SYNKD West October | November 2022

SECTOR SELECTOR

Create up to four zones

Up to 200 Watts

Compatible with

Installs on the

Includes necessary

Use zones to

Control each zone

single

WELCOME

Welcome to the inaugural West edition of SYNKD!

Our new brand has a different name and a clear goal—to bring together ALL professionals in the landscape design, build and maintenance sectors. We want to connect the divided sectors in the landscape industry so that we can all be in sync, thus SYNKD

Our voice is stronger when we come together, so we want to facilitate conversations that inspire and engage your region. We believe that sharing communication among decision-makers will elevate the whole industry. We want to know what’s important in your region, from environmental issues to business practices to your favorite suppliers.

In this inaugural issue, we showcase people and companies connecting the design, build and maintenance sectors. We have a profile of a young industry leader and “plantpreneur” influencing the next generation by mixing his passion for plants with a love of landscape design. One of our inspiring projects shows how a California landscape architecture redesigned an affordable housing community in Ventura with a focus on sustainability, connectivity and enhanced community amenities.

We are excited to bring these stories to you in this and future issues, so we want to hear

from you. Please share your inspiring projects, stories and challenges with us, and you may see your name in a future issue. We also have advertising opportunities so you can showcase your innovative products and services to the landscape community. Please drop up a line if you want to be a part of SYNKD.

Angelique

P.S. Our education conference and expo, SYNKD LIVE, will be held February 6–7, 2023, in the COBB Galleria in Atlanta, Georgia. If you are on the East coast next year, plan to attend. It’s THE conference of the year where we can all get SYNKD on the future of our industry!

THE

OWNER/MANAGING DIRECTOR

Angelique Robb

ADVERTISING &

Almaguer

Cindy Whitt

Kate Carson

GRAPHIC

Wallace

SOCIAL MEDIA/MARKETING

OF

raise

bar

2022

323 Polk Street Lafayette, Louisiana 70501

OWNER/MANAGING DIRECTOR

Angelique Robb angelique@synkd.io (337) 247–9497

ADVERTISING & TRADE SHOW COORDINATOR Aimee Almaguer aimee@synkd.io (337) 247–9337

EDITOR Cindy Whitt cindy@synkd.io (919) 667–4569

COPY WRITER

Mary Kate Carson marykate@synkd.io (903) 283–0513

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Caitlyn Wallace caitlyn@synkd.io

SUBEDITOR

SOCIAL MEDIA/MARKETING

Anne Marie Fruge annemarie@synkd.io

Erin Z. Bass PRINTED BY Allen Press Inc. www.allenpress.com

Published by © SYNKD

SYNKD is published six times a year and distributed to 5,000 qualified members of the green industry. Postmaster: Send address changes to 323 Polk St., Lafayette, LA 70501. SYNKD verifies information as much as possible. The views expressed by editorial contributors and the products advertised herein are not necessarily endorsements of the publishers. Reproduction of any part of this magazine is strictly forbidden.

CONTRI

Would You Like To Be Featured In Our December | January 2023 Issue?

Here Are Some Ways That You & Your Company Can Be Featured In The Next

Jeffrey Scott

Nate Dodge is the owner of ND Design Services

As a landscape designer and visual artist, Nate’s mission is to offer client-focused solutions and translate design through refined graphics and land art. He has hands-on experience in many facets of the industry, including fine landscaping, commercial landscape maintenance, commercial and residential design/build, landscape architecture and landscape design.

authority

BUTORS

Daniel Smith

Director of

Deborah Cole 50

As the founder and president of a

landscape firm with multiple locations

Texas, Deborah Cole has learned the importance of a peoplecentric leadership and communication. She

devotes herself full time to speaking, writing and consulting with a heavy dose of visual

Guest Columns

1

Share an opinion or helpful tips and insights that you have learned in the industry.

2

Q+A

Each issue poses a different question that you have an opportunity to answer.

3

Mini Interviews

Let the readers get to know you better by answering these fun questions.

4

Project Features

Share a recent project that you and your company have been working on!

For any additional information on ways to be involved with SYNKD, please visit our website www.synkd.io.

USFWS RECEIVES $68 MILLION

A recent Infrastructure law will benefit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, allow ing them to continue and enlarge their work. Among their projects is native seed collection, preventing the introduction and spread of invasive species and enhancing visitors’ experiences to their Wildlife Ref uge System. Their work aims to safeguard wildlife and their habitats. www.fws.gov

NALP

TO CALIFORNIA BAN ON GAS-POWERED LAWN EQUIPMENT

New regulations by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) ban the sale of gas-powered lawn equipment in the state starting in 2024.

newly sold, small-motor equipment primarily used for landscaping must be zero-emission by the target date.

The National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) expressed its concern that the battery-powered equipment currently on the market isn’t

industry will work with CARB, the California legislature and the EPA to find ways to support the transition in the form of tax credits, rebates and education and training to help companies adopt new technologies that reduce emissions and help boost the climate-change fighting power of America’s green spaces,” NALP said in a recent press release.

YALE SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT LOOKS AT THE IMPORTANCE OF URBAN FORESTS

Increasing urbanization does not have to be a death knell for the environment. Planning allows urban environments to be sustainable and even enrich the planet. This study examines the importance of the urban forest. environment.yale.edu

courtesy of ©Tom Koerner/USFWS

INTRODUCES FIRST

STANDING MOWER

The Vertex V-Series is Exmark’s first electric walk-behind mower designed to compete in the electric equipment market. It offers the commercial cut quality and durability landscape

with a low sound output

engine

Jamie Briggs, Exmark director of marketing, says the new machin e leverages the company’s industry-leading cutting deck and blade design expertise to maximize cut quality and efficiency.

electric powertrain eliminates the service and maintenance typically associated with gasoline engines, including oil and filter changes. Plus, with electric spindle motors, belt maintenance and replacements

not needed.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FURTHER EDUCATION IN THE INDUSTRY

DR. AYANA ELIZABETH JOHNSON WILL HEADLINE THE 2022 ASLA CONFERENCE

of Landscape

landscape

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF COMMUNICATION

THE DESIGN + BUILD

Nick Cutsumpas

Owner and “Plantrepreneur” Farmer Nick

Los Angeles, California

You need to have that communication [between sectors] otherwise it just won’t work. For example [considering the water restrictions for future maintenance], there are so many options that can replace turf in a client’s front garden. If I can show them something that is equally as cool and sexy, as it is functional, then there is a good chance that the clients will do it.

Eric Berg

Principal for Pacific Coast Land Design Ventura, California

We try to find maintenance companies that will maintain things for the way they were designed. I can write a maintenance plan for a project, but it often feels like the crew doesn’t even read it. We are looking for companies that can adapt to our uniquely designed and built projects.

Jason Kron

Director of Sales for Midwest Region for ColdSpring USA Cold Spring, Minnesota

The best way to keep natural stone looking great for many years to come is to choose the best stone that is right for the site, conditions and application. Design with the end in mind.

SECTORS?

Like to be featured in our next issue?

the QR code for more ways to be involved!

Leader

URBAN GARDENING FOR THENext Generation

Nick Cutsumpas aka Farmer Nick

If anyone could be called a celebrity in the green industry, it would be Nick Cutsumpas. He has an Instagram following of 165,000 @FarmerNick and is one of the designers on the Netflix show “Instant Dream Home.” He is also the author of Plant Coach , a book that teaches people to care for their houseplants. His projects have been featured in The New York Times, Vogue and the Food Network. He is the go-to expert for Gwyneth Paltrow’s wellness and lifestyle brand Goop.

Nick is a part of the new generation of plant enthusiasts who have carved a unique path in the green industry. He does not have a degree in horticulture or landscape design, but he has learned by following his interests and passion.

While living in New York City, Nick discovered a love of indoor plants and learned to care for them through trial and error. Apartments in the city have their quirks—not enough space and not enough natural light—so he shared what he was learning about “urban gardening” through his Instagram account.

Like Nick, the generation of Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) was also discovering the joys of plant parenthood,

A Chat with Instagram Plant Coach Farmer Nick

whether they were bringing the outdoors into an urban apartment or choosing to fill their homes with plants instead of children.

Farmer Nick’s Instagram account grew quickly. People followed him to learn the ins and outs of caring for houseplants and how to choose the right ones for their homes. In 2020, when everyone was forced to stay home, green industry businesses boomed. More people were at home to take care of finicky plants, or they wanted to create outdoor spaces to enjoy. Nick’s career as a “plantrepreneur” took off from there.

“I started doing houseplant installations and then houseplant installations turned into terrace installations. Terrace installation started into rooftops, and rooftops turned into back yards,” he says. “Back yard (installations) became a much bigger thing than I had ever thought about.”

His client base expanded from city dwellers with limited space to companies wanting to add a green element to their stores in New York. Shoe company Allbirds hired Nick to install a plant display in their storefront windows. He built a flower wall for Whole Foods to celebrate their new store opening in the city.

West Coast homeowners wanted his help, too, but this brought a new challenge to the table: water restrictions. Nick worked with a client in California to create a design that would make the homeowners happy and use plants and materials that would thrive in a drought-prone environment.

He replaced the client’s turf grass lawn with succulents and a ground cover of sedum and aptenia so they could have the green space they wanted without worrying about traditional irrigation.

Nick’s landscape design philosophy is based on three values: Working with the

Sustainability is not just about what we are not doing and conserving, but more so (asking) what we can add that benefits that ecosystem?

area to use materials and plants that reflect the environment; using native and pollinator-friendly plants with biodiversity in mind; and adding an edible plant element when possible. He tries to bring that ethos into every project and partners with people who share those values.

“The more we can go with an eco-design approach, it will not only be better for your business, it will be better for every aspect of the installation, the planet, the soil, whatever it might be,” Nick says. “So that is kind of how I’ve structured my business. I don’t bring anyone onto my team who does not share those values with me.”

Even though Nick found his career in landscape design by accident, he thinks

more young people would be interested in the industry if they understood the positive impact they can make on the environment. Armed with his generation’s ideology and the power of social media, Gen Z is his next target.

“It has to be a conscious effort to inspire and to convince people that, ‘hey, this is not only needed, but it’s an industry where you can thrive and do really well,” he says.

Get

synkd

can’t leave the fate of our planet up to accidents

TO NEW HEIGHTS TAKING GREEN WALLS

The Green Wall Product for

• Versa Wall® XT keeps a lush full look throughout the season.

• Easy to design, install and maintain, living green walls for landscapers to add to their range of services.

• GSky green walls mount to a variety of surfaces outside, with an irrigation system or integrate with the landscape irrigation.

• Interchangeable with ease— one gallon potted plants can be changed out as the seasons change or as the client desires.

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AGZA

Service

HEALTHY LIVING IN THE VALLEY

California Nonprofit Moves Toward Emission-Free Power Tools

The American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA) is continuing its commitment to sustainability, diversity and community by helping a California nonprofit transition into lower-impact technologies and operations. The grounds maintenance crews at Desert Haven Enterprises recently finished testing new batterypowered tools at their site in Lancaster and determined which were best for their teams. They are in the process of implementing this equipment at their five-acre property. Desert Haven leadership says battery-powered tools are quieter, lighter and cut costs by lowering fuel consumption and maintenance needs.

“When we have an opportunity to give back to our community in such a powerful way, by doing our part to lower emissions and to make our beautiful valley a healthier place to live, we are going to jump all over that!” says Jenni Moran, Desert Haven Enterprises executive director.

Desert Haven Enterprises works with people who have developmental challenges. They offer various programs that teach life skills for homes, jobs and neighborhoods, with the ultimate goal of becoming productive, independent and participating members of the community. Desert Haven launched in 1954 and serves any adult aged 18 or older in the areas surrounding Antelope Valley.

says Dan Mabe, AGZA president.

The Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District (AVAQMD) helped

This is one of the most rewarding projects I have had the pleasure to work on

Desert Haven work with AGZA through a grant program. The AGZA allowed the grounds maintenance teams to test different commercial battery electric equipment to find what worked best for the property. The team was very involved in the decision.

with what Desert Haven and the AVAQMD have accomplished together.”

After Desert Haven chose new electric tools, the AGZA Green Zone Certification was able to be completed. Plus, the crew underwent training for electric landscape maintenance equipment operations, safety and charging to receive AGZA Service Pro certifications. This makes Desert Haven the first nonprofit to receive two AGZA notorities.

says Dan. “All of the folks at Desert Haven have been focused, professional and pleasant to work with. AGZA cannot express enough how impressed we are

Get In Touch With...

Eric Walker

Senior Operations Manager, Desert Haven Enterprises

Work: (661) 948–8402 ext. 208

Cell: (703) 615–6775 Email: ewalker@deserthaven.org

SERVICE IS IN THEIR DNA. IS IT IN YOURS?

Through a network of volunteers, GreenCare for Troops provides complimentary basic lawn and landscape services to deserving military families with a deployed service member.

BECOME A VOLUNTEER.

now

show your gratitude and watch as your

of

back.

The

MUST-HAVE TECH TOOLS

Momentum Moves The Industry Forward With The Latest Tracking Technology

“There’s a real value in spending $15 a month to track an asset that’s worth $20,000 and above,” says Justin. “We started with one customer and now have 3,500. We really struck a chord with companies, especially landscaping and construction companies.”

Justin Silva says he’s always been at the intersection of blue-collar work and hightech, so it’s no wonder that his brand-new invention has been such a hit with the landscaping industry.

Back in 2017, he was helping a friend get his fleet connected, but all the solution providers he found were trying to lock him into a three-year contract and make him pay for hardware up front. Not knowing a lot about GPS tracking, Justin started doing his own research and discovered there really wasn’t a good provider that offered an easy-to-use system with good software and flexible service at a good price.

“So I decided to start my own,” he says. “We spent a couple of years in research and development building the hardware, platform and all the applications.”

Then, in 2019, Momentum IoT was born. For those non-techies, IoT stands for the “Internet of Things,” which are items with sensors, software and other technology that connect and exchange data over the Internet.

He realized there also had to be value in tracking smaller assets, like weed -eaters and lawnmowers. So, earlier this year, he invented and built the Toolie, a low-cost, bluetooth-enabled tracking device described as a “Fitbit for tools.” After the initial announcement, the technology sold out in three hours.

JUSTIN SILVA HOLDING A TOOLIE

“The Toolie not only keeps equipment from getting lost or left behind on job sites, it allows us to show the customer a range of data, like who’s the most productive employee, who are the time thieves and what job sites create the best margins.”

Justin says the technology has been especially helpful in the landscaping sector, where 90 percent of the job site is represented by a moving engine and where crews visit multiple jobs each day. “The data has been incredible and offers much more than a dot on a map,” he explains.

When Justin worked in construction, he saw that expensive rented equipment often sat unused at a job site, and he witnessed idle workers delaying the project while adding to the cost. The Toolie can help solve both these issues by measuring the engine run time.

“There aren’t great ways to measure time theft except for having a field supervisor, but with multiple crews at multiple job sites, they can only be one place at a time,” Justin says. “But the Toolie allows you to see everything all at once 24/7 from anywhere in the world.”

The Toolie also separates the best employees from the slackers. “A landscaping or construction company can see that employee one is logging 30 percent more engine hours than employee two, and if they both do the same thing, there’s a problem there,” Justin says.

The data might indicate that the employee is stealing time or perhaps the employee needs more training to work smarter and more efficiently. Other insights can increase the quality of the job. For instance, if an employee on a construction site always runs the shop vac last to clean up, the supervisor knows if that critical step was missed. In addition, companies can use the data to make more accurate estimates.

“If you’re a landscaping company and you’re doing the same maintenance work for a client each week, it becomes very predictable,” he says. “We can help assess and optimize the productivity of these job sites.”

Momentum is currently developing data logs and algorithms that show how long a crew typically takes at a standard job site.

“On the Momentum dashboard, it will display a progress bar and calculated estimated time until the crew is done,” Justin explains. “When

a customer calls and asks when the crew can get to the next job site, the dispatcher has real information at their fingertips.”

Justin says he looks forward to growing the business and getting more feedback from the landscaping industry.

We’re just going to keep solving problems

For more information, visit www. momentumiot.com . There is no minimum order, no hardware cost and no long-term contract. Packages start at $15/month.

There’s some value in knowing where your equipment is , but there’s even more value in knowing what that equipment is actually doing on the job site

TOOLIE INSIDE THE TOOL BOX

AN INTERNET CONNECTION &

A Sense ofAdventure

Nate Dodge Explores the Benefits of Online Landscape Design

Starting a landscape design company in January 2020 brought more challenges than I anticipated. In the end, it gave me a chance to explore online services that I will continue to use for years to come. Offering online design services can help other companies stay relevant in this new era of business. Here’s why:

Expanded reach

Your reach is not limited to local and regional clients; you can work with national and international clients when meetings and consultations are conducted online rather than in-person. I have been able to expand my client base further than I imagined.

Better client engagement

Clients are more relaxed, engaged and collaborative when meeting online, which makes for a better creative process. There is more room for creativity when people feel comfortable and at ease.

Easier presentations

Rather than huddling around a table, craning our necks around a shared device, clients are projected directly into my online studio space. Screen sharing

online allows everyone to be up-close with their design solutions and imagery without compromise. Clients feel more connected to the design process. Digital live sketching and editing open a world of brainstorming; edits and adjustments happen in real-time.

Streamlined scheduling

When clients have direct access to my online scheduler and calendar, they have increased accessibility to services, from those needing basic hourly consultations to those requiring the full spectrum of landscape design and rendering services.

Zero-risk meetings

Meeting online offers zero risk, as health and safety concerns are ongoing. Many people are still unable to access the world in a “let’s get back to normal” capacity due to these risks.

Less environmental impact Online landscape design produces less paper, less printing and less road time and air travel, creating a greener methodology. Instead of commuting to the site, sitting in traffic and dealing with travel delays, I can funnel that time back into my clients and their projects. In

addition to helping the planet, it saves time, money and resources.

Remote services are a solid framework, not only for business owners but for the future of the industry itself. The online landscape design process is for anyone with an internet connection and a sense of adventure.

About Nate Dodge

Nate Dodge is the owner of ND Design Services Inc. As a landscape designer and visual artist, Nate’s mission is to offer client-focused solutions and translate design through refined graphics and land art. His designs aim to create a sense of purpose, wellbeing and connection to the landscape. Nate has hands-on experience in many facets of the industry, including fine landscaping, commercial landscape maintenance, commercial and residential design/build, landscape architecture and landscape design. www.nddesignservices.net

INTERVIEWS

Heidi Creekmur Jake Leman

Multi-line Manufacturers Representative, H Design Source

La Jolla, California

Vice President, Singing Hills Landscape, INC. Aurora, Colorado

www.hdesignsource.com www.singinghillsinc.com

What is the best part of your job?

The diversity of everyday activities I’m doing and people I’m interacting with means never a dull moment. My work also has a service and a creative aspect, as well as a nice balance between working solo at home and meeting with people.

What’s your favorite place you’ve ever visited?

It’s a tossup between Byron Bay, Australia, and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica.

What would you blow your money on? Traveling the world.

What has the quarantine taught you?

People are overrated. Kidding … It was really nice to have a minute and slow down and reflect on how fast and stressful life has become.

What’s the best advice you have received for your career?

I was a business major in college and actually wrote a thesis paper on career planning. It was largely academic, so I don’t really recall what it said, but as I developed my career over time, the best advice I’ve learned is find something you really enjoy doing every day, and which includes skills you’re naturally inclined to, and success will follow.

What is the best part of your job?

Opening doors of opportunity for our company family. I’m really excited about the nine Mexican families we have recently sponsored for U.S. residency and 10 more currently in process.

What’s the one thing that would make the industry better?

An improvement in the national attitude toward the trades as a fulfilling and rewarding profession.

What has the quarantine taught you?

Without accurate information and solid data, it is near impossible to make wise decisions.

What are you most proud of?

Professionally: Our average employee has been with us over 10 years, and we have 12 second-generation employees and four third-generation. Personally: My wife Tifani and our four young children.

What is your favorite phrase, slogan?

“If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”

What advice would you give to someone entering the green industry?

Invest in others, network whenever possible and be quick with a genuine smile.

Korey Lofy Aaron Michael

Rocky Mountain Territory Manager, ArborJet Granby, Colorado

Founder & CEO, Earth Love Gardens Boulder, Colorado www.earthlovegardens.comwww.arborjet.com

What’s the key to great design?

A great design has plant diversification and carefully selected plant varieties that can thrive in the soil, environment and growing conditions.

What’s the best part of your job?

I love helping people on their journey to becoming industry professionals as we try to save trees! Seeing the development of young men and women over the years has been amazing, and the most rewarding part of my job.

What’s the one thing that would make the industry better?

More education for all and collaboration between landscape architects, arborists and maintenance people.

Where’s your happy place?

Skiing powder in the trees on trails without official names.

What advice would you give to someone entering the green industry?

Always continue to educate yourself and admit when you don’t know something. Friends, family, work ethic and integrity are some of the most important things we have in this world. Be humble, be kind and be eager to help others.

What inspired you to get into the industry?

Growing my own vegetable garden in 2018. I enjoyed working outside and, through an inherent drive to serve my community, wanted to help others grow and maintain their own gardens in the most ecologicallyfriendly way as possible. From our partnership with the Audubon Rockies in 2019, I further learned the importance of creating (as well as conserving) habitat for birds, pollinators and other wildlife.

What’s the best part of your job?

Connecting people with the Earth and the abundant benefits this connection provides.

What’s one thing that would make the industry better?

Providing our services as ecologicallyfriendly as possible. There’s no reason a Karl Foerster grass, native to Asia, needs to be utilized when a native Indian grass (or other local native equivalent) can be planted and further provide habitat for butterflies and birds.

What’s the key to great design?

Meeting the balance between the wants and needs of a client, what is ecologicallybeneficial for the environment the landscape is in and, of course, what is appropriate to what the site’s conditions allow for.

PEER GROUP

Networking

You are familiar with the phrase “peer pressure.” It can have a negative connotation in many circles, but I have found it can also be very positive.

With the right kind of peer pressure and support, you can grow your business quickly and efficiently.

This is the reason I have become such a big proponent of peer groups over the past 25 years.

It is the most productive way to grow your contacts, knowledge and results.

A Short History on Peer Groups

A forerunner to peer groups is the “Mastermind” concept. It was made famous in the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. He spoke of individuals and professionals getting together to foster each other’s thinking and planning.

After WWII, the idea of a structured peer group became part of our mainstream— for example, among automobile dealers. Their groups were called “Dealer 20” and helped the auto industry for years.

Structured peer groups have become an accepted method for accelerated learning, problem solving and sharing.

Not All Groups Are the Same

The quality of a group’s members is the key to success.

accountable for the execution of your plans over time. And this accountability increases with the more time you spend together.

In all cases, you will establish strong bonds that will outlast your participation in the group itself.

“Working with (Jeffrey’s) peer group has provided me with financial benchmarking and operational feedback from other leaders he has cultivated,” says Blair Walton, owner of Element Outdoor Living in North Carolina. “This has given me the visibility and awareness that we are heading in the right direction.”

Better and Best Practices

This requires members to put their egos aside and be committed to the group and to the process.

Your Best Board of Advisors

A strong group will help you work through both strategic and urgent issues (growth strategies, key hiring, acquisitions, recruiting, people issues, etc.). The best members will share their proven resources and give honest feedback.

More importantly, members will hold you

The side benefit of participating in a peer group is that it raises each member’s leadership abilities—following the advice of Tom Peters, who states that “leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.”

About Jeffrey Scott

Jeffrey Scott, MBA, is the leading authority on growth and profit maximization in the landscape industry. For more information on how you can grow your landscape business, please visit his www.jeffreyscott.biz.

You need ambitious members who are willing to be accountable and deal with their issues openly in a private setting

Steel has become the quintessential element in the outdoor living space. From function to form, steel has the power to take an outdoor space to the next level, adding a touch of modern sophistication and sustainability. Using steel to create unique outdoor features has become a passion of Cheri Stringer, principal partner and lead designer at TLC Gardens design build firm in Colorado. TLC Gardens’ team has harnessed the strength and adaptability of this timeless material in their outdoor renovations and in the new signature line of TLC Steel products.

For almost 20 years, Cheri and the TLC team have been on a mission to create outdoor environments of lasting meaning, value and joy by connecting their clients to nature.

“Steel elevates our client’s lives,” says Cheri. “It brings enjoyment and a sophisticated elegance to the outdoor living experience.”

Designing with steel in the outdoors allows landscape designers to integrate features aesthetically and functionally from design to construction, while also elevating the impact of the end design. Uses for steel in the modern outdoor space include framing,

RISE OF THE

Steel

Cheri Stringer, Founder of TLC Gardens, Uses Steel

To Bring Elegance & Quality To A Space

creating transition, textural contrast, compression, playfulness, artistic functionality, privacy and enhancement of view corridors and flow patterns, to name a few. Steel elements can be simultaneously structural and sculptural.

The steel and wood moon gate crafted for TLC’s Söng Ranch project is a stunning example of steel’s multidimensional uses. In this unique outdoor environment, the custom steel and cedar moon gate frames the Tai Chi studio space, emphasizing the

transition between public practice space and the client’s private residence. The steel structure underlying the wood reinforces the moon shape and creates a view corridor of the natural boulder water feature within.

At TLC’s Gallagher Farm project, deep window wells along the edge of the home posed a steep dropoff in the back yard. During the renovation, the window wells were reinforced with custom designed steel walls and outlined with stone, separating them from the outdoor living area. A steel pergola was added, establishing an intimate outdoor dining area and terrace where the client’s grandchildren can run and play safely in the finished space. On this site, the custom steel elements were fabricated with raw steel and treated with muriatic acid for an even patina and a rustic appeal, accentuating the home’s modern farmhouse style. TLC integrated a matching steel utility enclosure, customized to block the trash cans from view while also dampening sound for added privacy. The steel utility enclosure has a sculptural effect while also acting as a solution in the design.

When designing and building with steel,

STEEL AND WOOD MOON GATE AT SÖNG RANCH PROJECT

consider sheet thickness and tensile strength for structural endurance. For instance, the center piece of the moon gate was made from thinner gauge steel for added flexibility to fit the moon curve. Alternatively, the steel utility enclosure required a thick, durable gauge steel to be able to add insulation from road noise.

At Hilltop Courtyard, the steel pergola was designed for a small, modern courtyard to create a welcoming, family gathering space. The adaptability of steel empowers designers to customize pergolas, planters, fire pits and other unique features to fit the

size and scale of the site. TLC’s modern steel planters showcase the plant material within, elevating even a simple outdoor experience with thoughtful steel design. As an added bonus, weathered steel can be powdercoated to match the color palette of the home or landscape. At Contra Verde, custom powder coated steel planters frame the front entryway, enriching the experience and sense of arrival. Meanwhile in the back yard, steel planters not only frame each functional area, but they also act as transitional elements between the home and the outdoor living spaces. Basil and other seasonal culinary herbs are conveniently within reach in the steel planters lining the outdoor dining patio.

Whether it be a residential or commercial outdoor environment, the possibilities for creative solutions and innovation with steel are infinite. Steel elevates the outdoor experience and leaves a lasting impression.

A bout CHERI STRINGER

Cheri Stringer is an award winning designer that now turns her eye towards transformational coaching. She helps designers and architects live their life with purpose and meaning. Contact her through her email or find her on LinkedIn. Email: cs.design.space@gmail.com

STEEL UTILITY ENCLOSURE

STEEL PERGOLA AT SHARP VIEW

HILLTOP COURTYARD PERGOLA

POWDER COATED PLANTERS

STEEL PLANTER TREATED WITH MURIATIC ACID

A SECOND CHANCE

Pacific Coast Land Design, INC.

California Affordable Housing Community Undergoes Major Redevelopment

RAISED GARDEN BED AREA

ACalifornia apartment community is reopening to cater to a specific clientele— those who are or have been homeless. Ventura County’s largest public housing community opened in 1952 to provide affordable apartments to people in the city. Residents have filled the complex for more than 70 years, utilizing its 48 residential buildings, one community center, one storage room and the housing authority office, all sitting on 20.6 acres. With roughly seven decades of wear and tear on the complex, though, it was time for renewal.

The multimillion dollar “Westview Village” redevelopment plan launched to bring more housing to a state where housing options can be scarce. The first of four

phases launched in 2017. The initial, $60-million phase focused on replacing 180 older, multi-family apartment units with newer, updated ones. In the next phases, 50 affordable apartments will be built for seniors to live in the community. Additional, multi-family apartment units totaling 105 will be built in phase three, and the project will end by building 34 new houses and duplexes that will be available to own. In all, teams will construct more than 300 units (a roughly 75 percent increase) by the end of 2024. The Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura and the BRIDGE Housing Corp. co-developed the area. In addition to housing assistance, the developers want to build sustainable infrastructure in the city and create community facilities that enrich the surrounding neighborhoods.

Woven through the 20-acre site are carefully designed green areas that complement the community. There will be more than two acres of programmed open space by the time the project is completed, nearly double than before. The redevelopment project also makes Westview Village Ventura County’s first LEED Neighborhood Development by largely emphasizing regulations and standards for environmental preservation and enhancement. Pacific Coast Land Design led efforts on the outdoor areas of the site.

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They began in the first phase of the project, incorporating a new “green” street that serves as a connection point between the different buildings. Called “Village Way,” the corridor is the project’s

primary open space and sits adjacent to other park areas. Village Way holds the majority of the green infrastructure and stormwater components in the complex. Phase one also brought a new park parcel that stretches three blocks. The park is broken up into different sections, or “rooms” that each serve unique purposes. There is an exercise “room,” a multi-sport court, a turf area and an outdoor dining and grilling space.

“This kind of infrastructure didn’t exist before,” says Eric Berg, a Pacific Coast Principal Landscape Architect. ”Knowing that it will enhance people’s use of the outdoors in an affordable housing community is huge. I think that’s the most important part of the project.”

Phase one will also bring a more passive, multi-use turf area and a play area for

THE EXERCISE “ROOM”

IRONSMITH TREE GRATES

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smaller children called the “Tot Lot.” The Tot Lot will have a hidden firetruck lane to give emergency vehicles access to the area, just in case. Another unique feature of the outdoor areas will be a community garden. Residents specifically requested this as planning teams were developing project designs. The garden will be adjacent to the outdoor cooking rooms, and an “edible landscape trail” will connect the two areas. Both the garden and edible plants on the trail will be available to residents. They can even attend gardening and food production classes that will be held on site periodically.

In phase two, a large playground will be built for families in the community. The team will also construct a central gathering space and an amphitheater.

The leading landscape architects used the indoor community areas to inspire plans for the adjacent outdoor areas. They hoped to create spaces that could be used in tandem. For example, outdoor spaces line three small indoor community rooms

and a larger public use area. The landscape team worked closely with engineers and architects for the overall project to align plans.

“There is a lot of interchange between the

architect and the civil engineer,” says Eric. “This is why I always claim landscape architecture is like a middleman between the buildings and the engineering of the land. We tend to bring more artistic and creative ideas to that world.”

The landscape architecture team also brought ecological perspectives to the project. Being a LEED neighborhood, sustainability is at the core of the initiative. The primary green infrastructure and stormwater management features are in Village Way, an interconnected system of pre-filtration planters to collect and filter runoff before it flows into underground holding bins. The planters sit along the parkways, placed strategically so they didn’t take up any parking spaces.

“They are essentially sunken planters that operate as a big pre-filtration network,” explains Eric. “We actually had good rains shortly after they constructed phase one and got to see it all work.”

Westview Village also utilizes a shared greywater collection and reuse system for landscape irrigation. Buildings collect wastewater from things like laundry, then send the water to adjacent park space and landscape areas, cutting down on potable water consumption by as much as

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25 percent. With this design, and other water use reduction efforts, the entire project will save more than 650,000 gallons of potable water each year.

“Stormwater is one of the things I love most about my job,” says Eric. “I find it fascinating. It’s a technical but creative way to incorporate natural systems into the everyday environment. Water in itself has so much potential to be damaging or helpful. Focusing on water maintenance is a whole new way of thinking about landscaping and is something I prioritize in my work.”

Another focus for the team designing the updated Westview Village is preserving trees. The original space had roughly 200 trees that stretched up to 80 feet tall. Since construction almost doubles the available residential space, many trees had to come down.

“We would have loved to save more trees, but unfortunately by the time our team started working on the project it was too late,” says Eric. “That’s the dilemma of landscape architects. We aren’t needed until we are, then it might be too late.”

For each tree that had to be removed, though, two and a half new trees will be planted in more appropriate areas. The trees help the stormwater management systems and bring comfortable shade that

minimize common urban heat islands.

Work on the intricate project will continue for several more years. After completion, the site will need maintenance teams that strategically care for the grounds and support the sustainable designs. Through this redevelopment project, Westview Village will provide housing options for nearly 300 families. The site has potential to drastically improve the resident’s lives as they enjoy safe and quality facilities— inside and out.

Get In Touch With...

P acific Coast Land Design, Inc

Ventura, California

Phone: (805) 644–9697 www.pc-ld.com

Engineers should get a landscape architect on board before they even position the buildings to help with the foundations , irrigation, heat management and all other outdoor aspects

SOCCER ON THE Roof

Middle-School Soccer Players Have A Rooftop Mini Soccer Field Thanks To Creative Turf Work

The kids at Prepa Tec Middle School in Huntington Park, California, can now take their soccer games to new heights. Located five miles from downtown Los Angeles, the school was designed in 2021 by Franco Architects with a specific goal—to add a synthetic turf playing surface on its roof because there was no room on the campus.

Joe Wadkins, aka “ASK JW,” Global Synthetic Turf Expert, designed the mini, rooftop soccer field and consulted/ installed the rooftop system with Turfscape Westside. JW is a pioneer in the synthetic Industry and a forefront creator of synthetic turf rooftop spaces. With decades of experience, he still gets excited when projects like this come to fruition.

The mini soccer field was constructed on top of a poured-inplace concrete slab that was immediately ready for

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placement of the synthetic turf field. The surface was sloped with a crown in the middle for drainage, which makes it easy for excessive rainwater to exit. Now, all the team needed was a way to get the materials up. They had to block off the surrounding streets and use a crane to move the materials to the roof.

A plastic composite nailer board was used at the perimeter of the field and secured with Superseam Pro 444 adhesive and concrete embeds. This was to contain the entire synthetic turf rooftop system and secure the synthetic turf from wind lift.

JW and the team placed a one-inch plastic composite grid called AirDrain under the turf, which elevates synthetic turf one inch to allow for fast drainage. This drainage grid is designed with a 92 percent air void, allowing air to circulate and water to pass through rapidly. The

grid contributes to shock absorption, which is important for any sports field.

The team wasted no time stretching, trimming, stapling and ballasting the synthetic turf over the grid and finishing the edges. They placed anti-microbial synthetic turf infill granules into the turf fibers to keep the fibers vertical and safe for everyone that plays on the surface. The infill also creates ballast (weight) to prevent wind lift to further secure the turf from blowing off.

JW and the Turfscape team completed the project in three days. The final step for the mini soccer field was to add nets around the top perimeter to keep soccer balls from being kicked off into the streets below.

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ROOFTOP BEFORE TURF INSTALLATION

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PAVING THE WAY

Four Materials To Elevate Hardscaping Projects

NATURAL PAVING Natural Stone Pavers

Natural stone, a premium product, can add immense value to a property and greatly increase the property’s resale value, as well as make outdoor living areas more functional and beautiful. The value in natural stone far exceeds concrete pavers, with its durability, ease of maintenance, beauty and permanence. Natural stone pavers are the ultimate choice for those looking to create gorgeous outdoor spaces.

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©Nicholas Gingold

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THE CASE FOR RECYCLED WATER USE

Daniel Smith Explains The Realities Of Recycled Water Use In Turf & Landscape

As a professional landscape water manager and contractor over the last 13 years, I’ve learned the realities of recycled water use for turf and landscape in both positive and negative considerations. The use of recycled water for landscape purposes has been highly researched, designed, implemented and maintained since its inception in Florida around 1977 and in California in the early 1990s. The use of purple to represent recycled water has now become an international standard to separate these water systems from potable and gray water. The public has responded well to its overall use for agricultural human consumption and landscape applications. The use of recycled water has allowed our large, lush California landscapes to continue to exist. In our warmer climates, irregular, ineffective and insufficient rainfall has drastically changed our approach to landscape and irrigation designs. Recycled water has helped many communities, schools, municipalities and homeowners’ association landscapes

YARDNEY MAXI-CLEAN SCREEN FILTER ASSEMBLY (ABOVE-GRADE)

survive extended periods of drought, while also keeping their total water costs significantly lower than if using potable water.

While the challenges with recycled water use are not new, the landscape industry has had to adopt new strategies, tools and specialty materials to offset the actual organic and inorganic makeup of this chlorinated water. Several recent industry changes have forced landscape architects, contractors and water managers to progressively reassess our design and material selection efforts to ensure the irrigation systems and plant health goals and expectations are met, while also meeting client expectations concerning the landscape and irrigation system’s useful life, general plant aesthetics and ongoing maintenance costs. While utilizing higher quality filtration methods than typically found on potable systems has been implemented since recycled water inception, other

technologies such as fertigation systems, automatic filtration flush systems and even soil amendments such as gypsum are now becoming standard operating procedures. With the introduction of highefficiency products such as dripline and rotary nozzles, the overall quality of recycled water is beginning to be further scrutinized, and expectations to improve the water quality concerning total dissolved solids and minerals are starting to gain traction among both the agricultural and landscape industries.

As landscape architects and water managers, we must acknowledge two significant factors:

1Recycled water, while challenging to manage, allows us to maintain large landscapes, athletic sports fields, school playgrounds and other green spaces despite our climate and locally imposed water restrictions.

2Until the technologies, funding and infrastructure are available to pursue desalination and/or reuse to potable water treatment processes, we must continue to utilize recycled water systems for agricultural and landscape applications while employing new technologies to allow the water to be most effective.

1 Yardney Maxi-Clean Screen Filter Assembly (below-grade)

2 Yardney Maxi-Clean Screen Filter with typical sand, silt and organic debris

Hunter MP Rotator Nozzle and Screen showing organic debris buildup

Lid of a basket strainer with significant iron/mineral buildup and corrosion

Lid of a basket strainer damaged by corrosive debris buildup

About Daniel Smith

Daniel Smith is the Director of Water Management at Park West Companies. www.parkwestinc.com

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LIGHTING THE WAY EmeryAllen | How Lighting & Color Temperature Can Play a Role in a Setting

Color Temperature is a term to describe the color range of lighting, but it is not something that many people know about or consider. However, it can be important to consider how much of a role color temperature can play in the setting and in the effect that one wants to create.

What is Color Temperature?

The color temperature of “white light” can be broken down into a range on the Kelvin temperature scale, based approximately on the colors of radiated light from a black-body (ie: anything hot enough to emit visible light). In this scale, anything above 5,000K is considered to have a cool, blueish color, while anything below 5,000K would be considered to have a warm, yellowish color. For an understanding of how accurately artificial light can be perceived relative to sunlight, take a look at the CRI or Color Rendering Index.

How Color Temperature is Created in LEDS

The diodes that emit light by default emit a cool blueish-white light. To “warm up” the LED, various amounts of a phosphor coating are applied to the diode, which yellows the emitted light to a warmer Kelvin value (typically 5,000K or below).

Choosing a Color Temperature

Bulbs in the 5,000K+ range have more of a blue-white hue to them and are better for focus tasks or to convey an alert or clean setting. However, you wouldn’t want to run these same cooler bulbs in the more relaxed setting of a restaurant, hotel room, lobby or living room. For these

areas, warmer bulbs in the 2,000-3,000K color temperatures would be preferred. Incorrect lighting can adversely affect the mood of individuals. Color temperature is setting dependent—and 100 percent subjective.

Consider

• Matching other lighting (outdoor lighting to match house lighting)

• Mood (dining outside vs. relaxing or socializing outside)

A bout E meryAllen

EmeryAllen is a premier LED manufacturing company located in Charleston, South Carolina. With over 30 years of experience in the lighting industry, we specialize in the design, development and production of highperformance miniature LED lamps for a variety of applications and settings both indoors and out.

Web: www.emeryallen.com

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A PROPER BASE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

ColdSpring USA Provides Four Methods for Paver Setting

Stone pavers can provide a long-lasting, durable and beautiful material for landscape designs in public and private spaces. However, the way those pavers are set can make all the difference.

If you want your pavers to last, a strong foundation is crucial. Pavers can crack or become uneven if the wrong paver base is used or it is improperly installed.

Understanding the differences in installation methods and what base to use in landscape paving is essential for a successful project. Ultimately, discussing your paving project with an experienced stone supplier will help ensure its successful completion and maintain its beauty and performance for many years.

It would be a mistake to think that you don’t need a paver base. Laying pavers without a base will lead to a disappointing outcome. If the pavers are unable to support the weight and pressure placed on them and have a lack of adequate drainage, the pavers will crack and deteriorate.

What is the Best Material to Put Under Pavers?

Many factors contribute to the right choice of base material and installation method, including geographic location, drainage requirements, planned use and more. Materials to put under pavers include mortar, sand, bituminous materials or pedestals.

PAVING JOINT SECTION

Should I Lay Pavers on Sand or Mortar?

This depends on several factors. The mortar set method is most popular and is typically used in pedestrian or vehicular areas where a rigid system is required. The joints are grouted as part of a mortar system. Mortar also provides a degree of flexibility to the setting bed, enabling the effective setting of large and irregular-shaped pieces. In many areas of the United States, mortar systems provide a long-lasting, highperforming setting system. Evacuating surface water is important in a mortar set installation, so proper drainage is important.

PAVING JOINT SAND SET SECTION

Can You Use Sand For a Paver Base?

Yes, you can use sand for a paver base. A sand set installation method may be best if a concrete slab is not an option. This system offers permeability and some flexibility.

What Kind of Sand Goes Under Pavers?

Polymeric sand may be used to fill the joints and reduce movement. Repair is usually easier and more economical than it is with a mortar system. Like other methods, uniform support of the paver is critical. If

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Craig Gerber

raise the bar

the water cannot properly drain from a sand set system and gets underneath the stone pavers, the liquid will eventually move the sand and create a rocking scenario, compromising the pavers’ durability.

PAVING JOINT BITUMINOUS BED SECTION

What is the Best Installation Method in Cold Climates?

The bituminous set installation method is growing in popularity. Since it is oil-based and less rigid than mortar, a bituminous set installation flexes and moves more easily with freeze-thaw cycles. Thickness tolerance of the paver is critical—a bituminous system does not allow for paver height adjustments like mortar or sand systems. Therefore, smaller piece sizes are a common way to accommodate this.

PAVING JOINT PEDESTAL SECTION

Which Installation System Should I Choose for Good Drainage?

Pedestal systems can work well in many environments because they do not rely on a mortar, sand or a bituminous setting bed. A pedestal set system, ideal for fountains and reflecting pools, feeds water through the paver joints, providing drainage beneath the surface of the paving. Depending on the paver size, pedestal set systems may require thicker pieces of stone than other methods, such as a mortar or bituminous set system. Pedestal set systems are often used in rooftops and plazas at the street level—anywhere draining or eliminating water is a concern.

THE CASE FOR Photography

Deborah Cole Explains Why Landscaping Firms Should Be Capturing Photos At Any Given Opportuity

As landscape professionals, we are visual people. We are almost hard-wired for imagination, but give us a clearly drawn landscape plan or detailed specifications with pictures, and we have hit the jackpot.

We know that 65 percent of the population understands information best when it’s presented visually. Because this is true, our messaging through images needs to be exceptional. It’s also true that a picture is worth a thousand words.

For this reason, it’s important to create superior visual documentation of the work we produce on a regular basis. Just as we schedule tasks on any project, we must also consistently photograph all projects and activities within the company.

Photos taken with our phone are quick and easy, but what also needs to be included in every landscape company’s toolbox is either a small digital camera (and someone tasked with using it!), or an ongoing relationship with a photographer who can help document the activities and outcomes of all work. The uses of images are limitless; however, a few are:

• Marketing Professional images of work that the company has completed can be used in print materials, on banners for trade shows, on signage for vehicles and trailers (rather than stock photos).

• Social media for outreach Smartphones work great for this. Regular postings on the company Facebook or Instagram accounts are easy, inexpensive and effectively communicate with the world telling all just how great you are. Photos should always be in a square format. Use free and easy editing apps to ensure quality and size.

• Social media for inreach

Staff and crews may appear to be camera-shy, but there is pride in being featured in company communications.

And if there are multiple locations, sharing what each is doing builds a sense of community.

• Newsletters/blogs

Photos in newsletters and blogs can provide information about what is currently “hot” leading to informed clients as well as new sales opportunities.

• National and/or state environmental improvement awards

What better way to acknowledge well-executed projects and honor those who produced them than to enter (and win) industry competitions?

• Training

How-to videos are useful as are still images of the preferred way to perform specialty tasks, equipment maintenance, and even sharing boo-boos.

• Recruiting

Images of productive, happy staff can be used in all information provided in recruiting booths and on websites.

• Website

Every website should be filled with photos of projects and especially with people—your people doing what they do so well.

• Education of clients and potential clients

Giving presentations through lunch ’n’ learns to current and potential clients positions you as an industry leader and allows your company to be the go-to for information. Our markets are hungry for information on how we do what we do.

Like all initiatives, there must be a plan and consistent execution. Ownership of a camera that lives in a drawer won’t get the results desired. Make smartphone captures a part of everyone’s mindset and either assign someone to be the company photographer or find someone who knows what you need and how to deliver it.

Documenting Project Progress

Irrigation Installation Process

About Deborah Cole

Deborah Cole is the founder of a commercial landscape firm with multiple locations throughout Texas. She now devotes herself full-time to speaking, writing and consulting. www.deborahcoleconnections.com