How It Works

The design process begins with an initial consultation at your home.  This is a chance for us to review the space together and talk about your vision and hope for the garden.  It’s also a chance for us to meet each other and make sure we are the right team for the job.   We will discuss how the space will be used, your likes and dislikes, if there is a specific style you are interested in, and your preferences for color, plants, fragrance, hardscape materials, and so on.   We can also review books for ideas or if you have clippings of things that you like, that is helpful as well.  By the end of the meeting, I’m usually very in tune with a client’s vision and ready to get started with a concept design.   

If we are starting with a blank slate, a concept design is a drawing that shows a general layout of the space showing the placement of hardscape and structural elements, as well as sample ideas for plants, water features, decorations, and more.  It’s more detailed than a bubble diagram, but many of the fine details are still to be decided at this point.  Once a concept design is developed, we will meet to review it and make any changes or decisions so that a final drawing can be created.    

The final drawing is everything you need to hand to a licensed landscape contractor for installation, or for simpler jobs, to install yourself.  It calls out the final details for your selection of hardscape materials, as well as plant names, sizes, and quantities, and other garden elements such as water features, structures (in concept only), and garden décor.   

If you already have hardscape in place and are simply in need of plant ideas, or some fine details in the way of plants, decorating, or arranging the space, the concept design is often unnecessary, and we move forward with a planting plan, or an on-site, hourly consultation to achieve your goals.  

For me, no garden design project is too small or too large--I charge by the hour so you decide how much you use my services.   The majority of my clients are starting with a mostly blank slate, but some clients just need a few hours of my time to finalize the garden of their dreams.  

I have the good fortune to work with many other landscape professionals in the Bay Area, so when it’s time to implement your design, I am happy to offer referrals for the services you need.  If you are implementing the design yourself, that’s okay too—I can provide advice as you undertake your project or work with a contractor that you have chosen as the garden installation begins.

I travel between the Oakland/Berkeley hills east to Oakley/Discovery Bay and from Martinez south to Danville. If you fall outside those areas, I would be happy to refer you to one of my fabulous colleagues from the Association of Professional Landscape Designers.