You’ve dreamed up visions of the ultimate sustainable landscape design for your Bay Area property. Before calling in the contractors, strategic prep work is crucial to set your project up for success. Rushing into a landscape redesign without planning and preparation can leave you with dead plants, erosion issues, and regret down the road. Use these pro tips to prep your landscape for a trouble-free, sustainable transformation.

Test and Amend Your Soil

Beautiful landscapes start from the ground up. Testing your soil pH, nutrients, and composition provides key data to select plants and amendments that will thrive. While native plants suit local conditions best, amendments like compost, manure fertilizers, gypsum or sulfur may be prescribed to optimize growing conditions in your unique yard.

Create a Cohesive Landscape Design Plan

Professional landscape design skillfully unite function and beauty in a plan tailored to your needs. Clearly convey special requirements like space for children’s play, entertainment areas, firepit desires, or an edible garden. Design to reduce lawn areas, which require substantial water and maintenance compared to lush, diverse plantings.

Sourcing Sustainable Landscape Materials

Whether you need boulders for a natural stone wall, drip irrigation supplies, or cubic yards of compost or mulch for planting beds, locate suppliers ahead of installation time so materials are on hand. Reuse tree trimmings for framing new garden beds. Upcycle concrete rubble as filling for drainage swales. Source local and reused goods when possible to minimize your landscape’s carbon footprint.

By soil testing, planning intentionally, and sourcing mindfully, you set your sustainable Bay Area landscape design up for visual appeal, lasting success, and environmental responsibility. What sustainable practices are you incorporating into your landscape makeover? Share your ideas and plans with us below!