For The Union-Tribune
When Karen Fleck and her family moved into a larger home in 1990 from the one they lived in down the street in Santee, the idea was that it would be temporary — a stopgap before buying a home in the proposed Fanita Ranch development. The house had the benefit of having a swimming pool for her two young sons.
The embattled development, however, has yet to be built, and over the years, her boys grew up and her husband passed away. Nine years ago, Fleck met and married Tom Clarke. The two live in the home now with their cat Frankie. Both are now retired: Fleck from the position of vice present of marketing and business development for a credit union, and Clarke, a longtime chef at UCSD before becoming a senior project manager for purchasing for the university’s department of housing and dining.
Today, they’re both very involved in the Santee-Lakeside Rotary Club. And they’re fully enjoying the colorful, clean contemporary landscape and patio they designed and created in 2020, which won this year’s WaterSmart Landscape Contest from Padre Dam Municipal Water District.
The two-story house, built in 1985 on a cul-de-sac by open space, underwent remodeling ahead of the couple’s planned renovation of the front yard. Fleck and Clarke took advantage of the time to really plot out what they wanted — everything from creating a pergola and low wall seating to coming up with a new irrigation plan and buying just the right plants that would thrive in their western exposure, be easy to maintain and eventually provide them with some privacy.
Santee residents Tom Clarke, left, and Karen Fleck knew they wanted an outdoor space that had beautiful aesthetics, was welcoming and was functional for their social gatherings. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The inspiration
“Tom and I are very social, so we host groups regularly,” said Fleck. “We host game nights. So, we do like to have space that fits. When we had grass in the front, there was also a big tree and bushes. We never used the front. It just didn’t seem nice.”
The couple were lucky in that Clarke’s brother, David Clarke, is a local landscape designer.
“Before we started, he came out and gave us advice about how to decide how we might want the patio set up, and how we should really sit in the area before, to consider how we would use it, figure out where is the sun, the breeze,” Fleck explained. “He told us stories of clients who wanted a patio ‘over there’ and then after it was built realized no one ever wanted to hang out ‘over there.’ ”
A bird’s-eye view of the Santee yard shows the precise placement of plants that could handle high heat and would maintain a controlled size. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The couple was concerned that the area would be too hot for a patio but were surprised by the breeze it got, along with the shade from the house. So they decided to enlarge the patio and followed David Clarke’s advice to mock up plywood walls to determine the height of seat walls, where the entrances to the patio should be and how wide to make the columns as well as where to place them. The couple put out lawn chairs in the front to get a sense of a view and the space, moving the mock plywood walls around to find just the right positioning.
When it came to the plants and the general look, the couple were interested in creating a contemporary front garden and patio. They wanted a look cohesive with the house’s new exterior, including a dramatic dark redwood garage door. They wanted a design that was welcoming to neighbors to stop by when the couple was sitting outside. And that Fleck’s 86-year-old mother, who lives across the seat, could enjoy.
“We spent endless time during the pandemic walking neighborhoods all over the county looking at design elements we liked for every aspect of hardscape and landscape,” Fleck recalled. “We went to nurseries and pool and rock supply stores repeatedly bringing home samples.”
They gave themselves plenty of time to identify just the right design.
“We wanted form and function,” said Clarke. “We’ve seen other people’s landscaping that’s just all mulch or just plants. It looks nice but you can’t really use it. We intentionally laid out the design and worked on it for a long time to get the right form and flow.”
Clarke, being the former project manager, created scads of drawings, rich in detail down the color and number of plants and their placement. He did research on varieties of plants to learn about their size potential and light/water needs. The couple didn’t want anything to grow too large and wanted to be minimalist about the numbers of plants not just because of maintenance — they’re avid travelers and didn’t want to worry about the condition the garden would be in on their returns — but also for the aesthetics. They wanted their plants to be statements and let the eye breathe when taking in different parts of the garden. It was as important to them as the art they chose to enhance the space.
Salvia blooms draw pollinators to the yard of Karen Fleck and Tom Clarke. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Salvia blooms draw pollinators to the yard of Karen Fleck and Tom Clarke. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
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The details
Before the landscape renovation, the 950-square-foot front yard was as typical SoCal as you could get from the 1980s. The lawn crept up to the house structure itself, with just a narrow concrete walkway leading from the driveway to a couple of steps up to the covered front door.
Today, there’s a wide welcoming set of stairs from the sidewalk leading to the house, with the lips and risers of each step outfitted in travertine. A low wall with a short column of stacked travertine are on one side with Platinum Beauty variegated Lomandra plants bounded by dwarf indigo sage with its purple spires of flowers. Behind the wall, a fruitless olive tree takes center stage backed by two silver sheen Pittosporum. Closer to the ground is a striking collection of plants ranging from Queen Victoria agave, golden barrel cactus and society garlic to blue glow agave and brilliant red cordyline australis.
A golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) brings a distinctive shape and color to the landscape. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
On the other side of the steps is a dramatic cassia, or golden medallion tree, drooping with large seed pods. It’s surrounded by red-tipped paddle plants, Furman’s red salvia, sages, more society garlic, a cigar plant and Platinum Beauty variegated Lomandra and ‘Blue Glow’ Agave. Across the garden is decomposed granite, punctuated by a half dozen concrete squares surrounded by river rock by the driveway. Together, the plants represent a mix of color and variety of greens and textures. The couple also created a small grassy play area of artificial turf for their year-old granddaughter and neighborhood kids to the left of the patio and garden.
The plants were purchased from Kniffings in El Cajon, Armstrong Nursery, Evergreen Nursery, Everde Growers, and Moon Valley Nurseries. And now they have an additional $250 gift card from Padre Dam Municipal Water District to spend at Lowe’s.
The couple looked for plants that could take the hot East County summer sun and dwarf varieties with pops of color so the mature plants would maintain the couple’s vision. Throughout the garden, the plants are spread out enough not just to allow growth, but also to prevent snakes from hiding among them. And the couple made sure to select plants that wouldn’t lure rabbits or gophers that would eat them or attract too many bees. But they’re delighted by all of the birds, frogs, lizards, butterflies, and other wildlife that have found them.
Avid travelers, Karen Fleck and Tom Clarke chose plants that didn’t require too much upkeep, such as society garlic, shown abloom. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Avid travelers, Karen Fleck and Tom Clarke chose plants that didn’t require too much upkeep, such as society garlic, shown abloom. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
One attraction for the birds is the massive geometric fountain the couple bought online from The Soothing Company that sits at the very back of the garden near the patio. Clarke said birds flock to the fountain regularly to bathe. Another striking piece of art is a large wood Medusa head from Indonesia that they found at a nursery, hung at the entryway. Clarke pointed out that the face is a slice of a tree trunk and the hair is the sprawling tree roots.
The couple hired MCID Concrete to put in the concrete patio and A-Z Patio installed the pergola. The couple did most of the demo and planned and laid three independent, overlapping dripline systems, along with French drains.
Not only are Fleck and Clarke enjoying their front garden and patio, but they also get tons of compliments from neighbors walking their dogs and even the mountain bikers who are on the way or returning from the nearby open space.
But mostly, they’re just enjoying their space.
“At the end of the day, it just makes me happy,” said Fleck. “We’ve made this into something we both love inside and out.”
Costs
The total cost was about $45,000, which was $15,000 over their original budget. It included removal of all the dirt and concrete and then installation of a new porch and entry, a patio and wall, a pergola, fountain and sculptures. In fact, Fleck explained that the hardscape consumed a lot of the budget. They also installed new irrigation, landscape fabric, rocks, decomposed granite, and, of course, the plants.
A closer look: Karen Fleck and Tom Clarke
‘Blue Glow’ Agave leaves are rimmed in red and yellow. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Plants used:
Fruitless olive tree (Olea europaea ‘Majestic Beauty’), golden medallion tree (Cassia leptophylla), Lomandra Platinum Beauty Variegated (Lomandra longifolia ‘Roma 13’), silver sheen (Pittosporium tenuifolia), Furman’s red Salvia (Salvia greggii), sage (Salvia X ‘Love and Wishes’), dwarf indigo sage (Salvia ‘Mystic Spires’), society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea ‘Purpleicious’), blue fescue (Festuca X ‘Beyond Blue’), dwarf coastal rosemary (Westringia ‘Grey Box’), cigar plant (Cuphea ignea), Queen Victoria agave (Agave victoriae-reginae), ‘Blue Glow’ Agave (Agave X ‘Blue Glow’), golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii), paddle plant (Kalanchoe luciae)
Estimated costs and any rebates you got:
The cost was $39,500 for the dirt removal/re-leveling, concrete path/stairs removal, new porch and entryway concrete, the patio and whole yard walls and ledger stone wrap and top caps, the pergola, artificial turf, water fountain and sculptures, and wood/stain/lighting for the entryway. Plus, $5,500 for the irrigation, plants, landscape fabric, rocks and decomposed granite. In their original budget, they had $1,000 for irrigation and $1,500 for plants. It was over their original $30,000 budget.
“But then as we got quotes for things, at the end, I wanted it to be how we wanted it as we aren’t moving soon,” Fleck said. They didn’t apply for any rebates.
Who did the work:
Fleck and Clarke acted as contractors. However, at the outset, they did have guidance from Clarke’s brother David Clarke, a local landscape designer. The couple did most of the demo as well as all of the irrigation, planting and installing Corten steel dividers. Clarke and their adult son installed the tongue-and-groove wood ceiling of the entryway. Clarke stained and cut all that wood of the entryway, and installed the vent covers and new lighting. Diego de la Torre of MCID Concrete did the concrete/dirt removal and initial leveling. Steve of A-Z Patio installed the pergola. Francisco Villasenor of Villasenor Concrete did the patio, walkway, column and stairs as well as install the column wraps and the wall caps and the artificial turf. Fountain Services installed the large water fountain. Russ Grassa of SG Plastering did the stucco for the low walls the front of the house that had been wood.
How long it took, including when the project was started:
The couple started the actual work in October 2020 and finished most of it by March 2021.
Water savings:
Fleck said that water savings is hard to measure, as Padre Dam records don’t go back to 2020 for a comparison. They had a large lawn that was mainly grass out front, plus green bushes around the house, but they stopped watering it nine months ahead of the front yard remodel. “The exact amount is hard to measure, but we are not wasting a single drop out front,” Fleck said.
Advice:
• Play around with the space before you start — really visualize it before you start.
• Don’t just take a contractor’s suggestion of what you need.
• Walk around neighborhoods that inspire you and take pictures. Take your time.
• Do your homework on the plants. Each plant has a lot of varieties that get all sizes full grown. It’s not just the amount of sun they need. For us, knowing what is bee-friendly, tastes good to gophers or bunnies, etc., made all the difference. Also, we eliminated plants we liked that didn’t “go” with our vision of how the yard should look.
• Be very particular in hiring your subs. So many we interviewed would say “whatever you want to do,” and we never hired these. We always interviewed several and did not hire just on price. We aren’t the expert in their field, even if we think we knew what we wanted. We needed someone who would stand up to us and say, “Your idea won’t work, because the drainage is all wrong” or whatever the issue was and be willing to give us alternate ideas.
About the series
This is the fourth this year in an occasional series on 2025 winners of the annual WaterSmart Landscape Contest, conducted in partnership with the San Diego County Water Authority. To learn about entering the next contest, visit landscapecontest.com.
For details on classes and resources through the WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Program, visit watersmartsd.org. Landscape rebates are available through the Socal WaterSmart Turf Replacement Program at socalwatersmart.com.