Top of the trade

Mike Swanson

Laguna Beach resident Jeff Powers designed and landscaped his first

garden at the age of 5. His parents hired him.

Earlier this month, the landscaping company that Powers started

out of his Laguna Beach garage in 1971 won 12 awards in the 13

categories he entered at an annual California Landscape Contractor’s

Assn. awards dinner.

Now, companies as large as the Montage Resort and Spa have hired

him. Powers and his landscaping company, Earthscaping, designed the

enclave at the north end of the resort.

Two years after moving from Newport Beach to Laguna in 1969,

Powers started Earthscaping doing nearly everything himself. Now

co-owned by Powers and Steve Stewart, Earthscaping consists of 95

employees for more than 100 clients from Santa Barbara to San Diego.

“I remember when Earthscaping consisted of Jeff Powers, a guy

named Santos, a big yellow dog and a small black truck,” said Verna

Rollinger, city clerk and Powers’ friend for 20 years. “He’s an

extremely talented designer who’s really come a long way.”

Powers had to move the company from Laguna Beach to Costa Mesa in

2000 to adequately house the burgeoning business.

“There just wasn’t enough space for us in Laguna anymore,” Powers

said, “but we’re still here all the time working on one project or

another.”

Powers said Earthscaping typically wins between three and six

awards at the annual banquet, and considered this year’s seven

first-place and five second-place awards a virtual sweep of the

competition.

Among Earthscaping’s claims to fame is its dedication to designing

fire-safe gardens, which often help protect the houses they surround

in the case of a blaze.

Powers cited an Earthscape-designed garden at an Emerald Bay home

that likely contributed to making it the only home in its

neighborhood left standing after the 1993 fire. Powers wasn’t as

lucky: His home burned to the ground like so many others -- but his

garden looked untouched.

“You always need to be aware of fire hazards when you live in

Laguna Beach,” Powers said. “We’ve developed a system over the years

that’s proven to deal well with fires, from using native plants to

proper maintenance.”

Powers added that encircling a home with a fire-retardant garden

can serve as natural wetlands protecting it from fire. He stressed,

however, that Earthscaping wouldn’t be doing such great business if

it were known only for making fire-savvy gardens.

“They have to look good, too,” Powers said.

Upon walking through an Earthscaping-designed garden, Rollinger

said, she can see specific spots that were designed specifically by

Powers.

“He does things, no matter how large or small the garden is, that

make it so clear he did them,” Rollinger said. “I can’t exactly

explain it, but some parts of his gardens look just like him.”

One example of the Powers touch, Rollinger said, involved a house

that had a window featuring a perfect view of a fence just a few feet

away.

“By the time Jeff was through with it, you’d think you were

looking out the window into a forest,” Rollinger said.

Powers downplayed his role in Earthscaping’s winning so many

awards, attributing the company’s success to its now-large,

knowledgeable and ever-learning staff.

“All of us are dedicated to making the world more beautiful in any

way we can,” Powers said.