Portland Landscape Services from Ross NW Watergardens
Portland’s Best Landscape Design - Build Firm
Ross NW Watergardens is a licensed design-build landscape contractor.
This means we both design and install great outdoor spaces. You get one team from start to finish. Every landscape we create, from traditional to modern, is created with the same focus on sustainability and quality.
Let's do this right.
What exactly does Ross NW Watergardens do? Here is a partial list:
Landscape Design & Planning
Landscape Installation & Contracting
Modern Landscape Design & Japanese Garden Design
Low Maintenance & Drought Tolerant Landscaping
Water Features
LED Low Voltage Landscape Lighting
Paver Patios and Paths
Garden Structures
Specimen Tree Sourcing & Installation
Are there services we don't offer? Yes, for example:
Irrigation Repair
Water Feature Repair (except on water features we built, of course)
Landscape Maintenance
Engineered Retaining Walls (walls over 4’ tall require engineering)
Poured Concrete (but we do have some trusted subs we use)
In addition, some services are only available as part of a larger project. For example, we lay sod but not as a stand alone service. Still not sure if we do what your landscape needs? Contact us today and ask!
Ross NW Watergardens is a team made up of:
Landscape Designers
Starting with a landscape design from Ross NW Watergardens means you know exactly what you will be getting.
Ben Bowen is our landscape designer. Ben takes a collaborative approach, assuring that his style will never dominate yours. The final design will be just right for you, your property and your budget. When the landscape construction starts there is no uncertainty- you know exactly how great your landscape will be.
Learn more about the design process and have your landscape design questions answered.
Landscaping Contractors
Your Portland landscape project, large or small, will be overseen by Joe Bowen- the owner of Ross NW Watergardens. He has over 45 years of landscaping experience. So it is unlikely your project will present any challenges he hasn't handled before! Our landscaping crews are made up of skilled craftsmen, most with over 20 years of experience themselves.
Check out our landscape project portfolio to see what your landscaping can be. It's full of projects from all over the Portland, Oregon area- from Irvington to Orenco and University Park to Charbonneau and Dunthorpe- and probably your neighborhood!
And This Is What Ross NW Watergardens Does:
Japanese Gardens
Japanese landscaping is ideally suited to Portland. It's not just chance that we are home to the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan.
We have similar weather, plant material- and even a few designers, landscape architects, and landscape contractors with the skill and experience to build great Japanese landscapes. Check out this review to see why we feel we are one of them!
We utilize our local materials in a way that evokes Japanese gardens. Ross NW Watergardens uses bamboo, Japanese maples, contorted pines, water, and even fire to bring your Japanese garden to life.
More about Ross NW Watergardens and Japanese gardening here.
Modern Landscapes
Modern gardens are rising in popularity in Portland. It is no mystery why. Modern landscaping feels clean and calm. A proper modern garden is low maintenance, low water use, utilizes local and native materials, and looks good through all four season.
Water Features
Water features started it all for Ross NW Watergardens. We use large boulders, natural rocks for falls, and never leave liner or plumbing visible. Our ponds also feature state-of-the-art continuous duty pumps and filtration systems. Your water feature should be be beautiful and smart!
We have built dozens of water features all over Portland. Some are simple bubbler or tsukubai installations. Others are modest backyard ponds with a couple small falls. We have also designed and built large koi ponds with gunite shells. Ross NW Watergardens even renovated a huge pond for the City of Hillsboro!
More about water features from Ross NW Watergardens here.
Hardscaping
Patios, walkways, paths, and driveways are the bones of a landscape. They provide places to gather and ways around the garden. Ross NW Watergardens designs and installs hardscape utilizing concrete pavers and gravel.
More about paver patios and walkway here.
Stone Masonry
Hardscaping involves many materials, both manmade and natural, but masonry is all about stone.
Natural stone, slate, and boulders are not easy to work with. Painstaking care is taken with each piece of stone. Slate is carefully chipped and fitted. The right stone is used in the right place for a perfect fit. It's slow and not inexpensive. But it lasts forever and looks better every year.
Our experienced masons have the skill required to craft long lasting masonry elements that will enhance your Portland home's landscaping. We design and build stone retaining walls, seating walls, slate patios, fire pits, outdoor fireplaces, and more. Our skill with stone is one of the advantages we offer all our landscape clients!
Planting
We design planting lists and plans for any style. While we have our favorite plants, we won't force you to love them. Nandina and Sambucus Nigra are not for everyone! Like everyone else, you probably want a low water use landscape that utilizes native plantings. Ross NW Watergardens is up to the challenge.
Our plants are sourced locally, utilizing a plant procurement service that only selects the best plants currently available. They will be planted properly and you will have all the care instructions you need to ensure they thrive.
Fences and Garden Structures
The Pacific Northwest is blessed with an abundance of natural wood choices. Cedar and juniper can both be used beautifully and sustainably. We design and build custom fences, screens, patio covers, and other garden structures. Your outdoor living space will largely be defined by these elements- let's get them right!
More about custom screens and garden structures here.
Custom Boulder Setting
We love setting boulders as part of our landscaping projects and take pride in doing it right. Boulders anchor the landscape. In some landscapes boulders are the foundation. Other gardens make boulders the stars.
The plant material and seasons changes, but rocks just... are.
We have braided metal cables that are custom manufactured just for us. These cables allow us to carefully lift large stones and set them in your landscape exactly the way we want- with no scarring.
Learn more about boulders in Ross NW Watergardens' projects here.
Irrigation Systems
Keep your landscape green and happy. We design and install quality sprinkler systems using Rainbird, Hunter, and Toro components.
All of our systems are designed to be high efficiency, utilizing drip irrigation, pressure regulating heads, low precipitation nozzles, and smart timers (No "Water Hog" list for you!)
Low Voltage Landscape Lighting
Landscape lighting allows you to enjoy your garden more hours every day. We design systems with style and restraint. Just a few well placed lights can reveal your landscape in a whole new way. Let our skilled landscape designers put together a lighting plan for your landscape.
Where Does Ross NW Watergardens Work?
We design and install landscapes in the Portland-metro area (and occasionally beyond). This includes Lake Oswego, Dunthorpe, Wilsonville, West Linn, Clackamas, Tigard, Tualatin, Milwaukie, Happy Valley, Beaverton, Hillsboro, and Oregon City in Oregon. In Washington we work in Vancouver, Ridgefield, and Camas. If your landscape lighting project is outside our normal service area, but is challenging or unique, please let us know!
Ross NW Watergardens' Landscape Warranty
Our warranty includes:
Hardscaping including pavers, slate, concrete, and stone masonry carries a one year warranty.
Water features have a one year warranty.
Irrigation systems have a one year warranty.
Fences and screens have a one year warranty.
Low voltage lighting has a one year warranty.
Plants, with an irrigation system, have a 90 day warranty. (More here.) We do offer extended warranties in certain situations.
Plants, without an irrigation system, have no warranty.
Transplanted plants have no warranty.