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LA CANADA LANDSCAPING

This landscaping project in La Canada began a number of years ago. The owner had bought the property which had a nice two story house sitting on an acre or so of land. The land was roughly divided into two levels – the main level that contained the house and swimming pool and the lower back level which was fenced off with a wire fence partially covered with weeds and vines.

The weeds started at the fence and continued back from there. The owners had already spoken to one landscape designer who had apparently come up with an incredibly complex plan. They needed to find a company that could give them something a little more practical. There were two young children in the family who needed space to run around and play.

Our initial plan involved a general cleanup of the property first. It moved on to addressing the needs of the children as well as the desire of the owners to entertain. This resulted in the construction of a multi-purpose concrete play court at the rear of the property which had basketball hoops, a paddle-tennis net and an area designated for play equipment – swings, a fort and that sort of thing. A large lawn was included and shrubs and trees were planted to start the process of providing screening from the adjacent properties.

A new concrete driveway (the circular kind that allows driving in and out without turning around) was installed along with much nicer planting and a lawn for the front yard.

The patio was addressed next and a barbeque was built in along with a shade structure so people could come over and be entertained. There were some other details taken care of at this stage, but generally, this concluded phase one.

A few years later, the swimming pool was remodeled and a large water feature was added to this. The children were a couple of years older, but still young and the biggest hit was turning out to be the concrete play court. While it was used for some basketball and paddle-tennis, the main use became skateboarding and other creative things involving lots of chalk on the concrete and various types of balls of their choosing.

Several small projects were undertaken here and there over a number of years, then eventually the kids outgrew the play equipment and the area was ready for updating. Since the area was some distance from the house, a unique patio was designed so people could relax and have a special destination. The patio was enclosed on three sides with lattice to give it a cozy feeling and a bridge was built of brick to provide access to it over a reflecting pond. It is quite unique and turned out to be one of the most popular spots on the property.

Sometime later, another patio was built out on a hillside to allow the distant view of the city to be taken advantage of. The main pool deck was redone in flagstone with brick trim and another water feature was built inside the original covered patio, bringing the total number of water features to four. Most of the original garden planting was holding up well and the trees had grown up considerably by this time. Some new flowering plants and shrubs were added as well as some flowering vines. The lighting system was updated to more modern brass fixtures. With all this time going by, the kids are now in college. The property has come a long way. And, according to feedback, it is one of the nicest properties in the entire area.

Bruce Larsen
Larsen Landscape
Simi Valley, CA