--- title: "jGROW — Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/jgrow-pfvwus-pf~725939926 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~725939926.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: jGROW category: ["Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/92530cf605497bda_4660-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "Richmond, California 94805, United States" phone: "(510) 207-4512" website: http://www.jGrow.net rating: 5 review_count: 11 best_of_houzz_awards: 2 followers: 1 last_updated: 2026-08-20 --- # jGROW Original Houzz profile: [jGROW](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/jgrow-pfvwus-pf~725939926) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers - **Location:** Richmond, CA - **Serves:** Oakland, Berkeley, Walnut Creek, El Cerrito, Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Piedmont - **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (11 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 2 awards (2024–2025), for Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Houzz Industry Research - Barometer - Recommended on Houzz - 500 Ideabook Saves Award-winning regenerative design, creating living landscapes for people, plants, and animals. jGrow specializes in crafting vibrant, meaningful spaces where you can connect with nature and beauty, while sprouting your own backyard memories. ### Services Provided - Landscape Design - Garden Design - Hardscaping - Landscape Plans - Patio Design - Drought Tolerant Landscaping - Site Planning - Pool Landscaping - Custom Fire Pits - Custom Water Features - Outdoor Lighting Design - Deck Design - 3D Rendering - Organic Gardens - Edible Gardens - Entry Design - Planting - Sustainable Design ### Areas Served - Oakland - Berkeley - Walnut Creek - El Cerrito - Lafayette - Orinda - Moraga - Piedmont ### Typical Job Cost $50,000 - 250,000 ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | jGROW | | Address | Richmond, California 94805, United States | | Phone | (510) 207-4512 | | Website | http://www.jGrow.net | | Followers on Houzz | 1 | ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [jGROW](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/jgrow-pfvwus-pf~725939926) - **Website:** http://www.jGrow.net - **Phone:** (510) 207-4512 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - CA Landscape Contractors Assn - East Bay: - 2018 Water Conservation Landscape, 1st Place; - 2018 Medium Residential Installation, 1st Place; - 2016 Small Design-Build Installation, Achievement Award; - 2016 Small Design-Build Installation, Achievement Award - **Best of Houzz:** 2 awards (2024–2025), for Service. **Affiliations** - [Association of Professional Landscape Designers](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/professionals/schools-and-organizations/association-of-professional-landscape-designers-pfvwus-pf~92795973) - [California Landscape Contractors Association](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/california-landscape-contractors-association-pfvwus-pf~127371204) ## Reviews **Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 11 reviews** *Aspect averages:* - Work Quality: 50.0 - Communication: 50.0 - Value: 49.0 ### All 11 reviews **★★★★★ — Emily Livaich, April 2024** > Julie is the best! It’s so nice to finally have an outdoor living space I can enjoy year-round, with beautiful plants, flowers and color every month of the year. I have Julie and her flawless design to thank for that. > > After a few initial conversations, Julie came for a visit to see the space. On her first visit to start her design process, Julie spent hours in the space to get a feel for what it could be. She listened intently to what I wanted and knew exactly what I was looking for even when I couldn’t perfectly articulate it. She answered every question I had (there were a lot) and she made adjustments as I thought of something I wanted to include, or take out. Her knowledge of plants and what will work in a space is incredible. Julie is a pleasure to work with and makes the process easy. She puts so much care and attention into the spaces she creates. > > Even in the dead of winter my garden thrived with beautiful plants and flowers. Now, in Spring, I am seeing more growth and beauty. My garden is lush and yet very low maintenance. Do yourself a favor and call Julie to design your outdoor living space. **★★★★★ — Megan Macpherson, Feb. 2024** > If you’re considering a landscape project, the first decision you make should also be your best decision: hire Julie. > > Her collaborative, creative, and detailed process ensures that the project isn’t just done efficiently, but that it exceeds your expectations. When we moved into our house, we had a huge drainage issue in the back: water would just pool against the house. And our front yard was covered in an ugly, dying grass. Not anymore. Below ground, Julie’s drainage planning has ensured that even during the worst winter rains, we don’t see a drop of standing water once the rain lets up. And above ground, our outdoor space has become the talk of our friends. It is sustainable, unique, and just oh-so-fun to enjoy Northern California days in. Julie listened carefully to our desires and crafted a beautiful vision that aligned with our values. > > We couldn’t recommend Julie more. The outcome was fantastic, and just as importantly, working with Julie was a joy from start to finish. **★★★★★ — Ricardo Vargas Lugo, Jan. 2024** > We recently completed a project with Julie, and we are extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with her. From start to finish Julie approached the project with professionalism, care, and excellent communication. She is clearly someone who loves her work and wants to deliver amazing results for her clients. Our backyard is on a hill, so we couldn't really use much of it. Her design allowed us to not only create a beautiful space, but also one that we actually get to enjoy and use every day. People keep complementing how great the flow is from one section on the backyard to the next. She has very detailed knowledge about plants, and does a great job in terms of ensuring every aspect of the landscape takes as much as advantage as possible of what is already there. Julie was also very transparent about how much the project would cost and made sure that we were well aware of implications in changes of scope well in advance so we could make an informed decisions. She also had excellent communication with the contractor and helped project manage during the construction phase. We highly recommend working with Julie! She does high quality work and is a kind and thoughtful partner. **★★★★★ — melissamwalton, Jan. 2024** > Julie was wonderful to work with on our front and backyard redesign. Our project entailed removing a bland grass-focused front yard and creating a formal-looking space with raised vegetable beds in the front which is no easy task. She designed it beautifully and I do not go a day without passersby's complementing me on how great it looks. In the backyard she designed for privacy along the fenceline and two separate hardscaped seating areas. Julie's plant choices are filling in nicely and hold up to the wear and tear of two dogs and a small child. We are thrilled with how are outdoor spaces have turned out and highly recommend Julie. **★★★★★ — rwalkhome, Jan. 2024** > Julie was fantastic in every way! She is a great listener and committed to achieving the client's vision while staying within budget. She is creative, flexible and proactive, following up throughout design, installation and post-project. Couldn't have asked for more. **★★★★★ — danica830, Jan. 2024** > Julie helped us design and execute a much-needed transformation of our front yard. She took the time to understand our goals and aesthetic while adding her own suggestions and point of view. Julie had great plant recommendations (things we never would have thought of on our own), and the layout she proposed was thoughtful and refined. The software she uses helped us visualize the project as we progressed in the design process which was very helpful. > > Julie was actively involved in the implementation phase, checking in on progress and helping to manage communication with the contractor. She came back several times after the implementation was completed to check on the plants and helped to order replacements for the few that didn’t survive the first summer. > > Julie was a joy to work with. Communication was excellent throughout the process, and we’re really happy with the end result. **★★★★★ — Helen Gustafson, Dec. 2023** > Julie is, quite simply, amazing to work with. She is a top-notch designer, extremely knowledgeable of plants for all types of gardens and her attention to detail and overall vision for any project combined seamlessly to bring our garden dreams to life. We cannot recommend Julie highly enough. > > We have done 2 projects with Julie. 6 years ago after a remodel, we needed to put our back yard back together. It was a challenge, the site being shady, our desire to utilize mainly California natives and our need for the landscaping to be dog friendly, a very difficult overall task. She was a very patient listener, asked great questions, and brought new ideas up for our consideration. In the end, Julie’s design was beautiful, whimsical and colorful, everything that we asked for and more. As with all gardens, there is always more to be done, changes to be made, new plants to be added and overall maintenance of the plants and landscaping to be considered. In this regard, Julie continued to work with us to keep things in top shape, and to keep our space growing, evolving and beautiful. > > A few years later, when it was time to do our front yard, we again called Julie. We decided to take out the grass and build a “bioswale” to return water to the ground during times of plenty. The rest of the yard is almost maintenance free, an amazing palette of boulders and plants that is truly the gem of the neighborhood. Once again, her design was perfect for the house, bringing in elements of the backyard, but even better. > > Working with Julie is like working with a friend. **★★★★★ — Susan, Dec. 2023** > We highly recommend Julie. We were clueless as to what we wanted to do with our yard besides wanting more seating. We just wanted a makeover. > > We had a large grass area in our backyard which we wanted to reduce in size and large deck on our side yard that was hardly ever used. Julie came up with wonderful ideas and created our yard into a safe haven. She implemented boulders, trees for privacy, and a couple of seating areas that we were more likely to use. > > Communication was great! Julie was always checking in on the progress. She continued to ask about how our plants were growing and to ask about certain plants that may not be doing so well long after the project was completed. **★★★★★ — Stuart Weinstein, Dec. 2023** > Julie was referred to us by her former (retired) employer. We were novices at this process but Julie was patient. She took our very "tired" landscaping and prepared a comprehensive plan including demolishing unwanted and unneeded features of the existing landscaping, preparing and executing a planting plan, helping us with lighting, eliminating unwanted trees and foliage, planning the drip irrigation and mapping our flow through the garden area. At our request, she provided the landscaper who executed the plan and who turned out to be excellent at both execution and had a very good crew. During the process, Julie addressed our needs and wishes in a respectful and professional manner but was still able to present her thoughts and concerns and discuss them with us. We are pleased with the result and can already see the potential once the plants and trees grow to a more mature stage of life. Throughout the process Julie remained engaged and conducted regular meetings to review progress and update the list of what was still needed. The landscaper was at our property about 90% of the days his crew worked here and this also kept the job on time and moving forward. **★★★★★ — Nicholas Szeto, Dec. 2023** > Julie is truly exceptional! She initially crafted our landscape in 2016 and recently revitalized it this past summer in 2023. We always get complements about how beautiful our yard is! Julie possesses a remarkable design sense and is a pleasure to collaborate with. She excels at understanding our needs and preferences, consulting us for input on ideas, and promptly responding to our questions and requests. Beyond her professional mastery, Julie exudes warmth and friendliness, making the collaboration feel like working with a supremely helpful old friend. Her commitment to crafting an extraordinary garden while being a delightful person consistently is above and beyond. **★★★★★ — Jack, Nov. 2023** > We have an extensively landscaped yard that we call a garden, but is really all the exterior space at our home. Julie designed the original garden over a decade ago. When we purchased it, the garden had been neglected and needed refurbishing. Julie returned and gave us a plan that she reviewed with us that had many choices. She also helped engage an excellent landscaper to do the work. The result is a lovely garden with new plants and an excellent blend of the old work and the new work. Julie is creative, very attentive to details, and knows plants and design. She has a terrific eye for color and is a true artist. She is also personable, hands on, and effectively supervised the installation down to the last detail. We were very pleased with her creativity and knowledge, and the personable approach to our garden design. ## Selected projects - [Run & Climb, Swing & Snack](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/run-and-climb-swing-and-snack-pj-vj~7327534) - Location: Lafayette, CA - Photos: 19 - Description: Photo: © Jude Parkinson-Morgan - [Oak & Whimsy](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/oak-and-whimsy-pj-vj~7327547) - Location: Oakland, CA - Photos: 16 - Description: Photo: © Jude Parkinson-Morgan - [Pool to Garden Reservoir](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/pool-to-garden-reservoir-pj-vj~7328133) - Location: Lafayette, CA - Photos: 10 - [La Casa de Arte](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/la-casa-de-arte-pj-vj~7327532) - Location: Pleasant Hill, California - Photos: 9 - Description: Photo: © Jude Parkinson-Morgan - [Alive With Color](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/alive-with-color-pj-vj~7327550) - Location: Walnut Creek, CA - Photos: 8 - Description: Photo: © Jude Parkinson-Morgan - [Mid-Century Modern Delight](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/mid-century-modern-delight-pj-vj~7327552) - Location: Lafayette, CA - Photos: 9 - Description: Photo: © Jude Parkinson-Morgan - [Creekside Retreat](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/creekside-retreat-pj-vj~7327549) - Location: Lafayette, CA - Photos: 7 - Description: Photo: © Jude Parkinson-Morgan - [Bringing the Outside In](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/bringing-the-outside-in-pj-vj~7327554) - Location: Walnut Creek, CA - Photos: 7 - Description: Photo: © Jude Parkinson-Morgan - [Family Jewel](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/family-jewel-pj-vj~7328122) - Location: Walnut Creek, CA - Photos: 7 - [Sneak Peak](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/sneak-peak-pj-vj~7328220) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 37 - Description: Field photos of gardens in progress [See all 10 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/jgrow-pfvwus-pf~725939926) --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-08-20.*