Arbutus offers an individualized garden design service at a reasonable price. We design to meet needs and desires, but we also provide the elements that make a garden personal and special.

Our design style centers on establishing a structural basis of woody shrubs and trees to provide year-round interest in the landscape (check out our plant pages to see images of some of the plants we favor). We choose plants best suited for the exposures and soil types available so they can thrive with minimal care. Lawns are de-emphasized in favor of shrub and perennial groupings that require less management and provide more niches for a balanced garden ecology.

We can design for the blank slate of a brand-new home or transform a long-established landscape. Our basic fee includes a site visit (up to 2 hours), detailed discussion with the client, a set of hand-drawn design maps, design report and plant lists.

Summer rain is rare in the Pacific Northwest—a fact that surprises many people who suppose that we suffer from an over abundance of wet stuff. Not only is rain rare in the summer and fall, but also groundwater resources are rapidly depleting due to increased use.

At our display garden, Norm has designed a rainwater collection system that we use to water through the dry months.

Rain collection systems can range from a simple rain barrel to very elaborate designs with thousands of gallons of storage capacity. If you are interested in exploring the possibilities of a rainwater storage system for your garden, please contact us for more information.