2012 August | Down to Earth Landscaping Inc.

Santa Barbara Landscaping for the California Bungalow

Residential Landscaping Project for a Santa Barbara Bungalow

Many people are aware that Santa Barbara’s uptown area is famous for its beautiful Victorian homes. But did you know that Santa Barbara is also known for the Arts and Crafts era architectural style known as the California Bungalow? At Down To Earth Landscapes, Inc. we love to take on projects that challenge us to restore a residence to its former brilliance, and we recently had the privilege of doing this with a California Bungalow home. Here are some thoughts from the Bungalow.
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Soil Tips for Santa Barbara Gardens

What you need to know about Santa Barbara Soils

Have you ever wondered about the soil type you have on your property? In Santa Barbara, we run into 4 varieties of soil types.

Monterrey Shale
Clay
Sand
Sandy Loam

In our last blog, we offered some secrets to planting a low maintenance garden. In the course of writing this blog, we realized that an examination of Santa Barbara’s soil types themselves would be helpful because each soil type needs to be treated and amended in a different way.

1. Monterey Shale

This soil is most often found in the foothills of Santa Barbara County. It consists of a chalky substance that has been compressed over thousands of years. The soil is generally white or light grey in color that is actually useful as chalk. It is mainly found on slopes and hillsides, not in a flat area.
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