Ecological landscape specialties
Edible Gardens
Whether it’s a traditional vegetable garden that is dedicated to a particular area in your yard, or a landscape that weaves vegetables, fruits and herbs throughout your garden, creating edible gardens are some of our favorite projects here at Equinox. Well designed edible gardens combine beauty and artistry with practical foods that homeowners love to eat. Perennial herbs provide ongoing culinary delights year after year. Fruit trees bring beauty, texture and seasonal shade to your landscape. Vegetables, such as artichokes and kale add gorgeous foliage and provide you with an abundance of vitamins in your diet. All of it can save you hundreds of dollars in grocery bills a year.
We have studied how to design and maintain edible gardens and know from our experience that the secret to growing a bountiful and vibrant garden lies in the combining of vegetables and fruits with herbs, perennials and flowers. Done properly edible gardens attract beneficial insects, repel destructive insects and create the ideal environment for each edible to thrive. Give us a call when you are ready to get your edible garden underway.
Rainwater Harvesting
Free water falls on your property every rainy season. If your landscape is like most, this water is ushered off the land into storm drains and sent to surrounding creeks, streams or rivers and eventually into the Bay, taking with it toxins like car oil and pesticides which pollute our waterways and kill marine wildlife. When the rainy season is over, you then pay for water that is treated with chemicals to get sent back to you to water your landscapes. Seems wasteful doesn't it?
Rainwater harvesting captures rain for on-site use, free of a monthly charge and free of chemicals. It can be done with Earthworks or with water catchment systems. Earthworks, (see below for a full description,) keeps rainwater on the property so that it can soak into the soil and raise the water table, thereby diminishing the need for irrigation. Rainwater catchment uses the downspouts from rooftops to catch and store rain in tanks (above or below ground) for later use. Harvesting rainwater creates a more sustainable source of water for landscapes and when stored can also serve as a source of water in the case of an emergency. Rainwater harvesting can save you thousands of dollars in water bills over the years while simultaneously conserving a valuable resource.
For more information about rainwater harvesting, visit www.harvestingrainwater.com.
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Earthworks
Earthworks is an ancient strategy of directing and collecting rainwater through the topography of the soil. It is the foundation of a sustainable landscape, as it supports a system less dependent on outside water sources. Earthworks incorporates the use of swales, berms and basins, contour plantings and vernal ponds to slow water, spread it out and sink it into the soil. It can be the cheapest and most effective way to slash water bills, reduce the use of nonrenewable water supplies, decrease down-slope flooding, and improve water quality.
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Rain Gardens
While the term rain garden may conjure up images of ponds and waterfalls, a rain garden is actually a garden that is designed to capture run-off from impervious surfaces such as parking lots, roof tops and patios and filter contaminants through its soil and plantings. A rain garden can be a beautiful addition to a landscape with many benefits: it cuts down on the need for irrigation, helps raise the aquifer and reduces the amount of pollutants reaching creeks, streams and the Bay. Rain gardens are planted in a depression (anywhere from 4” up to 2’ deep) and use a mix of native flowering perennials, grasses and shrubs that are low maintenance and increase wildlife and biodiversity. Root systems from the plants help filter toxins as water slowly percolates through the soil layers. Installing a rain garden can be one of the easiest, most cost-efficient things you can do to reduce your contribution to stormwater pollution.
For more information about rain gardens, visit www.raingardennetwork.com.
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Native Gardens
Plants that are native to Northern California are truly sustainable choices for landscapes. They are fully adapted to the soil and weather conditions, and have co-evolved with the surrounding wildlife. Though many people think of California natives as drought tolerant, there are a wide variety of natives that span the many microclimates of the region. Some require more water, like those from riparian corridors and wetlands such as California Rush, Leopard Lily, and Sedge. Others require less, like those from the desert and chaparral such as Ceanothus, Manzanita and Sedums. If planted properly in a landscape, they can require no additional watering after the first two years in the ground. Additionally they attract beneficial insects, birds and butterflies, create habitat for these creatures and add nutrients to the soil.
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Lawn Conversions
Fifty to sixty percent of fresh water in California is used for landscape irrigation, most of which goes to keep lawns green. Many cities and counties now offer “cash for grass” rebates for replacing existing lawns with native or low water use gardens. Converting a lawn can save hundreds of dollars in water bills and simultaneously help create biodiversity.
Replacing a lawn does not require hauling old sod to the dump. Existing lawn can be covered with sheet mulch and planted. Sheet mulching consists of layering compost, cardboard and mulch to block out sunlight and kill the lawn. The sod slowly composts with the cardboard over time, regenerating the soil with nitrogen. New plants can be planted right into the sheet mulch, which instantly gives them a layer of mulch that helps keep moisture in and weeds out.
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Food Forests
Food forests are gardens that are designed by using multi-leveled canopies of plants and trees to take advantage of varying sun exposure. The upper canopy is made up of nitrogen-fixing trees, such as Mimosa trees and Locust trees.
The middle canopy consists of fruit and nut trees. Underneath is the edible shrub layer that includes bushes like blueberries and Chilean guavas. An edible vine layer can include kiwis, grapes or runner beans. The ground layer is covered with edibles such as strawberries and chamomile. And lastly there is a bulb layer with plants such as garlic and onions. The canopy creates shade that help prevent weeds from growing. No soil is left bare.
Plants in a food forest are grouped into guilds that assist each other. Each guild consists of four types or plants. Nitrogen fixers take nitrogen out of the air and send it into the soil, making it available for use by the surrounding plants. Dynamic accumulators are plants that send their roots deep into the sub-soil and extract minerals such as calcium, drawing it up to the topsoil. Insectary plants attract beneficial insects and pollinators which are critical for food production. Mulching plants drop their thick leaves onto the ground, creating a natural blanket for plants and adding nutrients to the soil. Food forests are a healthy ecosystem of edibles that is self-renewing, self fertilizing, and when mature, self-maintaining.
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Edible Gardens | Rainwater Harvesting | Earthworks | Rain Gardens
Native Gardens
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Lawn Conversions | Food Forests
