Landscape Design Factors for Orinda

Planted Earth Inc. is a leading design and build landscape architecture firm serving Orinda and other communities in the East Bay. With over 20 years experience designing and creating outdoor spaces, we have the expertise to create beautiful, tailored custom landscape designs that match and enhance your home’s aesthetics. Along with landscape design and construction, we also offer garden maintenance services to keep your home’s outdoor environment vibrant, healthy and tidy.

As a company based in the East Bay, we’ll incorporate our knowledge of Orinda’s particular micro climate, soil composition and mixed wildland-urban ecology into our design and installation plan. Matching these local conditions is essential to support the long-term vitality and beauty of your plants and soil, and is one of secrets of our success in creating the backyard oases we’re known for.

Nestled in a partially wooded environment of oaks, laurels and other trees or open to sweeping views–including Mount Diablo to the East–homes in Orinda often enjoy a gorgeous backdrop. Our approach to design aims to complement this pre-existing natural beauty, and consider the interplay between house and habitat, along with the preservation of any view corridors.

Orinda’s rolling topography may require constructed solutions to control erosion and stabilize the hillside. Our seasoned team is well-equipped to design and build terraces, retaining walls and drainage systems for proper erosion mitigation. These multi-level constructed environments serve a critical function for your property, and are quite attractive when populated with the right plants and hardscaping features that we can add, such as water features, stonework and seating.

In fact, beyond engineering methods, adding plants and an accompanying layer of mulch to your hillside landscape will go a long way toward limiting erosion from heavy rains or gradual weathering processes.

Orinda’s mixed wildland-urban ecology is one of its primary charms. Yet this also lends to frequent encroachment of wild animals into backyards. To prevent deer from entering your yard and damaging your plants, we can build fencing that complements your landscape design, adding aesthetic value while serving as a barrier to protect your landscaping.

Being on the western edge of Contra Costa County, Orinda benefits from a climate that is warm but not as hot as Walnut Creek or Concord in the summer. The rolling topography and ubiquity of trees also reduce full exposure to the summer sun, providing dappled shade environments that allow for a wider selection of plants. Still, the area’s Mediterranean climate means that drip irrigation and California native or drought-tolerant species are best suited to Orinda landscapes, which Planted Earth specializes in.

The geological region of “Lamorinda” – Lafayette, Mortgage and Orinda – has unique soil conditions compared to neighboring areas. Lamorinda’s soils feature a prevalence of coarse sandstone and clay that require a particular application of amendments to support healthy root growth and proper drainage for plants.

However, beyond broad local patterns, we will assess the soil on your site to determine the appropriate course of action. The same goes for all the unique characteristics of your property, including sun and shade patterns, view corridors and degree of slope.

We offer expertise in multiple areas of landscape design, including plant selection, irrigation, and construction of fences, arbors, patios, water features and terracing. Whatever your desired landscape environment is, the Planted Earth team has skills, vision and expertise to bring it to life. Our full suite of landscape architecture, design, and installation services can transform your yard, all informed and guided by our 20+ years of experience.

  • "Michael and his team have transformed our yard into an oasis. From the start Michael was a co-creator in our vision, helping us to refine what we really wanted, make sensible decisions to meet our budget, and then using his vast experience to bring it to life. You can see the attention to detail and craftsmanship that his team applied in their work. We highly recommend engaging Planted Earth for your landscape project."

    Rob, El Cerrito

  • “Mick and the crew at Planted Earth are simply the best! Stunning, high-quality work. Accurate estimates. Timely completion. A trusted source for all our jobs, both big and small.”

    Joshua, Kensington

  • “Michael has done a number of projects at my home. In every case we have been thrilled with the results. He and his crew are easy to have around and do their work professionally and on schedule. I have also seen several of Michael’s projects at other sites and have come away impressed every time.”

    Geoff, Berkeley

  • “Michael has vast experience in all aspects of landscape; there is nothing he and his crew can’t handle. He has a great eye for design and the skills to make the ideas become reality. He is flexible, reliable, and very easy to communicate with. His crew and sub¬contractors are equally skilled and professional. Two years after the official completion of my yard, he is still available for even the smallest of requests for modifications or technical expertise with irrigation, lighting, and planting.”

    Donna, Piedmont

  • “We had a huge, slightly overwhelming landscaping project on a big lot that hadn’t been touched by anyone but deer for years. The team at Planted Earth was able to take our jumble of ideas and create for us a multi-¬staged plan so we could budget it bit by bit. Our garden now is so gorgeous; people driving by will often slow down just to check it out.”

    Amanda & Frank, Berkeley

  • “Planted Earth and Michael McFadden are the absolute best. They took our shabby, dated and overgrown backyard, and turned it onto a work of art. They worked extensively on price and design with us — we wanted something that looked awesome from a design perspective, but also worked with our lifestyle (we have a very active yellow lab). He came up with a design we loved, made it fit in our budget, built us a gorgeous redwood deck and arbor, installed paving stones and decomposed granite, worked with us to choose plants that we liked and suited the landscape, and handled all of the irrigation and sod.”

    Chloe, Walnut Creek

  • We've done multiple projects with Planted Earth. The outcome is not only beautiful, but structurally sound. They allow plenty of time for planning and budgeting to ensure you get the outcome you're looking for and remain available for questions after your project is finished. They also have crews who can come out to keep our yards beautiful and properly irrigated as needed. You can't go wrong with this level of skilled, attentive and personal service.

    Sheri, Oakland

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