Picture Perfect Landscapes
Christina Hamlett
April 20, 2007
Although we’ve certainly no shortage of fine days to enjoy in the San Gabriel Valley, the challenge of quenching one’s thirst for backyard beauty sometimes needs the intervention of a professional. Since 1997, award winning landscape designers Cassy and Kirk Aoyagi have made residential properties across Southern California not only a living canvas that Mother Nature herself would endorse but demonstrate an ongoing sensitivity to today’s environmental issues and fragile ecosystems.
The husband and wife owners of C&K Landscape Design met while pursuing Bachelor of Science degrees in the horticulture department at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She explains that they moved to Los Angles after they got married and started looking for work. “Nothing was appealing to us, though, and so we began mowing lawns. Before we knew it, we had enough clients that we started a small maintenance division and hired a helper.”
When requests for sophisticated installation and designs began to pour in, the Aoyagis realized they had just created a unique niche for themselves. “The philosophy of what fuels our company is that you come to C&K Landscape Design and you get all of the landscape design services you could want or need from under one umbrella.”
She reflects that when they first started the company, they were doing a lot of estimating for other contractors and designers. “What we found is that our own work is so customized and particular that we didn’t feel comfortable being a middle man with someone else’s vision. On top of that, designers usually disappear once they’ve handed off the plans which then creates a real disconnect when the client says ‘That’s not what I thought it would look like’. Kirk and I both prefer listening o what our customers want right from the start and doing a design/build that sees their vision through to not only its completion but its ongoing maintenance.”
She quips that the stereotype most people have of landscape personnel is “mow, blow and go.” The investment one makes in a beautifully tailored yard, however, carries with it the responsibility to not let it become a jungle that can only be traversed with a machete. “Our goal is to preserve the quality and integrity of our installations which, in turn, allows us to develop long-term relationships with the homeowners.”
The couple’s originality and attention to detail has also garnered them numerous state and regional awards, as well as feature slots on HGTV’s “Designing for the Sexes,” “Landscapers’ Challenge” and “Children’s Action Network”. In addition, their work has been in the spotlight for the National Garden Conservancy, Assistance League of Southern California and Pasadena Showcase House of Design. The latter venue, in fact – which runs this year from April 22nd through May 20th – invited the Aoyagis to work their magic and transform the tranquil grounds of this year’s selected house, the Boddy Mansion, into a ceremonial garden that could lend itself to picture-perfect outdoor weddings. A graceful arbor for the bride and groom to exchange their vows, a lush lawn from which the guests can observe the ceremony, and a tasteful profusion of white plantings interspersed with grand sculptures and unique art pieces provide not only the backdrop for a day to remember but many a quiet afternoon sipping tea or summer evening enjoying the sounds of nature.
C & K Landscape Design has created an arrangement of art, plants, patios, furnishings and accents that bring this large space to life,” Aoyagi explains. “Our plant selections are unique, the landscape is diverse and the feeling of being here is breathtaking. And while you’re taking it all in,” she adds, “also appreciate that this beauty is derived from plants that are low maintenance and low water, irrigation that is designed for maximum efficiency and minimal waste, materials from recycled, renewable or sustainable resources, and a project that has been approached in an environmentally conscious manner to create a beautiful sanctuary.”
That Southern Californians are able to embrace a lifestyle that is largely spent outdoors has resulted in a volume of high-end custom orders for patio decks, waterfalls, outside fireplaces, ponds, barbeque set-ups, gazebos, fire pits, exterior lighting systems and, of course, an irrigation network for gardens that are drought tolerant and low maintenance. “What’s so much fun for us is that every design we do is unique and there are always challenges – not just in terms of matching woods and masonry and colors to existing structures but taking into account the usability of the space, the physical layout of the property, and determining what best could grow there.”
Another misconception people have about landscapers, she says, is that they can just stick a plant anywhere and it will survive. “Every yard is its own miniature ecosystem and micro-climate with special needs. Whatever you do – whether it’s designing a garden or laying a driveway – is going to affect everything else.” She points out with a measure of irony that even the existence of drought conditions hasn’t impacted what people want to have growing in their yards. As an environmentalist, a California native and a specialist in plant material, Aoyagi is well versed in the dynamics of sustainable landscapes and strives to gently educate her clients on realistic planning. “Everybody comes to us and says, ‘I want low maintenance and low water’. Then they tell us ‘and I want azaleas, a lawn and lots of roses!’”
At day’s end, what gives Aoyagi and her husband the most satisfaction is in knowing their clients are happy. “When you combine this with the anticipation of seeing a two-dimensional concept come together as an exciting, three-dimensional result, there’s just no better job in the world.”
Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts is one of the largest and oldest of its kind in the U.S. and will run from April 22 through May 20, 2007. Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday tours are available from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday visitors will be able to see the house upon until 6:30 p.m. Tours are closed on Mondays. Tickets range from $35-$40 and can either be acquired in advance through PSHA’s website at www.PasadenaShowcase.org or by calling (714) 442-3872 or (626) 578-8500. Onsite dining is available for light breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
Through its annual proceeds, PSHA has donated over $14 million to local youth music and symphonic programs, in addition to presenting the Pasadena Showcase House Music Mobile program, the Pasadena Showcase House Youth Concert, and the Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition.
Photo: Cassy and Kirk Aoyagi
www.candklandscapedesign.com