April 2012 Newsletter

VALUED CUSTOMERS & FRIENDS+

We are so grateful to the Kays, Markotas, Rosens and all the hard working members of La Canada Valley Beautiful for generously sharing your gardens during the USGBC and Theodore Payne Foundation Tours! We appreciate your dedication to us as well as your support in educating the public about the beauty and benefits of sustainable gardening.

Our Pasadena Showcase House garden is gracing the pages of publications throughout Los Angeles — no doubt due to the lovely contributions of Pot-ted, KS Designs, Cisco Home, World of Furniture and Jackalope Pottery.

Last but certainly not least, we owe a deep thanks to our own staff and a valued vendor, Netafim. Our 5:30 a.m. training gathered around Netafim’s latest, greatest subsurface irrigation systems was incredibly productive, informative and … dare we say… fun!

Sincerely,
Cassy and Kirk Aoyagi

LATEST NEWS+

See Our Showcase Garden in the LA Times

Garden Portfolio:The Andalusian Garden designed by FormLA Landscaping for the 2012 Pasadena Showcase House of Design is pictured in the Los Angeles Times.The Times photo features Cisco Home’s outdoor furniture line and an extraordinary rustic yet modern al fresco dining table by KS Designs. Jackalope Pottery’s extraordinary vessels define the al fresco dining room. Still our little secret? A beautiful vertical garden designed and built by our own Kirk Aoyagi is a hit… come see it (and us) in person! See the Andalusian Garden

At Home, Outside: Tips and Inspiration for Outdoor Rooms. HGTV.

Cassy Aoyagi and the Veloz garden star in the “Rustic Modern Outdoor Space” segment of this piece, which features a beautiful array of outdoor living spaces and designer tips for creating outdoor rooms. More

Save $23K in 10 Years with Lawn Replacement

Tips: As the City of Los Angeles debated the costs and return on investment of its City Hall lawn replacement project, estimated install costs dominated the news coverage. We prefer to look at the total cost — installation minus the well-vetted cost savings at the five and ten year marks. See Total Cost Figures

Win Showcase House Tickets!

The first 3 readers to correctly identify the 5-year total cost of a 1000-foot lawn replacement will win 2 tickets to the Pasadena Showcase House of Design! Enter to Win

WHAT TO EXPECT+

We continue to do the Spring thing — thorough cleaning and systems assessments to ensure all our client gardens are just as beautiful as our tour gardens. Going it alone? Transform our checklist into your very own DIY job or honey-dos!

Conserving water and soil moisture:

• Replenishing mulch to conserve water and increase organic matter
• Increasing mower heights to reduce evaporation from lawns
• Changing batteries on irrigation timers
• Pushing the clocks forward on irrigation and lighting timers
• Pruning Mediterranean foliage

Making the Most of Spring:

• Planning spring vegetable gardens to match your meal interests
• Identifying and cut flowers and foliage to brighten indoor areas
• Placing or fixing outdoor lighting to ensure your outdoor space is safe and optimally charming for spring and summer entertaining

LATEST NEWS+

See Our Garden in the LA Times
Tour Veloz with HGTV
Save $23K in 10 Years
Win Showcase House Tickets!

UPCOMING EVENTS+

Pasadena Showcase House
Library Maintenance
Workshop
Save the Dates

WHAT TO EXPECT+

Spring Cleaning
Water Savings

TEAM UPDATE+

Press Coverage
USGBC Municipal Conference

UPCOMING EVENTS+

Save the Dates
Request FormLA Speakers

April 15-May 15: Enjoy the Andalusian Garden at the Pasadena Showcase House of Design

May 5: Learn Drought Tolerant Gardening with Cassy and Kirk at La Canada Public Library

June 22-24: Save the Date for Dwell on Design

TEAM UPDATE+

Cassy, Kirk, Jill and Isara celebrated at the opening of the Pasadena Showcase House of Design. FormLA’s Andalusian garden is featured in the LA Times, ArtsBeatLA, ABC News, the Pasadena Sun, and Hometown Pasadena.

Cassy discussed lawn replacement at historic sites on a panel moderated by Emily Green at the USGBC’s Municipal Green Building Conference and Expo April 26th.

The EagleRock Patch highlighted the Markota garden, featured on this year’s Theodore Payne Foundation Native Garden Tour.

Houzz published two pieces by Cassy Fall for a Water-Wise Fountain and Small Garden Strategy: Built-In Seating.

About FormLA Landscaping+

FormLA® Landscaping designs, builds and maintains custom sustainable landscapes that beautifully complement the distinct and varied architecture of Los Angeles County. See our expanding Portfolio.

CONTACT FORMLA+

Cassy and Kirk Aoyagi, Principals: Cassy@formlainc.com

Mark Britten, Production Manager: Mark@formlainc.com

John Avakian, Bookkeeping: John@formlainc.com

Cara Barnard, Horticultural Care Technician: Cara@formlainc.com