Here at Ross NW Watergardens we most often use corten steel for pots, planters, troughs, and raised beds. It can also be used for retaining walls, screens, fences, and fire features. Are you considering corten steel for your landscape design project?

Obviously you can hire someone like Ross NW Watergardens to design and install a low voltage system for you. But simpler systems are very DIY friendly. One of the most important things is to install quality fixtures.

So, if you decide to install your own landscape lighting, what fixtures should get and where should you buy them?

"Low maintenance" is subjective. Some people are fine with 2-3 afternoons spent in the garden each month. Others just want a lawn care crew to be able to handle it all in 20-30 minutes a week. Then there are the people who really want NO maintenance (and a unicorn for a pet). I can design a landscape that is genuinely low maintenance, but I keep running into a problem.

My clients say they want a low maintenance garden, but won’t make the sacrifices necessary to have one.

What is so great about the Crossfire burners for fire pits? And are they worth the extra expense?

"Best plants" is subjective.

But this list is full of plants that I commonly use in landscape designs and have found my clients love as well. Some of these are native plants, others are well adapted and behave themselves here in the Pacific Northwest. They are all plants that will add something distinctive to your garden!

If you have been considering a new landscape, now is the best time to lay the foundation. Let’s work together and design a garden that bring you joy for years to come. We will minimize or eliminate in person meetings by collaborating via email, FaceTime, Zoom, Skype, Teams, text…. whatever works for you.

Want to know more?

Cover the ground with weed barrier fabric, put mulch or bark dust on top, and never worry about weeding again. Or, if you fancy yourself a realist, cut down drastically on the amount of work needed to take care of weeds.

Here is the problem: weed fabric rarely works and is often a really, really bad idea. This raises some questions:

Are you looking for someone to design and build custom fencing for you, perhaps one with horizontal slats? Do you need someone skilled to guide you through the options for your new cedar or ipe deck?

What should you do when you need a new landscape?

You could DIY and you might even be happy with the results. However, there are some really good reasons to hire a design-build landscape company to do the work for you. In fact I can think of at least...

The three recommended tree services below have all worked for us or our clients. They are true pro's: licensed, bonded, and insured, and experienced. Can you say the same thing about the guys with a chainsaw and a truck on Craigslist?