Summoning the Tropics With Water-Sipping Plants
By Gina Dostler
Visionscape Inc. of Laguna Beach recently earned nine beautification awards from the California Landscape Contractors Association, a trade group. Owner Ruben Flores reveals how hard work and thoughtfulness brought him the top award for his endeavors on a Laguna Beach home.
 Q: Rising above the challenge of landscaping a four-tiered home brought you yet another award. How did the project begin?
A: When I heard that the owner of this residence decided to rebuild the property, I jumped in there to get a piece of the action. The architect had the initial rendering and we took that, embellished it, and made it more incredible. This great piece of property sits high up on a bluff with a large parcel of land that spills onto the beach. The inside of the home is a gorgeous contemporary Balinese. Very strong lines and open clean architecture with honey color woods, fabrics and rattans to complete the atmosphere. It also has an outrageous view of the ocean.
 Q: Such Zen qualities. How did you landscape to match?
A: It was a tough project. The top of the home, at street level, is really deceiving. It looks like an innocent one story home, but around back it stretches all the way down. At the top you want to keep plants lying low so views aren’t obstructed. So we designed a tropical Balinese style landscape utilizing semi-tropical plants that grow in an arid climate. Our choices consisted of plants with large, strong leaves, succulents and dry palms versus Hawaiian palms and orchids. Utilizing broad leaves brings a tropical feel to the area. Another trick for bringing in a tropical feel without actually using very many flowers is to use the color in leaves – as in this case red and bright chartreuse leaves. The whole garden becomes full of colors and textures found in the tropics but instead with water-wise plants.
Q: You’re very conscious of neighbors and their concerns.
A: You know, you just can’t get bogged down with all that goes on with every project. Got to stay happy and make it all work out. A neighbor had a wary eye on a tree we had planted. I told her it’s all good. The tabebuia tree has beautiful pink trumpet-shaped flowers and smells like chocolate. Is that not a wonderful delight to have nearby? And it’s a very malleable tree so it can be trimmed low to 10’ high and about 10’ wide to keep from obstructing any views. Needless to say there was a nod of approval and all went well.
 Q: The landscaping in the back is incredible.
A: This is where I got to use my expertise. Because there was an existing staircase, an old wood one, we could keep a staircase in the design. From experience, I knew the best way to get that meandering feel to a staircase is to throw the wood down the hill and see where they fall. It looked like we threw a bunch of toothpicks down. At the top of the hill looking down we could picture how the steps would undulate across the hill. So we started to put them in one by one, 180 stairs made of pressure-treated redwood so we could put directly in the soil without rotting. I made sure there were points of interests around the staircase, a sitting spot under a tree with built in banks and benches to give it a leisurely feel, not a daunting trek up or down. One spot we put shale where you can sit and stick your toes in it, an earthy yet clean natural feel.
 Q: What kinds of plants did you use for the back hill?
A: First off, installing the plants was no easy task. We had to bolt ourselves in place with ropes and work through about an acre of land. But on the way down the slope we planted kangaroo paws, lions tail, California lilac and coyote bush, all mixed in with succulents, agaves and aloes. It is definitely a drought tolerant slope. And their deep root base is great for erosion control yet doesn’t over power the landscape, leaving a very natural look. The beach front slope, south winds and drying sun all make it a challenge to keep plants alive, so a major concern for us was salt. Salt and sun burn the leaves. To remedy that we installed traditional head irrigation instead of one that drips to be sure the salt washes off the leaves.
Q: What other features did you include?
A: Oh, this house has great features, three terraces off the back. Dog runs down the sides of the home where we installed more shale just for them to do their business with views of gorgeous plumeria and giant birds of paradise. At the bottom of the stairs, we placed beautiful lime stonework and boulders that come right off into the sand. And we craned in some New Zealand trees to help screen out the view from the upper balcony to the neighbor’s yard. That was a bit terrifying, watching a tree go over a house, the operator guided through it only by walkie-talkie. But the trees look beautiful and their foliage the perfect coverage. I didn’t miss a beat.
Q: You just got back from Cabo San Lucas.
A: My heart goes out to the people there and the devastation created by Hurrican Odile that leveled residences and local neighborhoods. There still is no electricity, running water or phone service in many areas. To help with this tragedy, I set up a Cabo Relief drop spot at Laguna Nursery for anyone to drop off supplies such as canned food and clothing that we will be transporting to Cabo in the following weeks.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Ruben Flores
Visionscape, Inc.
823 Van Dyke Drive
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
949-494-0123
www.visionscapeinc.com
