Our Californian Central Coast climate is unique and particular, shaped by drought-tolerant native plants and dry but beautiful weather. As professional landscapers, we understand the importance of planting flora that can live sustainably in our soils. Here, sustainability means many things—keeping water bills down, plants alive without fuss and unnecessary labor, the native landscape uninterrupted by any invasive species, and more—and does not undermine the beautification of your outdoor spaces.
This timeless video is just as relevant for central coast landscapes today as it was when it was filmed in 2009. Created by the Templeton Community Services District in cooperation with the SLO County Partners in Water Conservation, this ten-minute video walks through eight topics you should consider when creating a sustainable landscape. Hosted by Kate Dore and our own Rick Mathews.
Eight factors to consider when creating a sustainable landscape:
Planning and Design—know your site inside and out to ensure you start off on the right foot
Soil Type—before deciding on your perfect plant palette, make sure you know what your soil can sustain
Plant Selection—set your heart on the beautiful variety of native and Mediterranean plants that grow best in our area
Limited Turf Areas—a costly and management-heavy asset, it’s best to design for only as much turf as you need for your practical enjoyment
Mulching—organic mulch is the perfect solution for topsoil protection, temperature regulation, and weed prevention
Efficient Irrigation—an essential component to preventing time-intensive care and water waste, make sure your irrigation system is efficient
Hardscape Areas—these can be designed with sustainable and water-wise materials as well as potted plants and container gardens to beautify your walls and walkways
Maintenance—reduce maintenance time and costs by considering the speed of your plants’ growth, the cost of any new maintenance tools, replanting needs, and any possibility for your plants damaging your landscape if left unchecked
A redesign in Paso Robles at 10,600 SF, this North County backyard landscape creates a rustic modern outdoor sanctuary—befit for its owners and the home it surrounds.
This project redesigns the entire backyard, re-envisioning every space to include custom features like a live wall, firepit, and a new outdoor kitchen and dining area. It blends historic elements and flora native to the California Central Coast with these new modern features to create a comfortable, aesthetic balance.
The design includes points of interest and focal features such as a dry creek, raised garden beds, horizontal fencing, and landscape lighting. Stately oak trees create a canopy with moonlighting over the activity areas.
With all the custom elements in this project, there have been many details and revisions to keep up with. Communication between the install crew and the design team has been increasingly important with each adjustment.
From the design-build teamwork to the inspired design, this North County landscape is a wonderful example of creating an outdoor sanctuary with varied gathering spaces that are both functional and aesthetically beautiful.
Our mission is to create inspirational landscapes that cultivate the natural beauty of California’s Central Coast
Create in our mission statement refers to the entire design/build process. Design is often the first phase of Madrone’s services. Our initial consultations begin the process that will produce a plan. We work closely with our clients through give-and-take interactions to refine their original concepts and solidify the scope of work.
Create also refers to our work on site. Whether through planting, irrigation, or construction, all phases can be approached and implemented creatively and with innovation, artistic elements, and inspiration.
Inspiration originates from a personal state of mind and is unique, based on perspectives and influences. As a company of green professionals, we’re grateful for the daily inspiration we find in being able to promote and enhance the beauty and health of the Central Coast—culturally as well as biologically. It is an honor to help cultivate one of the best places on Earth to live.
We prioritize inspired creation in our approach to design/build landscaping. Madrone designers and field crews alike tap into inspiration by asking the following question about every single project we contract: What is the “stoke factor” of this job? Every project and client has them, and it’s our job to find and maximize that “stoke”—or inspirational factor—for and with our clients.
Landscapes enhance the effects of the sites they beautify, inspiring those who visit or inhabit them. One of the most common ways is through memorials to loved ones. Whether it is a tree planted in someone’s name, small, personalized elements, or dedicated gardens, these memorials can keep us in touch with our loved ones in the most beautiful and gratifying ways. Memorials can contribute to a sense of home or place and help create an Outdoor Sanctuary. Now more than ever, it’s important to create a personal sense of safety and comfort. Let your garden give you inspiration.
Cultivate helps emphasize both the physical nature of our work and our goals of promoting, protecting, and enhancing the natural beauty of the Central Coast. Development done incorrectly, whether commercial or residential, can impact and damage the environment. Our approach to landscaping seeks to recognize and understand development impacts and mitigate or avoid negative effects as much as possible.
California’s Central Coast provides one of the best climates for humans to live and thrive. As community members, we include a social component in our cultivation of life here. We strive to give back and have made doing so a practice. From building and dedicating gardens to contributing support for addressing social and cultural concerns, we believe it is incumbent on us to continue to earn our place as positive members of our community. Free enterprise includes the responsibility to give as well as the privilege to take.
It is with gratitude and determination that at Madrone Landscape, we are continuing our mission into a new year and beyond.
Landscaping is a living art that is first and foremost rooted in the natural canvases we are given. With the Templeton Vineyard Residence’s hilltop placement, we worked with sprawling views and gorgeous stone façades. Our job was to complement and balance those elements, bringing in texture and color to emphasize the natural landscape without blocking its stunning panorama.
Landscaping is a living art that is first and foremost rooted in the natural canvases we are given. With the Templeton Vineyard Residence’s hilltop placement, we worked with sprawling views and gorgeous stone façades. Our job was to complement and balance those elements, bringing in texture and color to emphasize the natural landscape without blocking its stunning panorama.
For this project, we installed planting, irrigation, and lighting, all of which had to be orchestrated to complement the location. With its unique location and design style—contemporary southern estate— we were able to use a different plant palette than what is ordinarily seen in North County.
Through strategic plant selection and placement, we aimed to soften some of the harder lines from the built structures without covering up the gorgeous natural stone façade. We placed some trees to frame views and used others in procession, drawing the eye across the landscape. Masses of short, flowering plants were placed before the view to the vineyard, adding color and interest to the foreground without blocking or detracting from the view. This vibrant swath of planting makes an eye-catching display, as the subtle, textural variations, tonal color changes, and seasonal interests create a softer effect that enhances the vista.
The home was designed by Isaman Design Inc. General Contracting by Mark Sullivan.
Some of our projects are intended for broader appreciation and aesthetics, while others are much more personalized. The Atascadero Woodland Retreat project was specifically catered to a more familial and hands-on finish with the client involved every step of the way.
Landscapes as a whole are meant to be actively enjoyed and cared for, which made this particular client’s requests exciting for us. This entire project was built upon the desire for an intimate space meant for interaction. With kids, pets, and the personalized intent of the space, we made sure that this landscape was one this family could make their own. Some of the design and construction leaned toward the traditional: paved paths, a large and intricate deck installation around their beautiful oak trees and fencing to keep kids and pets safe. But some of the project was quite innovative: rather than building out the collective vision entirely on our own, we provided planters with prepped soil and designated spaces for the clients’ own contributions and touches to the landscape.
This project required a lot of collaboration between the client, designer, and installation team, which in turn brought out the strengths of our design-build services. Thanks to the flexibility and easy communication created by our process, we were able to make well-informed design changes on-the-fly with the end result aligning with the client’s vision.
Ramiro “Romy” Hernandez is a driven leader and a skilled craftsman who aspires to get better at everything he does.
Romy has been a project manager at Madrone Landscape for 10 years and had decades of landscape construction experience before Madrone.
He is always jovial and looking to make people smile with a joke or a compliment. Even while having fun on his job, his dedication to doing quality work and working efficiently goes down to the minute. “Almost doesn’t count” is his famous catchphrase, because he is not satisfied until the job is done and done well. He takes enormous pride in his work and great satisfaction from a happy client.
His crew leadership is a comradery that transforms a group of people into a single body working seamlessly to complete the job. Romy’s character, discipline, and leadership have always been impressive.
After ten years, we are so proud he is part of our Madrone Family!
