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To Be Continued… The Finale

July 7, 2015 By Ahmed Hassan 1 Comment

If I did just one job at a time, Chelle’s yard would’ve easily been done in the epic 2 days that I’ve built a reputation around, slinging for folks on Yard Crashers.

ahmed_finale_Chelle_yard

Everyone meet Chelle. I just crashed her yard!

I tend to, instead, run 3 or 4 jobs at any given time. As a contractor this is somewhat normal. There are, of course, those out there that focus on doing one project at a time. But in this economy and society where everybody wants everything and they all want it asap… Most of us contractors realize the value of staying in several projects all simultaneous and concurrent with one another, then strike a balance with shuffling material, supplies and personnel from site, to site, to site.

I enjoyed my fourth of July up at Clear Lake, aka California’s largest lake, yet it is anything but clear these days due to a phenomenal case of Algae bloom. That being said, I decided that I’d better finally wrap up this final blog with Chelle Henderson’s yard being completed by showing off this tiny, approximately 15 ft by 26 ft, space. For those of you that remember, Chelle sent me the following inspiration pics.

Chelle_The_Finale

Remember these? Chelle sent me these pics to give me an idea as to what she had in mind for her yard.

Of course, her budget was less than what it would cost, but to her credit she did have the back side of her house painted, as well as the fenced in area of her yard. I added just a couple of edible plants to her 2 ft by 25 ft long veggie garden and reset her 12″x 12″ red concrete steppers. Chelle’s $4k budget was spent on plants, local boulders, mulch, irrigation, 40 sq ft of turf and a few recycled cast concrete pavers, recycled from a previous project by Yard Crashers own “Clean Cut Landscape.”

Ahmed_water_feature_the_finale

Repurposing and upcycling helped create this water feature!

Thanks to Tiffanie Hassan, here’s my actual breakdown and expenditure with how I did this awesome little space….

Compost    $60

Irrigation/Plants/Fountain    $1252

Stepping Stones/Sand    $100

Sod    $57

 

Because a person’s bottom line is what finally determines what’s doable. I chose to purchase and upcycle a few items from Under The Arbor, and build my own small water feature from an old metal table that matched a green ceramic bowl I already possessed. I purchased a galvanized pitcher and weathered utility pail as my shear decent spout and seasonal container, with color for decorative purposes.

Another way I saved money was that I used Native Cameron Park granite boulders (from my yard), rather than buying stone from the landscape supply center. I have a joke where I say, “I live in Cameron Park, we grow rocks here.” Something about the local granite in these Northern California foothills. I, of course, felt it was necessary and beneficial to keep a patch of turf for Chelle’s beagle and reduced her previous 100sq ft of turf with a smaller, healthier 40 sq ft. Dogs simply love to relieve themselves on grass. Giving them a spot to do just this is almost essential to meeting their backyard needs.

Finally, her plant palette. Chelle has a ton of plant material in a very small space. I like to cram a yard full of interesting ornamental and edible plants whenever I can.

In the final hour of completing this tiny space, there were 4 of us busy going back and forth through the gate and I remember feeling crowded and a bit like things were unmanageable. That’s right around the time that I cut Anthony and Saul loose for the day.
This way Mike and I could finish the details, and by 7 pm I was snapping my afters pics for today’s blog. take a look at the transformation below..

ahmed_hassan_the_finale_before

The Whole Enchilada “before”

A few comparison before and afters…

ahmed_the_finale_before_after

Oh what a difference some paint and landscaping can make!

The final transformation…

ahmed_the_finale_chelle

Another yard crashed!

The money shot… or what I call magazine-cover-photo-worthy!

ahmed_finale_magazine_pic

All of the elements chosen for Chelle’s yard create a seamless flow. The design is aesthetically pleasing and sustainable. Another yard crashed!

In closing, I’ll say that I’m still very much in love with creating outdoor spaces. Big projects take a lot more time than this yard and require all kinds of planning and coordination with subcontractors and laborers, but the net result of any collaborative space that I manage brings me so much joy when it finally comes together. A few special thanks to my Draft and co-designer Adrienne Landsittel, Kirin and my badass concrete stain and sealing pro, Ben Christian of “Just Stain It”. It’s one thing to love what you do for a living. Another thing to love and appreciate the many talented folks that continue to work with me, believe in me and show up to play their part in everything that I do. You know who you are.

ahmed_goofball_the_finale

Coming soon to your yard!

Until then, watch your back. I may show up to crash your yard. In fact, the truth is I would love to. Give my company a call and see what Ahmad Hassan Landscape Services can do for you! Thanks for reading and sharing.

Follow Celebrity Landscaper Ahmed Hassan on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram! #GoGreenWithAhmed #TEAMAhmedTV #AnotherYardCrashed

Filed Under: Aesthetics & Gardening, Landscape Construction & Property Improvements Tagged With: Ahmed Hassan, Ahmed Hassan on Television, Ahmed Hassan Personal Appearance, Ahmed Hassan TV, california drought, Celebrity Landscaper, eco-friendly gardening, Edibles, environmentally friendly, Landscape, Landscaping, Organic, Plants, sustainability, Yard

The Cobbler’s Kids

April 28, 2015 By Ahmed Hassan 2 Comments

If you’ve not heard the story of the cobbler’s kids, this week’s blog would likely make very little sense to you. But, for those of you that have, I’ll just come clean with you now… I am very much “The Cobbler.” Before becoming the “Celebrity Landscaper” I was just the Landscaper, before that I was the gardener, and let’s face it, gardening has really always been a trade that’s less than glamorous, to put it lightly.

We gardeners are people of the earth. We see beauty in nature and desire to work with nature, rather than against her. Mother Nature is an abundant creator; she bares such an abundant harvest that, for many of us gardeners, we have more work than we could ever complete. We are hoarders of all things plant related and we know that with a little love, a little water and a little compost, all will be well and look gorgeous as ever.  So long as plants grow, we’ve always got plenty of work to get done.

Ahmed_mashup

I like to think before I put it out there.

My own yard has of course never been”crashed.” Nobody in TV land is wanting to watch the show where the guy on TV gets his own yard done for free. While I shoot plenty of web video for the Green Industry, I’ve shot no web videos at my own house showcasing any green industry tools or tips. In all honesty, my yard, as a backdrop, simply isn’t worthy, yet! I believe that one of the reasons my yard looks like a raggedy 3rd world country is because I’m really not all that bothered by it. I mean of course I’d like to have my space look better, as would my family. Unfortunately, the amount of time, energy, and conscious awareness that I choose to put into my yard and the fact that I want to do so much of the work myself means I can only do these improvements in bits and pieces when time permits. I do this in between making sure that my bills are paid and seeing that all is well with my family. There are plenty of more important priorities that I choose to allocate my precious resources on before I’m willing to splurge on our outdoor aesthetics.

ahmed_hassan_yard_crash

My yard has never been “crashed”.

Both Tiffanie and our kids have said on more than one occasion, “When are we gonna have a nice yard, like the ones you’ve done on TV?” To which I’ve answered, “As soon as you’re willing to go outside and help to start making things look better.” The last thing I wanna teach my wife or kids is that beauty in outdoor living just happens through osmosis. Yard work and gardening is a true labor of love. I spend most of this labor and my time making money and my yard doesn’t worry me because I know how to manage, maintain and change it. It’s more about finances and my time. Here’s an interesting article about the subject I found on-line.

ahmed_hassan_front_yard

All of this is in my driveway as we speak!

My yard is a place for me to collect and store all kinds of goodies until I’m ready to install them as permanent structures and a part of my landscape. It’s also a place where I can work with plants; dividing, growing from seed, and incubating them in my small inexpensive greenhouses, while getting them ready for sale.

Oh that’s right! I also run a couple small retail nursery outlets. I sell plants at Under the Arbor and Churchill’s Hardware. My house is more like Club Med for plants, a place of refuge for my container plants that aren’t quite sellable, due to poor watering practices, too much sun exposure, or whatever other reason.

ahmed_hassan_sides_of_house

How I use both sides of my house

The north side of my house is used for rain water collection and shade for my plants. While the south side is used for rain water storage, hand tool storage, and a variety of other things like transplanting, mixing of soils, and a place where I put boulders, gravel, and other elements to use in the yards that I create. On any given day I’ve got piles of mulch, compost, soil and other landscaping supplies in my driveway. It’s my life, my passion, and my livelihood.

In closing, I must speak on behalf of us cobblers and acknowledge that we professionals do not work on making our own stuff look lovely just because we lack funds and/or time. It’s also an issue of priority. We put them off as a lesser priority, since we deal with these same things daily, for the folks we call our clients and customers. We’re a little desensitized and less bothered by what others think is critically important. When the time is right; bit by bit, and little by little, we’ll enjoy the process of creating beauty for our own families in our own homes and gardens.

ahmed _hassan_family

My kids remind why I also must leave some of the work alone, and just be present and playful. There’s a time for work, a time for play and a time for rest. The yard will get done when the time is right.

 

Follow Celebrity Landscaper Ahmed Hassan on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest! #GOGreenWithAhmed #TeamAhmedTV #CobblersShoes

Filed Under: Aesthetics & Gardening, Landscape Construction & Property Improvements, Philosophical Rants & Analogies Tagged With: Ahmed Hassan, Ahmed Hassan on Television, Ahmed Hassan Personal Appearance, Ahmed Hassan TV, Celebrity Landscaper, eco-friendly gardening, Edibles, environmentally friendly, Home, Landscape, Landscaping, Organic, Organic Vegetables, personal growth, Plants, sustainability, Yard

Making Orange Juice Outta Oranges

March 17, 2015 By Ahmed Hassan 1 Comment

Today’s blog post is stimulated by yesterday’s visit to one of my client’s yards. Victoria Kidman is both my client and friend. In 2013 under my small business, Ahmad Hassan Landscape Services, we both designed and installed a beautiful new front and backyard at Victoria’s newly remodeled East Sac property. One of the first things I learned while working there was that this particular area suffers from very poor drainage. The soil is a clay loam, meaning it’s predominately clay in texture, and is very slow to percolate.

Could you eat ten grocery bags filled with oranges?

Could you eat ten grocery bags filled with oranges?

Because of this we ended up installing 2 sump pumps on the property in order to move and assist drainage efforts from the backyard, and underneath the house itself. It was helpful to perform the landscape renovations in the fall, which also happens to be the best time of year for landscaping in Northern California. The only plant growing in the backyard when we started was a beautiful mature orange tree with some of the tastiest and juicy oranges I’ve ever had. When I find a wonderful fruit tree such as this, I feel as excited as a miner striking gold. Vicky would bag up the oranges and share them with as many people as she could. This after all is what growing fruit trees and a garden is all about. It’s almost impossible to harness and utilize all of the fruit from a full size tree yourself. A single family would have to squeeze a whole lotta juice, and nearly make themselves sick with oranges in order to consume all 10 bags of oranges their tree produces each season. Whenever I begin a landscape renovation, the first thing I do is assess the space and determine what in my professional opinion is healthy, has vigor, and is worthy of maintaining and integrating into the new landscape.

orange tree mashup

The beautiful, healthy, orange tree in Vicky’s yard that served as my inspiration for her space!

This tree was it! There we’re a few other camellias that we’re recently planted by the contractor that remodeled the house, so these were shifted around, since it was fall, and a great time for transplanting. When we finished the yard we did what most folks here in Northern California do; we mulched all of the garden beds with a decorative 1/4″ fir bark. I say decorative because these days most folks merely choose a bark mulch based primarily on it’s aesthetic value or cost. What they may or may not realize is that different types of mulch do make a difference.

While I won’t get into the specifics during this post I will tell you that what is recommended for soil that is dense, tight, and clay based is a loose, very porous mulch. When the soil is sandy and fast draining, a shredded and/or finely ground tight knit mulch should be applied. In this way the mulch can assist the soil by helping to regulate temperature in both situations, and assist the soils in either draining and drying out, or retaining moisture; whichever is needed.

In almost all situations some type of mulch should be applied. The benefits of mulch can be found right here.
Because we’re in Northern California we employed the use of drip irrigation for the newly remodeled garden beds. Hunter Industry’s MP Rotators we’re used on the lawn spaces and all was well. That is, right up until Ahmad got busy and left the garden maintenance to other people. For a few years Vicky would seek out good and affordable help with maintaining her yard. Someone to manage the “mow and blow” weekly, as well as occasional pruning and other seasonal chores that arise. She found a local gardener from Angie’s List. While this site is a great resource for locating contract professionals in your area, it is still up to you, the homeowner, to thoroughly vet the contractor before they begin work. So Vicky hired this gardener to fix a supposed irrigation issue; and because the fir bark that I installed was thin in areas, he suggested reapplying a “better, longer lasting mulch”.

Ahed Hassan 3 inches of mulch

3 inches of mulch is recommended for most applications

Yet he failed to consider that when you’re applying mulch, you typically want to create about a 3″ mulch layer in order to reap the 3 main benefits of mulch. They are:
1. Soil Water Retention
2. Soil Erosion Protection
3. Weed Suppression.

This gardener actually had the nerve to bad mouth Ahmed Hassan, The Celebrity Landscaper and saying that I installed the wrong mulch, because it was fast to break down. In his opinion I was trying to simply make more money with by needing to reapply mulch on a frequent basis. Yeah buddy! There I am, The con artist landscaper, deep in thought on how I can juice my clients for more money when it comes to their yards. Wow!

Ahmed Contemplating Orange Tree

While Mike assesses the situation, I contemplate “plan B”.

It truly saddens me that folks are simply uneducated in proper, solid horticultural practices. Yet here I am, doing all that I can to beautify and educate the masses on how to have better success with their outdoor spaces.
At this point the only thing I can do with the dead Citrus tree that’s sitting in my client’s yard is make lemonade outta lemons. Okay so orange juice outta oranges.

So here’s my list of 10 optimistic thoughts that come out of this whole experience for me.
1. Always and in everything give thanks!
2. Myself and so many others got to enjoy the wonderful fruit from the orange tree.
3. Myself and a few others got to enjoy the beauty of this lovely structural plant in nature.
4. I’ll chop up all of the dead branches and turn them into mulch and compost.
5. I’ll chop all of the larger wood into firewood size pieces so that it can be burned and used for heat.
6. This same location will be planted again, using the existing soil. It will be elevated on a small mound to aid drainage for the new fruit tree. This time… a Peach!
7. Both myself and this other gardener made money while working on site.
8. My client Vicky was likely tired of picking all those damn oranges.
9. The orange tree was a free gift that came with the house. Someone else planted it, and plenty of us got to benefit and enjoy it’s fruit.
10. Give thanks that we have an abundant earth and that she alone nurtures, feeds, and provides for us.

Ahmed Hassan dead orange tree

It lived a good life, now a peach tree will grow in it’s place.

Nothing lasts forever, except change.

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#GoGreenWithAhmed #TeamAhmedTV #DoItForDaniella #OrangeJuice

Filed Under: Aesthetics & Gardening, Landscape Construction & Property Improvements Tagged With: Ahmed Hassan, Ahmed Hassan Landscape Services, Ahmed Hassan Personal Appearance, Ahmed Hassan TV, california, Celebrity Landscaper, eco-friendly, eco-friendly gardening, Edibles, environmentally friendly, erosion prevention, Home, Landscape, Landscaping, life, Plants, soil erosion, sustainability

Organic Seeds for Your Garden

February 23, 2014 By Ahmed Hassan

 

Carolyn Kenyon not only sells heirloom and organic seeds, but last year she decided to personally hand write the names on most of her seed packs.  I personally think that the hand written seed packs also keeps within the whole “Organic” feel and flavor of things.  My 2014 Landscape and garden will boast 24 or more different varieties of her heirloom and interesting plant choices.

 

Kenyon Organics - Seeds - Salt Lake City Utah

Kenyon Organics, is an urban backyard gardening business located in Salt Lake City, Utah. They offer the area’s most extensive line of heirloom plants, seeds, and amendments to the home gardener as well as the very tastiest varieties of home grown, well nurtured produce to private buyers or farmer’s market shoppers.

They are firm believers in growing wholesome food which has not been genetically modified and founded this business on organic growing principles, with a commitment to offering our gardening friends with the most diverse and pure food supply around.  No GMOs here either. Kenyon Organics has a passion for growing and SHARING heirloom and open-pollinated food options with all people and it is what prompted them to start their  “home-grown” business back in 2008.  “We too were frustrated with the lack of food diversity, not to mention veggies that tasted good, in our local grocery stores. Growing our own food was not enough. We wanted to teach our family, friends, and neighbors that there are much better, more wholesome food options than what we have become used to in our food supply, especially when kids are involved, or people who say they don’t like tomatoes. I was once that person too and now I just tell them “You haven’t tried my tomatoes, I can change your opinion!”   We focus on flavor, freshness, and nutritional value and have a passion for teaching organic, small space, season extending gardening techniques and food preserving and offer many workshops throughout the year. 

A huge part of our business is giving back to the community which we do in ways such as: donating entire gardens, plants, or seeds to senior centers, transitional homeless housing, family programs, community gardens, schools, colleges, and rehabilitation programs. We also have our own network of low income seniors that we donate fresh produce and canned goods to during the growing months.” You can purchase Kenyon Seeds by visiting Carolyn’s shop Kenyon Organics on Etsy

 

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Filed Under: Aesthetics & Gardening Tagged With: Edibles, Gardening, Home, Landscape, Landscaping, Organic, Organic Vegetables, Plants, Seeds, Yard

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