Susan Stiltz Landscape Design & Consulting

Fresno, CA
ph: 559-259-6955
treesusan@dishmail.net

Services

LANDSCAPE CONSULTATION

A new front walk helps guests feel welcome.

Landscape Consultation includes:
· A Site visit. I'll meet with you at your residence, find out what you would like your yard to look like and how you would like to use it and then discuss ways of achieving that.
· Advice on existing plants (removal, pruning, replace)
Suggestions for new plants. I'll bring my computer and show you pictures of plants that will achieve the look you want.
         Ideas on how to give your yard a fresh, new look
·        A scale drawing made on the spot with the ideas we discussed and plants that we chose from and left with you at the end of the consultation
·        Referral list of landscape professionals to implement the plan.

Consultations are $75 an hour,

and they usually take about 2 hours.

Let me help you create an interesting landsape that reflects your personality and interests.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Landscape design for new construction

For large or complex landscapes, I will draw a detailed blueprint-sized landscape plan that can be installed by you or by a landscape professional. The plan will include existing or new hardscape features (walkways, patios seating walls, etc.) and locate trees and other plants. It will include a complete plant list that gives the mature height and width of the plants as well as how many you will need and what size container to buy, a CD of pictures of the plants that are on the plan, and extra copies of the plan to give to landscape contractors for bidding purposes. I will also provide a referral list of landscape professionals who can install the plan.

Blueprints usually start at $500 for a typical urban-size home, but it depends on the size of the yard and complexity of the design. When we meet, I can give you a better idea of the cost.

OTHER SERVICES:

Irrigation timers -- I can set your irrigation timer or show you how to do it (most of them, anyway) and can evaluate your irrigation system for minor leaks or other problems.

Plant identification and evaluation -- I can (usually) identify the plants in your yard and give you advice on how to care for them.
BEFORE & AFTER
BEFORE: A small strip of lawn that required mowing & edging but was rarely used
AFTER: Much more visually appealing and fun to wander through, but low-water and low-maintenance!

BEFORE: Traditional front yard
AFTER: Dry-stream bed with Southwest-type plants
A year later --

Before
Colorful conversion
Another view - Newly planted
Tree Consultation
The right treescape provides cleaner air, much-needed shade, delightful scents and color and physical beauty that brings pleasure and well-being to all your senses. An improperly planted or pruned tree or one in the wrong place can be an eye-sore and cause significant, costly problems in the future.

If you have existing trees, I can evaluate their health and pruning needs and advise you on how to care for your trees.

For new landscapes, I can help you:
- Select the best trees for your yard
- Determine how far to place them from your house to get the most benefit from them while reducing potential damage
- Decide where to plant them to optimize the winter sun to heat your home and provide ample shade during the hot summer months to lower your air conditioning costs by as much as 30%
- As an ISA Certified Arborist, I will provide advice on methods and techniques to properly plant and prune your trees so they will provide all the benefits for which they are planted. I will offer advice on what to expect when your trees are professionally pruned.
WHEN HIRING A COMPANY TO PRUNE TREES, HERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW AND/OR ASK.
- When calling a tree-pruning company, check their ad in the yellow pages. Is “topping” one of the first services offered? If so, don’t hire that company! Topping is harmful to your tree. It destroys the tree’s natural shape, severely reduces the amount of leaves available to produce nutrients for the tree, and it opens up the tree so pests and diseases can enter. A reputable, knowledgeable tree company will not offer topping as one of its primary services. For more information on why topping is bad, go to the Plant Amnesty web site.
- The pruning company should be licensed and have liability insurance. Don’t hire a company that knocks on your door and offers you a great deal to prune your trees. Usually they are not licensed or insured, and they probably don’t know what they’re doing. They will ruin your tree, and you’ll have to pay them to do it!
- Tell the pruning company that you want your tree thinned, not topped. But tell them you don’t want it over-thinned. Most of the time, only dead, dying and diseased branches need to be removed. Specify that you want no more than 25% of the crown removed. If it’s overthinned, the branches are susceptible to sunscald and it reduces the amount of nutrients that the tree produces to survive.
- Ask for references -- and call them!
- Expect the pruning company to be professional and neat. They should clean up the work site completely. Don’t pay them until you have inspected the area and are satisfied with their work.
- If properly pruned, you won’t see a dramatic difference in the way your tree looks, but it will be healthier.