Blue Hibiscus Gardens originated from a love of gardening and wanting to eat fruits and vegetables from my own yard. Now I can help you remove that lawn and mix it up with California natives, drought-tolerant plants, and edibles. Elegant landscape lighting, water-saving drip irrigation, soil amendments and when to plant.
Let's talk about how to bring them all together. Great design and a garden that you enjoy every day are my goals. A properly designed landscape is one of the few purchases that will improve with the passage of time. Whether you are a DIYer who needs help to get started or you want a full design, I can help you.Use the contact page to inquire.
Let's talk about how to bring them all together. Great design and a garden that you enjoy every day are my goals. A properly designed landscape is one of the few purchases that will improve with the passage of time. Whether you are a DIYer who needs help to get started or you want a full design, I can help you.Use the contact page to inquire.
Services
Blue Hibiscus (Alyogyne huegelii) is an Australian evergreen bush that has lilac or purple flowers. My family loves the tropical hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) flowers, but they can be challenging in the Northern California winter. The Alyogne Huegelii looks similar to the tropical flowers, but it is hardier and requires little water once established.
Whether it is a small side yard project or container gardening or a full lawn removal or getting the right plant for the right spot, I can help you with your garden design. We will discuss what you like, what you dislike, your favorite colors, the design steps, and installation options. Or maybe you have questions about drip irrigation or native CA plants or how to grow monster tomatoes.
Reviews (17)
Wendy B.
Oct 14, 2020
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Gün was a real pleasure to work with. She's knowledgeable, a fantastic communicator, and very conscientious with regard to Covid safety practices. I was impressed with her process & approach. As a very visual person and fellow designer, her 3D renderings were key for my understanding and helped to better inform our discussions. Her design was thoughtful and very in line with what I was looking for, and the end result is lovely!
My new front yard has already received several compliments, and I look forward to seeing it fill in over time. My new side yard walkway is beautiful and far
My new front yard has already received several compliments, and I look forward to seeing it fill in over time. My new side yard walkway is beautiful and far
Lynn C.
Jul 31, 2020
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Gun helped us design both our front and back yards. I was very impressed with her detailed survey before we even talked to her! We had previously had a design done by another landscape designer that I ended up being unhappy with. I really felt like Gun really listened to my concerns and likes/dislikes and Incorporated it into the design. Budget was an issue with the previous design, and Gun made sure that our design was budget friendly and made sure to communicate this with the landscaper she recommended. She also had a lot of water saving and eco friendly suggestions that made my Earth loving
Jeremy Pack
Jul 15, 2020
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Gun did the landscape design for our yard. She provided timely renderings and layout information, and was flexible with our requests and budget.
The design itself focused on maintaining the unique house's style, while focusing on a fair number of California natives and a lot of space for gardening -- including a bunch of fruit trees.
Advice: 5/5 -- excellent pointers on how to take care of various types of plants.
Design detail: 5/5 -- Gun is very good with software, and provided high quality renderings for each iteration of the design.
Billing: 5/5 -- billing was easy and well-communicated
The design itself focused on maintaining the unique house's style, while focusing on a fair number of California natives and a lot of space for gardening -- including a bunch of fruit trees.
Advice: 5/5 -- excellent pointers on how to take care of various types of plants.
Design detail: 5/5 -- Gun is very good with software, and provided high quality renderings for each iteration of the design.
Billing: 5/5 -- billing was easy and well-communicated
Larissa M.
May 05, 2020
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Gun very well may be the best contractor we have ever worked with on a home project. She responds so quickly, is so knowledgable and has such an amazing work ethic that other contractors would do well to follow her model. We hired her to create a landscape design for our front yard that was drought-friendly, low maintenance and eliminated the front lawn entirely. She was recommended to us by our landscape contractor/installed Jesus Zazueta, who was also great to work with. Gun was available to meet with us right away, and she quickly created a Pinterest board full of beautiful, drought-tolerant
Kristin Cooper
Jan 02, 2020
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Gun was incredible to work with. The end product is gorgeous and we will continue to take advantage of Gun's expertise as the garden matures.
Gun is the very rare designer that combines professional expertise with an ability to listen and deliver what her customer wants. I think most designers have a style or two they are able to deliver that they personally like. Gun is unique in that she will take whatever style or vision you have in mind, then elevate and perfect it. She will work very hard to make what you envision work, but will also not be shy in telling you, hey, you have no shade in your
Gun is the very rare designer that combines professional expertise with an ability to listen and deliver what her customer wants. I think most designers have a style or two they are able to deliver that they personally like. Gun is unique in that she will take whatever style or vision you have in mind, then elevate and perfect it. She will work very hard to make what you envision work, but will also not be shy in telling you, hey, you have no shade in your
Amanda H.
Dec 03, 2019
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Gun is amazing to work with. We worked with Gun for our backyard landscaping after a huge house expansion project. Our yard was basically full of construction trash, muds, and weeds - but Gun saw through all that and gave us a beautiful design that incorporated all of our random ideas and plans for the yard. We had pretty specific requests like fitting a large lawn for our big dog, a sports court, veggie garden, sitting areas, and storage space - and Gun pulled all that together into a cohesive design that worked for all aspects, taking into consideration sun position, sight lines, and flow of
Michael Shick
Nov 07, 2019
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Very happy with the landscape Gün designed for us. In addition to the lovely final results, we really enjoyed working with her throughout the whole process. It was always clear that we were getting good frank advice, but at the same time we never felt like we had to give up on the design quirks that were near and dear to our vision.
Julie B.
Jun 25, 2019
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We really enjoyed working with Gun. Her 3D renderings gave us a great view of not only what we were envisioning but also some ideas that we could ponder. She helped us use our existing concrete patio and retaining wall and developed a design that we are really happy with.
We have a great low water garden and are enjoying blooms all year long. She is very knowledgeable regarding native plants and worked around out desire to retain some of our plants. She was easy to work with, was available for questions and gave quick responses. She was flexible when we decided to add some plants to our front
We have a great low water garden and are enjoying blooms all year long. She is very knowledgeable regarding native plants and worked around out desire to retain some of our plants. She was easy to work with, was available for questions and gave quick responses. She was flexible when we decided to add some plants to our front
Robert K.
Sep 25, 2018
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Gun at Blue Hibiscus Gardens was wonderful to work with. She and I met several times to go over our space and plan out what we wanted. A lot of the plants we had on our property were removed due to construction and she took at look at what we had and came up with a proposal that met what we were looking for, addressed some issues that she raised when reviewing the property, and found some exciting and exotic plants to all a real kick to our yard. She went above and beyond by interviewing landscaping companies for us, collecting bids, and working with our chosen vendor through the planting
Heather C.
Apr 09, 2018
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Gun Unsal from Blue Hibiscus is fantastic! After a long remodel project, our yard had been reduced to nothing but gangly trees and a few scraggly plants, and it was in need of a complete overhaul. I am handy in the garden and had a vision for what I wanted as we brought it back to life. Gun's expertise in hardscaping, plants, and trees brought this vision to life. I initially contacted Gun via email, and she responded almost immediately by calling to discuss an overview of our project and to set up a time to meet in person to see our yard. Her responsive and communicative approach lasted
Adam Lasnik
Sep 10, 2017
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Gün did an outstanding job transforming my small backyard from a mess into something very zen and attractive.
She listens well, collaborates thoughtfully, responds swiftly, and cares deeply.
Very grateful for her expert help.
A couple more thoughts, specifically about her flexibility:
- She was amenable to collaborating in a Google doc, via emails, and via text
- She was very open to doing as much or as little as I wanted... e.g., I had the option of just getting a design from her, or having her find and purchase the plants, etc.
She listens well, collaborates thoughtfully, responds swiftly, and cares deeply.
Very grateful for her expert help.
A couple more thoughts, specifically about her flexibility:
- She was amenable to collaborating in a Google doc, via emails, and via text
- She was very open to doing as much or as little as I wanted... e.g., I had the option of just getting a design from her, or having her find and purchase the plants, etc.
Deirdre Louie
May 29, 2017
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We had such a great experience with Blue Hibiscus Gardens! Gun is efficient and talented, and she was able to transform our vague ideas of what we thought we wanted for our backyard into a beautiful final design plan. She also was able to do this at half the cost of what we were quoted from other landscape designers, which we really appreciated!
Curt Carter
May 14, 2017
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We hired Gun to design our front and side yard (on a corner lot). We had removed our juniper landscaping and wanted a fresh new design. We told her we wanted a drought tolerant landscape and an 'interesting yard' and she did not disappoint! We worked with her to identify plants that we liked and those that we didn't. She came up with an amazing design, with several mounds as well as a flagstone seating area and dry creek bed. What we loved most is how thorough and detailed she is. We told her we were doing the planting ourselves and she provided us with so much detail (nurseries, rockeries, a link
Aileen S.
Mar 25, 2017
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Gun was a real pleasure to work with. She listened very carefully to our half-formed ideas, made sure she understood what we wanted and liked, as well as what we didn't want and didn't like. We are delighted with the results! She transformed our somewhat neglected front yard into a lovely low-water garden. She skillfully guided us through every step, from initial consultation, design, contractor selection, installation and plans for on-going maintenance. Any questions/issues were quickly resolved. We highly recommend Blue Hibiscus Gardens.
Amy M.
Nov 30, 2016
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We worked with Gun this fall. She created a modern design for our backyard using primarily CA native plants. She was very responsive and the turnaround time was very short. She adapted to all of our requests and created a design that was very thoughtful. We love the plan and would highly recommend her to anyone!
Sherry X.
Jan 02, 2016
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I recently removed my swimming pool in my backyard, and get Gun to help me to covert it into a garden.
Gun is very knowledgable on plants : she helped me to pick all the plants. Since I knew very little on gardening and plants , she even took me to quite a few local garden to find out what I like. We ended up with a very long list of plants.
Gun is very easy to work with: she gave me an initial landscaping plan and adjusted based on my needs couple times . She also gave me a lot of information on how to take care of the plants I have.
Gun is very knowledgable on plants : she helped me to pick all the plants. Since I knew very little on gardening and plants , she even took me to quite a few local garden to find out what I like. We ended up with a very long list of plants.
Gun is very easy to work with: she gave me an initial landscaping plan and adjusted based on my needs couple times . She also gave me a lot of information on how to take care of the plants I have.
Beverly L.
Dec 19, 2015
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I recently worked with Gun on a landscaping project for my home in Sunnyvale. We removed both front & back lawns and planted all drought tolerant plants. I used rock and driftwood in my plans and she help me place them around the yard for the best impact. Gun helped me so much with plant placement and plant selection. It can be a bit overwhelming trying to figure out which plants should go where. Gun has so much horticultural knowledge and knows where plants will do best based on which direction the sun is at what time of day, which plants are shade friendly and which plant need more drainage
