Outstanding landscapes earn honors - Fallbrook Beautification Alliance bestows seventh annual awards

FALLBROOK – The Fallbrook Beautification Alliance (FBA) has announced the winners of its seventh annual Outstanding Landscape awards.

Each year, the FBA recognizes those who have taken an extra effort in keeping Fallbrook beautiful. Submissions are open to residential and commercial properties alike. An FBA-appointed committee reviews each submission for innovative, sustainable, or beautiful landscaping, architectural design, public art, preservation, conservation, and more.

The winners for 2014, by category, include:

Residential

The home of Sharon and Bill Desatoff, located at 1624 McDonald Rd. was selected as the residential winner for 2014. The fact that the Desatoff’s were in the floral design business for more than 15 years shows.

This do-it-yourself project was completed section-by-section, taking six years. The landscape has no automatic irrigation and is all hand-watered.

Taking lessons that she learned from the Fallbrook Garden Club, such as in mulching, Sharon has created a garden and butterfly paradise. The property has many large boulders, all donated by local construction companies looking to keep them out of their way.

The yard originally contained fruit trees but is now home to rolling walkways, birdbaths and trellises, as well as many vibrant flowers and numerous native plants. Butterflies flutter around host plants, including the butterfly bush and flambego. Morning glories add lots of color, accented by purple, pink, and white delphiniums and cosmos.

Drought-tolerant

Jerry and Cindy Sims of 2132 Vista Valle Verde are this year’s drought tolerant winners. Judges called the Sims’ landscape “a feast for the eyes.”

Completed just over a year ago by Fallbrook landscape designer Mike Knox, this previous nearly acre of grass was transformed into a stunning scene of Italian olive trees, large boulders, and an impressive collection of cacti and succulents. Large euphorbias and prickly pear cacti are surrounded by colorful low growing red yuccas, yellow-tipped aloe brevefolia and giant green salad bowl aeoniums. Mexican sage offers splashes of purple, and Little John bottle brush plants spice it up with abundant blooms of red.

This garden is on drip irrigation, reducing the water consumption considerably, according to the homeowner. The garden also boosts giant agave Americana, golden barrel cacti, calandrinia blooming in hot pink, and much more.

Non-Profit

The Fallbrook branch of the San Diego County Library at 124 S. Mission Road took the Outstanding Landscape honor in this category.

According to judges, “This award-winning library continues to put effort into making sure the environment inside and out is warm and welcoming. In collaboration with the Friends of the Fallbrook Library, they have succeeded.”

Pavlina Nasim, assistant branch manager, takes great pride in improving the community’s experience at the library, showing off the beautiful, easy-care landscaping that includes many drought tolerant plants, such as the tall dragon and crepe myrtle trees, red-blooming kangaroo paws, and low growing lavender and blue senecio. Large agaves bracket the sides, and the landscape is enhanced by the colorful donor mosaic mural on the front wall.

Commercial

This year’s Outstanding Commercial Landscape award was presented to Rite-Aid Pharmacy at 1331 South Mission Road. The property faces both South Mission Road and West Clemmens Lane.

Rite-Aid manager Dan Ouellete said, “The pharmacy is a great example of corporate dedication to a positive customer experience.”

The front door is flanked by large pygmy date palms, growing out of a wide bed of vibrant pansies and begonias. The parking lot is filled with colorful Indian hawthorne and geraniums. Drought tolerant fountain grass and multi-colored lantana add pleasing contrast on some of the parking lot islands.

Sonia Vera, Fallbrook Rite Aid wellness ambassador said, “We want the landscape outside to welcome you first and then to have the experience continue inside here at Rite-Aid.”

Each winner received a framed certificate, street signage acknowledging their win, and a ticket to the upcoming FBA July 4 celebration at the Grand Tradition Estate & Gardens.

The Fallbrook Beautification Alliance is a non-profit volunteer organization working with community partners to enhance Fallbrook’s visual appeal. Founded in 2004, the organization is funded through donations and the July 4 annual fundraiser and fireworks display.

To learn more about the work of the FBA and how to support its endeavors, visit http://www.fallbrookbeautification.org.