Tag Archives: Water saving

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The solution for all of your Orange County Landscape needs.

We are a licensed and certified landscape company that installs everything from sprinklers to sod, and patios to pool decks. We are known for professional concrete and hardscape installations, custom patio areas, and excellent landscape maintenance. If you need a trusted company to transform your outdoor area, call us today for a free estimate at

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Water Saving Tips for Orange County Landscapes

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5 Water-Wise Tips for Orange County Landscapes –

Orange County landscapes

Did you know that 60% of the water used by the average home in Orange County is for landscapes? We will give you 5 Water-Wise tips for Orange County landscapes. By hiring the right landscape company, you can save thousands of gallons of water a year, which means more money in your wallet!

Tip 1

Just by irrigating at night or early in the morning, you can save up to 5100 gallons of water per 1000 square feet of landscape per year! This number is based on irrigating twice a week in Orange County landscapes. Water evaporates at a much higher rate during the day than it does in the evening, sometimes as high as 50% higher!

Tip 2

The most efficient way to irrigate is by drip irrigation! You have no over-spray onto sidewalks or streets with drip irrigation. The average sprinkler head uses 2 gallons per minute, so if you have 10 sprinklers per valve, you are using approximately 20 gallons per minute. If 3 of those sprinklers are over -spraying the sidewalk, you’re wasting 6 gallons every minute! If that sprinkler system is running 2 times a week for 10 minutes, you’re wasting 120 gallons a week. Drip lines go right to the base of the plant. Drip lines can be used on grass too. Recent studies show that a drip line under a lawn for 10 years had 95% of its emitters still working. An efficient drip line installed in Orange County landscapes can save thousands of gallons a year.

Orange County landscapes

Tip 3

Install drought tolerant plants in Orange County landscapes! The important part of this advice is “drought tolerant”, it doesn’t mean cactus or native scrub brush. There are plenty of plants that can survive on a small drink of water a couple of times a week or even less than that in Orange County landscapes. FREE Tip – After installing these plants, mulch your planter down. We install an average of 3” inches of mulch on landscape planters. It doesn’t matter if you have new plants or an old landscape, mulching holds moisture into the soil and it helps controls the weeds in.

Tip 4

Eliminate grass when possible! Green grass does add great value to a water-wise landscape. We’re just saying you don’t need a football field in your yard. A professionally designed landscape can provide some small areas of grass in a balanced landscape. Even small areas of Synthetic turf will provide a green drop for your landscape. Synthetic turf will save water all year round in Orange County landscapes.

Orange County landscapes

Tip 5

Add hardscape! We know the first thing you think of is a concrete jungle. Once again, with the proper design, an elegant Flagstone patio surrounded by drought tolerant plants will set your landscape apart from all of the others. A very popular trend right now is installing concrete, pavers or Flagstone with spaces of dirt surrounding them. This helps break up the hardscape and allows the water a way to run back into the dirt. Contact your local water departments for rebate information.

TRU Landscape services is a landscape company located in Orange County. We have been in business for over 25 years. We like to say “if it’s outside, we do it” If your looking to save water, Please call our office 1-866-487-1359

Drought Resistant Plants

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We’re sharing a big “landscaping secret” today. Here are some plants TRU Landscape uses in our Drought Tolerant landscapes. We’ve found them to be readily available from our suppliers in the Orange County area, and hardy against the California drought.

Mexican Feather Grass, Variegated Society Garlic, flax (Phormium), White Lantana, Purple Lantana, Queen Anne, Spanish Lavender, Red Kangaroo Paw, Yellow Kangaroo Paw, Fountain Grass, Rosemary, Dwarf Brown Flax, Blue Fescue, Salvia, Statice, Mexican Bush Sage, Bird of Paradise, and Daylily.

The plant photos were found through Google Image Search and we do not own the rights to them except where noted. They are displayed here for educational purposes.

Free Estimates on Drought Tolerant Landscapes

If it’s time to overhaul your landscape and save some water, call TRU Landscape today for a free estimate.

1-866-487-1359

With drought resistant plants, water efficient drip lines and a smart timer irrigation system, you’ll save instantly!

Orange County Drought Resistant Plants

We use these drought resistant plants primarily because of their availability in Orange County and overall hardiness. Just a quick glance at the photos above proves that you can save water and still have a beautiful Orange County landscape.

Whether you want to limit water usage or totally overhaul your lawn in favor of a drought tolerant xeriscape, TRU Landscape can help you out! If you want to retain your lawn, TRU Landscape can revamp your sprinkler system. We low-water precision sprinkler heads and satellite timers to ensure your lawn is being well watered. If you’re looking for lawn removal, TRU Landscape can install mulch, drought tolerant plants, and hardscape.

If you’re considering totally revamping your yard, check your local water service for information on Drought Tolerant Landscaping Rebates.

If you would like more information on our Orange County Landscape Services, call or fill out our quick quote form.

How to Have a Beautiful Low Water Landscape

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Orange County Drought Tolerant Landscaping

Trying to save water during the California Drought? Here’s one family’s story of how they drought proofed their landscape. It started with calling a licensed landscape contractor. TRU Landscape Services understands the particulars of Orange County drought tolerant landscaping. As an Orange County landscaper for over 25 years, we’ve seen the effects of the drought and know what plants will survive well. Keep reading for more ideas!

Drought Tolerant Landscape Orange County

Save Water Using a Mulch landscape and Drought Tolerant Plants

Landscaping in Orange County California is different than landscaping in other less dry states. Our landscaping company is constantly aware of potential loss from sprinkler systems. Drainage and landscape grades also contribute to water loss. In rainier states, you don’t need to be as cautious of every drop of water.

Don’t worry! There are so many ways to reduce water loss and create a drought tolerant landscape, even in Orange County. Our story begins in a small front yard with dry grass and an ugly wall.

The dry front yard before drought tolerant landscaping installation

Drought Tolerant Landscaping

One of the major ways to drought proof your landscape is by removing your lawn. If you’re lawn is dry and patchy, there are two solutions. The first, is to receive a sprinkler system tune up with a water smart ET Satellite Timer! We use trusted Rain Bird sprinkler timers. The other option is to remove your grass and opt for a xeriscape like this family did.

Many water districts in Orange County will actually give a drought tolerant landscape rebate for grass removal! The water savings will be very noticeable. Instead of a sprinkler head spraying a wide area of grass, drip irrigation can apply just the right amount of water to each individual plant. Mulch or wood chips retain water and keep the soil around the plants from drying out.

Spanish Lavender is a drought resistant plant

Orange County Landscape

There’s something special about an Orange County Landscape. It’s different than a New England Landscape, or even a San Francisco Landscape. Here in the OC we have a climate that’s warm year round, with palm trees and bright flowers. Near the beaches unique plants grow naturally. We also have the unique desert landscape around us.

Installing a drought tolerant landscape allows your yard to work in harmony with the climate of our region. Grass does not grow naturally in most areas of the OC, but other beautiful plant varieties do. There are many options for zone 9 landscaping.

Low Water Sideyard Orange County

Xeriscaping in Orange County

What is a “xeriscape”? Xeriscaping is landscaping that reduces or eliminates additional water consumption from irrigation. Even native plants need a little water, so we always install drip irrigation into our low water landscapes. Still, xeriscaping can be achieved as long as water use from irrigation is reduced.

Drought Tolerant Plants

Over the years, TRU Landscape Services has had success with many varieties of hardy, drought resistant plants. We are able to recommend just the right plants for your existing style of landscape. If you have a tropical style landscape, there are low water plants that will still look great in your yard. Flowers and plants of many different colors can grow happily even during the drought.

Water Saving Landscape

Beyond grass removal and drought tolerant plant installation, there are other ways to save water. Your lawn may be too big! Your plants may be too abundant! There are ways to maintain the beauty of your softscape and reduce its size. This family decided to install a paver walkway to fill out their side yard. The interlocking pavers are beautiful and reduce the size of the lawn and planter beds. Pavers are a perfect footpath. This area is given an old world, Mediterranean feel.

Before the interlocking pavers steps were installed

Before the pavers installation

Other hardscape installations can also help to reduce water use. Extending your driveway to fit other vehicles or RVs is one option. It can reduce your lawn size and still look great! Tiered planter beds break up your landscape visually and allow for more focused areas of planting. A fire pit or other fire feature can become a focal point in your backyard without taking up anymore water.

Custom pavers steps!

Pavers replace yellow grass

Synthetic Turf Installation

Do you love the color green? Are you unwilling to give up any more of your lawn? Do you need a safe, clean place for your children and animals to play? Then Synthetic turf installation may be the low water solution for you!

This family didn’t install any synthetic turf, but it’s a great option for drought tolerant landscaping. You’ll be surprised how natural American Made synthetic turf looks and feels in your back yard. Our expert synthetic turf installation comes with an 8 year warranty. For the person who wants a green lawn without the water usage, a modern synthetic grass installation just makes sense.

TRU Landscape Services – Orange County Landscape Contractor

There are many ways to have a beautiful low water yard. If you’re considering Orange County Drought Tolerant Landscaping, call our office for more information at 1-866-487-1359

Seal Beach Landscaping pt 2 – Softscape

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Eager to see the finished product? Scroll down to the bottom of the blog for a YouTube video that summarizes this Seal Beach landscaping design. But first, a quick recap from the last landscaping blog:

Freshly planted and fertilized

Last time (in our Seal Beach Landscape Part 1 post), the crew from TRU Landscape Services demoed portions of the back and front yards of a home in order to make room for new concrete work, plants, and lawns to be installed. Once the front porch, concrete walkway, and backyard flagstone patio were completed, the crews moved to the icing on the landscaping cake: exotic plants and a traditional lawn!

Seal Beach Landscaping Company

Our customer requested a tropical landscape with no palm trees to keep with the Seal Beach landscaping vibe. We met with the customer and went over a list of plants that would fit the aesthetic. To achieve this request for a tropical landscape, we gathered an assortment of tropical plants such as:

Canna Lily Orange County Landscape

dwarf philodendrons

canna lily (Pretoria)

day lilies

queen annes

and birds of paradise to add height.

All of these were tenderly placed in beds marked off by a wooden landscape border that accented the tropical nature of the plants.

How do you keep new plants healthy?

Supply proper nutrients to the plants: To assure healthy growth of these tropical plants, we always install our plants with mulch and soil amendments. The fertilizer is a fertilizing tablet like a pill that slowly releases the proper nutrients over three years until the plant is well established. Landscaping fertilizer assures that each plant will survive and thrive. We’re in it for the long term. TRU’s landscapes last!

Supply the right amount of water: Lawns in Seal Beach, like the rest of Orange County and Southern California, are in need of water and proper irrigation. Another way we ensure the survival and longevity of tropical plants is by installing a basic residential irrigation system. We installed drip lines in all of the planters. TRU Landscape Services likes to exclusively use drip lines in our planter beds. Too many small planters do not have enough room to install a standard sprinkler head which would miss some of the plants and waste water from over spray. Standard sprinkler heads may also spray the house and ruin the exterior wall or spray the sidewalk. We have also tried installing bubblers in these small planters in the past, but we found that the bubblers were wasting water. The advantage to having a drip line installed is that there is no spraying water. The water drips out of a plastic pipe and directly to the plants. This, in turn, cuts down on wasted water and by saving water; TRU Landscaping saves our customers money.

While the planters were being outfitted with drip irrigation, Rain Bird Sprinklers were installed for the new sod. No traditional landscape is complete without a green lawn. The key is simply a well watered lawn properly fertilized and a properly timed sprinkler timer. The entire sprinkler system was up and running in a few days. On the last day, our crew installed the new sod for the lawn.

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All of that landscape work was a cinch for TRU Landscape Services! If you’re living in Orange County and are considering a landscape contractor, perhaps you’ve found the perfect one today in TRU Landscape Services.

Orange County Synthetic Turf

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Synthetic Turf

TRU Landscape Services just completed a Synthetic Turf project in Mission Viejo. This project was a front yard that we installed in Artificial Turf. The two major reasons our customer wanted new Synthetic turf was first they didn’t have time to mow the grass, not to mention the up keep on real grass. The second reason was the gophers were out of control. Our customer lives close to a school and school yards usually have gopher problems. The gophers were not only destroying the grass but they were killing the plants too. Gophers eat the root systems on the plants which causes the plants to die.

Waterless Grass

TRU Landscape Services arrived at the project and right away started grading the front yard. First, we removed the top 3” inches of soil. After removing the top soil we installed a mesh to help keep the gophers out. The best way to control gophers is to have a pest control company maintain the grounds at all times. These customers never had a pest control company out to the property. The current company we use is not expensive compared to replacing all of the grass and plants. These companies are licensed with the State of California and train all of there workers on the most current methods of rodent control. After installing the mesh we installed and compacted a base product to the top 3” inches of the yard. After compaction we level out the yard and install a weed blocker cloth. This landscape fabric will help keep the weeds from growing back through the new Waterless grass. TRU Landscape Services has been out to several properties where the prior installers skipped the landscape fabric. By skipping the fabric they opened the door for the old weeds & grass to grow back through the seems and drainage holes. The only way to fix this problem is to remove the old turf and install a landscape fabric. It’s better to pay a little more money in the beginning then to have to pay twice for the job.

Landscape Company

TRU Landscape Services can provide all of your outdoor needs. We install several different landscape products, including the following: Landscape Construction, Concrete walkway, driveways, sidewalks and pool decks, Synthetic turf, Putting greens, LED lighting, Ponds, Irrigation systems, Outdoor drains. Pavers and outdoor kitchens. TRU Landscape Services has been performing landscape services throughout Orange County, California for the last 25 years. We offer competitive landscape contracting services including general landscape construction, hardscape construction, water features, ponds, Putting Greens, we also offer Low Voltage Lighting, Synthetic Turf, Fire Pits, plus many other services.

Please call TRU Landscape Services toll free at : 1-866-487-1359

Orange County Dog Run

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Synthetic Turf Orange County

TRU Landscape Services just finished installing a dog run in Mission Viejo. Our customer called us out for a estimate and approved the estimate on the spot. The project was to install a Synthetic Turf dog run. Along with the Synthetic Turf we installed a wrought iron fence to keep the dogs in.

First we removed the upper layers of grass & dirt. Because this area was going to be a high traffic area, we installed a strong edge. This edge will hold down the Synthetic turf so that the dogs can’t tear it up. This is an essential step when installing an artificial turf dog run.

Orange County Dog Runs

Once that was finished, we installed a layer of Decomposed Granite (DG). Getting the proper compaction is a very important part of this step. Once we made compaction, we laid down a landscape fabric to keep the weeds from growing back in the side yard. With those steps completed, we installed the Synthetic Turf. The Synthetic Turf can last 15 to 20 years! We also include an 8 year manufacture warranty. Our customer was very happy with the final product.

Wrought Iron Fence

During our estimate the customer asked for a chain link fence to surround the Orange County dog run. We do install chain link fences but in this application we thought wrought iron fence would look far better. This fence was important to keep the dogs out of the backyard, so we made it 5 feet high. With all of our wrought iron fences we give the customer a choice on the design and color. Our customer chose a basic square design along with a black fence. We install our fence with a concrete footing. Most companies set there fences right into the dirt. Call for a free estimate on all of your fence needs.

Landscape Company

TRU Landscape Services has been performing landscape services throughout Orange County, California for the last 25 years. We offer competitive landscape contracting services including general landscape construction, hardscape construction, water features, ponds, Putting Greens, we also offer Low Voltage Lighting, Synthetic Turf, Fire Pits, plus many other services.

Please call TRU Landscape Services toll free at : 866-487-1359

Drought Tolerant Plants

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Orange County Landscape

If you are looking for an installation of drought tolerant plants or “xeriscaping,” you’ve come to the right place. TRU Landscape Services has been landscaping in Orange County California for over 25 years. This experience means we know which plants will thrive, and which will have a hard time surviving.

Because we care about the environment and saving you money, our goal is to conserve water. With state of the art sprinkler systems, and drought resistant plant installations your Orange County landscape will thrive. The following blog is about one low water landscape. If you’re already interested in getting an estimate on your own drought tolerant landscape, call us today at 1-866-487-1359.

TRU Landscape Services just finished a landscape project in Anaheim. The city of Anaheim is surrounded by the cities of Yorba Linda and Orange. Disneyland is located in the city of Anaheim. Our project was to install sprinklers, concrete curb and low water plants. We gave the customer an estimate and went over some ideas with them. Shortly after that they hired us to landscape their front yard. The customer wanted a dry river running through their front yard. TRU Landscape Services thought that a concrete curb would be the best application to outline the dry river bed.

Bobcat Orange County

The area in which we were landscaping had a huge mound of dirt. This mound was causing the water to run towards the house. This wasn’t good, we were surprised that the house didn’t have water damage. So on the first day of work we took our Bobcat and removed the dirt down to a level grade. We did leave a little pitch on the yard so that the water would drain forward away from the house. After removing the dirt we installed the sprinklers. For this project we installed Rain bird 4” 1800 series. We installed all new pipes and fittings. TRU Landscape Services has been performing landscape projects for over 25 years in Orange County.

Landscape Borders

After finishing the first day we came back on the second day and installed a concrete curb for the dry river bed. We prefer using this style of landscape border. Being made out of concrete the curb should last for many years of enjoyment. After finishing the border we installed a landscape fabric to block future weeds from growing. Next we placed the boulders in place.

Low Water Plants

On the final day we installed the gravel down the dry river. Next we installed all of the plants. This area could have been installed with grass, but by installing low water plants, this customer will save hundreds of dollars on water. Not to mention that these plants won’t need to be trimmed or cleaned but for a couple times a year. If your looking to landscape your property with low water plants or a dry river bed give TRU Landscape Services a call for a free estimate.

Orange County Landscape

Please call TRU Landscape Services toll free at : 866-487-1359

Weather Based Irrigation Timers

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Saving Water in Orange County

TRU Landscape Services was called out to a large commercial building this week in Fountain Valley. Fountain Valley is a city located in Orange County, California and is surround by the Cities of Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, and Huntington Beach. This commercial building has large landscape areas. The owner wanted to know how to save water and money. We started by checking the sprinkler timer; the settings were set for 15 minutes a day for each station. Orange County has been receiving rain these last couple of months. It has not been a lot of rain but enough to keep most things living. Running the sprinklers for 15 minutes a day during the winter is way too much water. TRU Landscape Services has most of our sprinkler timers shut off or turned down to one day a week. This owner was mad at his landscape crew for not setting the timer. We explained that’s part of a good landscape maintenance company, to set the timer during the different seasons of the year.

Smart Controllers / Weather Based Controllers

We explained to our customer that a smart controller would help save water. Smart Controller or Weather Based timers use different techniques to monitor the water being used. The Smart controller we use the most is Smart Dial by Irritrol. This Weather track enables controller uses daily ET values to adjust watering times to meet the specific needs of each landscape area for the ultimate in water management. These timers can save up to 20% of the water used. TRU Landscape Services is a certified installer of these timers and most other companies that make Weather based timers. These timers do take some landscape knowledge. You need to know what type of plants, Trees, and Turf that you are watering. Many factors are involved in programming one of these timers. We have seen landscape companies install these timers and end up putting them into a manual mode, because they did not understand how to program the timers. By putting these timers into a manual mode it defeats the whole purpose of installing this style of timer. Most customers and landscapers do not pay attention to their sprinkler timer until they see brown spots on the grass. The rest of the time they just let the timer over water. Thousands of gallons of water are wasted everyday because of this. Orange County along with most other counties in Southern California is in a drought. Smart timers use a weather tower in your area to tell the timers how much water is necessary. This process is done using ET Values. ET is the amount of water lost from the soil through evaporation plus the plants water loss. This is known as transpiration, weather conditions affect both of these drastically. Many studies have been done on these timers proving that they work well. Most water departments will give a rebate for the installations of these timers. Please feel free to call our office if you should have any questions. 1-866-487-1359

Orange County Landscape Contractor

TRU Landscape has been performing landscape services throughout Orange County, California for the last 20 years. We offer competitive landscape contracting services including general landscape construction, hardscape construction, water features including pondless waterfalls, koi fish ponds, garden ponds, we also offer lightscaping, Synthetic Turf, putting greens, plus many other services.
Please call Tru Landscape toll free at : 866-487-1359