The Garden Designers Who Make Silicon Valley Beautiful
Landscape designers can see a masterpiece in a pile of mulch and know how to counsel demanding techies more familiar with bytes than blooms.
Land is scarce in the Bay Area, which makes a well-designed outdoor space at a Marin cottage or Atherton manse a tremendous status symbol.
The perfect allée of heritage olive trees or the right mise-en-scène of native grasses does more than elevate a property’s curb appeal—it telegraphs panache, access and a deep understanding of how design impacts day-to-day life. But should a status symbol garden go full-on with native plants only, or is there a time and a place for an imported Japanese sakura tree? What is the role of a water feature in a drought-prone landscape like California? And is it really enough to just plant some boxwoods and call it a day?
There are professionals who can answer all of those questions in great, green-thumbed detail: landscape designers. Five of the best are below. They’ll typically be game for projects with a minimum budget of $50,000 (landscape building costs tend to be similar to home building costs per square foot, which in the Bay Area means they’re steep). Part designer, part environmentalist, part therapist, these professionals know not only how to create the most impactful outdoor spaces but also how to tailor them to individual clients’ needs.