are asking him to design water-storage tanks or ponds to hold runoff for future irrigation use.
Some communities are starting to make small concessions to environmental responsibility by incorporating efficient water use. Some homeowners and businesses are also installing sophisticated automatic sprinkler systems that can detect the level of moisture in the soil and adjust watering time accordingly.
But the Mediterranean look is out of favor at the moment. This is too bad, as xeriscaping can be very beautiful and can lower your water bills and plant-replacement costs. By using indigenous plants, you get a beautiful, low-maintenance garden that needs almost no care or artificial irrigation.
Ironically, their low-maintenance habits may have gotten drought-tolerant plants a bad rep. Most maintenance gardeners know how to blow leaves, heavily water lawns and shrubs, and fertilize frequently. With this regimen, native plants end up getting a lot of attention they neither want nor need and do poorly because of this care overdose.
It isn’t just private homes and commercial spaces that are experiencing a landscaping boom. Landscaping is becoming an integral part of community planning too.
Bill Crump of the architecture and planning firm Bloodgood Sharp Buster in El Dorado Hills is seeing a “greater emphasis on connectivity to open space within individual neighborhoods with things like bike paths, walking trails, and even a return to some traditional ideas, like separating sidewalks from the street with overhanging trees.”
He is seeing a greater level of sophistication among buyers who are looking beyond their backyards and taking into account the appearance of the overall street and neighborhood. They are also insisting on being within walking or biking distance of parks and other neighborhood hot spots.
Homebuyers “want resort-type landscaping. They have visited places like Hawaii and they want that level of detail.”
— Bill Crump, regional director of planning and landscape architecture, Bloodgood Sharp Buster
Crump is also seeing homebuyers press their tastes on developers. “They want resort-type landscaping. They have visited places like Hawaii, where they stayed in a lushly landscaped hotel or resort property, and they want to see that level of detail in their communities.
There is pressure to create a more finished appearance of the community with, for instance, mature trees. The buyer’s expectations are higher in terms of being more well-traveled, having seen a higher degree of finished community.”
As lots become smaller and prices go higher, buyers are keen to maximize what little space they have. Crump’s clients are making their intimate spaces more special with finished courtyards, front porches and generally more detail than in the past.
Nicolaus is also reporting a stronger demand for higher-quality materials. Many of his business clients are also asking for perks like bicycle storage, locker space and outdoor workspace so co-workers can hold casual meetings outside.
It’s not all work and no play, though. Corporate clients are also asking for things like outdoor fireplaces, fountains and trellises, but nothing too cute.
“I think the whole Tuscan thing is over, thank God,” laughs Nicolaus. “We’re seeing a little more emphasis on the Spanish or even Old California styles and materials. It shows up in community-design elements like walls, entry monuments, signage. Old California or Santa Barbara styles include smooth plaster walls and irregular tiles, barrel fountains, different tile mosaics. The California Ranch vernacular is a little more earthy; it relies more on timbers and used brick; also, a heavy emphasis on agriculturally flavored plant material like olive trees, palm trees.”
Municipal clients are also acutely aware of weather dangers. Creating a firebreak around buildings, especially in the foothill and Sierra areas, is almost de rigueur. Spots that are prone to winter flooding often serve a dual function as park or recreation area and storm water-retention space. Flooding is avoided with large swales that collect and hold storm runoff until the drain system can catch up with the deluge.
As ecological technology has nudged along the landscape design business, so has computer technology. In the ’90s, computer-aided-design software allowed designers and architects the luxury of moving and changing pieces of their designs without having to erase and redraw the whole design.
Not everyone has embraced CAD, especially among the Old Guard, but those who have love the ease with which they can create both two- and three-dimensional renderings for their clients, allowing them to walk through their finished garden before the first spade of earth has been turned.
If you are inspired to turn a bleak yard into the haven of your dreams, it’s best to work with a trained professional with lots of experience and glowing references. Look for a licensed landscape architect with a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture. A designer may or may not have the degree, but those who do are guaranteed to be well-trained in all areas of outdoor design.
Not only will upgrading your outdoors add to the value of your home, but it is trendy too. In 2002, 79 percent of U.S. households did some kind of do-it-yourself activity around their home.
If special amenities seem indulgent, here’s something you can take to the bank: According to Money magazine, landscaping has a recovery value of 100 to 200 percent. It can also add nearly 15 percent to the value of a home.
So lose the gym membership and pick up a shovel. It will be good for your waistline, your outlook and your home’s resale value. It will also leave the Joneses next door green with envy.
