Osprey Nest Platform Installation

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We recently installed two Osprey nest platforms per the request of the homeowner at one of our sites in the North County.

The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)is a large fish-eating hawk and a top consumer in the food chain. Like Bald Eagles, Ospreys declined following the widespread use of the pesticide DDT. Now that DDT has been banned in the United States for 40 years, the Osprey is a common sight in open habitats near water. Ospreys are good indicators of environmental toxins, and their recent rebound is a positive sign. - nestwatch.org 

The Osprey  readily builds its nest on man-made structures, such as telephone poles, channel markers, duck blinds, and nest platforms designed especially for it. Such platforms have become an important tool in reestablishing Ospreys in areas where they had disappeared. In some areas nests are placed almost exclusively on artificial structures.  – allaboutbirds.org

The crew may get to see an actual nest building as it progresses. 

Landscape ROI (Return on Investment) as high as 150%

A recent study by realestate.com suggests that landscaping and hardscaping can deliver a return on investment as high as 150 percent – an ROI that puts it ahead of popular home improvement projects like kitchen or bathroom updates.

"When I bring a buyer to a home that features state-of-the-art landscaping and elements like a fire pit and high-end pavers, there's an immediate assumption that the inside of the house will be as
spectacular as the outside," said John Duffy of Duffy Real Estate. "Now we have research that shows that homebuyers will pay a premium for a nicely landscaped property, particularly one that features elements like an outdoor fireplace and finishes in stone or brick. The new mantra in home buying is location, location, landscape."

According to RealEstate.com, for every dollar spent on upgrading a backyard or outdoor space, a homeowner can expect to get back anywhere from 60 cents to two dollars. With up to 14 percent added to the home's resale value; on a $500,000 home, that's nearly $75,000.

The most popular items being requested by homeowners today, according to EP Henry Authorized Hardscaping Contractor® Blase DeMichele of B. DeMichele Inc.
based in Media, PA, are:

    Outdoor fireplaces
    Covered outdoor spaces with kitchen components
    Stone veneer sitting walls
    Fire pits
    Patio pavers

Photos: A recent landscape and  hardscape install in Valley Center by Steven Smith Landscape, Inc.
Please visit our website: stevensmithlandscape.com

suggests that landscaping and Hardscaping™ can deliver a whopping return on investment as high as 150 percent – an ROI that puts it ahead of popular home improvement projects like kitchen or bathroom updates. - See more at: http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/09/10/665100/10098067/en/Landscaping-and-Hardscaping-Projects-Can-Bring-Homeowners-an-ROI-of-Up-to-150-Percent-According-to-New-Study.html#sthash.Jgh0kmb0.dpuf

suggests that landscaping and Hardscaping™ can deliver a whopping return on investment as high as 150 percent – an ROI that puts it ahead of popular home improvement projects like kitchen or bathroom updates. - See more at: http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/09/10/665100/10098067/en/Landscaping-and-Hardscaping-Projects-Can-Bring-Homeowners-an-ROI-of-Up-to-150-Percent-According-to-New-Study.html#sthash.Jgh0kmb0.dpuf

suggests that landscaping and Hardscaping™ can deliver a whopping return on investment as high as 150 percent – an ROI that puts it ahead of popular home improvement projects like kitchen or bathroom updates. - See more at: http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/09/10/665100/10098067/en/Landscaping-and-Hardscaping-Projects-Can-Bring-Homeowners-an-ROI-of-Up-to-150-Percent-According-to-New-Study.html#sthash.Jgh0kmb0.dpuf

Residential Estate Photos

We recently completed a large residential installation in Coronado.  These photos show some views of the hardscape and planting.

Please visit our website, stevensmithlandscape.com

Community Associations Institute Trade Show

Steven Smith Landscape, Inc. was an exhibitor at yesterday's CAI trade show in Carlsbad.  The timely theme: "Tapping into Solutions:Demystifying the California Drought".  Our Marketing Manager Gigi Golden-Smith attended with our Landscape Maintenance Superintendent, Chris Cutler. Both reported back that it was a "great event"!

Please visit our website, stevensmithlandscape.com

Just an ordinary work day...rescuing a kitten!!!

July 16, 2014, A typical day on a job site, getting ready to use some of our heavy equipment. But wait what's that?  A tiny sound - that should not be coming from the inside of our tractor!(see red arrow) Meowing in fact, from a very tiny and not very happy kitten, somehow wedged deep within the machine.

Our President Steve Smith together with our crew, really wanted to get to work, but of course they had to solve a problem first.  Where was the kitten and how to carefully get him/her out ? They spotted her finally, but she was wedged very tightly in a space they could not reach.  After 2 hours they finally came up the plan using a bendable covered wire to make a soft 'hook' to delicately slide under kitty's belly and gently pull her out - unharmed!  Of course that was not the end of the story.  Steve called Gigi and asked if he could bring the kitty to the office. "Yes!" we all agreed. Steve drove little "Lucky" up to our headquarters in the only thing he had available, an empty power bar box with a towel inside.

Then with Leslie driving and Debra cradling the kitten - we drove to the Escondido Humane Society where she would get the utmost care.  It was surely a long time since she had eaten.  We thought perhaps mama cat had deposited her kittens there for safe keeping and could not retrieve this one.  Her eyes were not yet open!  All in a day's work!

New gallery photos, residential landscape installation

We've just added some new photos to our Installation Gallery at stevensmithlandscape.com under the Before/After and Residential tabs for a recently completed residential install.

Visit stevensmithlandscape.com 

to see our latest gallery photos and more.

Polyphagous shot-hole borer beetle

A new beetle/fungal complex was recently detected on avocado and other host plants in Los Angeles, Orange,  San Bernardino, and San Diego Counties.  Photo shows symptoms to look for on the trees. Contact Steven Smith Landscape, Inc. for a consultation.

"The two fungal species are  Fusarium euwallaceae and Graphium sp., which form a symbiotic relationship with a recently discovered beetle that is commonly known as the polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB, Euwallacea sp.) (Fig. A). Together, they cause the disease Fusarium dieback (FD). When the beetle burrows into the tree, it inoculates the host plant with the fungus (Fig. D), which is carried in its mouthparts in a structure called mycangia. The fungus attacks the vascular tissue of the tree, blocking the transport of water and nutrients from the roots to the rest of the tree, and eventually causing branch dieback. The beetle larvae live in galleries within the tree and feed on the fungus.  FD has been observed on more than 110 different plant species in California, including many species common in urban landscapes and on such agriculturally important species as avocado, olive and persimmon." From Akif Eskalen PhD, UC Riverside www.eskalenlab.ucr.edu