A yard that survives August without the hose running all day

A full design and install for the yard you have now — graded, planted, and piped to hold up through a Tecate summer.

We start by walking the lot and marking sun, drainage, and slope, then build a planting and hardscape plan around those conditions instead of a generic layout. Grading comes first so water moves where it should, then irrigation goes in before a single plant, then the planting itself — sized and spaced for what it looks like in three years, not just on delivery day.

Sage, agave, ceanothus and other plants that expect a dry summer, arranged so something is blooming through the hot months.

We choose plants that already know this climate — California natives and Mediterranean varieties that hold color through the dry stretch instead of browning by July. Planting is grouped by water need so nothing gets over- or under-watered by accident, and spacing accounts for mature size so the bed doesn't need ripping out again in two years.

Converting spray heads to drip lines that put water at the root zone, where a hillside yard actually needs it.

Spray irrigation loses water to wind, runoff, and evaporation before it ever reaches the root. We convert those lines to drip, set on a schedule matched to what's actually planted, so beds get water where it counts and slopes stop shedding it downhill. Existing valves and zones get reused where they still make sense.

Recurring visits to prune, weed, check the drip lines, and catch a dying plant before it's a dead one.

Maintenance here means more than mowing — it's walking the same beds on a schedule so a clogged emitter or a stressed shrub gets caught early. Pruning is done for plant health and shape, not just cutting things back, and irrigation gets checked each visit since a dry climate has no room for a line that's been leaking unnoticed.

Stone and gravel paths set into the slope, built to drain instead of holding water against the house.

On a hillside lot, a path has to manage water as much as foot traffic. We set stone and decomposed granite paths with a grade that sheds runoff away from structures, and build steps or low walls where the slope needs them broken up. Materials are chosen to match what's already on the property where possible.

Pruning and structural care for established trees and shrubs, done to keep them healthy through dry summers.

Established trees and shrubs still need attention in a dry climate — deadwood removed, canopies thinned so wind and heat stress don't split limbs, and root zones checked for water reaching where it should. We prune for the plant's long-term shape and health, not a quick trim for looks.