“We had a muddy rectangle of lawn. Two years on, there are birds in it every morning and we haven’t mowed once.”Client name, neighborhood
Design, stonework and planting for Portland yards. The people who draw your garden are the people who build it, and they come back to look after it.
We take on about twenty gardens a year, so each one gets a designer who knows the site and a crew lead who stays on it until it’s done.
A measured plan, planting list and budget you can build all at once or in phases.
Patios, dry-laid walls, steps and gravel paths that drain the way Portland rain needs them to.
Mostly natives and tough Northwest regulars, placed for how big they’ll be in five years, not five weeks.
Rain gardens, French drains and drip lines, so the wet months stop flooding the patio and summer stops browning the beds.
Four we finished in the last two seasons, with a few of the plants that made each one.
Building happens when the ground allows it. Care happens all year. Here’s how a year with us usually runs.
March to May
Planting season. Beds get compost and mulch, and new gardens go in while the soil is soft and the rain does the watering.
We build: planting, lawn-to-meadow, rain gardens
June to August
Dry ground means stone season. Irrigation gets checked, and young plants get watered through their first dry spell.
We build: patios, walls, paths, irrigation
September to November
The second planting window, and the best one for trees. Gutters, drains and downspouts get readied for the rain.
We build: trees and shrubs, drainage
December to February
Pruning while the shapes are bare, and drawing next year’s gardens. It’s the best time to book a design.
We draw: designs and plans for spring
Now booking spring builds and winter design visits
Most gardens take two to four months from the first visit to the first planting, depending on the season.
About an hour, free
We walk the yard with you, check the soil, sun and drainage, and talk about how you want to use the space.
Two to three weeks
A drawn plan, plant list and itemized budget. One round of changes is included.
One to three weeks on site
Stone and drainage first, planting last. The crew lead is there every day and texts you a photo at the end of each one.
Two visits, included
We come back in the first summer and the first fall to replace anything that didn’t take and tune the irrigation.
Site visits are free and take about an hour. Call or email with your address and a few photos, and we’ll find a time in the next two weeks.
Call (503) 555-0163