Meet the Team: Cory Meyer, Certified Arborist

Meet the Team: Cory Meyer, Certified Arborist

Dec 8, 2021

How long have you worked at Madrone?
Since 2014. I met Rick when we were both volunteering for the Atascadero Native Tree Association (ANTA) circa 1990. I was working in parks for the City of Atascadero, and when I retired in 2013 Rick asked if I’d be interested in doing work for Madrone.

What is your favorite thing about working at Madrone?
It’s a great company to work with. The employees are committed to quality, and they care about the environment.

Over the years, Cory has stepped in for Santa Claus at Madrone holiday parties.

What do you enjoy most about your job/specialization?
I started getting into plants when I was about 21 years old. I grew to be interested in trees when I moved to Atascadero in 1985 because of the oaks around. Once I started volunteering with ANTA, I became really interested in preserving trees around the area. I really enjoy being able to preserve our oak woods in the area. Also, watching tree planting projects I’ve been involved with and seeing the growth of the trees I’ve planted over the years is very satisfying.

What is your favorite Madrone project and why?
I don’t know about a favorite. They are all interesting to me. I might be consulting on how a design or construction can least impact the existing trees in the area, troubleshooting trees that don’t look healthy and providing a diagnosis, or working around the oak trees. I love it all.

What is your favorite, or least favorite, plant and why?
Valley Oak are my favorite oak trees – they’re the largest growing oak tree in North America and they can last for several hundred years. My least favorite is the Ailanthus – the tree of heaven. It’s not a native and it’s extremely invasive.

What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of work?
I play a game called pétanque. It’s like bocce only it’s a French version involving tossing rather than rolling. Also, pétanque can be played on different terrains. I also like to volunteer with Atascadero Land Preservation Society (ALPS).

Give us a fun fact about you!
I have four desert tortoises as pets. The way that they can exist and hibernate through the winter without food or water is very interesting to me. They are very low maintenance and can live 80-100 years if property taken care of.

Our arborist services are available at any phase of your project – in design, during construction, or with maintenance. For more details, contact us at [email protected] or (805) 466-6263.

Coner Boaen Promoted to Maintenance Manager

Coner Boaen Promoted to Maintenance Manager

Oct 26, 2021

It was 2018 when we first introduced Coner Boaen to you. He had recently joined Madrone Landscape as a service technician and was running his own crew as a project manager for our construction team.

Fast forward three years and we’re pleased to announce Coner’s promotion to maintenance manager.

“It’s extremely gratifying to move Coner into a position of leadership,” says Rick Mathews, Madrone Landscape owner and founder. “Coner is known for his quality of work, communication, and professionalism.” Our clients appreciate his in-depth knowledge culled from 18 years in the landscaping service and construction industry.

As manager of our maintenance department, Coner focuses on client care and sustainable maintenance. Madrone has long been proud to go beyond simple mow and blow services, a philosophy Coner embraces. “From our Weekly Maintenance or Garden Detail Maintenance services to our Healthy Gardens option, Madrone focuses on plant health, aesthetics, and the effective use of water,” explains Coner.

A key to reliable service is the skillful supervision and training of our expert crews. A natural mentor, Coner regularly finds opportunities to train and educate his team on landscape maintenance practices and procedures as well as client service skills. “Just as every garden is different, every client has their own unique expectations for their garden and how they work with us. Our services deliver what an individual property or garden needs when it needs it.”

Learn more about our maintenance services. For more details, contact us at [email protected] or (805) 466-6263.

Partner Profile: Red Frog Compost Teas

Partner Profile: Red Frog Compost Teas

Oct 20, 2021

A long-time Madrone Landscape partner, Red Frog Compost Teas specializes in compost tea for soil and plant health. They ship worm castings, compost teas, and hydroponic and compost tea aerators/air stones nationwide and service farmers and gardeners around the world.

Owner Erik Gorham initially started the business to find natural fertilizer that would help his garden vegetables grow. His goal was to pack as many nutrients as possible into the fertilizer, helping “turbo-charge” his garden and ensuring the plants could use the soil nutrients. He met his goal, and soon people wanted to buy the product.

Soil cycle

Red Frog manufactures the compost tea blends with 24-26 superior ingredients, including worm castings, alfalfa meal, rock dust, Alaskan forest humus, kelp meal, volcanic ash, and amino acids to feed the soil’s bacteria and fungus. Humus and compost products further add to the microbial content to give plants the very best food sources. Red Frog’s line of compost teas includes a Premium Blend, Vegetable Blend, Bloom Blend, and mineralized and aged compost. The company produces all of these products in Templeton.

Red Frog has partnered with Madrone for almost as long as the company has been in business. “From the beginning, we’ve had a very close relationship,” explains owner Erik Gorham. He appreciates the culture that founder Rick Mathews and general manager Daniel Mazawa have created and values their feedback.

In addition to owning Red Frog, Erik also works as Madrone’s operations manager. Because Madrone was drawn to a natural way to promote healthy landscapes, Erik began working with the team to fine-tune his tea blends. He invited Rick’s input on the details and development of the product. “Madrone has given me a place to test things. I get to see how our products are working on a daily basis. It’s nice to get that feedback from Madrone and their customers.”

Compost tea application

Red Frog and Madrone regularly collaborate on a variety of projects and programs to promote healthy habitats for humans to exist. It stems from the business philosophy of both companies to treat all clients, vendors, employees, and the environment with the utmost respect.

Learn more about our maintenance program. For more details, contact us at [email protected] or (805) 466-6263.

On the Boards: Mediterranean Labyrinth Garden

On the Boards: Mediterranean Labyrinth Garden

Aug 31, 2021

This lush residential garden, located in Grover Beach, incorporates many curves and circles by using massive earthwork and retaining walls. Built on a complex and challenging sand slope, the landscape maximizes every square foot with artistic and intriguing aesthetics. Edible food forests, colorful Mediterranean displays, dry creek beds, and even a golf green bring this design into vibrancy, with new irrigation and a high-volume drainage system to keep the entire property functioning well. Three labyrinth designs are incorporated into the pathways; meandering paths to different areas provide a feeling of exploration and discovery. After extensive work and focused creativity, this inspiring space qualifies as a proper oasis.

Meet the Team: Tyler Ellison, Landscape Designer

Meet the Team: Tyler Ellison, Landscape Designer

Aug 30, 2021

Madrone extends a warm welcome to Tyler Ellison, who recently joined our landscape design team. With his functional and pragmatic approach, he fits right in! He is detailed yet practical in his designs, ensuring his fresh ideas are both buildable and unique. He loves meeting new friends, listening to their needs and experiences, and working alongside them to create a space they can enjoy and call their own. We look forward to tasting his homemade mac & cheese!

How did you end up at Madrone?
After finishing both the Landscape Architecture and MBA programs at Cal Poly SLO, I was looking to join a Central Coast landscape design company. I worked for around two years for a landscape architecture firm in San Luis Obispo. I have always been a designer and “maker” – so I jumped at the opportunity to work for a design/build company.

What is your favorite thing about working at Madrone?
My favorite thing about working for Madrone is people—both in and out of the office—and the diversity of opportunities it brings me as a young designer.

Sometimes I use Sketchup to help visualize design features and the feel of a space.

What do you enjoy most about your team/department?
I enjoy the unique strengths of each individual, and the various perspectives they lend to design and installation. Their feedback and crititique is a welcome challenge and completely necessary for any young creative.

What do you enjoy most about being a landscape designer?
I enjoy meeting new people and hearing their dreams for a space, and collaborating with them to design a space that is functional, unique, and beautiful.

I enjoy the sketching process starting out any new design.

I love the bold statement of a gold Bougainvillea, but also the softness of a variegated thyme along a path. I would consider Platinum Beauty Lomandra to be my favorite and most versatile landscape planting element. I unambiguously dislike Bradford Pear trees—massively overplanted, messy, susceptible to disease, and structurally weak, to name a few characteristics.

Photo of Platinum Beauty Lomandra from a favorite breakfast spot in Yountville, California.

What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of work?
Since my first art show in early 2020, I have continued to paint and sell art through an online portfolio, ellisondesigns.com. I love people, plants of all types, exploring new places, live jazz, brewing craft ginger beer, and developing a line of custom reclaimed wood furniture.

Give us a fun fact about you!
If landscape design doesn’t work out, you will find me opening a food truck that serves made-to-order macaroni and cheese and a variety of crunchy and savory toppings.

Ready for a landscape design and want to talk to a professional? Contact our landscape designers at [email protected] or (805) 466-6263.