Spanish Revival Archives - Cleator Landscape Design of San Diego

Cleator Landscape Design is proud to announce that we again have been featured in San Diego Magazine. The article titled “Treasure Trove” shares the story of a beautiful Hacienda style home and its residents. We were fortunate enough to have designed the landscape with the help of landscape contractor Matt Lindholm of Lindholm Landscapes. We will share some photos of the completed project in the coming months as the beautiful yard continues to mature.

If you would like Cleator Landscape Design to design a creative outdoor space for your home, please contact us at 619.917.644

For any of you who missed our article in San Diego Magazine here you go.

Also we wanted to thank all of our clients and supporters for a another great year and to a prosperous 2016.

When you are in need of tile for your Spanish Revival home here is San Diego the first and only place to go is Tierra Y Fuego. They have the widest selection of tile with a Spanish influence, everything from the more traditional to slightly modern. The showroom and customer service is outstanding. The were also kind enough to showcase one of our designs on their website, its a beautiful water feature we designed for a project in Carmel Mountain. http://www.tierrayfuego.com/andaluz-tiles-ceramic-tile.html . Take a look and I am sure you will find the inspiration for your next tile project. If you would like to have Cleator Landscape Design create a tile installation for your property please contact us at 619.917.3644

Cleator Landscape Design is proud to announce that we are featured in the December issue of San Diego Magazine’s “Ask the Experts” section. Please take a look as it’s an honor to be included in such a fine local magazine.

http://www.sandiegomagazine.com/San-Diego-Magazine/December-2015/Ask-The-Pros-Design-Secrets/The-Landscaper-Jeff-Cleator/

Here in San Diego we are facing another heat wave only a month after we received more rain then ever recorded in the month of July. Things are all mixed up and if the scientist are correct we are in for even more changes. They are saying that a strong El Nino continues to build in the Pacific and its looking like Southern California will be slammed with heavier then normal winter rains. However that in no way means that we are in the clear and the drought is a thing of the past. We would need years of above average rain to offset the deficit so one strong winter is unlikely going to fix the problem, also as we know weather is never guaranteed. Here are a few scenarios that could leave us even higher and drier.

Big El Nino storms hit Southern California but miss Northern California where we store a large percentage of your states water supply in reservoirs.

The storms that due arrive are too warm and fail to increase our snowpack. Snowpacks provided 1/3 of our states water and that water is released more slowly as it melts which is better for us and the environment.

The “blob” as its been called is a huge mass of warm high pressure air that has been sitting off the west coast for years (causing our current drought) and redirecting storms away from us could block El Nino sending them east and away from us.

Despite the highly likelihood of heavier then normal rains forecaster for this winter we cant, go back to our old ways of tropical plants and large lush lawns. Southern California is a desert with a ever-growing population all trying to get their share of a dwindling water supply. We need to understand that weather patterns are changing and we need to use whatever water supply we have in a more responsible way no matter what this winter holds for us.

If you would like to have Cleator Landscape Design create a drought tolerant landscape for your property please contact us at 619.917.3644

Water features are a great way to tie a landscape together, but how best to do that during a drought like the one we are experiencing here in San Diego. Water features (fire elements as well) are great at bringing people into a outdoor space and helping to get them to stay and linger a while, they don’t need to be elaborate but they do need to be water conscience. Gone are the days of wild abandon when it comes to water features (think Niagara Falls in your backyard) now we want to use water sparingly. A simple recirculating basin, pump and timer connected to water tight urn or natural stone basin can do the trick. Placing such an element in the sight line from indoors or the entrance into the outdoor space along with nearby seating can help entice further exploration. Be sure to match the size and style of water feature to your home and landscape. Not only will you benefit from the addition of a water feature to your outdoor space but so will local birds.

If you are interested in having Cleator Landscape Design create a personalized outdoor space for your home, please contact us at 619.917.3644

Here in San Diego we are all aware of just how expensive home are and with such a premium we need to utilize every square inch to its maximum. So no mater the size of your yard you can transform that space from a under utilized cracked concrete slab for example into an extension of your home with some creative idea. Some quick points to remember are to envision how you want to use the space and how that would pair with your homes style. Then think about what areas you might need to open up or screen off. When it comes to plant and material selection take extra care for they need to be well thought out for each one will have a greater impact then it would in a larger landscape. Don’t forget to look to design accents that will help bring it all together with the home and help draw you into your new outdoor space. These pointers along with a handful of other(we cant give it all away) will help you in creating a small outdoor space that will live larger then it really is.

If you are interested in have Cleator Landscape Design create a outdoor living space for your property please contact us at 619.917.3644

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I know it doesn’t feel much like winter at the moment despite what the calendar reads, but its still nice to know that even during our brutal San Diego winters our gardens don’t need to be a bore. Winter interest can come in many forms but the one that suits us best here in our Mediterranean climate is color. Aloes are a surefire way to do just that, yes other kinds of succulents and herbaceous plants will bloom this time of year but consistent showoffs are the aloes. From the common Aloe arborescens to the larger Aloe Goliath to the much smaller Aloe maculata, aloes bring a burst of reds, oranges and yellows to your landscape when many plants aren’t at their best. Along with the benefit of color you will also be providing a real treat to our local hummingbirds which love the intense blooms of these superb drought tolerant plants. So when it comes to designing a true xeriscape year around garden, don’t fail to included a few aloes for the will surely brighten the bleakest of San Diego winters days.

If you are interested in creating a drought tolerant outdoor space, please feel free to contact Cleator Landscape Design at 619.917.3644

Landscape design is an extension of our homes, and that couldn’t be more true then in San Diego.

The style of your home should set the style for the landscape, for either to reach its potential they must work in harmony. If you live in a Spanish revival home your landscape should work to compliment the rustic beauty it possess. Modern architecture with its clean lines should have a landscape that reflects its “controlled restraint”. While a loose open beach bungalow looks most at home in a carefree landscape of grasses and the sweet smell of summer.

Now with that said there are no hard and fast rules, but look around at successful landscapes in magazines and online and you will often see a strong correlation between the style of the home and its landscape.

If you would like to have Cleator Landscape Design help create a landscape that is inline with the architecture of your home, please contact us at 619.917.3644

Spanish Revival

Cleator Landscape Design featured in San Diego Magazine

Cleator Landscape Design article in San Diego Magazine

Cleator Landscape Design feature on Tierra Y Fuego

Cleator Landscape Design featured in San Diego Magazine

San Diego’s El Nino is unlikely to end our drought

Water features in drought stricken San Diego landscape designs

Landscape Design San Diego

Winter interest

Landscape design and how to tie it into the style of your home