What does “sustainable landscaping” actually look like?

People often think that sustainable or drought tolerant landscaping means drab and barren - or just cacti.  The reality is quite different.  Sages, fescues, buckwheat, olive, agave, manzanita, penstemon, poppy, yarrow, dymondia, and all sorts of low water grasses are all fair game.  No matter the style of your home, we can design a drought tolerant, low maintenance yard to enhance any style - from lush Mediterranean to mid-century minimalism to desert xeriscaping - you can truly have it all.

What does “habitat forming” look like in a yard?

Habitat requires space for small creatures and microorganisms to find food, shelter, and water.  The more biodiversity your yard has the more it’ll thrive.  

The way that you care for your own piece of earth has a profound impact on wildlife, people, and the climate.   The National Wildlife Federation defines it as a place for wildlife to have food, water, cover, places to raise young, and sustainable practices.  What this more practically looks like can vary depending on the style of your landscaping.  It can be rock piles, dead or dying wood, ponds, berms and hedges, mulch, or just companion planting native plants.  All this brings everything  from birds, bees, worms, insects, butterflies, lizards and everything in between to the yard.

What sorts of plants do you use?

Depending on the design, most of our plants are drought tolerant and, ideally, native.  Some of our favorites include: white sage, Cleveland sage, foxtail agave, rosemary, aloe, California buckwheat, toyon, yucca, manzanita, and fuchsia.  

What is xeriscaping and how is it different from native landscaping?

While these approaches to landscaping are similar, xeriscaping has an emphasis on minimal maintenance - usually featuring extremely drought resistant plants (such as cacti) and rocks.  Native landscaping is a more holistic extension of the sort of plant life that already (or ideally) exists in your specific area.  But don’t worry - we do both types of landscaping!

Do you do landscaping maintenance and repairs?

Not at the moment but please reach out and we can recommend some landscape maintenance contractors.

What about irrigation?

We prefer to use as little irrigation as possible in our designs.  Once established, many of our designs need very little watering.  Many of our clients opt to hand water their yard - which translates to about watering with a hose once a week for about 15 minutes.   Hand watering also allows the natural ebbs and flows of an environment to exist.  Many yards, even drought-tolerant ones, are over watered and become dependent on the steady drip of water.  Roots grow deeper with more intermittent, deeper waterings.  That being said, certain designs work very well with drip irrigation.  

How long does it take to redo my yard?

Depending on the scope and scale, it can range from one week to eight weeks.   If we are waiting on any city rebates it can vary but typically the approval is within a week and the rebate itself gets sent out a month after completion.

How much does it cost?

Depending on what you are hoping to do, and the size of the space, a new yard can cost anywhere from $5,000 - $100,000.  If you’d like to take advantage of the Long Beach Lawn-to-Garden (or similar) program, that can currently give you a rebate of $3.00 per square foot plus a $1500 design incentive.  Meaning you could get $16,500 back from the city to help fund your dream yard.  There are various other programs in the South Bay Area as well that can help get your project done.

Does Heyvern Landscapes do non-drought tolerant or traditional landscaping?

Yes -  but we will try to convince you otherwise!