SunflowerDESIGN

09/23/2024

Low water. Low maintenance. Lotsa butterflies.

07/07/2024

Utility alley WAY off square between 2 modern homes.

01/03/2021

January 2021: Here's a progress update on a really fun landscape project that is almost finished. We hope to be done by March 2021. We added or are working on the following: Accoya deck with LED step lighting; waterfall and stone walkway around an existing pool; a small pond; outdoor kitchen; steel walls and raised beds; and a really big hawk! The new plants need a haircut, but they will look great by May.

03/09/2016

Our plant-balanced natural swimming pools and dozens of ponds are located in lots of settings. Every single time, wildlife shows up long before we finish. Frogs show up. Butterflies, dragonflies, birds, good snakes, unicorns, et cetera - they all show up! Even in places where it's really dry. I think they pop out of rocks when they sense water. I'm pretty sure that's what happens. We add Gambusia to eat mosquitos, and mosquito populations are decimated. That and a few other tricks make your water feature maintainable. Bring in Nature, and stay safe!

12/21/2015

A common perception is that rain emanates from the sky – whereas in fact, it emanates from the ground. Rain falls (or ceases to fall) because of what is growing on the ground. If there are no lush forests, green foliage or ground cover…rain will not fall. – Fukoaka 1985

09/23/2015

zero runoff works!

Keep that rainfall on your garden with tips from Sunflower Design ecological designer Adams Kirkpatrick. See how to make berms and swales and rain gardens to...

08/16/2015

Here's an Aquaponics system that we designed as an advanced hybrid system. It was designed to be connected to rainwater harvest, and to a natural swimming pool with amazing filtration, and to a 7-layer food forest. Also, here are a few graphics to explain the concept. The cost per pound of food of a good Aquaponics system is very low. Water use alone can be cut by up-to 90%. The upfront costs and maintenance are not for everyone, but you can put together a DIY system from scrap for next-to-nothing. Pro Tip: Start small!

08/16/2015

People often raise an eyebrow when we say this, but... YES!, Buffalo sod works great in shade. You have to prep it correctly, and you have to pull weeds until the thatch builds up. Other than that, you only should mow it once per year, and you only have to water your green lawn once per month. Not a bad trade off for a bit of up front work. This version doesn't like foot traffic, but there is another version that takes lots of traffic... It's called Turfallo.

08/16/2015

Best. Shower. Ever. = Rainwater! It's great for gardens too. Rainwater systems cost less than bringing water lines to your country home, but the ROI v. Municipal is not great...yet!
Did you know that every home and building can make its own utilities? Using both efficiency and a few key systems, we can create grid resilience by creating millions of neighborhood grids. Perhaps utilities can lease-to-own rain harvest, wind, battery and solar systems, where appropriate, instead of spending $300-$500 billion needed to repair municipal systems.

08/16/2015

Installing LED lights is surprisingly easy. Okay, this part isn't as easy as putting the lights in the yard. LED's use very little energy to light up your yard. This system turns on when the sun goes down and turns off shortly after midnight. Other systems have lots of "bells and whistles" to light up your space. We recommend downlighting, which simply means: point all of your light fixtures toward the ground to avoid light pollution. It's an art form to downlight and to also hide bright bulbs from view.

08/16/2015

Nice Agave!

08/16/2015

We design & install ponds and streams, as well as salt and natural swimming pools. The scupper was carved from the base of a dead cypress tree that we found at a shopping center. They were surprised when we asked to remove a dead tree for free...