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CK Landscape
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Pro Spotlight: Get a Gorgeous Landscape That Conserves Water
Lower your water bill and help protect the planet with these tips from a San Francisco-based landscape expert
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Who: Gary Cartwright of CK Landscape
Where: San Francisco
In his own words: “I love that our work allows us to contribute back to planting and our footprint is minimized — that we are contributing to the health of the planet.”
Conserving water doesn’t have to mean giving up a lovely landscape. “We can develop wonderful outdoor environments and living spaces without using too much water,” says Gary Cartwright, who owns CK Landscape in San Francisco. Passionate about sustainable landscaping, he and his team create beautiful landscapes with a zero-waste approach to water use.
Where: San Francisco
In his own words: “I love that our work allows us to contribute back to planting and our footprint is minimized — that we are contributing to the health of the planet.”
Conserving water doesn’t have to mean giving up a lovely landscape. “We can develop wonderful outdoor environments and living spaces without using too much water,” says Gary Cartwright, who owns CK Landscape in San Francisco. Passionate about sustainable landscaping, he and his team create beautiful landscapes with a zero-waste approach to water use.
Deep roots. Cartwright learned how to garden at his grandmother’s home near the Santa Cruz Mountains. “She raised me and taught me the organic relationships and systems between food, plants and people,” he says. “My kids literally grew up in this realm.” Cartwright turned that lifelong knowledge into a business, CK Landscape, which he operates with sons Matt and Alex.
Educate yourself. Sustainable landscaping differs between climates and even microclimates. “For example, rainwater storage doesn’t really make sense in California; it doesn’t rain enough to keep water over the summer months,” Cartwright says. “There are 23 different microclimates in the Bay Area alone.” Having traveled the world studying the subject, he recommends learning about your climate from a professional to understand your options.
Water conservation guidelines vary widely from county to county, so Cartwright encourages homeowners to check in with their area’s specific goals. If a lush lawn or a hillside of native plants falls outside of your sustainability targets, artificial turf is an excellent solution to fit your landscape to your environment and lifestyle. With a pristine look and feel and a focus on functionality, turf is especially family (and family pet) friendly. Plus, it requires limited maintenance and, best of all, no water.
Want landscaping that lowers your water bill and helps the planet? Read Cartwright’s tips below.
Water conservation guidelines vary widely from county to county, so Cartwright encourages homeowners to check in with their area’s specific goals. If a lush lawn or a hillside of native plants falls outside of your sustainability targets, artificial turf is an excellent solution to fit your landscape to your environment and lifestyle. With a pristine look and feel and a focus on functionality, turf is especially family (and family pet) friendly. Plus, it requires limited maintenance and, best of all, no water.
Want landscaping that lowers your water bill and helps the planet? Read Cartwright’s tips below.
1. Reclaim Your Groundwater
In many cases, your irrigation solution might be right under your feet. “Groundwater is often an excellent resource for improving your landscaping and conserving water,” Cartwright says. His team took care of a drainage issue in the Diablo yard seen here while using the ample groundwater to its advantage.
“By implementing French [underground] drains and the right-size water storage tanks and pumps, we were able to take the property entirely off the water grid,” Cartwright says. They also installed a fertigation system, which combines fertilization and irrigation, to improve the soil as well as plant health.
See more of this project
In many cases, your irrigation solution might be right under your feet. “Groundwater is often an excellent resource for improving your landscaping and conserving water,” Cartwright says. His team took care of a drainage issue in the Diablo yard seen here while using the ample groundwater to its advantage.
“By implementing French [underground] drains and the right-size water storage tanks and pumps, we were able to take the property entirely off the water grid,” Cartwright says. They also installed a fertigation system, which combines fertilization and irrigation, to improve the soil as well as plant health.
See more of this project
2. Install Hardscape Elements
Introduce more hardscaping to your landscape to save water. It’s also a good choice if your property has a particularly challenging landscape or if you just want to reduce your lawn-mowing time. Cartwright used this strategy to give a Lafayette family more outdoor living space, seen here, and a lower water bill.
“More hardscape and less softscape [planting] allowed for the ultimate family escape and outdoor kitchen environment,” he says. Featuring multiple levels and a mix of boulders, natural stonework and concrete, the space also includes a fire pit, pool, hot tub and Wi-Fi-enabled lighting system.
See more of this project
Introduce more hardscaping to your landscape to save water. It’s also a good choice if your property has a particularly challenging landscape or if you just want to reduce your lawn-mowing time. Cartwright used this strategy to give a Lafayette family more outdoor living space, seen here, and a lower water bill.
“More hardscape and less softscape [planting] allowed for the ultimate family escape and outdoor kitchen environment,” he says. Featuring multiple levels and a mix of boulders, natural stonework and concrete, the space also includes a fire pit, pool, hot tub and Wi-Fi-enabled lighting system.
See more of this project
3. Use Indigenous Grasses
Let native grasses take the lead for a more sustainable landscape, whether you have a large or small yard. Well-suited to their specific climate, native grasses need much less water than traditional turf. Clients in Diablo who love the look and feel of grass chose this eco-friendly alternative to cover nearly 7 acres of their property.
“They wanted to go with a sustainable option, so we combined some indigenous California grasses and boulders with grasses from other areas,” Cartwright says. “This approach complemented their surroundings and made a clean, bold statement that’s very easy to maintain.” The choice also substantially reduced the homeowners’ water usage.
See more of this project
More: For more information on CK Landscape and examples of its work, visit the company’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Let native grasses take the lead for a more sustainable landscape, whether you have a large or small yard. Well-suited to their specific climate, native grasses need much less water than traditional turf. Clients in Diablo who love the look and feel of grass chose this eco-friendly alternative to cover nearly 7 acres of their property.
“They wanted to go with a sustainable option, so we combined some indigenous California grasses and boulders with grasses from other areas,” Cartwright says. “This approach complemented their surroundings and made a clean, bold statement that’s very easy to maintain.” The choice also substantially reduced the homeowners’ water usage.
See more of this project
More: For more information on CK Landscape and examples of its work, visit the company’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Based out of San Francisco, and Danville, CA we are a family owned company with combined experience of over 72... Read More
Review by zettacomm:
We have worked with CK Landscape for over 10 years. They do incredible work. No matter the difficulty, I have seen Alex and his team provide amazing solutions that are breathtaking and beautiful that ...More
About those grasses on the hillside. We were sold the same bill of goods. BUT much depends on what the neighbors around you do. If they do not regularly have their properties treated for gophers, kiss the grasses goodbye and say hello to these hungry tiny livestock! If a property gets any wind at all, count on weeds growing around and into those grasses, this means time and money every year to bring a hillside (what's left of it after gopher invasion) back into some form of aesthetic. What you save in water bills is overwhelmed by what you spend on maintenance. Never again!