About Us

Online consultation

3x Best of Houzz winner

Family owned

Central Oregon's One-Of-A-Kind Landscape Designer

Drew and Shannon Lester are a husband and wife landscape design team that have over 40 years combined experience in Central Oregon. Together, they promote sustainability and gardening for success, so homeowners can enjoy all the other activities Central Oregon has to offer. Drew and Shannon currently focus their efforts on landscape and low voltage lighting design, backflow assembly testing, custom paver installation, project management and hourly consultations for D.I.Y. homeowners. Drew graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington where he studied economics and public policy. After graduating, he decided to move out west to become a mountaineer guide and get more in touch with the natural environment. Shortly after, Drew started working in the landscape industry and furthered his education at Central Oregon Community College in the green industry. Shannon is a landscape designer who holds a degree in Landscape Architecture from Washington State University in Pullman. After a sojourn in Italy where she experienced landscape and design, Shannon returned to the Pacific Northwest to focus on custom residential and commercial landscape design, land use and city planning projects. From 2012 to 2017, Drew and Shannon focused their efforts on starting up a mid-century, modern-inspired planter company, Steel Life. Steel Life planters have been recognized by many nationally accredited industry professionals and magazines including Martha Stewart, Sunset, Better Homes and Gardens, 1859 Oregon, and Dwell magazine. Drew and Shannon have also designed product for The Standard Hotel NYC and Miami. Shannon has shared her product design experiences on a design panel moderated by OPB at the 2015’s Bend Design Con. She currently enjoys teaching seasonal workshops both locally and on her travels. Shannon focuses her teaching on design trends, plant selection, succulents, xeriscaping, living centerpieces, wreath making and other green D.I.Y. creations.

Services Provided

3D Rendering, Custom Bocce Ball Courts, Custom Water Features, Design Consultation, Drought Tolerant Landscaping, Edible Gardens, Garden Design, Hardscaping, Landscape Design, Landscape Plans, Living Walls, Organic Gardens, Outdoor Lighting Design, Patio Design, Project Management, Site Planning, Backflow Assembly Testing, D.I.Y. Workshops, Hourly design consultations, Sport Courts, D.I.Y. landscape consultations

Areas Served

Bend, Deschutes River Woods, Tumalo, Redmond, Terrebonne, Prineville, Sisters, Sunriver, Eastern Oregon, Powell Butte, Western Idaho, Portland Oregon, The Dalles, Hood River

23 Projects

Credentials

Featured Review

Cat

Relationship

Client

The Blooming Desert Design + Build team transformed our tiny, messy yard into a true outdoor living space. Shannon is a very careful listener and seamlessly incorporated our ideas and her expertise into a beautiful modern patio,Read Full Review

Write a Review

23 Reviews for Blooming Desert Design + Build

5.0|23 reviews

Work Quality

5.0

Communication

5.0

Value

5.0

Cat

Relationship

Client

The Blooming Desert Design + Build team transformed our tiny, messy yard into a true outdoor living space. Shannon is a very careful listener and seamlessly incorporated our ideas and her expertise into a beautiful modern patio, literally every inch of our small lot was transformed - from 2 patio slabs, some rock and mulch into an serene, private outdoor living space. Her communication skills and contacts were invaluable to us through the many steps of the project, from concept to completion. Drew's expert paver installation is a showstopper, truly the envy of our neighborhood. We wholeheartedly have and will recommend Blooming Desert, without reservation, their work transformed and elevated our home and how we live in it.

August 3, 2021

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

Thank you, Cat! It was a pleasure working with you. You have a great eye and such a creative flare of your own! Best, Shannon

Susan Antle

Relationship

Client

Shannon understood my wants immediately, and produced a beautiful plan which will translate into a lovely yard come Spring. I would recommend her highly to anyone who wishes to upgrade an existing yard. I have no doubt that she would be wonderful at planning any yard from scratch as well.

January 29, 2021

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

Thank you, Susan. I look forward to seeing you back yard landscape transformation!

Ella Boardman

Relationship

Client

I am an avid gardener who knows what I like and don’t like. Shannon not only met with us at our new property, she also came to our current property so I could show her my likes as well as what I considered mistakes. Her finished plan was considerate of the land we had to work with, our trees, shrubs & perennials we like, what works in Central Oregon and some materials she introduced new to us. Shannon is well connected with over 20 years of experience working with local landscapers and can introduce you to one that will fit your needs. We can’t wait to see our plan to fruition! Shannon is a joy to work with! Ella Boardman

December 3, 2020Last modified:December 8, 2020

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

Thank you for your thoughtful review, Ella! It has been a pleasure working with you and I cannot wait to see the final result! Best, Shannon

Bobby Jones

Relationship

Client

Shannon was amazing to work with on our project. This is the first time we have used a landscape architect. She considered our space, needs budget and preferences and put together an amazing design. We had a unique project and a lofty wish list. Shannon was able to accommodate them all and stay within our budget. Thanks Shannon! Can't wait to have a beverage with you on our finished space.

July 31, 2020

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

Thank you, Bobby! It has been my pleasure working with you both.

HU-516651583

Relationship

Client

Shannon is a wonderful designer. She was prompt for appointments, listened to our thoughts, answered our questions respectfully. The design she came up with is perfect for us. We highly recommend her design services

July 2, 2020

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

Thank you for your nice words and thoughtful review! Cheers! ~Shannon

Megan Vibbert

Relationship

Client

I was so pleased with the wonderful customer service of Blooming Desert. Shannon was delightful to work with. She listened to the vision I had for landscaping and came up with so many fun and creative ideas. I also appreciated how easy she made it to work on plans virtually as much as possible. I highly recommend this business.

May 20, 2020

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

Thank you, Megan! It was a pleasure working with you.

Dan Oliver

Relationship

Client

My wife and I worked with Shannon to help us do a complete redesign of our backyard. She was very easy to work with and attentive to details we wanted in our backyard. She completed the design to all our specifications and had some great advice for various landscape features. High quality work and very responsive!

May 15, 2020

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

Thank you, Dan! It was a pleasure working with you both virtually!

HU-514373963

Relationship

Client

Meticulous! I have done my own landscaping and irrigation before but needed a repair to a poorly done retaining wall. Remodeling is no fun but Drew came in and made it look easy. Details were not overlooked , the finished product thrilled my wife. Very happy with price and finished product.

May 6, 2020

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

Thank you for the nice review! I'm so glad you have it completed and can enjoy it this summer! Best, Shannon

Harry Arnold

Relationship

Client

We had a exceptional experience working with Shannon at Blooming Desert. She designed our complete planting plan for our newly constructed home. In conjunction with Springtime Landscaping our site has been transformed into a classic high desert landscape. Shannon spent time with us going to nurseries so she understand our vision. She then proposed plants and plant layout that are exciting to see develop.

April 29, 2020

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

Thank you for the wonderful review, Harry. It was a pleasure working with you both and I cannot wait to see it all take shape in the years to come. Best, Shannon

Dennis Harvey

Relationship

Client

Shannon and Drew work as a great team together. The design in my new home in Redmond included, lots of Trees, Color, Lighting, Pavers, Water Feature and a Hot Tub. It was designed with a minimum of maintenance involved. The plants and trees were hand picked at the nursery and Drew installed them as they were on the design. I would recommend them to anyone who wants it done right and on time.

April 5, 2020

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

Thank you, Mr. Harvey! It was a pleasure working with you and we cannot wait to see your landscape bloom! Best, Drew and Shannon

Beth Wagenknecht

Relationship

Client

We couldn't be happier with our experience working with Blooming Desert Design & Build! We needed help creating an enjoyable space that gave us more privacy, a pathway to our gate and be dog friendly. After meeting with Shannon she created a beautiful design with thoughtful plantings that would thrive in our climate and are low maintenance. We put our sweat equity into the project to keep within our budget. Drew was excellent instructing us to prep our space for him to install the Belgard Mega-Arbel paver walkway. He also helped us move sprinkler heads and delivered boulders and additional rock to enhance our drain basin. It is now an attractive functional design element. With the Blooming Desert Design's master plan in hand we shopped the local nurseries to select the trees, shrub and plants to finish the space. Our backyard to set to enjoy and we couldn't be happier!

April 1, 2020

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

Thank you for your wonderful and thoughtful review! We have really enjoyed working with you both and can't wait to see it after the finishing touches!

John Sanchez

Relationship

Client

We wanted a cobblestone patio extension with a small stone wall. Blooming Desert came out promptly and Drew came up with some good ideas, and a fair price for the job. He’s the nicest guy, and very good at figuring things out. The job came out great, and we were very pleased with the outcome. Can’t wait for summer. In the photo, you can see the cobblestone and stone wall he did. Next we’ll be adding a fire pit. The snowy powder coating was extra.

March 28, 2020

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

Thank you, John! It was a pleasure working with you!

Ibby

Relationship

Client

If you have any kind of landscape design work in mind, please do yourselves a favor and call Blooming Desert Design + Build. I wanted to spruce up my landscaping all around the house as many of the existing plantings had seen better days. Through word of mouth, I was fortunate to receive high recommendations for Blooming Desert Design + Build. Shannon came out to meet me and take a walk around the property. She was very kind and listened intently to my ideas and needs. Shannon next came out and did a very thorough walk-around. She took pictures, identified trees and plantings that were already there, looked at the soil and light conditions, took measurements, etc. Something that I really appreciated was that she noted all of the present sprinkler head locations and types so that she could work with it and not cause me to incur costs for altering the system. Within days Shannon provided me with an incredible blueprint detailing (with color and icon coding) all of the plantings and layout design that she was suggesting. She procured the all of the plantings and an installation team completed the install. I am so pleased with Blooming Desert's work, and all of Shannon's patience and talent. I recently sold the home for a move closer to family. I had three offers by noon, and I credit much of that towards the impression folks got as they looked at the house from the street, and walked up to the door. I'm told that many comments were made about the beautiful landscaping. Thank you to Shannon, Drew, and everyone at Blooming Desert Design + Build. You are by far the best in Central Oregon!

February 20, 2020

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

What a thoughtful review, Ibby! It was a pleasure working with you! Best, Shannon

Scott Robertson

Relationship

Client

I am very pleased with both Shannon and Drew. They responded to my calls and emails quickly. Drew designed a new irrigation system for our new home and provided detailed oversight in the installation of a large flagstone patio. I would highly recommend Blooming Desert ! Scott Robertson

December 3, 2019

Vicky Thomas

Relationship

Client

2 years ago my husband and I decided to get a dog. We have a very small backyard that is not at all dog friendly. Shannon created a lovely natural landscape with a river rock river bed to reduce digging and muddy paws as well as adding a mix of water wise evergreens and shrubs to discourage munching and tearing around in circles. We are all so looking forward to removing the penning and opening up the whole backyard again.

November 5, 2019

franceer16

Relationship

Received an estimate

Our project with Shannon Lester of Booming Desert has recently been completed and we are thrilled! She was a dream to work with: she listened to our needs, had wonderful ideas and solutions,great and prompt communication. She did what she said she would do and pulled the project off without a hitch. She made it easy for us! We highly recommend Shannon and Blooming Desert. Mike and Francee Reightley.

August 12, 2019

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

Thank you, Francee! It was a joy and pleasure to work with you to give the finishing touches on your front entry! Best, Shannon

Douglas Haaga

Relationship

Client

We have worked with Blooming Desert for the last 3 summers and they do an excellent job, very professional. Our lot is about 6/10's of an acre so we divided the project into 3 phases: west side yard, front yard, and backyard (just finished). Together, total project costs were about $35,000. The design and installation were excellent, on budget, and on-time. We are ecstatic with the variety of color, texture, and placement of the plants. Our neighbors are also thrilled with the results. I highly recommend Blooming Desert.

July 22, 2019

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

Thank you for the wonderful review, Doug! It's been a pleasure working with you.

heidicruise31

Relationship

Workshop

I have taken a couple of Shannon’s creative and reasonably priced plant workshops and I would highly recommend these! Shannon is thoughtful, creative, fun and encouraging! She helps people create their own beautiful pieces that can be enjoyed in their home for months to come.

May 22, 2019

Comment from Blooming Desert Design + Build:

Thank you, Heidi! I love having you at my workshops!

Lisa Joy

Relationship

Client

Prompt, professional, creative and easy to work with! What more could you want from any business? Drew & Shannon work as a great team, in the field and in the office. Drew has the experience and the eye to get it right the first time, and truly seems to be invigorated by his chosen field.

September 28, 2017

allisoneby43

Relationship

Client

A fantastic company! Shannon provided a thoughtful and creative plan. She designed a steel retainer wall, pavers, crushed granite, and a space that brought the outside inside. The plants are really fun with a combination of trees, perennials, and annuals. We love the project and I would highly recommend her and her team!

June 27, 2017

Barbara Gerard

Relationship

Client

Very satisfied with the two projects Drew and Shannon have done for me. My patio and rock walkway is a large part of the transformation of my side and back yard. They were easy to work with and just nice folks.

June 25, 2017

Gail Keller

Relationship

Client

Shannon was great to work with. She responded quickly, listened to our thoughts and ideas and is very knowledgeable. We have already recommended her to our neighbors. She was very flexible when we wanted to make changes and is easy to work with. Her price was very reasonable. We hired her in April and the project was completed in May. She also recommended an excellent landscaper.

June 23, 2017

Kathy Ormsby

Relationship

Client

A great couple who know what they are doing, easy to work with, and results are always amazing! After several years, we are reaping the benefits!

November 3, 2016

Comment from BD Hardscapes:

Thank you for your sweet words, Kathy! We appreciate you taking time out of your day to review us. Happy Fall!

Blooming Desert Design + Build

About Us

Services Provided

Areas Served

23 Projects

Modern Northwest Bend

Corner Lot - Southeast Bend, Oregon

Historic Downtown Bend

Santa Fe Style - Redmond, Oregon

Sisters Quilt Show Garden Tour

Private Botanical Garden - Old Farm District, Bend, Oregon

Credentials

23 Reviews for Blooming Desert Design + Build

15 Ideabooks

4 Comments

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Professional Categories in Bend

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About Us

Services Provided

Areas Served

23 Projects

Modern Northwest Bend

Corner Lot - Southeast Bend, Oregon

Historic Downtown Bend

Santa Fe Style - Redmond, Oregon

Sisters Quilt Show Garden Tour

Private Botanical Garden - Old Farm District, Bend, Oregon

Credentials

23 Reviews for Blooming Desert Design + Build

15 Ideabooks

4 Comments

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