Nature Designs is in the process of installing a landscape project in Rancho Santa Fe, which includes the installation of an Endless Pool, modifying an existing patio, integrating travertine and stone, and relaying existing sod.
Endless Pools are a great option for those who love to swim against a current but prefer to do that in the comfort of their own home’s landscape.  With an endless pool, the depth of the water can be as little as the height of a chair and can be installed in a basement, garage, or backyard.
Nature Designs, only 1 of 2 authorized factory-trained installers (FTI, Endless Pools) for “Endless Pools” in San Diego, are also experts in residential landscape.  Along with the installation of this unique pool system, Nature Designs is creating a visually stunning pool area, which includes “Mexican Noche Travertine Tile” and “Golden Gate Quartzite.”  The edges are bullnozed to ensure a smooth and snag-free entrance and exit from this customized pool.  Water and energy saving features include a remote to dictate the current strength, water temperature and a pool cover.
This will be the 20th Endless Pool that Nature Designs has installed.  Nature Designs has been installing Endless Pools for years, knowing well each dynamic of the installation process and having the experience to install the Endless Pool correctly, and beautifully.  Another aspect of this Rancho Santa Fe project is integrating 2,000 sq feet of stonework into an already existing patio structure.  The current irrigation system will need to be modified and the sod will be re-laid in another area.  These Rancho Santa Fe clients are excited about their Endless Pool being installed in their Rancho Santa Fe back yard.   With Nature Designs doing the installation of all elements of this project, the end result will be a dream come true. Contact Us

After a wildfire burned through their existing landscape, Rancho Bernardo residents Jim and Barbara Smith wanted to make sure the new landscape was both usable and sustainable. Where large, unusable slope areas existed before, there are now multiple walkways throughout the landscape and over the hills which lead the Smiths through a botanical menagerie.  Before the fire, very little of the property was accessible.  There were large boulders set into slopes on the site, blocking access to beautiful views of San Pasqual Valley. Takeo Uesugi & Associates designed a hardscape solution so that access to every part of the property would be possible. Vista-based landscape design and landscape contracting firm Nature Designs Landscaping designed the softscape and installed the entire hardscape and softscape plan.In the completed landscape, Nature Designs designed meandering stairs and walkways made of native rock and decomposed granite.  These walkways lead to various seating areas that look out onto the valley and rolling hills. Seeded aggregate lined with flagstone was used to create the new, vast driveway on the property.  At the entry to the home, Nature Designs installed an inviting water feature that spills into a pond under a bridge that is formed out of steel and concrete featuring railings with oriental lantern pottery.  The waterfall is made out of native rock found on site.  Hundreds of native plants along with exotic plant material are set into this Rancho Bernardo residence landscape. This Rancho Bernardo landscape is irrigated through drip irrigation so water isn’t being applied where it isn’t needed. The Smiths are using 50 percent less water than before at their 1.5-acre property. Since they are in the nursery business on the East Coast, the Smiths know their plant material, and took a great interest in choosing the plants for the landscape.  Nature Designs staffers drove the couple to various nurseries to choose plants.  “We learned a lot from the Smiths as they did from us when it came to choosing drought tolerant plant material and how plants from the East Coast could in fact fit in with California natives and Mediterranean plants.”

Steve Jacobs is the owner of Nature Designs Landscaping. He can be reached at 760-945-4321.

Nature Designs Owner, Steve Jacobs, is widely regarded as one of the leading San Diego Landscape Contractors. Steve earned a Bachelor’s degree in Ornamental Horticulture as well as a degree in Irrigation and Drainage Design from Cal Poly, Pomona. Steve is an Ornamental Horticulture instructor at Cuyamaca College where many of his employees have studied.Steve earned his landscape contractors license from the State of California in 1988 and expanded it to include pool and spa installation in 2006. He became involved in the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) in 1991 to keep up with the changes in the industry and served as president of the local chapter in 2001. Steve is currently the State Director of Education for the CLCA. Steve has made a commitment to continuing education by earning his Certified Landscape Professional (CLP), Certified Landscape Technician (CLT) designation from the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), Certified Water Manager (CWM) from the CLCA, Arborist certification from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), and Certified Irrigation Contractor (CIC) from the Irrigation Association (IA). Steve is also a member of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating. Steve’s company, Nature Designs, has won over 30 landscape design, installation and maintenance awards.
Nature Designs Landscaping

Steve Jacobs, President of Nature Designs, will be giving a talk on Saturday, September 17 on “How to Use a Landscape Professional to Create the Garden of Your Dreams” at the Fall Home and Garden Show.  The presentation will emphasize the benefits of hiring a professional, certified, landscaper to design and implement your landscape vision.  He will also inform you of the setbacks that can occur when a landscape company is not educated, certified, or experienced.

What: “How to Use a Landscape Professional to Create the Garden of Your Dreams”

When: Saturday, September 17 at 4pm

Where: Fall Home and Garden Show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds

Who: Steve Jacobs, President of Nature Designs Landscaping

Nature Designs Landscaping of Vista is proud to announce itself as the recipient of five outstanding awards, including one top 3 award, the President’s Award, for residential construction at a wedding site in Alpine that featured many unique and charming elements. These superior accomplishments were recently recognized at the California Landscape Contractors Association’s Annual Beautification Awards Program, held at the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College.   Nature Designs also won a Design & build Award, the California Friendly Irrigation/Water Smart Award and the California Friendly Landscape Construction Award.

For their work at the Botta residence in Escondido, Nature Designs Landscaping received the achievement award for the California Friendly Landscape Construction Small Category at the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) Beautification Awards.  The project includes a significant amount of softscape and reusing, recycling and minimizing future water consumption, which was the overall theme of this project.  As a result of Nature Designs’ work on this property, water usage decreased by 60%, and it is expected to further decrease as the drought tolerant plants mature and require less water.  Young native and drought resistant plant material can be a challenge for some to maintain, but the water management experts at Nature Designs will keep this Escondido landscape from drowning or drying out and looking its best.  For their work at the Botta residence in Escondido, Nature Designs also received the achievement award for the California Friendly Landscape Maintenance Category at the CLCA Beautification Awards.

For their landscape work at the Smith residence in Rancho Bernardo, they received the first place award for the California Friendly Irrigation/Water Smart Residential Category at the CLCA Beautification Awards.   The award-winning property was an extensive project, which included hardscaping and softscaping on an area of 60,000 sq.ft., taking five months to complete.  The project includes rock steps and walls made from rock found onsite, flagstone patios, dry stream beds, and advanced irrigation systems.  Challenged by a two-week deadline to remove and replace a 4,000 sq.ft. concrete driveway, the finished driveway project is a piece of art.  Also removed was water thirsty ice plant, replaced with mostly drought tolerant plant material.  Recycled mulch was used for practical and aesthetic purposes.

For their work at a wedding event site in Alpine, they received the first place award for the California Friendly Landscape Construction Large Category at the CLCA Beautification Awards. This huge feat of installing 1.5 acres of landscape and hardscape was completed in just two months time. Featuring three patios, two patio covers with custom steel lattices, 100+ large trees, among other unique and charming elements, the completion of this project overjoyed the client.

For their work at the wedding event site in Alpine, they also received the President’s Award for Residential Construction at the CLCA Beautification Awards.

Committed to ongoing education and training as well as loyalty to its staff, Nature Designs holds a strong advantage in the Landscaping Industry.  With over 50 years of combined experience, Nature Designs is a 21^st century leader in water management, hardscape techniques, and innovative outdoor living design.  The staff at Nature Designs is invested in the vision of their clients and are experts in executing the desired outcome.

At a recent project in Del Mar, Nature Designs was faced with one of the more difficult concrete projects they have had in a while. Custom work in Del Mar can be difficult because of the specialized permits that are required, but despite the challenges of dealing with the city, Nature Designs was able to pour in place concrete walls and a matching bar-b-que at a home in Del Mar that was built in the 1970s.  The walls and bar-b-que were built out of block, but aggregate concrete was exposed. The client made it clear that the concrete needed to match what was already there, so many samples were poured to make sure the client was happy with the final choice.

Aggregate is a local rock that is crushed up and mixed into the concrete along with sand, cement, water and gravel. Before the concrete completely dries, the surface is washed off until the rock shows. It comes out in many colors, so the challenge was to get the mix to match with what was already there. While washing the surface of the concrete, the client’s dog provided comical entertainment for the workers, as the dog stood between the stream of water and the concrete, trying to bite the water.

The finished counter top of the bar-b-que is a nice, smooth concrete finish that came out beautifully, and the exposed aggregate concrete was used for the walls.

After having hired several different companies to work on a garden project, and being unable to find a true professional, Nature Designs has really stepped up while maintaining a landscape in Poway, CA.  According to the client, Nature Designs “over delivered”.

This maintenance project, located at Maderas Golf Course in Poway, has undergone a number of changes since Nature Designs began maintaining the landscape. Nature Designs chose to work with the existing plants rather than deleting or changing any improvements previously made.  The client worked very closely with Nature Designs to ensure the look the client was after, tackling one area of the project at a time. The client provided significant feedback on what they did and did not like, especially on the plant selection. This feedback was helpful to make sure the final project was exactly what the client wanted.

An interesting facet of this project is the need to not disturb a resident owl while maintaining the property.