Landscape Design
Landscape design ties the hardscape, water features, and structures together. Trees, shrubs, and perennials complete the property design and make outdoor living a year-round experience. We design landscapes that look good as they mature, not just on planting day.
Start here
The right approach follows how you want to use the space. Pick what you're actually after below, and the materials and layout mostly follow from it. Every project shown was built here in Southern California, so the choices are suited to this climate.
01 Curb appeal and property value A thoughtful landscape improves the property first impression and makes the home feel established. See landscape projects 
02 Privacy and screening Strategic planting creates privacy from streets and neighbors without fences or walls. See privacy planting 
03 Shade and outdoor comfort Large trees create summer shade and extend the usable season for outdoor living. See shade landscapes 
04 Seasonal interest and color Year-round color from foliage, flowers, and structural plants makes the landscape engaging every month. See seasonal designs 
Best for Spanish Colonial, Tuscan, Mission Revival and other stucco-and-tile homes, and anyone who wants a shaded courtyard built for outdoor entertaining.
On your property Suits full to partial sun. Shadier lots still work well; the design just leans harder on pergolas and overhead structure for the shade the plant palette would otherwise get for free.
Best for Homeowners who want a true garden to tend, not just a yard to maintain, especially on a property with brick, stone or cottage-style architecture.
On your property Works in sun or shade, though the plant list shifts either way: roses and perennials on the sunny side, ferns, hellebore and camellia in shade. Give it two to three seasons to fill in and look established.
Best for Classic and Mediterranean-adjacent homes, and anyone who wants a familiar, symmetrical look with year-round color.
On your property Symmetry needs a reasonably symmetrical site. An off-center lot can still use the style, but it usually reads best scaled to the front entry rather than forced across the whole property.
Best for Modern and mid-century homes, and anyone who wants clean lines and architectural planting over a traditional garden look.
On your property Rewards a site where you genuinely like negative space. Execution (tolerances on paving joints, board-formed concrete) matters more than budget, and shade needs to be planned into the paving layout before it is poured.
Best for Anyone who wants to cut water use and maintenance without the yard looking bare, and a strong fit for slopes, parkways and full-sun front yards.
On your property Works best in full sun. The groundcover choice changes both the look and the upkeep: decomposed granite needs occasional raking, artificial turf needs almost none, and loose gravel needs an edge to keep it from migrating.
Best for Homeowners who want a garden to look at and sit beside as much as gather in, and a natural fit for shaded, smaller or courtyard-style side yards.
On your property Shade is worth more than sun here: moss and Japanese maple both want protection from hot afternoon exposure. Any water feature raises the commitment, since it runs on a recirculating pump.
Best for Side yards, courtyards and compact city lots, anyone who assumes their yard is too small to do much with.
On your property Picking one primary use (dining, lounging, a play lawn) before designing keeps a small yard from trying to do everything at once. Access, gates and side-yard width often decide what is actually buildable.
Los Angeles Area
Shown: Complete Residential Landscape, Los Angeles Area
Before We assess sunlight, drainage, existing trees, soil, views, and climate. This determines what will thrive on your property.
Design We present concepts across our landscape design styles, Mediterranean, English Garden, Traditional, Modern, Drought-Tolerant, Japanese Zen, or Small-Space. Sketch plans show layout, scale, and integration with hardscape.
Selection Trees, shrubs, and perennials chosen for your climate, sunlight, and design style. Mature sizes considered, not nursery pot size.
Installation Site grading, soil amendment, and proper planting. Large trees and shrubs installed to specification for health and longevity.
Established First-year irrigation, mulching, and pruning ensure plants establish. We provide care instructions for long-term success.
Things worth knowing before a first consultation.
Mediterranean, English Garden, Traditional, Modern, Drought-Tolerant, Japanese Zen and Small-Space designs each carry a distinct plant palette, material palette, and maintenance level.
Affects tree species, evergreen screening, and tall shrub selection.
Drought-tolerant and native plantings are lower water; traditional and English garden styles need more watering and deadheading. Irrigation should be zoned (hydrozoned) by plant water need, not run as one blanket schedule.
Do you want year-round color, or are you happy with evergreens?
Planting should complement patios, pathways, and structures, not fight against them.
Existing trees may be worth preserving. New trees should be chosen for long-term value and shade, and planted where their mature canopy and roots will actually fit.
Irrigation lines, sewer laterals, and buried utilities need to be located before grading or planting begins, and mature tree roots need enough clearance that nearby digging does not damage the tree.
Many Southern California properties sit in a wildfire hazard zone, which affects what can be planted closest to the house. We design the zone nearest your walls conservatively and let planting get fuller farther out.
No quote written off a photograph can account for what your property is like.
Decking, drainage, utilities, planting, shade and lighting all bear on where a feature goes and how it gets built. Settling them on one set of drawings is what keeps conduit out of the wrong trench and stops paving being cut to fit afterward.
Access, engineering, permits, finishes and scope vary a lot from one property to the next, so the investment and the schedule for your project are set once we have seen the site and the design is settled.
Tell us about the property and what you want the space to do. We will walk through the design, site and permitting factors likely to shape it.
The landscape completely transformed our property. It looks mature and established, and the plants are thriving. They gave us care instructions and follow-up support.
Professional design, excellent plant selection, and skilled installation. Our yard has never looked better. Worth every penny.
Design typically takes 2-4 weeks. Planting takes 1-2 weeks depending on size. Most landscapes reach maturity in 2-3 years as plants grow.
Fall (September-November) and spring (February-April) are ideal in Southern California. Summer heat stresses new plants.
New plantings need regular water the first year. Native and drought-tolerant landscapes need less. We provide irrigation guidance.
Yes. Most landscapes can be expanded or refreshed as your needs change. Good design accommodates future growth.
Routine planting typically does not require a permit. Retaining walls above a certain height, major grading, and irrigation or lighting electrical work sometimes do, and requirements vary by city. Our in-house permitting department handles anything a project needs.
Schedule a consultation with one of our designers to discuss your project goals and explore what's possible on your property.
What happens next: we set up a visit, measure the property and talk through what you want the space to do. Then you get a design to look at before you commit to anything.
