Living in Southern California, we have the luxury of enjoying the outdoors most of the year. Mid-Century designers recognized this and began designing homes with indoor and outdoor features that flowed seamlessly. The truth is, our affinity for outdoor living in a temperate climate goes...
Pools can be a dynamic and exciting addition to your landscape project. When considering your pool, form should always follows function. Ask yourself if your paradise will be for backyard entertaining or do you want to fitness focus for lap swimming? Maybe it’s a solid...
When considering a new landscape design project, there are some questions to ask yourself before you start your project. What are my parameters? Spend some time dreaming about what you would like in your landscaping project. Would you like to be water-wise? Install specialty lighting or water...
Artificial turf and putting greens are terrific way to lessen your water impact while increasing the beauty of your landscape. The use of a beautiful high end turf can save on maintenance issues like irrigation and week to week mowing while offering a convenient way...
The American Society of Landscape Architects recently completed a survey of its members to find out what’s on everyone’s mind regarding the different parts of a landscape design project. Interestingly, we learned “the top landscape and garden elements include native plants (86.02 percent), low-maintenance landscapes...
With our current heat wave it’s hard to imagine wanting to sit too close to a fire but once winter rolls around you’ll thank yourself for the forethought. A hardscape project in your yard often takes a bit more time and leeway than we often...
Specialty Illumination is a topic that is occasionally overlooked in landscape design. In fact, the lighting adds a level of beauty and sophistication otherwise lost in your architecture, especially at night. There are many ways specialty illumination will help your lights come alive. Through zoning and...
Summer is around the corner and the cool sunny breezes beckon us to open the windows and let the sun shine in; and longer days make it easy to want to spend more time outdoors. All this leads to looking at our outdoor environments with...
Make a master plan! Whether it is a curb appeal showpiece or a backyard sanctuary where you play, grow and relax that you dream of, don’t just slap a patio down here and a planter area there as time and budget allow. Think about your outdoor...
A permeable paver is any surface that allows water to seep into the soil. This eco-friendly idea keeps more water on your property by allowing it to percolate down into the soil while reducing run-off into our sewers and waterways. Consider creating a path with...
A landscape water audit can be a useful tool in evaluating the condition and efficiency of your current irrigation system. It can pinpoint areas of concern, leaks, faulty equipment and so on. With over 25 years of experience, Paradise Designs can offer water saving tips, recommendations...
An incredibly efficient way to save water is with a drip system irrigation. Netafim is our high-end choice for much of this type of irrigation. Oftentimes, with a properly installed system, we can save between and 30-70% water savings. Typical sprinklers can spray on your lawn...