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Landscaping in Moorpark Country Style

This landscaping project in Moorpark was designed as part of an Avocado ranch.  The owner is actually a veterinarian during office hours but, because he likes a lot of space, decided to have a property that has enough room for thousands of trees.  As you can imagine, he also has numerous animals and the property is ideal for them as well.

Along with assorted dogs and cats there are, at last count, 9 Red Slider Turtles.  The turtle issue is where we first came into the landscape picture.  There were only two or three turtles at the time, but since they were all rescued, they needed a place to live besides the plastic tub that was their habitat at the time.

We designed a turtle pond with an island in the center.  This is essential since they need a place to come out of the water and sun themselves.  The entire pond is surrounded with rocks imbedded in concrete with steep sides so the turtles can’t escape into the wilds, leaving the island as the only place for them to take a break from the water.

The pond is near the front door and several windows.  This means that the waterfall isn’t just there to aerate the water, but to provide the sound of falling water for the owners inside the house as well.

A couple of years after the turtle pond was built a child was adopted by the owners.  This involved another project to install a large lawn with sprinklers and a solar powered controller since the lawn was in a flat area perhaps a quarter mile from the house.  It is not a regulation size soccer field, but it serves the purpose quite well along with picnic tables and a few other amenities.

Several other small projects were done here and there such as a shade cover to keep some of the western side of the house out of the full sun, a couple of raised veggie gardens and various other odds and ends.  It has been a lot of fun.