Front Yard xeriscaping/ landscaping

Kent will meet with you in your front yard to see what you have, listen to you, and offer his ideas. Then, he will prepare your xeriscape estimate with time-line, and email it to you.

Assuming the price and lead time are acceptable, he will prepare a sketch for your HOA (if needed). Once they get started, Kent and Tony will often complete your front yard within 7 days!

After the demolition is done (all the lawn is removed) Kent and Tony will discuss the design with you. They make sure to consider all of your needs, planting preferences, soil contour, and shading of your property before acquiring any plant materials.

One of the problems we often see is a xeriscape that was over-planted. Because over-planting usually ends up looking over-grown, we try to give each plant its own space. Meaning, we take into consideration the mature size of each planting. Sometimes your new xeriscape may feel a little sparse the first year or two, but don't worry, when everything grows in, you will be glad we did not plant too many things! We install locally sourced plants that we are familiar with and that do well in our area, so plant failure is a rarity with us.

We always try to mix up seasons and colors. For instance, we try to get some plants that bloom in spring, summer and fall, creating seasonal interest. For instance, If we purchase two white flowering perennials, we usually get a short one and a tall one, and locate them in different parts of the yard so that the white blooms contrast with other colors. When selecting shrubs, our go-tos have interesting colors and leaves. 

We are sensitive to your preferences; if you tell us that you love roses, we will look for your favorite color.  If you tell us that you want grasses, we look for the type you like. Xeriscape does not mean "no lawn", sometimes we design a small lawn area at your request.

Shade trees can add a special dimension to a yard if you have the space for them. We plant many different kinds, and we have some favorites. We also plant evergreen trees, fruit trees, and ornamental trees; we can help you decide what will work best in your location.

We use accents like local river rock for a dry river bed. We hand-select granite boulders, and compact evergreens to provide contrast, texture, and winter interest. We make sure each boulder is arranged for maximum effect (Tony tells Kent where they go, and Kent uses the mini loader to put each one where it belongs).

When planting, we leave a little space around the top of the root ball for a mixture of Fertilome root stimulator and water. We have found this to be a great way to get new plants started. After that, we route the drip line to each plant, sizing emitters according to each plant's needs. We staple the drip line to the ground, and then we run the drip line for an hour or so, to give each plant a good soaking. This also gives us a chance to test the drip line before mulching.

Mulch is a very important component of xeriscaping, and we use the highest quality shredded cedar for this reason.  The type of cedar mulch we use comes from the northwest; it's often called Washington Cedar, Cascade Cedar, or "Gorilla Hair". We use this mulch because it matts down and will not blow away like wood chip mulch. Further, it helps hold moisture in the soil, it helps build the soil, and it becomes a natural weed-barrier. 

Automatic drip irrigation is essential to ensure each plant gets the water it needs - at the roots. By using drip lines and mulch we virtually eliminate water loss from evaporation or run-off. We have learned that a quality front yard xeriscape uses as little as 10% of the water that a lawn uses.  

We don't go after new sprinkler system business any longer but if you do not have an automatic sprinkler system, we can install one for you as part of your front yard xeriscaping project. We reccommend Rachio wi-fi enabled timers because they can watch the weather and adjust your schedule for you. We can also repair your current system if needed.  The last step is to program your timer for you and get you familiar with its programming and maintenance.

We do around 20 front yard projects a year so our lead-time after HOA approval is usually 2-4 weeks.  As far as cost goes, we see a wide range of prices out there.  We aim to be in the middle. Learn about cost on our pricing page.

We use a 42″ wide walk-behind tractor, a 14' tool trailer, and 7’ x 14′ dump trailer to do the heavy lifting so open access to parking and the front yard work area is very important to us.

We don't do maintenance, mowing, clean-ups, start-ups, etc... and also don't do hardscape such as paver/flagstone patios, or concrete, electrical, plumbing, and fencing. We also don't do outdoor kitchens, gas fire pits, decks, landscape maintenance, sprinkler system installations, HOA or commercial landscaping, whole-lot projects, or large sod installations. 

Scroll down to see other examples of our work or contact us today to get your project started!