At Contemporary Landscaping we understand that  properly balanced  soil is the key to healthy abundant gardens that do not require the use of dangerous chemicals.

We provide a full spectrum of soil testing and subsequent soil amending that creates a balanced environment that is rich in minerals and teeming with beneficial soil microbes. 

If your landscape is unhealthy or under performing it is time to test the soil. Correcting nutrient deficiencies or excesses in your soil whilst restoring a diverse soil ecosystem will lead to naturally healthy and productive plants, lawns, fruits and vegetables. 

Plants will glow with vigor and your home grown food will be packed with nutrients. We help Olympia and the Puget Sound get the most from their soil through testing and experience.

Procedure

We come and take soil samples at the appropriate locations and depth for the plants being grown. This soil is tested and we analyze the results to create a tailored fertility program that perfectly feeds the plants and the soil without any negative effects on the environment.

 Having established  a full spectrum of nutrients and a developed soil food web to make them biologically available to the plants your garden is not only more vibrant but more self sustaining.

Accuracy

An accurate picture of your soils existing structure is required to tailor a fertility program.   

The procedure we utilize is called  a weak acid test. Unlike the commonly used strong acid test, our test shows what the plant can actually utilize in the soil, as opposed to everything that a strong acid can extract from a soil but that a plant can not.

The weak acid test, by simulating what nutrients are available to  plants through their practice of releasing a mild acid in their roots exudates, shows us what elements the plant is actually missing, or being overburdened with.

This allows us to recognize nutrients that would otherwise be shown as present in the soil according to regular testing, but  that are not actually usable by the plant. These nutrients can then be supplied, or even better, be made available for the plants by activating the soil microbes.       

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At Contemporary Landscaping we offer a full range of design services in the Puget Sound area.

We fulfill the role of one or a combination of.

Designer, Consultant, General Contractor for the project, Installing contractor.

We specialize in contemporary landscapes that transform under utilized out door areas into valuable outdoor living space.

Contemporary Landscaping's design process is orchestrated from start to finish with sustainability and landscape health at the core. From the moment the process begins no matter how large or small we specialize in bringing the vision for your property to life while making sure it is successful for many years to come.

This is how our design process works.

An initial consultation that allows the designer to understand your objectives and to give their feed back.

The designer contacts you with a proposal, including the design fee

The proposal will outline the design and installation process    

Time will be allocated for surveying the design area if required.

Ideas will flow back and forth leading to a finished design .

Contemporary Landscaping specializes in the installation of projects  to meet the highest standards of modern hardscapes and planting, ensuring your design provides years of pleasure and ensuring the value of your investment.

Our designers on staff have the experience, plant knowledge and passion for great design. Creating beautiful landscapes that will provide hours of pleasure through all four seasons. 

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Contemporary Landscaping performs installations in the Puget Sound region. All of our work is designed to insure the long term health of your landscape. Starting with a customized design, or implementing a clients plans, we focus on proper ground preparation. To often plants are put into poorly prepared beds and a season or two after completion the garden is all ready in decline.

The time spent on creating, or not creating, a sustainable growing medium  is unseen when finished but its effects on the landscapes health will soon be visible.

Ensuring that the appropriate irrigation is reaching all the plants in the installation, and being able to nurture all of these plants through the installation of a fertigation system onto the irrigation system, allows for rapid establishment and years of vigor for your garden.

  Having gardeners on staff that are attentive to the correct spacing for plantings and that prepare the plants roots to encourage a smooth transition into their new surroundings distinguishes Contemporary Landscaping. From the initial planting through the plants long term needs and maintenance we will take care of your investment. 

Whether creating a bed to grow highly nutritious food for your family or planting a row of  thirty foot tall trees for instant effect we recognize that all plants are living organisms that depend on the living soil they inhabit. Creating a properly balanced ecosystem allows your trees, shrubs, flowers, lawns, fruits and vegetables to prosper without detracting from the environment at large through the unnecessary use of chemicals.

Our irrigation designs and installations use the most up to date technology to ensure the precise application of water  to your landscape without waste.   Irrigation Services

FALL CLEAN UP

Contemporary Landscaping offers a variety of maintenance programs for properties of all shapes and sizes from small cottage gardens to large estates, working in the Olympia area and throughout the Puget Sound. All of our programs and all of our staff are equipped to keep your landscape in the peak of good health as it matures and evolves. CALL NOW FOR COMPETITIVE RATES AND MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS FOR YOUR LAWN AND LANDSCAPE

Our expertise at developing a healthy soil and feeding plants what they need when they need it eliminates the need for toxic chemicals to combat disease and insect problems brought on by stressed plants.  

Lawn maintenance

Our lawn maintenance includes the basics of lawn care, mowing, weed whacking, thatching, aeration, moss control and over seeding at HIGHLY COMPETATIVE RATES. But where we go the extra mile for your property and the environment is our scientific approach to feeding the soil and the grass with gentle organic amendments and small amounts of nutrients and micro nutrients as required and only in amounts usable by the lawn. This prevents ground water pollution which is so prevalent with the use of highly concentrated salt fertilizers. It also prevents a "boom and bust" cycle where the lawn is over fed on initial application then under fed as the highly soluble synthetic fertilizer is washed beyond the grass roots. This irregular availability of nutrients weakens the lawn making it susceptible to disease.

We specialize in alternatives to the traditional mono culture lawn which can be as simple as adding micro clover to help feed the existing lawn and increase drought tolerance. Or can involve replacing it with a variety of lower maintenance and more drought tolerant alternatives such as; a low mow fescue mix, native grasses, ornamental grasses such as sedge, wildflowers, herbs or ground covers.     

To often landscapes are allowed to decline due to lack of gardening practices that go beyond weeding and cutting the grass. Our staff perform these basics but are also skilled in the following practices that are essential in the upkeep of grounds.  

Pruning 

Most people are familiar with the need to keep trees properly pruned, but shrubs and perennials also require pruning to maintain the vigor and aesthetics of the plant.

Controlling size - some plants require maintenance to keep a planting plan in balance. Some perennials are naturally more vigorous than others and will diminish their neighbors if not kept in check. Thinning a plant by removing some of its stems can control disease pressure in susceptible plants and lead to larger blooms on the remaining stems.

Deadheading - spent flowers are removed to stop the plant expending large amounts of energy into seed production that could be used for further blooming and overall plant vigor. The type of deadheading, cutting back to an existing flower, bud, leaf lateral or right back to basal growth varies between plants.

 Leaving -  some plants such as, varieties of crocosmia, rudbeckia and sedum, produce attractive seed heads for late season interest, whilst others produce seed that attracts and feeds birds such as, coreopsis, echinacea and helianthus to name but a few.

"It is my honor to write a testimony for Contemporary Landscaping. Over the ten years I've worked with Jonathan and Contemporary Landscaping they have created two very beautiful gardens for me, they also meticulously orchestrated their ongoing care. I don't have to worry about a thing. And Jonathan is also a soil alchemist. He can amend your soil to make all your plants grow robust and vital. Your vegetables will be super nourishing.

He also installed and managed my intricate irrigation systems, and he does all his work reliably and discreetly.

I cannot recommend Jonathan and Organic Gardens highly enough"  Rebecca

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Fertigation is the application of nutrients, trace elements and beneficial soil microbes through the irrigation system. Fertigation can accurately apply the exact quantity of product to a specific irrigation zone in amounts appropriate for the plants immediate needs. This avoids the loss of excessive fertilizer, especially nitrogen, into ground water. Repeat applications can keep a landscape growing at a steady rate avoiding a "boom and bust" cycle associated with highly concentrated salt based fertilizers. We have installed fertigators in the Olympia area and further afield for small vegetable gardens up to large acreages.

The formulation of a fertigation application goes hand in hand with our soil testing, soil mineralization and strengthening of the soil food web. Without knowing what is deficient, as well as what is in excess in a soil, any form of fertilizing may do more harm than good. Having established a base fertility level for an area ammendments are added to the soil to correct shortfalls in nutrients, soil energy and soil food web health. A fertigation program then dove tails in with these applications to take care of the finer details, especially in critical micro nutrients, and to sustain all major nutrients, soil energy (ERGS) and microbes at optimum levels. It is important to emphasize though, that a plants ability to utilize a foliar spray and its capacity to absorb nutrients from the air are governed by the balance of the soil it is growing in. In a nut shell good soil equates to good mineral uptake which creates greater magnetic force within the  plant to attract foliar and air borne nutrients.

Having added the major ammendments  directly to the soil, fertigation is used to maintain a landsapes vigor throughout the season. By adjusting nutrient and energy levels during the season flowering and fruiting can be promoted and plants under environmental stress can be assisted.

Being able to supply  plants and the soil food web with the amendments they require for different growth stages and for different weather conditions ensures the healthiest garden without polluting water sources.

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Plants are able to absorb essential nutrients through the openings in their leaves, the stomata, and through their outer layer the epidermis. Trees also have the capacity to absorb nutrients through their bark.

The effectiveness of foliar sprays to feed a plant with nutrients was tested by Michigan state university. Traceable phosphorus and potassium were applied to foliage and was shown to be absorbed by the plant anywhere between 100% and 900% more effectively than root feeding.

It is important to note though that foliar feeding is not a substitute for a healthy soil food web and the appropriate nutrients in the root zone. Foliar feeding, as described by Dr Carey Reams, can act as a pump helping plants absorb the full spectrum of needed compounds from their root zone. In an upward perpetuating cycle the higher the mineral content of a plants sap through mineral uptake at the roots, the more effective foliar applied nutrients are magnetized to the plant.  

Marked improvements in plant health can be noted when a foliar spray is providing a nutrient that a plant is deficient in. It may not yet be present in the soil, or due to a multitude of potential interactions with other compounds in the soil, is tied up and not available for the plants use. Liebig's law of minimum stating that the nutrient in least supply to meet a plants requirements is the one that limits growth , explains why it is often micro-nutrients in parts per million that make up an effective foliar spray.

Foliar feeding is utilized to aid proper soil fertility as well as energy and to assist or alter the plants growth for the better. We perform this service In the Olympia area and further afield.   

what is used and when. 

In a time when purchased fruits and vegetables can be contaminated, genetically modified and more often than not low in nutrients growing your own produce makes more sense than ever.

By balancing the soil nutrients, see High Brix and Soil Testing, plants are able to absorb the full spectrum of nutrients and micro nutrients in a biologically available form. Having these building blocks they can create nutrient dense produce which in turn when eaten by you and your family provides the recipient with the energy and nutrients to maintain a health body.

Home grown fruits and vegetables that are provided with the correct growing conditions are high in vitamins, properly formed amino acids, calcium, enzymes, sterols, essential oils and antioxidants. Poorly grown produce lacks these essential components and are often high in nitrates and pesticides.

Eating these poor quality vegetables and fruits provides little or no health benefits. Eating highly nutritious produce rewards you not only with delicious sweet tasting produce but with the building blocks and energy reserves for maintaining good health. The sweetness we associate with the best fruits and vegetables is because high carbohydrate/sugar levels go hand in hand with high mineral content in a plant. So if you want to start enjoying the benefits of nutrient dense food in the Olympia area and the Puget Sound contact Contemporary Landscaping.  

These mineral rich carbohydrates add more than taste to the food, they provide the energy required for many digestive enzymes to work properly. Also the full spectrum of minerals available, specifically calcium, are critical for the liver to performs its function of creating adequate full strength gastric juices needed for proper digestion.  Poor digestion reduces the absorption of calcium creating a negative feed back loop.

Calcium's critical role in our health and the great benefits of its abundance in well nurtured home grown, or farm grown, produce is worth expanding upon.

continued.

Brix is the carbohydrate content of an aqueous solution. It was used by Dr Carey Ream as a measure of a plants health and of the quality of fruits and vegetables.

One degree brix as measured on a refractometer is equal to one percent sugar.

Dr Reams showed that the higher the carbohydrate  level in plant sap, or the juice from fruits and vegetables, the higher the mineral content, the oil content and the quality of the proteins contained within the plant.

He also showed that the higher the mineral content of food he provided to his patients the less health issues they had. This is why he came to teach that

"All disease is the result of mineral deficiency"

The relationship between sugar content and mineral content is why we are drawn to sweet tasting fruit and vegetables over bland ones. And why eating a moderate portion of good tasting/quality food can satisfy ones appetite when eating large quantities of mineral deficient food will not.

Healthy plants, and specifically those deliberately grown to raise their brix level, will have a strong immune system, defending themselves from insect and disease pressure.

Plants grown with no regard to soil biology and the full spectrum of needs of the plant, will have to resort to chemical sprays and synthetic fertilizers to stop the insects and microorganisms doing their job, which is to remove weak specimens.

Fruits and vegetables grown to have elevated brix levels will be highly nutritious, with excellent quantity and quality of; minerals, vitamins, proteins, enzymes, antioxidants, carbohydrates, calcium and oils. Such food aids digestion and provides the building blocks for good health. So if you want to raise your brix levels in the Olympia area and throughout the Puget Sound give us a call.                

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Contemporary Landscaping has many years of sourcing plant material from 4" pots to thirty foot tall trees. Whether it is part of a design and installation performed by us, or if it is finding your perfect plants for your own project at beneath retail pricing we can help.

Contemporary Landscaping performs consultations for existing landscapes and new instillation's. Our initial visit includes our garden health soil test.

The information provided through soil testing plus that assessed on site is used to tailor a one time soil health and fertilization application or a seasonal management package that can include appropriately timed soil amendments and maintenance.

Utilizing our companies experience in foliar feeding and fertigation to maximize the health of your soil and plants our garden health plans can be tailored to your needs. 

 Whether it is one aspect of your existing garden that needs improving or if you are needing a complete overhaul  of your property we have the knowledge base to build a healthy sustainable chemical free environment.

From the design stage through instillation and maintenance we create environments you will be proud to call your own, vibrant to the senses and adding to the well being of the planet not detracting from it.

 We are based in the Olympia area but have traveled throughout the Puget Sound, are work often starts with a comprehensive site visit and garden health soil test followed by recommendations.