February 2010 Newsletter

VALUED CUSTOMERS & FRIENDS+

Happy New Year!

Having just attended a very full Pasadena Showcase House Empty House Party, we are ready and excited for the spring event season. We look forward to sharing our work and seeing you at the Pasadena Showcase House and Theodore Payne Foundation Native Garden Tour in April, and other events.

In the meantime, we remain fascinated and concerned with the fire-flood-slide cycle experienced in our foothills. Elizabeth Zampolli’s photos on the FormLA Facebook page illustrate the remarkable recovery and growth of plant life in the Tujunga hills between the end of the fires in October and our January 9th Feel the Burn Hike and Learn. We will take this same trail February 27th, as it will be informative to see how the budding foliage performed as slope stabilizers during our recent deluge.

We hope to see you soon!

Sincerely,
Cassy and Kirk Aoyagi

LATEST NEWS+

Tour Mandeville Canyon
Expect New Regulations
See Cassy on Getting Native

Win Pretty-in-Pink!

UPCOMING EVENTS+

Hike and Learn with the Aoyagis
Aoyogis on HomeWizards
Cassy Presents at JPL

WHAT TO EXPECT+

TEAM UPDATE+

Sustainable Maintenance (Bilingual)
Wet-to-Dry Garden Design
Feel the Burn Hike and Learn
Dara in the Garden

UPCOMING EVENTS+

The FormLA team would enjoy seeing you:

February 27, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM: Feel the Burn Hike and Learn with the Aoyagis. Get details

March 6, 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Aoyagis discuss sustainable slope retention on HomeWizards with Cindy Dole. Get details

March 11: Cassy Aoyagi discusses sustainable landscaping strategies with the Green Club at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, courtesy of Roger Klemm.

Contact us to request a sustainable landscaping presentation for your green organization.

TEAM UPDATE+

Kirk and Dara Aoyagi

Maintenance Care Supervisor Noe Granados taught a professional-level, bilingual Sustainable Landscape Maintenance Practices course sponsored by the City of Santa Monica February 18th. He will teach additional professional courses for the City on May 6th and November 4th. More

Cassy Aoyagi discussed Wet-to-Dry garden design in a well-attended lecture sponsored by Theodore Payne Foundation.
View the presentation

Cassy and Kirk

Cassy and Kirk led a tour of the reviving Tujunga hills in our January Feel the Burn Hike and Learn. Go to the FormLA Facebook Page to View photos.

Kirk and Dara Aoyagi

FormLA Mascot Dara Aoyagi is diligently studying native grasses, part of her novice design training regimen.

CONTACT FORMLA+

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

Mark Britten, Production Manager: Mark@formlainc.com

John Avakian, Bookkeeping: John@formlainc.com

Noe Granados, Maintenance Care Supervisor: Noe@formlainc.com

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

USGBC FormLA on Facebook

 

 

LATEST NEWS+

Tour Mandeville Canyon

Tour Mandeville CanyonAs part of its mission to improve the safety and quality of life of residents, The Mandaville Canyon Association unified the community’s homeowners in creating a lush and inviting park space that provides residents and guests with a safe off-street walkway along the steep and winding street. More

Expect New Landscaping Regulations

New Landscaping RegulationsCities throughout California were required to enact new regulations guiding and enforcing water efficient landscaping by January 31st. Cassy Aoyagi has the inside scoop on what to expect. More

See Cassy on PBS’s Getting Native

Cassy Discusses Native MeadowsCassy Aoyagi’s interview with Frank Simpson of KVCR’s “Getting Native” covers the ins and outs of transforming a traditional lawn into a low-maintenance, low-water, low-waste native meadow. View

Win a Pretty-in-Pink Groundcover!

Pretty In Pink GroundcoverCongratulations to Michele Markota and Gretchen North who correctly identified and won Heteromeles arbutifolia – the California native known as Christmas berry. Learn about the trade-offs between Christmas berry and the more well-known but thirsty Cotoneaster, or enter-to-win this issue’s Wet-to-Dry Exchange. Win!

WHAT TO EXPECT+

Expect FormLA teams…

  • Pruning ornamental shrubs and Mediterranaean plants to make room for spring growth
  • Cutting grasses to their bases
  • Evaluating empty areas for fill-ins
  • Replenishing mulch
  • Providing special feeding to citrus and acid loving plants
  • Re-staking trees if needed
  • Planting native plants NOW
info@formlainc.com • PO Box 441 Tujunga, CA 91043
phone 818.353.7030 • 310.979.9002 • fax 818.353.6837 • www.formlainc.com
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