Why plant a rain garden? You might assume that something with the words rain and garden next to each other does not immediately sound feasible for drought-stricken Southern California.  But rain gardens are a form of water harvesting — a way to capture and filter water that would otherwise flow into storm drains and eventually,...Read More

Clients often ask for water elements in their gardens, and lately I’ve been researching ways to help make them more waterwise.  Check out my ideabook for Houzz for tips on siting, designing and maintaining fountains with water conservation in mind. Here are a few water features — from tabletop size to koi pond — that...Read More

As design professionals, it’s important that we express our ideas to clients in a way that is user friendly and captures the qualities of the space. For that reason, when a client requests 3-D visualization, we customize our proposal to their project. GOOGLE SKETCHUP If the project has a lot of built elements, we’ll often...Read More

Design doesn’t need to be mystifying. In this post, we will walk you through our design process and give visual examples. 1. Initial Consultation In our initial meeting, we’ll get a preliminary understanding of your landscape needs, budget, and an initial view of the property. It’s important for clients to give as complete a list...Read More

I recently posted the image at left on Instagram, and my normally quiet followers expressed all kinds of interest about the preserved lemon recipe. This was not really a surprise, since for the past five years or more, our clients have consistently requested fruit trees and vegetable beds in their gardens. In response, we’ve developed...Read More