This winter’s El Niño rainfall hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations thus far and our recent warm temperatures are a reminder that the dry season is coming. Making the best use of our water resources is definitely on our mind whenever we take on a new landscape project.

We believe the most cost effective, efficient and sensible way to capture water is through grading and soil preparation. The land on your property is a watershed resource where you can capture whatever rain falls. When you apply irrigation water we want to make sure that it stays on your property. The thousands of cubic feet of soil on your property is the best place to capture and store water. When we have the opportunity reshape the land we always strive to maximize the use of that resource.

We capture as much useable water as possible by sinking it slowing it and spreading it.

• Sink it: We want water to penetrate the soil instead of running off. Normally we will break up the soil, and incorporate compost and other amendments of which help make the soil more friable enabling rainfall to penetrate the soil where it can be stored and be available to plants. Adding organic material helps the soil to hold the water like a sponge, dramatically increasing the water holding capacity of the soil. Organic matter also provides nutrition and improved growing conditions for your plants.  The application of an organic mulch on the finished garden further enhances the ability of the soil to capture and store water and keeps rain drops from eroding the soil surface.
• Slow it: We want the water to move slowly across the property giving the soil time to absorb it. We can achieve that objective by creating berms, terraces or swales across the fall line of the property. A meandering swale keeps the water on the site longer, traveling over a longer distance at a lower velocity improving infiltration. Cutting a trench straight down a hill would make water run through across it, causing erosion and leaving the property before it has a chance to get down into the soil.
• Spread it:  We want the water to spread across your property where appropriate rather than concentrating it into a drain pipe that empties onto the street and eventually ends up on our local beaches.

The features and techniques we employ to improve water retention not only serve functional needs but also aesthetic desires. Planting mounds and swales create topography that is more interesting than a flat landscape. The variation creates better horticultural opportunities as well, plants that require good drainage can sit on the tops of the hills and plants that require a bit more moisture can sit in the swales and valleys. We are creating landscapes modeled after nature, but serve to enhance our human experience.