Verdance Landscape Architecture

Our clients think we’re the best.
(We think they’re the best, too.)
🥰

Magnificent Garrya elliptica (Silktassel), probably ‘James Roof’, in bloom on Stanford campus today.

We learn so much by simply walking around with our eyes open! “Peripatetic design” beats the reference books every time.

Autumn in is really special!

I’ve talked with so many people over the last few weeks who say this is their favorite time of year.

Is it the change in temperatures 🥶? The glow of the low-angle sunlight☀️? The foliage colors 🍁contrasting with evergreen oaks and redwoods? All of the above?

What do _you_ love about fall in the Bay Area?

‘Armstrong’ Freeman Maple provides wonderful fall color 🍁 to complement California’s evergreen oaks!

Maples need more water than native oaks, but we’ve placed it in its own hydrozone with other thirstier specimens.

And while they don’t support quite as many species of caterpillars and moths, Maples are still an excellent addition to the habitat garden.

We’re getting pretty good at this “sketch over Zoom” thing! 😆

What can you grow with less water? How beautiful can dry gardens be? Don’t take our word for it… make a field trip to and see!

Wishing you a loooong weekend full of rest, relaxation, and sunshine!

Landscape installation by Modern Landscaping, Inc.

Our Ran hecking in on our “Oasis in the Desert” project today…

Did you know that seed pods open up like peeled bananas to release their fluffy contents to the wind?

Expertly installed by Modern Landscaping, Inc.

Badoww!💥Summer color comin in hot.

The home owner wanted their front yard to have more life with less water. How’d we do? 😇

👈🏼after • before👉🏼

Watch This Space!
Our project in is… well, it’s a construction 👷🏼 site at the moment. Part of our job is to mitigate the soil pollution and compaction that unfortunately are inevitable in a project like this. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Fortunately we have big brains 🤓 and we aren’t afraid to use them! This time next year will 🤞🏼show an incredible transformation. ✨

Oof, it’s hot out there. 🥵
Which sounds better: dinner outdoors, or a nap in the hammock?

Lookin like summer

Contrast—whether in texture or color or both—is hands-down my favorite design principle, and no retail nursery does contrast better than . Had a special time visiting their L.A. (Marina del Rey) location today!

Sure, the habitats we design welcome birds 🦉and butterflies 🦋… but they also invite people! 🤠

Whether it’s places to play, explore, rest, or enjoy meaningful pieces of sculpture or other objects, we always make the landscape fulfilling for -all- its users. 🤗

OK, class, this week we learned that Epilobium ‘Catalina’ is _not_ an acceptable substitute for E. canum. Only 2x the size we wanted! Luckily fall (re)planting season is just around the corner.

Our latest quality-of-life upgrade! This one’s in and features plants as well as permeable from , all expertly installed by Camin Landscaping and Carrillo & Sons Masonry!

(We design habitats for humans, too.)

Seating: ‘Amari’ by
Firepit: ‘Buckshot’ by
Lighting:
Pavers: ‘Antiqued Flat Top Large Format’ by
Gravel: ‘Lodi’ by
Landscape installation & maintenance: Modern Landscaping, Inc.













Photo courtesy Modern Landscaping, Inc.

We also provide design consultation and coaching for select clients. It’s so gratifying to see the changes we can make together!

One of our latest lawn replacements… a small but mighty interpretation of the venerable English cottage garden.

H**e ‘Quicksilver’ from … I think this is the first time in 10 years I’ve seen it bloom. Maybe the wet winter?

Anyone else find curved concrete walls a little… sexy?

No?
Just us?
😊

Beautifully formed retaining walls by and .construction at our Hillsborough project. 🫶🏼

Wishing you a Memorial Day filled with joyful remembrance!

Today we honor the service members whose lives have enriched our own, whose sacrifices have brought freedom and joy to those most in need.

Play is the ultimate expression of freedom, and we love designing places that invite play and togetherness—places that celebrate life!

So fire up that grill, raise that red cup, turn up the tunes, and bust out the games… if you’re playing, you’ve already won!

Clear skies and blue waters at our Silver Creek project.

We began this project just as COVID-19 was settling in — our first meeting with the home owner was the day before lockdowns were announced.

All of the site surveying and analysis that’s usually performed on-site was cobbled together remotely, using satellite imagery and anecdotal reports.

Even when it was possible to begin working in-person again, shortages of materials and labor held progress to a snail’s pace.

As a result, one of the smallest projects we’ve had in the past decade wound up taking two years to complete!

This waterfall boulder alone took nearly a year to source, procure, and fabricate.

To the owner’s great credit, they never lost faith or turned sour. And it’s so fulfilling to revisit the site, see how well they care for it, and hear how much they love and use it!

We’d do it again in a heartbeat … but minus the pandemic, please.

We ❤️ it when our clients let us do our best work. Apparently the feeling is mutual. 🤗

We ❤️ when our clients let us do our best work. Apparently it’s mutual. 😊

Native bee lovin’ on some Ribes sanguineum var. glutinosum ‘Claremont’ in one of our Palo Alto gardens.

Creating habitat for pollinators is one of the Landscape Architect’s greatest opportunities, and Ribes is a keystone plant that supports insects and birds vital to our ecosystem.

“The Pond” (detention basin, bioswale, billabong) is at capacity but all this ☔️ is still making our 💚💚💚 happy.

First and now . Time for to double down on educating people (especially the ad agencies making these ignorant spots) about what a actually does! 🙄

Thinking back to warmer days, and loving the play of light and shadow by the custom pergola (panel from ) at our “Romantic Eclectic” project.

Our latest front yard rain garden (aka detention basin), in . It’s already helped 1000s of gallons of stormwater 🌧️ percolate through to local groundwater instead of running off to the gutter and adding to downstream flooding. “We are amazed how the swale fills up and drains,” say the owners. “Lots of positive comments from our neighbors.” So… yeah.