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Low-water planting that actually holds.

Drought-tolerant and native planting with engineered drip irrigation across San Diego County since 1984 — built on graded, drained ground so the plants and the slope both last.

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Graded San Diego slope with drainage and erosion control set before drought-tolerant planting goes in

Low-water planting starts under the soil.

A drought-tolerant yard is sold as plants, but it lives or dies on the ground beneath them. If water sheets across the surface, pools at the wrong spot, or runs off before it soaks in, the most water-wise plant in the catalog still struggles. We start with grade and drainage: shape the ground so rain and runoff go where you want, amend the soil so roots can actually take, and set the root zones the planting plan will need.

The irrigation is engineered, not improvised. We zone the system by sun, slope, and plant type, run pressure-compensating drip to the root instead of spraying the air, and put it on a smart controller that waters by weather rather than a fixed clock. The lines go in before the planting, mapped to the plan, so every plant gets the water it was specified for and nothing is retrofitted around later.

On a slope, that order is not optional. Bare graded soil washes the first hard rain, so erosion control and drainage come first, then the deep-rooted plants that hold the soil for good. We have built this way since 1984, and we stand behind the grading, the drainage, and the workmanship with a clean record across forty years.

What’s included.

  • Site grading and drainage prep so water moves where you want it before anything is planted
  • Soil analysis and amendment to build the root zones the planting plan depends on
  • Drought-tolerant and California native planting selected for your sun, soil, and grade
  • Decomposed granite paths, dry-creek beds, and boulder features that replace thirsty turf
  • Smart, weather-based controllers zoned by sun, slope, and plant type
  • Pressure-compensating drip irrigation run to the root, mapped to the planting plan
  • Mulch and ground cover to hold moisture, cut evaporation, and suppress weeds
  • Erosion control on slopes — stabilization and drainage set before the planting goes in

Our process.

01 · Discovery

Site, soil & water

We walk the property, read the grade and the runoff, and test the soil. We flag the drainage, slope, and erosion work the planting will depend on, and check what rebates your water district has on offer — before a number is priced.

02 · Design

Plan & zoning

You see the planting plan and the irrigation layout together. Plant palette, decomposed granite and dry-creek features, and the drip zones get drawn alongside the grading and drainage the lot requires.

03 · Build

Ground up

Grading, drainage, and erosion control first. Then soil amendment, drip lines mapped to the plan, planting, decomposed granite, and mulch. Every phase runs in-house, in order, one crew accountable for the one before it.

04 · Handoff

Program & warranty

We program the smart controller to the planting plan, walk you through running it by zone, and hand it off. Then the grading, drainage, and workmanship are ours to stand behind.

Selected xeriscape projects.

Drought-tolerant and native planting with decomposed granite paths on a San Diego County lot
Xeriscape & drip
Low-water conversion, zoned drip
Graded slope with erosion control and drainage set before drought-tolerant planting in San Diego's backcountry
Slope · erosion control
Hillside planting, drainage first
Decomposed granite and dry-creek features integrated with low-water planting and hardscape on a San Diego property
DG & dry-creek
Dry-creek beds, integrated hardscape
See the full gallery →

Why bring us your yard.

Forty years, same owner

Darren Earl has been planting and irrigating San Diego County properties since 1984. He has watched what holds on this region’s slopes and clay soil over four decades of drought cycles and rebate programs. The owner prices the job and has carried the ten-year structural liability on it for four decades. His in-house crew, not a rotating cast of subs, builds it.

One team, no subcontractors

Most low-water installs hand the grading to one crew, the drip to another, and the planting to a third, each blaming the last when a slope washes or a zone runs dry. We run every phase in-house. One contract, one number to call, no gaps between trades for a problem to hide in.

Ten years on the ground work

The planting is only as good as the grading and drainage under it, and that is structural work California holds the builder liable for over ten years. We carry that exposure clean across forty years — zero structural complaints. That is why we fix the ground before we ever set a plant.

Xeriscape questions, answered straight.

Replacing thirsty turf with drought-tolerant planting on a zoned drip system commonly cuts outdoor water use by half or more, and outdoor irrigation is the largest part of most San Diego water bills. The savings come from two things working together: plants that want less water, and drip that puts it at the root instead of spraying it into the air. San Diego County water districts and the regional turf-replacement programs have offered per-square-foot rebates for converting lawn to low-water landscape. Programs and amounts change, so we tell you what is current when we scope your project and build the plan to qualify where one applies.
Native plants evolved in this region — California species that live on local rainfall once established, support local pollinators, and ask the least of you. Drought-tolerant is a wider group that includes natives plus low-water plants from other dry climates, like many succulents and Mediterranean species. Both cut water use sharply. We usually mix them: natives for the backbone and the slopes where you want plants that hold soil with no help, and broader drought-tolerant selections where you want specific color, form, or screening. The choice is driven by your sun, soil, and grade, not by a catalog.
A smart controller waters by conditions instead of a fixed clock. It adjusts run times to weather and season, skips a cycle after rain, and splits the yard into zones so a sunny slope and a shaded bed each get what they need rather than one blanket schedule. Paired with drip lines that deliver water at the root, it removes the two biggest sources of waste: watering when it is not needed and spraying water where plants are not. We set the zones to the planting plan and the grade, then program it and show you how to run it.
Cost depends on the ground more than the plants. A flat lot that mostly needs soil prep, drip, and planting sits at the low end. A slope that needs erosion control, drainage correction, and regrading before anything goes in costs more, because that work is what makes the planting last. Decomposed granite, dry-creek features, boulders, and the size and maturity of the plants all move the number. We walk the property, price the ground work and the planting as one fixed concept, and tell you which line items the grade and soil are driving so nothing is a surprise.
Yes — and on a slope the order matters more than anywhere. Bare soil on a grade washes the first hard rain, and drip lines laid on an unstable slope move with it. We stabilize and drain first: regrade where needed, set erosion control, and route runoff so water leaves where we want it. Then we plant deep-rooted natives and ground covers that hold the soil, and run pressure-compensating drip designed for the elevation change so the top of the slope gets the same water as the bottom. Slope and drainage work is what we are known for across San Diego County, and it is why the planting holds.

Tell us about the yard.

Bring us the lot — flat, sloped, or the hillside that washes every winter. We come look at it, ground first, and give you a fixed-price concept for the planting and the irrigation together. No charge for the visit.

Call
(858) 603-7842
Studio
20808 Thyme Way, Jamul, CA 91935
Hours
Mon–Fri · 8:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday · By appointment
Sunday · Closed
License
CSLB #523467 · Licensed & insured

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