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Published on 07/24/1995 All articles from this issue

Los Altos' Garden Supply has local lawns covered

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By Jennifer Bixler / Town Crier Staff Writer

Re-landscaping a yard can be hard work and a hassle if you do it yourself and expensive to hire a contractor, but it's nice to know there is a convenient place to buy supplies, Garden Supply in Los Altos.

At Garden Supply, one can pull up to the drive-thru for a quick pick-up of landscaping items. For those who don't have the means to pick up large items or don't want to, Garden Supply delivers, all the way from San Jose to San Francisco and everywhere in between, said Dennis Riches, co-owner.

The store has almost everything in stock for landscaping, flowers, sod, trees, lighting, lumber for fences and decks and all the necessary tools. If something isn't available, Garden Supply prides themselves on special ordering those items. "Anything that's available we can get," Riches said.

One of the most popular landscaping supplies is sod. "With sod you have lawn instantly, while a seed lawn takes four to six months. A sod lawn will be weed free and a seeded lawn will have a lot of weeds," Riches said.

The average price for sod is 26 cents a square foot for pick-up customers and 28 cents for delivery. For individuals who need delivery, the minimum square-foot order must be at least 1,000 square feet for delivery or there is a $40 charge.

Garden Supply has nine nursery people and two master nurseryman to provide information and recommendations to customers. "On average we recommend two or three contractors, so people can get more than one bid," Riches said.

Tips for re-landscaping start with a design. Don't just redo things without prior planning. Begin with the lawn, the sprinkler systems and any cement that needs to be done. Finally, put trees, shrubs and flowers in the areas you've designed for them, Riches said.

"Someone can easily save 50 percent of the cost by doing it yourself," Riches said.

Garden Supply is located at 4730 El Camino Real in Los Altos. For more information, call 948-2218.

For more lawn advice, see Page 34.