Landscape design & build for Seattle

Yardzen designs everywhere in the U.S. and the Seattle area is one of our favorites. Famously gray, Seattle, the largest city in the Pacific Northwest, gets about 200 cloudy days and 150 rainy days a year (though, interestingly, sunnier cities like New York and Houston receive more total annual rainfall than Seattle).

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Front yard landscape design
Climate & Terrain

Ok, so it’s cloudy. It’s also gorgeous, culturally and economically vibrant, and one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Obviously, there’s something magic about the place.

Seattle rests on a collection of hills, which are echoed in the east by the grand Cascade Mountains. With the Pacific Ocean to the west and Lake Washington to the east, temperatures stay fairly mild year-round, kept in check by the masses of water. If you don’t mind moisture, you can enjoy the outdoors much of the year.

Outdoor Living

The dramatic landscape of the northwest, with deep green forests, large mountains, and crystal lakes, is a palpable presence throughout Seattle. This natural landscape is not far away, either. Outdoor enthusiasts flock to Seattle for its proximity to nature and the enjoyment it offers.

Design & Build

Whatever your landscape vision may be, Yardzen is ready to make it a reality, working with you to craft a landscape design that achieves the look, feel, and function you are dreaming of, then connecting you with a vetted contractor from Yardzen’s Pro Network to get your design built.

GUIDE TO DROUGHT TOLERANT LANDSCAPING

front yard with drought tolerant plants instead of lawn

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close up of drought tolerant succulent plants planted in gravel

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drought tolerant front yard

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON DESIGN GALLERY

open sitting area
backyard with plants
front yard with grass
sitting area
sitting area with fire pit
front yard with gateway
backyard with pergola
front yard with steps and grass
side yard with fire pit and mulch
backyard sitting area with shade
front yard showing a lawn and fire pit
backyard with shade
front yard with steps and stone designs
backyard patio
swimming pool area
front yard with grass
patio with fire pit
Patio with fire pit
backyard with fire pit
Sitting area with fire pit
side yard with fire pit and shade
close up fire pits with sits

POPULAR AMENITIES IN SEATTLE YARDS

How Yardzen Works

Simple and thorough online process

Take a style quiz, share videos and photos of your existing outdoor space, and learn about the costs in our Yard Builder™ tool. Our design team will help you at every step of the process.

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The easiest path to a final design you’ll love

Review your first design in our online Feedback Studio. You’ll be able to share feedback before we start incorporating your changes. A live design review call is also available to help get your project ready for installation.

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Built by someone you (and Yardzen) trusts

We’ll translate your 3D design concepts into a detailed CAD plan that’s ready to install. Next, we’ll connect you to a vetted, Seattle area landscape contractor who can bring your dream yard to life.

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Custom designs for your unique outdoor space

We've built a database of plants, trees, and groundcovers that match to Seattle’s planting zones, sun/shade/water requirements, aesthetic, and essential features like native plants. Using satellite and aerial imagery, coupled with your photo, video, and factoring in your details, we can create the outdoor space of your dreams.

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WHICH YARDZEN PACKAGE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Take our YardBuilder quiz to find out.
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1. Tell us about your unique outdoor space

2. Answer a few questions about your dream yard

3. Get a personalized design package recommendation

front yard with fire pit and grass

SEATTLE LANDSCAPING FAQS

What are popular design styles in Seattle?

Landscapes in Seattle reflect the diversity of the city’s population, with designs spanning the stylistic spectrum.

As with much of the northwest, there is a strong culture of support for native plants, and species from northwestern ecosystems are commonly included in landscape designs, giving a boost to both ecological and aesthetic value.

Large evergreens like douglas fir, western red cedar, and shore pine come to mind, but smaller deciduous trees like vine maple and Pacific crabapple are equally prevalent and popular, particularly on smaller sites, along with a host of understory species.

What are some favorite plant species in Seattle?

Of the many wonderful natives available for use in landscape designs, here are a few outstanding options:

→ Vine maple

→ Salal

→ Vaccinium ovatum

→ Dicentra formosa

→ Amelanchier alnifolia

For those looking to branch beyond the local, here are some tried-and-true introduced species that perform well in Seattle:

→ Japanese maple

→ Pieris japonica

→ Heuchera cultivars

→ Ligularia

And for those looking to include a nod to the regional conifers but lacking the space for a full-size tree, there is a wide range of dwarf conifers available, including cultivars of cypress, arborvitae, and spruce.

What factors do I need to pay attention to with Seattle landscapes?

With so much rain, drainage is an obvious factor that landscapes must accommodate. Sloped sites should be covered with vegetation as much as possible to minimize erosion and stabilize soil against the force of downhill-draining water. Minimizing erosion will protect local waterways by trapping pollutants on site.

Frequent rain also can raise maintenance challenges. Utilizing proper stormwater management techniques can capture water in desirable locations, recharging groundwater while minimizing the mess that unchecked stormwater can spread across a property.

When should I get started on my landscape project?

Now! Any time of year is great to begin work on a landscape project.

Utilizing the winter to work through the design phase sets you up to get on contractors’ books early in the build season, so you can have your design installed and ready to enjoy in time for summer.

Backyard sitting area with shade

SMALL BACKYARD IN SEATTLE

 

Highly suggest Yardzen. The online process made everything super easy and efficient. Thank you to the entire Yardzen team.”

Shannon M., Yardzen client

Yardzen creates local landscape designs in and around Seattle:

Algona, Auburn, Beaux Arts Village, Bellevue, Black Diamond, Bothell, Burien, Carnation, Clyde Hill, Covington, Des Moines, Duvall, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Hunts Point, Issaquah, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Maple Valley, Medina, Mercer Island, Milton, Newcastle, Normandy Park, North Bend, Pacific, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, SeaTac, Shoreline, Skykomish, Snoqualmie, Tukwila, Woodinville, and Yarrow Point.

Explore other Washington landscape designs by Yardzen

Bellevue, Tacoma