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10/26/2026

I was waiting to post this one until after I took some better photos, but this will have to do for now.
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When Willamette Blvd takes away all the street parking (and adds speed bumps, cones, bumpers, millions of gallons of striping, etc, etc)- you edit your own parking scene to accommodate.
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New ribbon driveway. New second parking space that doubles as an entryway, but make it timeless. Bring in some juniper angles to mimic the home’s wood features. Give the pedestrians a fun garden walk through the parking strip. And pray to the plant gods that the Arbutus we transplanted makes the move 🤞🏼
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This one has been on my mind since May and it looks exactly as I had imagined.
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Thanks to my incredible clients who knew what they did and didn’t want, have amazing decision-making skills, and trusted me.
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Designer: yours truly Annie Koehler
Driveway: G’s Concrete
Paver Driveway: Dan Hurley
Install: Annie Koehler
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10/16/2026

When a DIY client ends up needing the final nudge, we come in at the final (and best) step to put a bow on things.
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Original design by Queen Green Gardens with a few alterations by the client, this one came out pretty slick!
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Design: Queen Green Gardens
Install: client
Plants & Mulch: Annie Koehler

10/11/2026

As my client herself called it, this yard was a “dumpster fire.” Not my words, but this one is a pretty great transformation.
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From brown, dormant lawn to boulders, new steps, a rain garden, extended back patio, tidier backyard lawn for Doc (the dog), and a lighting system that elevates the mood. Almost every material was present on this one!
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Thank you Savannah for bringing us along for the ride!
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Designer: Savannah Landscape Design & Garden Care
Landscaping: we here .com

08/17/2026

Haven’t posted since early July and here’s why!
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We’ve been everywhere from Canada to Iceland and New Mexico to Connecticut.
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We’ve also been holding down the fort with our maintenance clients and busting butt on designs.
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Can’t wait to show you what’s in store for the fall. So many fun projects in the works…and yep, you guessed it- boulders… with a side of pergolas, patios, and plants!
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07/08/2026

Another renovation, another happy client.
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A little rock wall to detour the park-bound dogs, a functional rain garden, easy steppers to get in and out of the car, and a nice patio for when the college kids come home in the summer.
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Fun client + easy collaboration + and a satisfying design = a winning combo.
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Designer: Lydia Lydia Cox
Prep, Patio & Arbor: Dan Hurley
Front Yard, Plants & Irrigation: us here Annie Koehler
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06/22/2026

More lawn coming out and stones going in.
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This was a sweet little project we squeezed in on short order and I’d say the result is darn cute.
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No explanation needed here, but the plant palette is nice; Blue Grama Grass ‘Blonde Ambition’, Erigeron ‘Profusion,’ and Whooly Thyme. Simple!
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Designer & Build: us here Annie Koehler
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06/21/2026

This one isn’t dramatic, but it was still a fun change.
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We needed to bring up the lawn to match the new patio, so we used Hilary Finch Hutler strategy. Add a layer of 1/4” clean gravel on top of the original lawn, top it with soil blend, and seed over it. Put a steel edge around it, bring up the original steppers, and replace almost all of the existing plants. Wa-la!
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Irrigation was the headache on this one, but what project doesn’t have something difficult?!
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Designer: Hilary Finch Hutler
Lawn, steps, and install: us here Annie Koehler
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06/09/2026

First time we’ve worked with turf, and maybe the last?! Ha!
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This family has two dogs and a toddler in a very small backyard. Lots of discussion was had over ease of maintenance, best material for bare feet, dog feet, and clean feet, and ultimately they decided to keep with the existing turf, but make it better.
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We edited the edges, added steel, relocated a lot of cobblestone, removed all the Leyland Cypress and Boxwoods, and patched a few holes. Then we added a bunch of tall Mahonia, enormous Kindred Spirit Oaks, and threw in a lot of flowers and evergreen nods.
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Long term, the turf might come out, but for now, this checked almost all of the boxes.
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Excited to do the front yard next year. Stay tuned!
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Designer: yours truly
Install: us over here
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05/18/2026

This one was night and day from the last one….and incredibly rewarding.
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No plant list, but try for mostly natives
No perfect edges or lines
Client’s full trust
Creative opportunities front and back
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We built the rain garden in the front yard last year which lead the way for an amazing transformation and the cutest stone patio.
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The backyard was an overgrown jungle between the house and the covered patio. We took the 2 downspouts and created a creek bed with leap frog boulders to get across.
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So many parts to love on this one, but my favorite is by far the backyard creek bed. I wish you could see it IRL.
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Thank you Sarah for a couple feathers in our cap.
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05/14/2026

One step at a time with this lil lady. We prepped the front yard last fall and planted her up this spring. That backyard pergola/patio combo was the finishing touch though for a summer full of BBQs.
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Looking forward to phasing out the rest of the backyard this winter for a spring 2027 planting.
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If you’ve got the patience and a long term plan, phasing costs can be a great way to go.
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Will I be back by summer’s end to take pictures of this front yard, drought tolerant bombshell? Definitely.
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Designer: yours truly
Front landscaping:
Patio/Pergola:
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Address

East Portland, OR

Website

https://www.gardendesignpdx.com/

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