REGENERATIVE LANDSCAPING

Regenerative landscaping goes beyond sustainability by creating landscapes that actively support ecological health, resilience, and long-term environmental function. Through climate-adapted planting, water-wise irrigation, resilient site systems, habitat creation, and thoughtful stewardship, regenerative landscapes become more resilient, beautiful, and self-sustaining over time.

Some of the regenerative practices we integrate include:

Compost-rich soils and deep wood mulch that support soil biology, permeability, and water retention
Smart irrigation controllers and water-wise drip systems
Hydrozoning based on plant water needs, root depth, and site conditions
Earthworks and subsurface infiltration systems that slow, capture, and retain stormwater
Water features and planting strategies that support habitat creation and passive cooling
Biodiverse plantings of California native and Mediterranean species

Nature's Fibonacci Spiral in an African Spiral Aloe

THE BENEFITS ...

SOIL HEALTH

By rebuilding soil structure and increasing organic matter, regenerative landscapes support healthier soil biology, improved water retention, stronger root systems, and long-term ecological resilience. Healthy soils also help return carbon to the living soil ecosystem over time.

WATER MANAGEMENT

Water-wise irrigation, permeable surfaces, hydrozoning, and stormwater infiltration systems help slow runoff, improve groundwater recharge, reduce erosion, and support healthier long-term water cycles within the landscape.

PLANT HEALTH

Climate-adapted planting and biologically healthy soils support stronger, more resilient plant systems with reduced dependence on fertilizers, pesticides, and excessive irrigation.

BIODIVERSITY & HABITAT

Diverse native and Mediterranean plant communities, habitat features, and layered ecological planting help support pollinators, birds, beneficial insects, and broader urban biodiversity.

RESILIENCE & LOW-MAINTENANCE LIVING

Regenerative landscapes are designed to become more self-sustaining over time — reducing maintenance demands, improving long-term landscape performance, and creating more resilient and comfortable outdoor spaces.

LIVING SOIL + PERMEABILITY

Healthy soil is one of the foundations of regenerative landscaping. In many urban environments, existing soils are heavily compacted, stripped of organic matter, or composed largely of construction fill and imported debris left behind over decades of development. These disturbed soils absorb little water, support less biological activity, and contribute to runoff, erosion, and weaker plant systems.

Regenerative landscapes work to rebuild living soils through compost, mulch, permeable surfaces, reduced compaction, and biologically supportive planting systems. Improving soil structure and permeability allows water, air, roots, fungi, microbes, and other organisms to move more naturally through the landscape.

Permeable paving and infiltration-focused site systems further help slow stormwater, recharge groundwater, reduce runoff, and support healthier long-term ecological function. As soil biology improves over time, landscapes become more resilient, water-efficient, and self-sustaining.

Deep crushed rock infiltration base supporting a permeable patio and hillside pathway in the Mission, San Francisco

IRRIGATION

An optimally designed water-wise irrigation system is essential for long-term landscape health, resilience, and water conservation. Most planting areas are best irrigated with drip systems rather than overhead spray, reducing evaporation, overspray, runoff, and unnecessary water use.

Effective hydrozoning groups plants according to root depth, water needs, sun exposure, soil conditions, and seasonal demand so each planting area receives only the water it truly requires. In diverse urban landscapes — where trees, shrubs, perennials, and edible gardens often share the same space — this frequently requires overlapping irrigation zones and carefully calibrated delivery.

Water-wise systems are further supported by WiFi-enabled smart controllers that respond to real-time local weather conditions, automatically adjusting irrigation schedules throughout the year.

Landscape irrigation plan showing hydrozones

WATER INFILTRATION BASINS

Allowing rainwater to slowly infiltrate back into the soil is one of the most effective ways to support healthier urban ecosystems, restore natural water cycles, and improve long-term landscape resilience. In dense urban environments dominated by paving, roofs, and compacted soils, stormwater is often treated as waste and quickly diverted into streets and municipal drainage systems.

Regenerative landscapes instead aim to slow, capture, and retain water within the site whenever possible. Through infiltration basins, permeable soils, grading strategies, mulch systems, and deep-rooted planting, stormwater can be absorbed back into the landscape rather than rapidly discharged away.

By slowing the movement of water, soils become more sponge-like over time — increasing infiltration capacity, reducing erosion and runoff, supporting healthier plant systems, and helping store moisture for future dry periods. These systems can also help stabilize slopes, reduce flooding pressure, and create more resilient landscapes overall.

100+ YEARS OF EROSION ...

The property below slopes approximately 30% from the street to the rear property line, with drainage continuing downslope across three neighboring properties. These Cragmont, Berkeley lots were developed in the late 1800s, and over time the hillside experienced significant erosion, failed retaining attempts, and ongoing stormwater runoff issues. By 2023, the homeowners were living atop a severely washed hillside while still needing the space to remain open, accessible to all ages, and usable for their dogs rather than divided into a series of steep terraces.

We regraded the hillside into a dominant stabilized slope, added a retaining wall along the side perimeter, and created a wide curving pathway descending through the landscape. At the upper patio — level with the highest roof downspout from the cottage above — we installed the first subsurface stormwater infiltration basin.

A series of seven infiltration basins were then stepped beneath the pathway and connected to stormwater flow from six roof downspouts. As water fills each basin (approximately 8' × 4' × 2' deep), it slowly infiltrates back into the soil. If one basin reaches capacity, overflow moves gradually into the basin below, preventing concentrated surface runoff.

Together, these systems hold a substantial volume of stormwater — protecting the hillside from further erosion while significantly reducing runoff impacts on neighboring downhill properties. An additional long-term benefit is increased soil moisture retention, reducing irrigation demand during the dry season.

Berkeley hillside with seven subsurface stormwater infiltration basins helping recharge groundwater

Rough grading a steep hillside with swales in Berkeley, CA

Stormwater is routed through a series of subsurface infiltration basins of wood chips in Berkeley, CA

DID I MENTION THAT NONE OF THIS IS VISIBLE ABOVE GROUND?

Finished Berkeley hillside garden thriving from regenerative stormwater infiltration, healthy soils, and resilient grading

FLAT LAND APPLICATION

Similar concepts and techniques can be applied on flat land. Creating a dry creek bed, fed by downspots, moves stormwater away from the home, slowing it down to allow for recharing the groundwater.

This first example shows the dry creek ending at a self-contained pond.