Water-Wise Garden Success: A Q&A with Landscape Designer Kelly Marshall

Get professional tips, inspiration, and encouragement for your Lawn to Garden project.

Thinking about replacing your lawn with a beautiful, water-efficient garden? You're not alone! Through CCWD's Lawn to Garden Rebate Program, thousands of homeowners have transformed their landscapes to save water, lower maintenance, and create habitat for pollinators and wildlife.

To help customers get started, the program also offers free Landscape Design Assistance, providing personalized expert advice on plant choices, layout ideas, and overall design tips. We recently caught up with Kelly Marshall of Kelly Marshall Garden Design, one of the experienced designers participating in the program, to get her insights into what makes a water-wise landscape thrive. From how to plan your garden to what to expect during the planting process, Kelly shares her top tips to help you create a successful and beautiful outdoor space.

About Kelly Marshall

Kelly Marshall has been designing gardens for over 20 years, with a focus on creating beautiful, low water use and California native landscapes that thrive in our local climate. A lifelong garden enthusiast, Kelly studied garden design at UC Berkeley Extension before launching her own business in 2006. Today, she designs more than 100 gardens a year and shares her knowledge by teaching community workshops on topics like sheet mulching, inline drip irrigation, and water-wise garden design.

She's also an active participant in the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour and a passionate advocate for sustainable landscaping. Kelly believes that with the right plants and a thoughtful design, it's easy to create a low water-use garden that's both beautiful and climate-appropriate. Her philosophy is simple: everyone deserves a garden to love, cherish, and enjoy.

Contra Costa Water District: Spring is a popular time to start planting. What should homeowners know about setting their garden up for long-term success this time of year?
Kelly Marshall: Irrigation is key. A lot of people think that "drought tolerant" means "no water," but that's not the case, especially when plants are getting established. Some plants might survive neglect, but they'll often just barely hang on.

Timing matters, too. As of late April, there's about a four-week window left where it's still a good time to plant before the heat ramps up. You can plant later, but it's a lot harder once temperatures hit triple digits.

Another big point: You need to stick around. I've seen people put in a new garden and then leave for a long vacation, only for a heatwave to hit. It's important to plan on staying close to home for at least four to six weeks after planting to water and watch over your new garden.

CCWD: When you first walk onto a site, what are the top things you look for that shape your design plan?
Kelly: I actually don't evaluate the site right away, I talk to the client first. I want to understand their goals and wish list. Are they aiming just for curb appeal, or do they want a functional space with a walkway or a sitting area? How much maintenance are they willing to do? Do they need more privacy?

After getting a sense of their goals, we walk the site together and adjust based on what's realistic: existing trees, privacy needs, how the house sits on the lot, and views that need screening or highlighting.

I also ask if they have a gardener or enjoy gardening themselves. Their maintenance commitment shapes both plant and design choices.

CCWD: What's one small design move that can make a big difference in how a water-wise garden looks or functions?
Kelly: It's important to plan for how big plants are going to get, not just how they look when they go into the ground. I personally love dense, cottage-style gardens where plants grow into each other, but not everyone does. When clients are unsure, I ask "Do you like your food to touch on your plate?" If they say no, they probably want more separation between plants!

Also, focus on texture, foliage color, and interesting plant forms rather than relying solely on flowers. Blooms are beautiful, but texture and structure give you interest year-round.

CCWD: Are there particular California native or water-wise plants that shine in the spring, and you love to include in your designs?
Kelly: Absolutely! I'm known for working a lot with natives. If you plan well, you can have something blooming nearly every month. For spring, some favorites are: Manzanitas (for December to February blooms), Currants (Ribes sanguineum), California Lilac (Ceanothus), and Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis). Right now, gardens are about to explode with blooms, there's a reason the native garden tours are held in early May!

I try to weave natives into every project unless the client specifically doesn't want them. I'm always happy to educate, but I won't push. Gardens should reflect the homeowner's tastes, not mine.

CCWD: How do you design for year-round interest while still staying water-efficient?
Kelly: I think beyond flowers and use plants with beautiful bark, striking forms, and colorful foliage to keep the garden interesting. I'm careful with variegated plants since they often need more water, but there are plenty of striking low-water choices.

I also love adding non-plant elements: colorful chairs, glazed pots, sundials, fountains, birdbaths, dry creek beds, or boulders. They add visual interest in every season and require very little maintenance, if any. Plus, you can count on it looking exactly the same every single day, no matter what month it is.

And it's important not to overdo it. A few well-chosen focal points are far more effective than overwhelming the space. Good layering and strong focal points make all the difference.

CCWD: What's your advice to someone overwhelmed by plant choices, how can they start narrowing down a plant list that works for them?
Kelly: Be realistic about what you can take care of and what's doable for you. If you tell me you don't want to be out there every weekend, but you don't have a gardener, I'll ask if you think you can realistically maintain a lavender plant. It needs attention twice a year to keep it looking good. Can you commit to that? If not, that's okay, we'll find something else.

Also, be realistic about plant size and light needs. I call it "zone denial" when people plant something that clearly says "does not withstand frost" even though they know they'll get frost. It's doomed from the start, so don't do it.

If you're interested in using native plants, I recommend starting with Calscape. You can plug-in your address, and it will show you native plants that are local to your area, meaning they should do well in your garden. Plus, it now tells you if the plants are actually for sale at nearby nurseries, which helps you avoid falling in love with a plant that's impossible to find.

And finally, it's okay to make a wish list! I often have clients show me photos of plants and styles they like. Then, we talk through it: that one's not low water, that one doesn't handle frost, that one's aggressive and will show up in your neighbor's yard by next year, and so on. It's pretty easy to whittle down from there, especially in front yards, which often aren't very big. You don't need a botanical collection! Continuity and simplicity usually look better anyway. You can always save some ideas for the side yard or backyard project.

CCWD: Can you share a recent Lawn to Garden Rebate project or design story that stands out to you? What made it successful?
Kelly: I do a lot of rebate projects and I've been doing them since the beginning of the program, 13 or so years now. Early on, I bought stencils, big grid paper, and colored pencils. I wanted to give people the clearest, most complete design I could within that two-hour visit so they'd feel confident enough to actually do it.

And I know it's worked because now people are calling me two, five, even ten years later saying how happy they are with their gardens. No one has ever called to say, "I wish we kept the lawn." Not once.

One family I visited today had a front yard I designed in the late 2010s. People still stop to compliment them, and now they're ready to transform the backyard. To me, that's success, giving people confidence to create beautiful, sustainable landscapes and keep going.

CCWD: Have you seen any landscape design trends that are especially exciting or helpful for water-wise gardening?
Kelly: Yes! One trend I love is the focus on pollinator habitat gardens. More clients want gardens that support birds, bees, and butterflies. It's wonderful to see and makes me happy that it is a priority.

Another growing trend, although less exciting, is designing for fire safety. More people are asking how to make their landscapes fire-resistant to protect their homes and meet insurance requirements. It's not glamorous, but it's important.

CCWD: What's something you wish every homeowner understood before starting their lawn-to-garden conversion?
Kelly: I actually have four things:

1. Low water doesn't mean no water. Especially after a dry winter and a brutal hot summer, even drought-tolerant plants need some water. You just don't need to water them as much as a lawn.
2. Don't plant invasives. Plants that aggressively spread beyond where you put them can cause serious problems, especially if they move into neighboring yards or natural open spaces. It creates more maintenance headaches, and in some cases, even legal issues.
3. Landscape fabric is not your friend. It sounds like a good idea, but it's terrible for the soil and your plants. It shreds over time and ends up looking awful. If you need something, use a layer of cardboard around your plants with mulch on top, also known as sheet mulching. It will suppress weeds for a while without damaging your soil.
4. Letting go of the lawn feels good. I've seen it so many times: people try to hang on to a tiny patch of grass It usually doesn't look great. Just let it go, you'll be glad you did.

CCWD: Any final advice or words of encouragement for those starting their Lawn to Garden Rebate Program projects?
Kelly: Don't give up! We're with you. I've worked with many rebate programs, and CCWD makes it as easy and supportive as possible. Even if you accidentally miss a deadline, they'll work with you to get you back on track. They want you to succeed.

Remember, there's no one perfect design, lots of different approaches can be beautiful. Stay on top of the weeds, avoid landscape fabric, and embrace the fact that gardens are living, changing spaces. Perfection isn't a thing in gardening.

And please train your gardener (if you have one)! Please don't let them prune everything into balls and cubes! Natural shaping is in. Embrace it.

Ready to Transform Your Yard? There's no better time to start your water-wise garden journey. With the Lawn to Garden Rebate Program and Landscape Design Assistance with expert advice from designers like Kelly Marshall, you have the tools and support to turn your vision into reality. Don't wait, plant the seeds for a beautiful, sustainable landscape today! Learn more about our Lawn to Garden Rebate Program.