Call 512-657-1046 to set up a Consultation
"When we moved into our new home our backyard was completely a blank slate with just dirt and one existing live oak tree. We love to have a beautiful yard, lots of color, and a place to entertain and enjoy the outdoors. The landscape plan provided all of this and more because Liz was able to think of ideas that we had not thought of to give us a great space. Liz came up with the idea of extending our existing covered patio to incorporate space for the grill and the table and came up with ideas to give us some privacy from the neighbors with the stone wall, plants, and the arbors on the side of the house. Working with her and her team was fun because we were participated in selecting the stone colors the pottery for the water feature. We now have a beautiful space that we can look at from inside our home as well as enjoy the outdoors. "
- Linda and David
"The only limit to your garden is at the boundaries of your imagination."
- Thomas D. ChurchAbout Austin, Texas Landscape Designer Elizabeth Klein
Years of Experience with Landscape Design
The owner and head landscape designer for Design My Yard, graduated from the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree with Honors in Ornamental Horticulture- the study of plants specifically used in the decorative art of landscaping.
After graduation, Liz headed to San Diego, landing employment as an assistant landscape designer, for what is today Green Thumb Nursery in San Marcos, part of a large family run retail chain in Southern California. She honed her craft by creating landscape plans for homeowners, mostly do-it-yourselfers, who needed step by step guidance and instruction on all facets of landscape installation. After a few years, she went out on her own, doing free lance consultation and landscape design, while raising three small children, with her husband.
Ten years in semi tropical, San Diego were followed by 6 years in Flagstaff, Arizona- designing high elevation, low water usage, xeriscape gardens on the arid, volcanic soils of Northern Arizona. Here Liz studied native plants, collected by the local Navajo Indians, in the valleys of the San Francisco Peaks, for use as medicinal tinctures. At 7,200 ft, this high altitude climate exposed her to a new array of plant material- vastly different from those in coastal Southern California.
With a Relocation to Austin Texas - Design My Yard was Born
In 1996, her husband accepted a job offer and with it came relocation to Austin, Texas and yet another landscape adventure. Liz was employed by the wholesale division of John Deere Landscapes, as the Nursery Accounts Manager, supplying central Texas landscape contractors with plant material, for a few years. But ultimately, her overriding attraction to creating her own landscapes inspired her to start the company - Design My Yard.
Specializing in residential design and installation, Liz believes her greatest gift is in paying attention to each client's unique wish list. "I have the skill and experience to be able to listen to what you say you want but more importantly to distill the "underlying feeling" that you want to create in your outdoor space. The beauty and harmony of nature should surround you, in a setting which beckons you to relax and unwind. Creating a peaceful refuge, uniquely suited to you, is what I do best and should inspire you to say, Please... Design My Yard!"