Bellevue has a mixed housing stock, ranging from grand homes to more modest single-family houses, to modern townhomes. Landscape designs run a similar gamut, but overwhelmingly favor a natural aesthetic that echoes the regional landscape. Native plants are popular, evidence of the community’s strong environmental ethic.

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.

At the beginning of the Yardzen design process, you’ll go through our propriety Yard Builder™ exercise to help you understand what configuration of hardscape, softscape, and exterior elements will work in your outdoor space, and at what budget. With that knowledge, you’ll share your all-in budget with your design team. (For people who plan to phase their build out, as many of our clients do, this is the budget for all phases.) Your designer will then create your design with that number in mind. However, there are always variables — like the materials and plant sizes you ultimately choose — that can bring down costs. When we match you with a contractor, budget is usually where that conversation starts. We believe budget needs to be a central part of the process for us to deliver a design you can implement. Please note we recommend a minimum budget of $15,000 to take advantage of our contractor matching services.

The damp climate makes drainage a factor that Bellevue landscapes must accommodate. Cover slopes with planting to control erosion and stabilize soil. Minimizing erosion will protect local waterways and help capture pollutants on site. Frequent rain also raises maintenance challenges. Stormwater management techniques – namely, using impermeable surfaces to channel and capture runoff in designated areas – can recharge groundwater while minimizing the mess that unchecked stormwater can create.

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.