Here's a sample of the Welcome note and email newsletter that Clearwater Landscapes uses to convert site visitors into actual customers.

The Welcome note sent by autoresponder to new opt-ins

Dear New Subscriber,

Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. We strive to present the most useful and interesting information in each issue - if you have suggestions or ideas to share, feel free to contact us. Input from our clients, subscribers and website visitors is important.

The newsletter is sent around the first of each month, give or take a few days.

All feature articles from previous issues are archived at here.


Thanks again for subscribing! Good luck with your garden and landscape projects.

Best Regards,

Dan Eskelson Clearwater Landscape Design http://clearwaterlandscapes.com

A typical email newsletter issue, including reader questions

GREEN ENERGY: A Newsletter From Clearwater Landscapes November 2001 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In This Issue:

Feature Article: Creating the Design Questions & Answers Business and Website News Payment Due Notice ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You are receiving this newsletter because you requested it or someone forwarded it to you; all subscription requests are on file, so if you would like to be removed from our list, simply send a blank email to: ClearwaterLandscapes-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

To subscribe: send a blank email to: ClearwaterLandscapes-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Please recommend our site to a friend or associate: http://www.recommend-it.com/p.e?441897

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FEATURE ARTICLE: Creating the Design

The last article described how to draw your site plan and evaluate the conditions specific to your site. Don't underestimate the importance of this step: a thorough understanding of all environmental factors is critical.

For example, in the north, you probably need to know from which direction the cold winds come in winter; you may be able to create a windbreak or shelter belt of plant material to help keep your home warmer. In the south, you will be more concerned with establishing sufficient afternoon shade and taking advantage of any cooling breezes. Yes, careful placement of plants can actually channel breezes to where they'll do the most good.

The above are just two examples...there are *many* other factors to consider as you place your softscape and hardscape into your landscape design.

There are several techniques for actually drawing your design. One of the best is using tracing paper over your site plan. Using your knowledge of plant forms and size, or a database which provides this information, draw your plants and hardscape elements on the tracing paper...you probably won't be satisfied with the first result, so simply use another piece of tracing paper. Just sketch the items to scale...don't worry about beauty. You can save your copies to evaluate the benefits of each version.

Another popular method is to create a number of cutouts to represent plants and hardscape items. These can be moved around on the site plan in various configurations...when you're happy with the results, pencil in the locations.

Don't rush this process - and keep in mind all the site specific conditions...wind directions, topography, sun angles, your preferences, etc. It's a mind-expanding process! You'll find that several design sessions will produce much better results than trying to do it all at once. Share your work with other family members - they may have insights you would overlook.

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive regards software for landscape design. If you're a software addict like me, you may want to try the wonderful sounding titles marketed to the do it yourself homeowner. Most are very frustrating to learn and use, and produce very poor results. One exception I found a number of years ago is a very simple, inexpensive CAD application called Design Your Own Home Landscape. If you want to spend a few hours learning this program, it will help you create your design. Point your browser to: http://abracadata.com/

I referred above to databases for plant information - in the next article, we'll explore the best of the online databases and discuss plant selection for specific purposes.

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

I'm in the process of building a heart shaped pond approximately 21x17 ft. I am considering a two-piece liner so I dont have to cut away so much of a large, single liner and waste it. My soil is heavy clay (the hole holds water now). I'm thinking that the water pressure of the filled pond along with the clay will result in minimal leakage. I also am discharging my sump pump into the pond, so I will have plenty of water to keep it filled. Do you see any problems with a two-piece liner approach?

Hi Scott,

It *is* possible to make a successful, non-leaking seam of this length (17 or 21 ft.), but it requires expertise. I would use a single liner to make sure...I found my "scrap" pieces of rubber very useful as underlayment for a gravel pathway - virtually indestructible weed barrier.

With your high water table, be sure to use rock and gravel to hold the liner down...don't count on the pond water for this.

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All recommendations for planting grass state that there should be a minimum of 6" of topsoil. Assuming there is ample topsoil from the excavation sites, how much depth of topsoil is recommended? Is there such a thing as too much?

Hi William,

Unfortunately, the term "topsoil" does not have a standard definition. What an excavator calls topsoil, a horticulturist may call fill dirt.

The topsoil from "the excavation sites" likely contains soil from various levels and will vary in quality.

What is best for your particular site depends on your region, topography, subsoil type and other factors.

For this important decision, rely on the advice of an on site analysis from an experienced landscape professional. If you start with good soil, the success of your landscape will be much more likely. Healthy soil grows healthy plants.

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Suddenly I am getting an enormous amount of small mushrooms in my lawn. They come up in clusters and after two to three days they turn black and die off. They reappear every couple of weeks or so if we have had any rain at all.

What can I do about this?

Hi Steve,

This is one of those problems that doesn't have an easy answer. Though your local chemical supplier will be glad to sell some "cure", don't waste your money...it won't solve the problem.

The article linked below sums it up:

http://eesc.orst.edu/agcomwebfile/garden/Lawn/mushrooms
html

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Hello, Earlier this year your suggestions for getting our new lawn going (from a new construction) were a big help! The seed has taken very well, but is still thin as I believe can be expected for its first year(s). Do you have any any suggestions of furtilizers or treatments we should put on before the snow arrives to help it get a good start in the spring? Or is it best to wait for a spring treatment? We are 150 km's (approx 80 -90 miles) North of Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the Laurentian "Mountains".

Hi Mike,

Glad I could be of help earlier.

Fall fertilization is very important! Ideally, apply when the mean temperature is 50 degrees F (i.e. daytime high is sixty , nightime low is forty). I prefer the slow release, natural organic products, but "traditional" fertilizers like Scott's may be acceptable.

This fall food will increase the plant's resistance to winter disease and be stored to get the new growth off to a great start in spring. You will not need an early spring fertilizer if you feed now. Good luck, and have a good winter!

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BUSINESS AND WEBSITE NEWS

Many thanks to all who responded to the site survey this past month - response rate was over 7%, which doesn't seem like much, but is actually well over the average for online survey response. Basically, I learned: (1) The site is easily navigated and used, though there's room for improvement, and (2) You'd be willing to pay for a well executed e-book. The vast majority (over 65%) requested all three e-book topics - design, installation and maintenance.

The work load here is surprisingly busy! - so the e-book will wait for a month or so.

Thanks again to all who have done business recently with Clearwater Landscapes and to those who have offered their input; always feel free to visit the discussion forum with any landscape questions or concerns.

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Happy Trails, Dan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dan Eskelson Clearwater Landscape Design Priest River, Idaho, USA 208/263-0715 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visualize and Plan Your New Landscape Online http://clearwaterlandscapes.com mailto:dan@clearwaterlandscapes.com

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