A yard that stops fighting the weather

A full look at what's struggling, what's worth keeping, and a plan to convert the rest to drought-tolerant beds and drip line.

This is where most jobs start: a walk of the property to flag thirsty turf, dead corners, and irrigation that's soaking the wrong spots. We map what stays, what goes, and lay out a phased plan for planting and drip conversion so the yard changes without the whole budget going at once.

California natives and Mediterranean plants chosen for this coastal climate, grouped by water need instead of scattered by looks.

We group plants by how much water they actually want, not just how they look together, so a bed doesn't end up with a cactus next to something that needs weekly soaking. Expect natives and Mediterranean species that hold color through the dry months and settle in without constant babysitting.

Swapping spray heads for drip line so water goes to roots instead of the sidewalk, with zones set to what's actually planted.

Spray irrigation loses water to wind, runoff, and overspray on pavement before it ever reaches a root. We convert beds to drip line, set zones by plant type instead of one blanket schedule, and cap or adjust heads that were watering turf that no longer exists after a planting change.

Pavers, decomposed granite, and stone paths that hold up to foot traffic and frame the planting beds around them.

A path or patio gets graded and based properly before anything goes down on top, which is the difference between a surface that stays flat and one that heaves in a season. We work in pavers, decomposed granite, and stone, sized and set to fit the beds and slope of the yard around them.

Pruning and shaping that works with how a plant actually grows, not a hedge trimmer pass on a schedule.

Trees and shrubs get pruned for structure and health, cutting back to a bud or branch collar instead of shearing a flat face across everything. It keeps a plant's natural shape, opens it up for air and light, and avoids the stress cuts that leave a shrub looking chewed.

Overgrowth, dead plants, and yard debris cleared out and hauled off so a property is ready for the next phase of work.

Before a redesign or a season change, a yard often needs the old stuff out first — dead shrubs, overgrown beds, piles of trimmings. We clear it and haul it off the property, leaving a clean site whether that's the end of the job or just the starting point for planting.