landscaping & outdoor
The garden your rain has been waiting for.
Design-build landscaping in Portland — native gardens, paver patios, drainage that actually drains, and maintenance crews who know a weed from a volunteer. Sketch to final planting, one crew the whole way.
Before & after
Gardens
Services
What we build and tend
From first sketch to final mulch — one crew, one contract.
From $8,500Landscape Design & Build
Site visit, scaled plan, plant palette, and the crew to build it — one contract from first sketch to final mulch.
From $6,200Paver Patios & Walkways
Permeable pavers, natural stone, and gravel paths set on proper base — built to shed Portland rain for decades.
From $2,800Native & Pollinator Gardens
Camas, sword fern, red-flowering currant — layered plantings that feed the bees and shrug off the dry season.
From $1,900Drainage & Rain Gardens
French drains, dry creeks, and rain gardens that turn your winter swamp into the best-looking part of the yard.
From $189/moLawn & Garden Maintenance
Biweekly or monthly visits: mowing, edging, seasonal pruning, and a crew lead who actually knows your plants.
From $450Seasonal Cleanups
Spring wake-up or fall shutdown — pruning, leaf haul-off, bed refresh, and mulch, done in a single day.
The crew
Built for this climate, not against it
Mosswood started in 2013 when Sam Okafor, a landscape designer tired of drawing plans other crews built badly, bought a dump trailer and started building them himself. The company still works that way: the person who sketches your garden is on site when it goes in the ground. We design for the Willamette Valley as it actually is — wet from October to May, bone dry in August — which means natives and drought-tough Mediterranean plants, real drainage under every patio, and no thirsty lawn where a meadow wants to be. Most projects run two to six weeks. When we load up the trailer for the last time, you get a one-page care guide and a crew that still answers the phone next spring.
The process
How a garden happens
Walk the yard
We meet on site and talk drainage, light, budget, and what's worth keeping.
The plan
A scaled drawing with the plants named and the work priced — you see it before we dig.
The build
One crew from groundwork to planting, most projects measured in weeks, not seasons.
The seasons after
A care guide in your hand, and a crew that still answers the phone next spring.
From the backyards
“Our backyard was a mud pit from November to April. Mosswood built a rain garden and a gravel terrace, and now the wet season is the pretty season.”
“Sam drew the plan at our kitchen table and three weeks later he was the one setting the last paver. Same person, start to finish. That never happens with contractors.”
“They ripped out our dying lawn and planted a native meadow. A year in, it's full of bees and goldfinches and we haven't watered it once since June.”
Questions
Common questions
Estimates, seasons, and what happens after the build.
How do estimates work, and do they cost anything?
The first site visit and ballpark estimate are free. For full design-build projects we charge a design fee — typically $450 to $900 — which is credited back in full when you build with us.
When's the best season to start a project?
Fall and early spring are ideal for planting — the rain does your watering. Hardscape goes in year-round; we build patios straight through the Portland drizzle. Book big summer projects by March.
Do you offer ongoing maintenance after a build?
Yes — most build clients move onto a biweekly or monthly maintenance plan, and the first post-project visit is on us. Your maintenance crew gets the original planting plan, so nothing gets pruned that shouldn't be.
Can you work with what's already in my yard?
Absolutely. We'd rather relocate a healthy Japanese maple than bill you for a new one. Every design starts with an inventory of what's worth keeping.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes — we're a licensed Oregon landscape contracting business, bonded and insured, and we pull permits for retaining walls and drainage work whenever the county requires them.
Site visits
Let's walk your yard together
A free 30-minute site visit is where every Mosswood project starts. We'll talk drainage, plants, budget, and what's realistic — and you'll get a ballpark number before we leave the driveway.
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