Water smart design

Rainwater Catchment systems

Graywater systems

Drip systems and smart irrigation

Rain gardens and bioswales

Flow Forms

Ponds

Drought tolerant planting

Mulching

WHAT’S A LANDSCAPE AUDIT?

Suppose you had a car that got 5 miles to the gallon of gas, needed a tuneup every Friday, broke down a lot, was uncomfortable, and really hard to drive. What would you do with a car like that? If you’re like most people, you’d get rid of it. After all, who needs a clunker?
Well, most landscapes are clunkers. They fall apart without constant attention. They consume huge quantities of water and other resources. They have to be tuned up on a weekly basis. They cost a fortune to maintain. And they often don’t even meet the needs of the owners very well.
Why accept this kind of poor performance from our landscapes? Why spend so much money and get so little in return? Why allow our landscaping to have a negative impact on the environment? The fact is, there’s no need for this sort of thing. A well-designed sustainable landscape requires little care, few resources, and is stable enough to last for generations. A sustainable landscape is good for the environment. It costs very little to maintain. And it offers many services to the owner and the community, such as food production, a reduction in energy use by modifying the climate around homes and buildings, production of oxygen, sequestration of carbon, bioremediation of pollutants, habitat for wildlife, and a lot more. A sustainable landscape is beautiful, useful, and easy to live with. There’s no downside, so it stands to reason that every landscape should be sustainable. But suppose you don’t want to invest thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in a whole new landscape for your property?
Well, there’s a simple way to get your existing landscaping running right, to boost its efficiency, reduce its demands for labor and resources, drastically lower the cost of maintenance, and improve both the appearance and the performance of the landscape.It’s called a LANDSCAPE AUDIT and it’s only available at Owen Dell & Associates. It’s fast, easy, and it much more than pays for itself. In fact, we guarantee it.

In a nutshell, a Landscape Audit is an inspection of your property and a set of recommendations for changes that will improve the way your landscaping functions. By implementing the recommendations, you can start to save money and enjoy better performance from your landscaping right away. A Landscape Audit is an inexpensive and quick way to get your property on track and running right.

Owen Dell & Associates has developed the only Landscape Audit of its kind. It’s an in-depth look at how your landscaping works. Not just from an environmental perspective. We also look at safety issues, plant health, hardscape, lighting, and a whole lot more. It’s like getting a complete physical for your landscaping. We also coach you through your new “fitness” regime so that you get real results. We can even help train your maintenance staff, provide you with cost/benefit analysis and cost tracking, and even supply a certificate of sustainability. We do Landscape Audits for single family homes, condominium developments, homeowners associations, commercial properties, and public landscapes. We work in California and beyond. Wherever there is inefficient landscaping, we can help.

LANDSCAPE AUDIT BENEFITS

HOW IT WORKS

INTAKE QUESTIONNAIRE

KUDOS FOR LANDSCAPE AUDITS

Ken Foster, owner of Terra Nova is the founder and director of this new business referral network.

Our Mission is to . . .
Grow our local green business community through networking and referrals.

Our goal is to support businesses with a focus on being green.

We have one representative of each category of (green) business. One painter, one building contractor etc.

Meetings are held weekly at Greenspace 1122 Soquel Ave. Santa Cruz, CA. on Tuesday mornings from 7:30-8:45 AM.

To learn more go to our Meetup website below.

Click here to go to the Santa Cruz Green Business Network Meetup site

Click here for full slide show of the first weekend of the Four Seasons Permaculture Design Course Santa Cruz 1.

Because a good neighbor fence just may be no fence at all.

The possibilities are only limited by your imagination! Redesign the entire backyard area. Remove backyard fences and gain backyard common space areas with pathways to gardens, playgrounds and picnic areas!

Contact us for more information. First come first served.
831-425-3514

Photos of the ‘N’ Street Co-op in Davis, CA. that took down their backyard fences and created beautiful and useful common space.

'N' Street Co-op Backyard common area, Davis Ca.

And here’s a video to make the point . . . ‘Don’t Fence Me In’.

TERRA NOVA ECOLOGICAL LANDSCAPING FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

Designing a regenerative culture depends on a harmonious relationship between nature and people, in which observation and thoughtful interaction provide the knowledge and inspiration necessary to being a resilient community. In this program we take the time to listen to the birds, follow the stories of the animals through their tracks and sign, use our hands to grow our food, learn about and practice the art of peacemaking in our interactions throughout and much, much more. Through the collaboration of theGetting Nature Connected program and the 4 Seasons Permaculture Design course, our intention is to provide participants with tools and experience to begin living in a mutually enhancing relationship with the Earth.

This two-part series is presented in Santa Cruz and takes place one weekend a month.
Each weekend includes:

Friday evening and Saturday: Getting Nature Connected, with Jon Young and staff
Sunday: Four Seasons Permaculture Design Certification course, with Lydia Neilsen and the RDI staff

You can register for one or both parts of the series. To register for Getting Nature Connected click here, or go towww.jonyoung.org. Register for the Four Seasons Permaculture Design course below.

Youth programs are available throughout the weekend! Click here for the First Child in the Woods program.

Good turn out, well done, Ken!