Lillian Cox
Special to the U-T
John and Cathy love to travel to the Caribbean, so much so that they make of point of visiting every two years. In January, they set out for Belize where John found himself snapping photos of palm trees and plants, big and small, that they would use in planning their own tropical paradise when they returned home to Encinitas.
Late last year, they terminated a relationship with a landscape designer, who they thought was too expensive. Then John learned about Eric Breceda and his wife and business partner, Teran.
“There were a lot of big plants and trees in the first plan, but we couldn’t afford it,” John recalled. “But the Brecedas took a different approach that was more personal. Instead of a general plan, Teran developed a detailed cost estimate where we could go line-by-line and pick and choose.”
Eric has been in business for 30 years, the last several of which he has spent incorporating irrigation science and environmental science to create drought-tolerant environments. Teran is also president of the National Association of Women in Construction.
“The majority of the original landscaping in their yard was turf,” Eric said. “We reduced water consumption by 30 percent, and eventually it will be 40 percent. My projection is that it will be reduced to $100 to $200 a year in about three or four years when the canopy is filled in.”
Eric created a canopy in the front courtyard by capitalizing on an existing giant Japanese timber bamboo (Phyllostachys bambusoides) and rectilana palm (Phoenix reclinata) with multiple trunks that will shade kentia (Howea forsteriana) and other palms and tropical plants.
“It will expand and produce shade throughout the courtyard and grow 50 percent over the next few years which, in turn, will create a canopy for the rest of the plant materials,” he said. “Currently, all the plants are getting more sun then they should. We are creating optimum conditions with perfect soil that will evolve into a drought-tolerant environment.”
Eric’s approach also included creating infrastructure centered on a hardscape.
“I had boulders before and didn’t care for them, but Eric said, ‘Let’s keep an open mind,’ ” John explained. “He took us to KRC Rock where I saw this boulder that looked like a painting with colors that were spectacular!”
That boulder became the focal point in the front courtyard.
“On Valentine’s Day, Cathy and I gave a boulder to each other,” he said.
“Eric introduced me to places I didn’t know existed, such as Rancho Soledad Nursery in Rancho Santa Fe. He would offer us cost-saving alternatives such as buying a smaller tree. In addition to being less expensive, it’s actually healthier for a tree to grow in its place.”
John and Cathy’s 7,000-square-foot landscaping area has 10 self-contained micro zones that are for: giant Japanese timber bamboo; citrus and edible gardens; black bamboo and a koi pond in the backyard; turf; a courtyard; a side yard with a dog run; flower gardens; a front embankment; a side yard with recycled existing plants and maximum screening plants; and a total shade area next to the fountain mounted on the wall by the front door.
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