| About JCMS - San Diego Landscaping |
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JCMS Landscaping is a provider of professional landscaping services in San Diego, we strive to make San Diego a beautiful place by doing business with integrity and creativity. JCMS Landscaping is family owned and operated company and the owners have over 40 years experience in the landscape industry.
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Choosing the right plants for an arid climate
Meet JCMS Landscaping - Steve Harbour
Company News
Featured Projects
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| Featured Article: PART II "Is your Landscape Company 'Green'?" |
JCMS Landscaping is committed to doing its part to help the environment. This is the second newsletter in a series of tips and ideas to bring awareness and action into our lives.
Being Green is not just limited to hybrids and recycling; being environmentally responsible means living a life of sustainability and integrity with the Earth. This means we all have to look at every aspect of our lives and take inventory on what we can change. This series will focus on aspects related to landscaping but the principles can be applied everywhere.
Issue # 2 - Plant Selection:
We live in a desert climate, where drought, wildfires and our increasing appetite for lawns and water consuming plants collide. How do we balance our landscapes to compliment, rather than consume, our limited resources? Plant selection is a crucial step in changing the way we not only use water, but think about water and its relationship to water. (See our first article on Irrigation Techniques and Water Conservation for more information on the distribution of water in the landscape).
When people visit from out of state, or even from Northern California, I am always surprised to hear that most people don't think of San Diego as being in an arid climate and usually have no knowledge that water is a resource that is limited here. The usual thoughts of San Diego include the lush Zoo, beaches, palm trees, green spaces, lawns everywhere and golf courses, all of which are manmade and taxing to our water resources. We can make a responsible choice when choosing appropriate plants for our landscape instead of choosing large lawns, especially in the front yard or where the lawn will not be used for recreation. A change of attitude will go a long way in saving water.
Jesse Cryns
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| "Making a 'Green' Landscape with Less Water" |
The drought tolerant landscape does not have to look like a barren patchwork of sticks, twigs, and thorns. Most of California lies within one of five regions on earth with a mediterranean climate, all wonderous areas that are home to a plethora of native plant species. These plants are the camels of the plant world, having evolved to survive drought and thrive on modest seasonal water. The weather patterns of these five regions - California, Central Chile, South Africa, parts of Australia, and the countries rimming the Mediterranean Sea - vary somewhat. In fact California is the only mediterranean climate that regularly experiences no rain from late spring into fall. But the climate and weather patterns, as well as the latitudes of these areas, are very similar. From these common conditions, plants have evolved as distinct species that form the backbone of small drought-tolerant gardens and sprawling water-conserving landscapes today.
A few personal favorites from the mediterranean regions:
- Arbutus unedo. This tree is great structural plant for the landscape, originating from the Mediterranean basin. It resembles California's own manzanita. But mazanita grows very slow and often dies in poor draining soils and spray irrigation while Arbutus unedo does well in our landscapes. Commonly known as Strawberry Tree, it grows into a small to medium tree, exhibiting small light pink flowers and decorative fruits. Better yet, hybridizers have crossed Arbutus unedo with Arbutus menzeii, our own madrone tree of Northern California. The result is an offspring named Arbutus 'Marina', a handsome tree resembling Arbutus unedo, but with striking red bark.
- Aloe species. Landscape succulents are in vogue now; nurseries are having a difficult time growing them to keep up with demand. Several dozen aloe species are available for landscaping, nearly all of which make good landscape accent plants. Originating mostly from South Africa, the rosette-shaped aloes have succulent leaves and shoot long spikes of bright orange, red, or yellow blooms. Aloes look good all year and often bloom in late fall or winter when not much else is showing flower. The most widely known aloe is Aloe vera, commonly called Medicinal Aloe for its renown healing abilities in treating cuts and burns. But many other aloe species are better looking in the landscape. Try low-growing Aloe saponaria, which only grows 12-18" in height and spreads into clumps rich with bloom. Bushy Aloe arborescens is the classic sea-side aloe which grows to 6'-8' in height and shoots spectacular spikes of orange blooms in winter. A few aloe species have even evolved to grow as trees with bare trunks supporting branches of rosette aloe leaves. Try Aloe dichotoma, commonly known as Tree Aloe, as a definitive accent tree. Many other aloe species can be used in the landscape as well, in the ground or in containers.
- Fremontodedron. Flannel Bush rates as possibly the showiest of all California natives when in bloom. This bush grows commonly in the chaparral of Southern California. It will stop traffic on our backcountry roads in spring, when it is awash in golden-yellow blooms, each flower about three inches across. It can certainly turn heads in home landscapes as well, but can be difficult in poor soils and will not tolerate much supplemental water during California's dry months. There are several hybrids available in the nursery trade. In the right spot, it is an outstanding showy shrub.
- Maytenus boaria. This graceful weeping tree from Chile resembles a small Weeping Willow and serves as a dramatic accent beside a pond or stream. It looks at home in nearly any setting, even in a Oriental-style garden. It thrives in well-drained soil and generally grows to about 20 feet in height, although it can grow taller. 'Green Showers' variety is best for home gardens. The tree is not commonly grown here but makes a definitive, sculptural landscape statement.
- Grevillea species. Grevilleas make fascinating additions to drought tolerant gardens. Many of the over 250 species originate from Australia and are perfectly suited to growing in water thrifty landscapes. With one exception, the most popular landscape species and varieties grow as shrubs with fern or pine-like foliage and bizarre, pincushion flowers resembling proteas. The exception is Grevillea robusta or Silk Oak, which can grow into a tree of fifty feet or more in height. The most widely grown grevillea shrub is Grevillea 'Noellii', with pine-like leaves and small pink and white flowers. Yet many species of grevillea are as showy or showier, with more introductions and hybrids being introduced yearly.
The plants listed are just a hint as to what plant species can be used from the mediterranean climate in landscapes that are both design-worthy and water wise. The thousands of plants originating from these five regions will help create gardens that skimp on water but not on style. Call JCMS Landscaping for tips, design ideas or an estimate on getting started with a drought tolerate landscape.
By Steve Harbour
JCMS Landscaping
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| Employee Spotlight - Steve Harbour |
Steve Harbour has worked in landscape/horticulture for nearly 30 years. He began working in the nursery industry in 1979 while attending college at Sonoma State University where he received two Bachelor of Arts degrees. He is a California Certified Nurseryman #2375 (20 year) and a former Certified Arborist. Steve began designing residential landscapes thirteen years ago while working as design consultant for Anderson's La Costa nursery. In the past five years, Steve has won fifteen landscape design awards, including Best of Show at the 2003 San Diego Home and Garden Show, the 2004 Horticulture Magazine Award for dramatic landscape design, and the CLCA's Design and Build Award in the estate category in 2007. Steve enjoys plant collecting and gardening in his spare time, specializing in roses, flowering perennials, cacti and succulents, and fruits and vegetables.
Steve Harbour is currently working for JCMS Landscaping doing project consulting and estimating and small design projects. Steve can be reached by calling the office at 858 569 4199, going to our website at www.jcms1.com.
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| Company News |
New Baby! Congratulations to Gabriel Cryns on the birth of his son Ashton last month!
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| Featured Projects |
Please see our portfolio for full set of pictures (click here).
Mt. Hope Cemetery in San Diego, CA
JCMS Landscaping has finished retrofitting the City of San Diego's Mt. Hope Cemetery with an automatic irrigation system.
Robert's Residence in Encinitas, CA
JCMS Landscaping has finished a backyard makeover. Project included a new pool house and pool built by Meridian, a General Contracting firm by Elizabeth O'Connor, a new Unique Lighting System, Travertine decking and unique mix of Mediterranean and English Garden plants.
Courtnage Residence in Solana Beach, CA
Large project was a complete remodel of the landscape, including front and backyard. Project featured Unique Lighting, a new BBQ, Glass Wall, Interlocking Concrete Pavers, Decomposed Granite Pathway through a drought tolerate garden with amazing views of the Pacific Ocean.
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| Get An Estimate... |
From residential to large commercial projects, JCMS Landscaping covers the San Diego area...
 Give us call today at 858.569.4199 to dicuss your landscaping needs. JCMS Landscaping are proud members of the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA), San Diego Better Business Bureau (BBB), San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, Symbiot Landscape Network, American Backflow Prevention Association (ABPA) and the Pesticide Applicators Professional Association (PAPA).
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