Four Years of Yardzen – A Letter from our Cofounder & CEO

This week we’re celebrating four years of Yardzen! Looking back, I’m in awe of what this team and this community have accomplished in such a short time.

Yardzen started in 2018 in the wake of the Tubbs Fire, which destroyed our Sonoma neighborhood. When we set out to rebuild, we were confronted with the high costs and staggering inefficiencies of the landscaping process. My husband, Adam (COO), a lifelong conservationist, and I knew there had to be a better way to create a new yard for our family.

We set out to learn and build, using our home as our testing ground. From the beginning, we knew that by leveraging technology and world-class customer service, we could create a seamless landscaping solution, connecting homeowners with talented landscape designers and contractors for a more delightful experience at a fraction of the cost. Just a few years in, we’ve done exactly that, helping tens of thousands of homeowners across the country create beautiful, functional, and sustainable yards, and we’re just getting started.

In changing the way we design and build our yards, we have changed yards themselves. From the underutilized, water-guzzling lawn to habitat-supporting, multi-functional living spaces, the past couple of years have made us ask more from our outdoor spaces. I can say, without hesitation, that the American yard is forever changed – our yards have become extensions of our homes in wholly new ways, encouraging more time outside with friends and family. On average, Yardzen clients spend 40 more hours outside in their yard each month after completing their installation.

Yards are not only a space for gathering, they are a space where we can effect real change. Out of everything we’ve accomplished to date, I am most proud of the work we’ve done with Yardzen’s American Rewilding Project, our commitment to creating habitat-supporting, water-smart, responsibly-built yards throughout the United States. To date, we’ve included more than 100,000 pollinator plants and 50,000 trees in Yardzen designs, and we estimate that our yards have helped to save over a million gallons of water. 

And, as part of the American Rewilding Project, we’re passionate about funding local gardens and greenspaces to extend the impact of our work, and we’re always eager to provide grants – apply today yardzen.com/american-rewilding-project.

There is so much more that I am proud of this team and this community accomplishing. A couple more highlights over the past four years:

• Growing our phenomenal team, who I am proud to work with every day

• Partnering with exceptional companies committed to doing good in the world, like TimberTech, Crate & Barrel and Outer

• Evolving the scope of outdoor design from landscape design into exterior design

• Building technology that connects people – homeowners, designers, and contractors

• Creating a community that is passionate about sustainable outdoor design

• Educating millions of people about the benefits of outdoor living and the immense opportunity they have to do good in their yard

Yardzen is accomplishing what we set out to do in 2018 – create a seamless, end-to-end landscaping experience – and so much more. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us. We’re excited to see all that we will accomplish together in the next four years.

– Allison Messner, CEO of Yardzen