Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Event cancellation

We will not be participating in this weekend's Bayfest (Corpus Christi) due to a family emergency. Please look for us next year.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Services and Fees (Summary)

As we are updating our website and blogs, I thought I would post a summary of services and fees. Look for upcoming posts with more information about each service.

Consultation, Notes Only -- One hour meeting with Native Dave. No sketching, just suggestions. Ideal for clients pleased with the layout of their existing landscape but who want ideas for sustainable enhancements. Applicable to all types and sizes of properties. Onsite: $150. Online: $75.

Consultation, Notes and Sketch -- 1.5-2 hour meeting with Native Dave. Intended for front or back yard only, or very small spaces. Sketch (one rendition), list of plants and materials (including common and botanical names, sizes and quantities), and referrals to landscape installers. Applicable to suburban residential projects (less than 1/3 acre), front or back yard only; or to very small commons areas, e.g. subdivision entryways, pool areas, container gardens in front of commercial properties. Onsite: $225 (1.5 hour), $300 (2 hours). Online: $150 and $225, respectively.

Design -- One hour pre-design meeting, one hour follow-up meeting. Professional planting plan (24x36", to scale), laminated copy of planting plan (11x17", not to scale), list of plants and materials (including common and botanical names, sizes and quantities), care and maintenance instructions, referrals to landscape installers. Applicable to all types and sizes of properties. Onsite: Fee is determined by the size and complexity of your project, but most range $600-900. Online: $300 (front only), $400 (back only) and $600 (entire property).

Speakers' Fees -- 30 to 60-minute programs, driving time within Dallas/Ft. Worth/Denton. Fee: minimum of $150. Suggested topics: sustainable landscape, Texas native plants, waterwise landscape, living green, and related topics. Please call to discuss specifics.

Writers' Fees -- Articles, blog posts, etc. Fee: minimum of $150. Please call to discuss specifics.

Plant Brokering -- Let us help you locate those hard-to-find native plants. Fees and other details coming soon.

Photography Services -- Purchase one of our prints or commission a special order. Fees and other details coming soon.

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Don't Mean to Confuse

We're changing formats here so we can (yes yes, FINALLY) upload our massive portfolio and make updates simpler. We're also streamlining information about us, our experiences, services and fees -- really, everything in the NativeDave universe. We want to make the site more informational and interactive. Clean lines. More logical organization (but first the office...grr.) Please check back often! Some exciting announcements to come, as well.

Design Package -- Residences on Acreage -- $900+

This service applies to all residential properties larger than 1/3-acre and commercial, educational and industrial properties.

  • One, one-hour pre-design meeting, onsite
  • 24x36" professional planting plan, to scale
  • 11x17" laminated copy of planting plan, not to scale
  • List of recommended plants and materials (common and botanical names, sizes and quantities)
  • Care and maintenance instructions
  • Recommended vendors and installers (if applicable)
  • One, one-hour post-design meeting, onsite

To begin your design we must have access to (a legible, current copy of) your survey or plat plan and completed new client questionnaire.

Design Package -- Suburban Residences -- $600+

Suburban residential properties, for our purposes, are defined as less than 1/3-acre. Design packages include:
  • One, one-hour pre-design meeting, onsite
  • 24x36" professional planting plan, to scale
  • 11x17" laminated copy of planting plan, not to scale
  • List of recommended plants and materials (common and botanical names, sizes and quantities)
  • Care and maintenance instructions
  • Recommended vendors and installers (if applicable)
  • One, one-hour post-design meeting, onsite

To begin your design we must have access to (a legible, current copy of) your survey or plat plan and completed new client questionnaire.

Notes and Sketch Consultation -- $225-300

Intended for just the front OR back yard of a suburban residential project (less than 1/3 acre), our sketch is useful enough to contractors and do-it-yourselfers, alike. NativeDave will meet with you onsite at your property for 1.5-2 hours. He will create a custom sketch and list of plants and materials for your project. Fees: $225 (1.5 hrs), $300 (2 hrs.)

Notes Only Consultation -- $150

Wanna pick NativeDave's brain? This one-hour consultation, onsite at your property, might be for you. No sketches, just walking-and-talking and sharing ideas. Fee: $150.

Watch us grow

We will be expanding our services and offering new ones soon. Meanwhile, our website and blogs might look a little funky at times. The end results will be worth the wait...

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Evil Sunflowers

Poor sunflowers. They have been demonized by the lawn chemical industry. The public has been tricked into believing sunflowers are WEEDS. Some species, I agree, can look a little leggy. But there are plentiful varieties loaded with ornamental value. Oversized blooms. Silver-foliage. Compact. One of my favorites native to the Gulf Coast is Dune Sunflower, or Helianthus debilis. The town of Seaside, Florida, has used this low-growing perennial in median plantings as a companion to Adam's Needle (Yucca filamentosa.) Another terrific co-planting would be Dune Sunflower and Gulf Muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris.)

On the Blackland Prairie, my favorite sunflower is Maximillian Sunflower, or Helianthus maximiliani. It sprawls, so be sure to contain it (if you live in a suburban residence.) This plant is best used in projects on acreage in restoration areas.

Check with plants.usda.gov for species of Helianthus native to your region. All are not only beautiful, but excellent plants for conserving water, preserving resources, providing food for wildlife, curbing maintenance tasks, and celebrating local natural beauty. Just ask the state of Kansas (it's their state flower) or the nation of France (their fields of sunflowers attract tourists.)