Landscape design & build for Tacoma

Landscape designs in Tacoma often lean toward iconic 20th century American features: front lawns, hedges, border planting. With lots of historic housing throughout the city, including numerous craftsmen homes, a landscape that nods to the past can feel appropriate.

As with other northwestern cities, plantings commonly feature species native to the region . Conifers in particular – both full-size trees and dwarf cultivars – are commonly included to express the distinct identity of the northwestern landscape.

Of the many wonderful natives available for use in landscape designs, here are a few outstanding options:

→ Vine maple

→ Salal

→ Vaccinium ovatum

→ Dicentra formosa

→ Amelanchier alnifolia

For those looking to branch beyond the local, here are some tried-and-true introduced species that perform well in Seattle:

→ Japanese maple

→ Pieris japonica

→ Heuchera cultivars

→ Ligularia

And for those looking to include a nod to the regional conifers but lacking the space for a full-size tree, there is a wide range of dwarf conifers available, including cultivars of cypress, arborvitae, and spruce.

The damp climate makes drainage a factor that Tacoma landscapes must accommodate. Cover slopes with planting to control erosion and stabilize soil. Minimizing erosion will protect local waterways and help capture pollutants on site.

Frequent rain also raises maintenance challenges. Stormwater management techniques – namely, using impermeable surfaces to channel and capture runoff in designated areas – can recharge groundwater while minimizing the mess that unchecked stormwater can create.

Now! Any time of year is great to begin work on a landscape project.

Utilizing the winter to work through the design phase sets you up to get on contractors’ books early in the build season, so you can have your design installed and ready to enjoy in time for summer.