And the Winner Is...

With so many variables to consider when designing and installing an irrigation system, Rain Bird set out to acknowledge the best of the best in its latest national contest.

Entrants in the Where’s Rain Bird? Everywhere! contest competed in three categories: Best Residential Landscape and Irrigation Project, Best Residential Development Landscape and Irrigation Project and Best Use of Rain Bird Water Conservancy Products. Projects were judged based on overall appearance and design, the use of Rain Bird products to maintain the landscaping and the use of Rain Bird’s water conserving products.

The national winner in the Best Residential Landscape & Irrigation project, RA Manley and Associates, Rochester, Mich., faced several challenges in its design of a two-acreage site with rolling hills.

“This project had diverse irrigation requirements,” explained President Rick Manley. “Unlike normal residential projects, this had more than 70 zones. We had to put irrigation systems within irrigation systems to properly water all the different types of plants.”

The project, which took about four months to complete, was especially difficult because Manley had to define all the special-requirement areas of the property and then figure out how to properly irrigate those areas. To do this, Manley worked closely with the landscape architect on the project to define root depth and watering requirements for each type of plant material on the site. From his consultation with the landscape architect, Manley decided that an intricate irrigation system made up of more than 70 zones, about three times the zones on a normal irrigation system, was needed to correctly water each area.

“We had to be sure we designed a system that didn’t over or under water any given area,” he maintained.

The Miller Residence had so many varieties of plant material that it required about 70 irrigation zones.

To make this project a success, Manley remarked that convincing the clients to allow the system to be designed based on the needs of the site rather than budget was key. “If designed properly, the system can cost anywhere from 10 to 20 percent more because of materials,” Manley advised. “But the protection of $100,000 worth of plant material is important. If the system is installed incorrectly, the client will lose that plant material.”

Manley added that because of his pricing structure and the fact that his clients don’t typically view him as a salesman, he generally doesn’t have any problems convincing customers to allow him to design the irrigation system based on the site’s needs, rather than a budget.

“If properly explained, the client will realize that a more sophisticated landscape requires a more sophisticated irrigation system,” Manley advised. “Our prices stay the same irregardless of how much product is used. Therefore we aren’t perceived as trying to sell them something they don’t need.”

Other national winners included Southern Vistas, Columbia S.C., for Best Residential Development Landscape and Irrigation Project and Irrigation Design Group, Pompano Beach, Fla., for Best Use of Rain Bird’s Water Conservancy Products.

A complete list of national and regional winners can be found online at www.rainbird.com.

The author is Internet Editor for Lawn & Landscape Online.