Boulder Fountain in Boulder Creek

Here is an example of a simple boulder fountain we just built in Boulder Creek, Ca.

A minimalist design gives this feature a very meditative feel.

Landscaping in Santa Cruz: Bonsai in the Garden

Asheville Landscaping: Japanese/ Bonsai Garden

I recently revisited a project we worked on a couple years ago to see how it has looking.

In this project we teamed up with a Bonsai artist to create a beautiful Japanese style garden. 

We installed a large pond and waterfall with a meandering stream that was framed with lots of stonework. We then accented the landscape with both potted and planted Bonsai trees. Some of the trees are nearly 400 years old!

Adding Bonsai to a garden gives a newly installed landscape an established look and feel.

Working here in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where this project was done, allows us to use a variety of plants and trees in the landscape. In the Santa Cruz Mountains we have a diverse selection of ecosystems, from Riparian corridors to Redwood forests and Chaparral hillsides.

With few days of freezing temperatures and the costal fog, we can play with lots of plantings in our projects. 

   Using potted Bonsai in the project gave the garden points of intrest to to stop and see as you walk through the yard.

We made Redwood pedestals for some of the potted trees to keep them out of the soil and aide in visual interest.

 Adding wood elements to your garden brings a wonderful harmony and contrast to the stone and plantings.

Along with the Bonsai Pedestals, we have a custom Redwood fence with a traditional Japanese Shoji entry gate as a backdrop. 

We also constructed a wooden bridge over the stream, and a Redwood viewing bench at the edge of the patio.

We added the planted Bonsai along the edge of the patio as an anchor and focal point to the garden.

Please visit our website to see more projects we have worked on in the Santa Cruz Mountains:

LivingWatersLandscaping.com

Or on Facebook:

LivingWatersLandscaping/facebook.com

Santa Cruz Landscaping: Pergola in Felton #2

We set the posts and lifted the beams today.

We shopped around the county to find some really nice Con-Heart  Redwood. We think it's not only a beautiful wood, but also a practical choice for this arbor. We had to wrestle with the Wisteria vines a little to get the beams in, but once we set them, everything really started to take shape. Check out these pictures & the ones below.

Santa Cruz Landscaping: Boulder Creek Koi Pond #4

Mugo Pine

Well, we finished up all the final touches on the koi pond, filtration system, irrigation and landscaping today at our Boulder Creek project just outside of Santa Cruz.

We had such a great time working on this project. Our clients are wonderful people, the job site has a beautiful view, and we were able to do some nice stone work, plantings, & other landscaping features.

Our clients were looking for a Japanese/ Asian style landscape design. This allowed us to install some nice features. A small Mugo Pine, Mondo grass, a red leaf Japanese maple and a Bamboo hedge were a few of the features.

The Bamboo hedge we planted near the entrance to the garden, has three different types of clumping Bamboo: A Golden, a Buddha's Belly and a purple stock Bamboo. These will grow together to give a beautiful display, as well as provide privacy in the garden. We chose clumping Bamboo because it will stay more contained compared to a running Bamboo. This is important for smaller garden spaces.

Entrance to the Garden

The Japanese Maple we planted will grow out over the Koi pond and give the Koi a little bit of shade in the hot summer months. Although it will shed its leaves in the fall, creating a little more maintenance, it will be a treasure to the garden and pond as it matures.

Some other features in the garden are, landscape lighting, statuary and a 650 pound Zen boulder that we placed strategically near the entrance to the garden.

My client has introduced 5 new Koi into the pond this week. They are all happy and well.

We will have some more work to do on the property this season, but for now, its off to the next landscaping project!