Jason Lee Design Studio, Inc.

Jan 2010

As a characteristic feature in Southern California neighborhoods, lawns have long been seen as a symbol of the American dream as many homeowners have labored to keep them maintained. When Ron Reid contacted Jason Lee of Jason Lee Design Studio in 2010 to redesign their landscape, he initially thought it would simply be updating the planting around the residence. As the hired landscape architect for the job, Jason soon learned that his job was to get rid of the whole existing lawn in the front yard and replace it with plants that require very little water. Not a typical request, removing an entire green lawn is a radical idea not only from a traditional homeowner’s perspective but a design professional’s as well. To get a better understanding of the water use for this property, Jason and his client discovered that by implementing a new irrigation system, the water reduction was well over 75%. The previous water expenditure was 124,000 Gallons per year. As a result of this project, the total consumption of water use went down to 20,400 Gallon per year, saving nearly 100,000 gallons of water each year by upgrading to a new system and switching to drought-tolerant planting. For water savings, two drip irrigation systems were used: designated drip emitters on individual plants, and a subsurface irrigation that is equipped with a pressure- compensating drip line tubing. Designated drip emitters system effects single plants like small trees and shrubs. Whereas a subsurface drip line tubing system is used to water groundcover or turf that needs consistent water coverage. For the design of the space, in order to achieve a versatile and year-round appeal, Jason chose to integrate plants that have foliage with bold colors. He also wanted to celebrate California natives and other drought tolerant plants that are beautiful and unfamiliar in mainstream landscape design. As a result, the garden became a dynamic and inviting way to view and enjoy the subtle seasonal changes while simultaneously reaping the rewards of a low water tolerant space.

$100k

La Habra Heights, CA

Landscaping of Outside in Single Family Residence

$150k

Murrieta, CA