FORMA Design, Inc.

03/26/2026

𝗧𝗿𝗶 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 recently opened the 𝗟𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗚𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 model homes in the master-planned community of Rancho Mission Viejo. FORMA prepared the Model Home and Production Site Design for the 55+ development. The ember resistant zone requirements were blended into the Landscape design with the use of pea gravel groundcovers, generous spacing of appropriate plant material and enhanced hardscapes. Thank you to the Tri Pointe Team for the opportunity to be a part of shaping this community.


𝙋𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙤 𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩: ‘Tsutsumida Pictures’

02/20/2026

Del Webb recently opened the Elara at Gavilan Ridge model homes in the master-planned community of Rancho Mission Viejo. FORMA prepared the Model Home and Production Site Design for the 55+ development. The ember resistant zone requirements were blended into the Landscape design with the use of pea gravel groundcovers, generous spacing of appropriate plant material and enhanced hardscapes. Thank you to the Pulte Group Team for the opportunity to be a part of shaping this community.

02/12/2026

𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗽. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗽. It normally takes about three years for newly installed landscape to start growing and filling in. In the first year, spacing between trees, shrubs, and ground covers look sparse. This is intentional because they will fill in over time.

During the first year (𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥), the young plants appear to be growing at a very slow rate, but in reality, the roots are growing the most, establishing themselves.

The second year (𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙥), plants begin to spread. Some may even produce their first spring blooms.

The third year (𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙥, the most visible changes occur. Blooms are profuse and growth is its most aggressive. Most native plants, perennials, vines, and small shrubs come close to their full growth size by the end of the season. Large shrubs and trees are also significantly larger and established, but take longer to reach full maturity. Slow growing trees may take decades.

01/22/2026

𝑃𝑎𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑚 𝑣𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝗂𝗌 𝖺 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗌𝗌 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝖻𝗒 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗇𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗌, 𝗂𝗇𝖼𝗅𝗎𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖲𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖯𝖺𝗌𝗉𝖺𝗅𝗎𝗆, 𝖡𝗂𝗌𝖼𝗎𝗂𝗍 𝖦𝗋𝖺𝗌𝗌, 𝖲𝖺𝗅𝗍𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖢𝗈𝗎𝖼𝗁, 𝖲𝗂𝗅𝗍 𝖦𝗋𝖺𝗌𝗌, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖲𝗐𝖺𝗆𝗉 𝖢𝗈𝗎𝖼𝗁. 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗂𝗌 𝗌𝗂𝗆𝗂𝗅𝖺𝗋 𝗍𝗈 𝖡𝖾𝗋𝗆𝗎𝖽𝖺 𝖦𝗋𝖺𝗌𝗌. 𝖨𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝖺 𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗆 𝗌𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖿 𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗌𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝖾𝗑𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝗉𝗈𝗉𝗎𝗅𝖺𝗋 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝗎𝗌𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝖺𝗅 𝗅𝖺𝗐𝗇𝗌, 𝗌𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍𝗌 𝖿𝗂𝖾𝗅𝖽𝗌, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗀𝗈𝗅𝖿 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝖼𝗈𝖺𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗅 𝖺𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝖲𝗈𝗎𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗇 𝖢𝖺𝗅𝗂𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗇𝗂𝖺. 𝖨𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝖾𝗉𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅 𝗍𝗈𝗅𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝖺𝗅𝗍, 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗍, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗉𝗈𝗈𝗋-𝗊𝗎𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋. 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁, 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗂𝗅𝗂𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖿 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖽𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗋𝗈𝗈𝗍𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗌 𝖺𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝖾𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗉𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗅 𝖼𝗁𝗈𝗂𝖼𝖾 𝗂𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗉𝗂𝖼𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗊𝗎𝖾 𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗅𝖺𝗐𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖼𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗌𝗎𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗇𝖺𝖻𝗂𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗒. 𝖨𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝖺𝗅𝗌𝗈 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝗀𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗍 𝗐𝖾𝖾𝖽𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇 𝗌𝗂𝗆𝗂𝗅𝖺𝗋 𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗌𝗌𝖾𝗌. 𝖨𝗍 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝗀𝗋𝗈𝗐 𝗂𝗇 𝗅𝖺𝗐𝗇𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝖼𝖾𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗋𝖺𝗂𝗇 𝗈𝗇 𝟤𝟧𝟢 𝖽𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗉𝖾𝗋 𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗍 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝗌𝗎𝗋𝗏𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗅𝗈𝗀𝗀𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝗋 𝗌𝗎𝖻𝗆𝖾𝗋𝗀𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗌𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗅 𝖽𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝖺𝗍 𝖺 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾. 𝖨𝗍 𝗍𝗈𝗅𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗌 𝖿𝗈𝗈𝗍 𝗍𝗋𝖺𝖿𝖿𝗂𝖼. 𝖨𝗍 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝖻𝖾 𝗂𝗋𝗋𝗂𝗀𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗇𝗈𝗇-𝗉𝗈𝗍𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋, 𝗌𝗎𝖼𝗁 𝖺𝗌 𝗀𝗋𝖾𝗒𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋, 𝖺𝗇 𝗂𝗆𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝖺𝖽𝗏𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝖺 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗇𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗋𝗂𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗈𝗇 𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗎𝗌𝖾.

01/15/2026

The 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 (aka The Iron Triangle) is something to be considered in the building industry by developers, builders, and designers. The Iron Triangle shows the trade-offs between time, cost, and quality. Typically, only 𝐭𝐰𝐨 can be 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝, leaving the third to suffer. Fast and cheap won’t be high quality, fast and high quality won’t be cheap, cheap and high quality won’t be fast. Understanding this helps set realistic expectations. Choose your priorities wisely and confirm that your entire design and build team understand the project’s priorities.

12/22/2025

https://www.canva.com/design/DAG7-9IGIdA/_gYCOqoNd9sg1n04BQpmbg/watch

12/04/2025

On October 26, 2020; the Silverado fire was ignited by very strong Santa Ana winds and consumed over 13,000 acres of dry brush in the Santa Ana mountains just outside of Irvine. Approximately 90,000 homes and schools in the area were evacuated, including the communities of Orchard Hills, Northwood, and Portola Springs. The open spaces adjacent to these communities were deliberately designed with three different tiers of fuel modification zones, which are levels of defense with strategic landscape design by using fire resistant shrubs and groundcovers. The houses themselves were also built with fire resistant materials as an additional line of defense. Thanks to these mitigations, it kept the fire from burning down any of these homes. Since the disastrous fires that consumed Pacific Palisades and Altadena earlier this year, new measures are being put in place beginning at the end of the year and continuing the next three years. See our post on Zone 0 coming next week.

Photo Credits: Los Angeles Times

10/31/2025

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween!

06/05/2025

Carol MacFarlane was blessed in her early career to work on the original Jurassic Park landscape project 30 years ago. Then, in early 2020, FORMA Design, Inc. completed the landscape and hardscape re-design at Universal Studios Hollywood to promote Jurassic World – The Movie. Now – Jurassic World is back with a new movie in 2025. Very exciting – and the venue looks fabulous. We are very proud to have been designers on the project. Celebrate!

05/22/2025

Sage and Cedar Pocket Park
Tri Pointe Homes, Chino, CA

Ready just in time for Summer.