Design Packages Include:
3D Designs of Your Exact Yard
Majority Native & Drought-Tolerant Plants
Biodiversity
Benefits
Benefits
Water Efficient Designs (Ex. Rain Gardens)
Collaboration with a Designer Online
The Water Efficient Gardens Design & Build Process
1
Tell Us What You Like
Take the garden style quiz
2
Show Us Your Space
Take some photos and measurements of your yard, and tell us what you want in the design.
3
Review and Finalize Your Design
We will work with you to develop concepts, choose the one you like, and create the final design.
4
Bring Your New Yard to Life
Based on the package selected, you may be connected with a recommended contractor.
The Design Process Typically Takes 3-10 Weeks
Week 0
Design starts.
Weeks 1-3
Two different design concepts and some initial plant choices will be presented. Pick the concept you like best. There may be several rounds of revisions.
Weeks 3-10
Finalized design plan with full plant list will be delivered.
What Our Customers Said
“They designed my front yard this fall. We receive compliments all the time. Highly recommend it, very easy to work with.”
Ines G.
Santa Clara, CA
“When my husband suggested that we expand our driveway, I suggested that we also fix our front yard. It used to be a big lawn with few old plants and was mostly dull and brown. Fortunately, I found Water Efficient Gardens, and her vision of environment friendly garden changed my world. She helped us select native trees, shrubs, and plants with beautiful flowers. My yard is so pleasant to look at. Every morning I go visit the plants and see how they do. Watching a garden taking shape and little plants taking roots and blossoming is such a magical experience! I have never spent as much time in my yard as I do now, and I question myself what took me so long. Finding Water-Efficient Gardens is the highlight of my year, a celebration of life in an otherwise unfortunate pandemic season. I strongly recommend Water Efficient Garden for garden design, and I am convinced that getting an expert to design one’s garden is the best investment for one’s property. There is no beauty that parallels nature. I love my garden and I am grateful for its wonder brought on by my wonderful garden designer.”
Wennie W.
San Jose, CA
“For 7 years, we had been planning to remove the grass from our frontyard to something more environmentally friendly, but always got stuck at the planning phase. We did not have the expertise in plant selection or design to know where to begin. Finally, a lucky search online revealed waterefficientgardens.com, which was precisely what we were looking for. The designer listened intently to what we wanted, provided insightful suggestions, and came up with a rockstar plan at a reasonable price. She helps with all design, county rebate applications, and works closely with a landscaper for final install. She was there throughout the process from start to finish and we made a few last minute changes, which worked out well. We now have a beautiful, environmentally sound, drought tolerant, pollinizer friendly, and native plant oasis! The result is beyond our wildest dreams and we get compliments all the time. Your search is over. Waterefficentgardens.com is the place.”
Sahil S.
San Jose, CA
“We recently converted our lawn to drought tolerant plants. Working with Water Efficient Gardens was easy. They handled the paperwork for the rebates and brought in a contractor to install the plants and irrigation. They created a low-maintenance design with a rain garden. Highly recommend!”
Nancy L.
Sunnyvale, CA
“I recommend Water Efficient Gardens if you are looking to convert your lawn to a drought resistant California native landscape. We did a rain garden in front and back collecting our gutter drains to the gardens and now the Ca natives are in full bloom. We received a nice rebate from the Santa Clara County Water District.”
Erik L.
San Jose, CA
“We are so happy with our yard! We weren’t sure what we wanted at first, but we were drawn to the designer's unique and colorful designs. She has a great eye for mixing different colors and textures of plants, and she designed a completely California native yard that has something in bloom year-round. We have received so many compliments from neighbors since installing our new yard. Having Water Efficient Gardens manage the reimbursement process with the county was also really wonderful. She knows how the department works and submitted everything they requested very quickly. We received our reimbursement with no issues not too long after our yard was complete.”
Megan S.
San Jose, CA
“Thanks to your help, we converted our front yard to drought-tolerant garden successfully; it saved more than 80% of water, and the design looks so good that many of our neighbors stop by to get inspired.”
Meng S.
San Jose, CA
“Water Efficient Gardens designed our little backyard garden, and it made our house ready to sell!”
Simone W.
Mountain View, CA
“We’re so grateful to have found and worked with WEG! We had a complete backyard expertly planned for us from start to finish, with clear instructions on how to do the job ourselves.”
James R.
San Jose, CA
“The designer at Water Efficient Gardens is an amazing garden designer. She helped us successfully convert our front
yard to drought-tolerant garden. The entire process took us three months. She
listened to my needs, answered all my questions. She worked relentlessly with me
and finally came up with the final plant list and garden design that suit us. The best
part was her vision, which is impeccable. I just fell in love with those plants as soon
as the garden was completed. I am very grateful to Water Efficient Garden and would
highly recommend them. They did such a wonderful job and I have been getting
compliment from my friends and neighbors!”
B.H.
Cupertino, CA
“Water Efficient Gardens was great to work with! The designer explained the process from beginning to end and even helped with getting all the documents together for the rebate application. She’s got a great eye for design and chose a wonderful variety of plants and shrubs for my yard. I had a lot of questions and she very patiently answered all of them. I can’t wait to see how my yard will change over time as the new flowers grow and bloom. I’m looking forward to all the hummingbirds and butterflies it will attract. Thanks Water Efficient Gardens!”
Eve M.
San Jose, CA
“I recommend Water Efficient Gardens. The designer helped me make a rain garden with native plants in my front yard. I love looking at it and I get a lot of bees and butterflies coming to the flowers. She made the process really easy and helped me submit for the water company rebate.”
Helen C.
San Jose, CA
Frequently Asked Questions
Water Efficient Gardens is an online landscape design service that helps you design beautiful water efficient, eco-friendly landscapes that support biodiversity. We are experts in native and drought-tolerant landscaping design, and have helped numerous homeowners transform their yards into attractive spaces filled with local plants that support wildlife.
Water efficiency, and sustainability are at the core of all our designs. We tend to use native and drought-tolerant plants in our designs, and avoid harmful or unsustainable materials. We integrate modern technology as much as possible to improve the efficiency and accessibility of our services.
Our online design services for water efficient landscaping are available in all 50 states. Deluxe packages with onsite services are also available in California and certain markets.
Clients first select and customize a design package using our online checkout process. Once submitted, clients will receive an email with a link for you to upload photos of your yard and measurements. A designer will then contact you to get a clear sense of your project goals . In approximately three weeks you will receive a conceptual design. We then integrate your feedback into a finalized design package and deliver it as PDF. If our “Online Deluxe” package is purchased, we will work with the nursery to order the plants (plant costs and delivery billed separately), and provide consultation during the installation process.
We work with all kinds of properties. We are HOA-friendly and have experience working with homeowners and Homeowners Associations. From smaller yards to large estates, we can help.
Our designs include most of the common elements in a landscaping project: softscaping (i.e. plants, trees), hardscaping (i.e. pavers), structures (i.e pergola/gazebo), raised beds, lighting, play space, water wise lawn and more.
These are not included in our scope of work: 1) Detailed construction drawings for any site structure or installation specifications; 2)Actual construction or installation of the design.
Yes, every design is customized to the client’s yard's conditions, garden style, plant preferences and other factors. If we use native plants in your design, we will use plants as specific to your locality as possible.
Absolutely! After we come up with the initial conceptual designs, we work with clients to gain feedback. Depending on the package you purchase, we will also have meetings with you to collect your inputs.
With the severe drought conditions in the US West, many cities and water agencies provide rebates for homeowners to remove their lawn and replace it with drought tolerant landscaping. For many cities the rebates range from $2-4/sq ft, so for a 1,000 sq ft lawn you may receive a $2000 - 4000 rebate after the project is complete. Water Efficient Gardens has been helping homeowners apply for and receive Landscape Conversion rebates from day one. If you want to apply for the rebate, for a small cost ($250) we can submit the application for you; we ensure that the plants and overall design are compliant with the rebate requirements and submit all the design information required. After the project is complete, we submit photos and other necessary information for review and approval so that you can receive your rebate.
We will always keep the budget in mind throughout the design process and use it as a guidance when we consider material alternatives. We can also do a phased approach. Some of our clients are interested in “DIY” installation, which we also support, and we can also provide information and guidance if you decide to go the DIY route.
If you have purchased our Deluxe package (available in California and certain markets - ask us for more information), we can recommend contractors for most of the projects we design.
Yes! You can go with a contractor of your choice.
The designs provide a blueprint or vision for the project; the final outcome will depend on plant availability, contractor's installation, etc.
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