A tiered garden with vibrant flowering plants and shrubs, a white painted wall with decorative metal art, and a grassy yard with stairs leading to the garden, surrounded by trees and a weathered wooden fence.

Entry Terrace Garden - A Bird Starbucks

Hillsborough, CA

2024

Service type: Landscape design, contractor connection, site consultation services

Our client is passionate about birds, and we are nuts about creating planting designs specifically for both of them, which is how we get started.

The garden site is on a 1:3 slope, quite normal for the Bay Area houses that sit on terrain. The client agreed to add a retaining wall first to help the plants, and we marked where and how tall the wall should be.

Then the planting design really started from the sunlight study, as the lower part of the garden might have limited sun during the winter, which will deter certain plants. After carefully studying the site, we were confident to design anything that would survive and shine.

We put everything red that would attract birds next to the upper walls so that they would receive more sunlight, and we chose draping plants next to the walls to soften their appearance.

Upscape were a part of construction; the client trusted us and asked me to join any construction during the process. 

A bird is perched on the side of a wheelbarrow, with a garden in the background including a red ornamental plant and some green foliage.

‘‘Henry,

Two Vultures hung out in my yard on the wheelbarrow. Where you are working. 

In many cultures, the vulture symbolizes a guardian or messenger between life and death, the physical world, and the spirit world. 

They have magical powers and are even seen as Gods. It is a contradictory symbol of darkness, mystery, divine power, and great wisdom at the same time.’’

— Our client

A colorful garden with various flowering plants and greenery, including whimsical garden stakes with children and zebra designs.

Site images/ videos after 18 months

A garden with a statue of Buddha surrounded by green plants and pink flowers.
Colorful garden with decorative metal sculptures of a woman riding a zebra and a sun face among vibrant flowers and greenery.
Colorful garden filled with various flowering plants, shrubs, and greenery, with a wooden fence and cloudy sky in the background.
Colorful garden with various flowers and plants, decorative lawn ornaments, and a backyard fence under cloudy sky.

Site history

  • 01 Retaining wall flagging

    01 Retaining wall flagging

    We marked where the proposed retaining wall would sit, and marked the height of it

  • 02 Rock picking & 2nd retaining wall building

    02 Rock picking and stacking

    After the redwood retaining wall was built (shown above), we started stacking the rocks around buddha

  • 02

    03 Walls and fence update

    The Buddha was protected, and fence were replaced

  • 120 stones

    04 Plants in and site preparation

    We made some last-minute changes due to the nursery inventory issue, and we made design adjustments based on site-specific observations.

    Thanks to our master gardener Zhenya!

  • 05 Nine month old!

    05 Nine-month-old garden!

    It turned 9 months at the moment, and the owner really enjoyed the color throughout seasons

Design evolution

Sunlight 3D study - it matters the most for planting design!

Comparison of outdoor yard with trees and pathway showing different shadows and light patterns at 12:00 pm on June 22 during summer daylight saving time on the left, and same location with altered shadows and lighting at 12:00 pm on December 22 during winter non-daylight saving time on the right.

Secret sauces for a butterfly/ hummingbird garden, as well as people

A detailed garden landscape plan with various plant species labeled around the perimeter, including flowers, succulents, and shrubs, depicted in an aerial view with color-coded circles identifying each plant type.

View studies

Colorful garden with various flowers, plants, and shrubs, surrounded by a white wall and wooden fencing, with a tree and a blue sky with clouds in the background.

View study for Buddha area

A detailed landscape garden design with various plants and decorative elements, including trees, succulents, flowering shrubs, and rocks, with labels and a legend indicating plant types and quantities.

Section illustration of retaining walls

A landscaped garden installation on a sloped terrain with a wooden fence, various plants and flowers, a tree, and a decorative rock feature, under a blue sky with some clouds and birds.
Colorful flower garden with various blooming plants, including yellow, pink, purple, and red flowers, along with decorative garden ornaments and a wooden raised bed, under an overcast sky.
A view of a backyard with lush green plants, trees, a gray house with solar panels, an outdoor dining area with a table, chairs, and umbrella, and a distant hillside with more houses and trees.

Before/ after

Split-screen image showing a before-and-after transformation of a backyard garden with a staircase and lush plants, from a teardown stage to a well-landscaped, colorful garden.
Comparison of a backyard before and after landscaping, showing a plain area with a dirt slope on the left and a colorful, decorated garden with plants, sculptures, and a wooden fence on the right.

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