Designing a Gathering Space for the Central Coast Landscape

Designing a Gathering Space for the Central Coast Landscape

We enjoy the outdoors year-round on the Central Coast. Sunny winters and mild summer evenings are almost the expectation, so our landscapes aren’t just a beautiful space to look at; they’re a beautiful space in which to live. Whether you’re hosting dinner with friends or looking to enjoy an evening outdoors with the family, you want to get the most out of your outdoor living space. 

Here are a few good points to think about as you begin to envision a new outdoor gathering space.

 

Take note of special existing features. Good designs take cues from context; on the Central Coast, oaks often define landscape features. Or, maybe there’s a slope that can be used to create a sweeping seat wall or a rock outcrop that can play into the form of the hardscape edge. How will the gathering space relate to gates and fences, doors, and perhaps most importantly, the kitchen? Do you already have a special spot in your yard, and will converting it to a gathering space enhance its distinctive character? Outdoor gathering spaces are often situated in a specific context, providing strong clues to answering design questions.

Consider various options. You may already have a vision for how the space will look, and it may be the best solution. Think through all the options before you begin. What if the space were tucked into a different corner, on a raised redwood deck, as a sunken rock-studded fire zone, with a custom pergola integrated, or with a soft, sweeping vegetated edge. 

Consider the potential for built-in features such as fire pits, barbecues, fountains, refrigerators, coolers, sinks, seating variations, screening, and more. Planting, which often provides the smooth transition or soft edge from hardscape (such as concrete or pavers) into the larger landscape, plays a vital role in defining and elevating a space.

Design for your best use of the space. Consider how exactly how you envision the space being used over time. Be realistic, and think long-term. Here are six questions to get you started.

  • Do you need space for a cafe table for two or three, or a dining table for all the kids and grandkids? 
  • How likely are you to need shade over the space? 
  • Will you be using it primarily in the morning or the evening? 
  • How accessible does your gathering space need to be from the kitchen, indoor living spaces, or the primary bedroom? 
  • Who will use it most frequently, and will they be reading a book in the evening shade or soaking in the midafternoon sun? 
  • Does a pool deck or bocce court also fit nearby, and how does the gathering space fit into other long-term landscape goals?

Of course, if all these questions seem a bit overwhelming to tackle, you might consider hiring a landscape designer. Gathering inspiration online definitely helps to lay out a vision. Still, a professional landscape designer will help turn solid ideas into plans on paper, the first step toward an installed landscape. The more complex a project, the more potential for a designer to help streamline the process.

Interested in talking to us about your gathering space? Contact our landscape designers at [email protected] or (805) 466-6263.

Partner Profile: Dorman Hydroseeding

Partner Profile: Dorman Hydroseeding

For Charlie Dorman, work has always been about doing what brings him joy. Discovering the emerging process called hydroseeding was literally an answer to Charlie’s prayers. He had wanted to start his own business, and after a preacher encouraged him to pray specifically for his question, Charlie prayed for a job where he could work outside and see new places. Three days later, a friend asked if he wanted a job hydroseeding. The job meant more pay and overtime, and Charlie made the move. 

A few years later a friend wanted to invest in a business. They found a barely used hydroseeding machine. “It was a little rusty on the outside, but the inside looked brand new,” recalls Charlie. “We bought the machine and a used truck, put it all together, and we started our own business.” He remembers his first job was on Cinco de Mayo. The year was 1978. Six years later, Charlie bought out his partner and the family-owned and operated company now provides lawn seeding and erosion control services for public and private clients throughout San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Monterey Counties. 

Hydroseeding is the process of mixing the seed type into what is called a slurry. Charlie begins with shredded wood fiber mulch which is scientifically ground to specifications. The mulch has a vegetable dye in it that is a carrier for all the other ingredients (fertilizer, Ecology Control M-Binder tackifier, and other additives). It’s all combined with water and blended in a tank with agitators to form a slurry that is then pumped through a hose and sprayed onto the ground to establish vegetation and control erosion. By keeping the seeds moist, they can germinate, and after five to six weeks, you can give the grass its first mowing. 

As the longest applicator on the Central Coast (maybe in California), Charlie has his hydroseeding family and Madrone Landscape among them. He and Rick Mathews go “way back” (he estimates probably not 40 years, but definitely over 30). He reckons they’ve collaborated on dozens and dozens of projects. “It could be more than 100,” he postulates. “If we had only done three jobs per year, which would be a low average, that’s 90 right there.”

Charlie enjoys working on the “really cool jobs” Madrone designs like wineries, houses, and ranches. Typically, the project involves restoration work and putting things back to nature. “When you move the dirt and change the grades of soil, you have exposed soil,” he describes. In consultation with the premier supplier of native seeds, Madrone designs a mixture that will fit the habitat. “Some days we’ll do several different mixes at one location,” says Charlie. 

When it comes to identifying what is unique about Dorman Hydroseed’s 30+ year relationship with Madrone, Charlie points to the company’s trustworthiness. He considers it uncommon in today’s world. He also appreciates how organized the company is and the great people he works with. 

Interested in talking to us about your landscape? Contact our team at [email protected] or (805) 466-6263.

On the Boards: Atascadero Oasis

On the Boards: Atascadero Oasis

Designed to succeed in the Atascadero climate, this Mediterranean-style oasis provides ample space for play, multi-functional entertainment features, and the tropical airs of the lush plant selections. The 7,000 SF design-build project is shaping up to be an inviting retreat for family and friends.

Its multi-purpose entertainment spaces include a pool, fire feature, outdoor kitchen, and reduced-footprint lawn that transitions to a patio. The custom kiva fireplace wall is built to warm colder nights and cozy up the recessed seating area just past the pool and mountable movie projector screen. The outdoor kitchen and bar seating make for picture-perfect socializing and party hosting.

Chock-full of fun elements and smooth transitions, this thoughtful and cohesive landscape is sure to be a delightful retreat for both family and guests.

Interested in talking to us about your landscape design? Contact our team at [email protected] or (805) 466-6263.

On the Boards: Elegant Central Coast Retreat 

On the Boards: Elegant Central Coast Retreat 

Set in the rolling Atascadero hills, this 2.5-acre property is undergoing significant architectural renovations and a landscape transformation to achieve a family-oriented space for fun and relaxation. Planned as a family vacation home on the Central Coast, the new guest quarters, pool, and significant landscape improvements maximize the space near the house and infuse an elegant Mediterranean character to enhance the refreshed architectural style.

Using a colorful central planting palette and strong native transitions, Madrone designed a bold and beautiful setting. Features include a fruit orchard, a fire pit nestled into the front slope, redwood veggie beds, all new irrigation, a central pool deck and patio layout, planting throughout, stone walls, two water fountains, various seating areas, a bocce court, and semi-formal pathways through undisturbed zones.

Madrone has coordinated phased landscape improvements with the architectural firm, Isaman design, to transform large portions of the parcel. Phase 1 installation is already underway, where we are installing a dozen fruit trees near the rear of the property and a native plant screen at the front.

Interested in talking to us about your landscape design? Contact our team at [email protected] or (805) 466-6263.

Six Bird-Friendly Natives for San Luis Obispo County

Six Bird-Friendly Natives for San Luis Obispo County

Plants to Help Create a Bird-Friendly Habitat

​We often think of bees and butterflies when we’re landscaping—as well as drought-tolerant and native planting—but what of birds? Native, bird-friendly landscaping brings impactful benefits to more than just a residential landscape, they also support San Luis Obispo County region’s ecosystem and create protection and food.

By visiting California’s Audubon site, you can plug in your email and zip code to receive a long list of plants that are both native and bird friendly. You might also use the California Native Plant Society’s Calscape plant search, where you can put your location and check the boxes on what you’re looking for in order to find just the right plants for you.

Among all the bird-friendly plants in the Central California region, here are six of our favorites:

Eastwood Manzanita

Arctostaphylos glandulosa

We are big fans of manzanita! It also made our list of top plants for the Central Coast winter garden. There are several varieties of manzanita, from shrubs to trees. This species is best planted in sun or part shade, this Manzanita variety is found all along the western coast – from Baja to Oregon. It is drought tolerant, with white to pink flowers and reddish-brown berries. It may attract mockingbirds, jays, vireos, thrushes, and wrens.

Toyon

Heteromeles arbutifolia

No bird-friendly list would be complete without this perennial shrub. Native through the western part of California and the Sierra Foothills, Toyon is well known in the coastal sage scrub plant community. Toyon produces bright red berries and is also known as Christmas Berry and Christmas Holly. It is very attractive to butterflies, birds, and mammals alike. Mockingbirds, robins, and cedar waxwings are particularly drawn to this evergreen.

Cardinal Catchfly

Silene laciniata

A bright, perennial herb that vines through surrounding plants to show off its colors, the Cardinal Catchfly flourishes in partial shade and may attract orioles, waxwings, warblers, and certainly hummingbirds and butterflies. Drought-tolerant and easy to care for, its small splashes of vibrancy are a charming addition to any landscape.

Cream Bush

Holodiscus discolor

Cream bush is a shaggy, deciduous shrub called “ocean spray” for a reason. Bursting with cascading white clusters of flowers from early spring to late summer, its blooms then develop a tan that lasts them through the winter. With a faint, sugary scent and thick growth, cream bush provides cover for birds as well as fruit and nuts, attracting cardinals, chickadees, sparrows, and finches, among others.

Deergrass

Muhlenbergia rigens

The volume and character of deergrass makes it a popular plant for height and charm, with tufted, silver-green to purple foliage that makes it one of the most beautiful bunchgrasses for our region. Its summer seeds attract birds like finches, nuthatches, grosbeaks, and sparrows.

Silver Lupine

Lupinus albifrons

A gorgeous, prominent flowering shrub, Silver Lupine thrives in dry environments and attracts everything from bees to vireos. Silky and evergreen, it flowers in every season save fall. Its nectar is loved by hummingbirds, warblers, mockingbirds, orioles, and others.

Interested in a bird-friendly landscape design? Contact our landscape designers at [email protected] or (805) 466-6263.