Our Vision
We design and construct beautiful and functional landscapes that can thrive in persistent drought conditions.
The "New Normal" of disrupted weather patterns and hotter temperatures poses a significant threat to the health and survival of our outdoor landscapes. We plan each site for drought resiliency to protect our clients' investment and to ensure that they can continue to use and enjoy their landscapes when outdoor watering is restricted or prohibited.
Our design objective is to strike a balance between minimizing the amount of water and maintenance required to sustain the landscape, and create special outdoor spaces that enhance our clients' quality of life. Simply designing an arid, desert landscape is not our objective; the landscape must convey a sense of place, be aesthetically pleasing, have shade and shelter, reduce ambient temperatures, provide habitat and food for wildlife, and most importantly give inspiration and a sense of well-being.
Even in the driest times, the Southern California climate can sustain a rich and diverse landscape with few resources if the plant palette is climate-appropriate, rainwater is captured and stored, the water needs of the plants and trees can be met with seasonal rains augmented with stored rainwater, and the soil is full of healthy, active biology.
Our design process focuses on integrating the hardscape, grading, plant palette, rainwater harvesting and irrigation systems so they sustainably and efficiently collect, store and distribute water.
We strongly believe that technology can enable our drought resilient landscapes to become self-sustaining. Our proprietary automation systems optimize rainwater storage capacity and deliver water throughout the landscape when and where it is most needed to maintain the health of the plants. Because our automation systems have designed and integrated the rainwater harvesting and irrigation systems, they require little, if any, interaction with the client or their maintenance personnel.
Who We Are
Marilee Kuhlmann
Marilee is a licensed landscape contractor and has made a commitment to improving the landscape of Los Angeles. She sees potential, applies alternative, responsible, sustainable principles and develops projects that consider land stewardship, potential local impact, water conservation, soil health, and the overall environment. She has participated in award-winning rainwater harvesting projects, LEED for Home projects, water conservation demonstration gardens for public agencies and gardens funded by Santa Monica Sustainable Landscape Grants. As President of Urban Water Group, Inc. she oversees the design, budgeting and construction management of each project, drawing on her expertise in rain water harvesting, infiltration systems for LID (Low Impact Development) Best Management Practices, climate appropriate planting, and efficient use of potable and alternative water sources.
Landscape Contractor, C27 #1088297
Marilee currently serves as an advisor to the Mediterranean Garden Society and Pacific Horticulture Magazine and lectures to groups about water conservation and the importance of watershed awareness. She has served in the past to represent Council District 3 as member of the Los Angeles Community Forest Advisory Committee (CFAC), a landscape consultant for the City of Santa Monica, and board member of the Southern California Horticultural Society. As a horticulturists Marilee served as a member on the South Costal and South Inland Regional Committees for the 2014 IV update of the Water Use Classification of Landscape Species (WUCOLS).
Tom Rau
Tom is a licensed landscape architect dedicated to designing drought resilient landscapes in residential, commercial and public settings. He directs site planning and landscape architecture design with an emphasis on integrating the landscape elements, plant communities and rain harvesting systems to meet both aesthetic and functional objectives, and is also responsible for coordinating with consultants and permitting. A graduate of the Landscape Architecture Program at UCLA Extension, Tom also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture from UC Berkeley, and an MBA from USC. He has extensive experience in real estate development and project management, and is the Chief Financial Officer of Urban Water Group, Inc.
California Landscape Architect license #5681
Additionally, Tom is an instructor for the UCLA Extension Landscape Architecture Program, and has taught design and installation workshops for Surfrider Ocean Friendly Gardens Program, G3 Green Gardens Group, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, West Basin municipal Water District, and has contributed articles to The Journal of Green Building, Sunset magazine and Pacific Horticulture Magazine.
Consultants We Work With
Carol Bornstein
Carol is one of Southern California’s most highly respected native plant specialists. Throughout her career, she has championed the landscape value of California’s native plants and the benefits of designing gardens in harmony with nature. Carol co-authored two books, the national award-winning California Native Plants for the Garden and Reimagining the California Lawn: Water-conserving Plants, Practices, and Designs. She is currently Director of the Nature Gardens at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, where she oversees the long-term care and development of this 3.5-acre habitat for urban wildlife. For nearly 30 years, she was horticulturist at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. She continues to advocate for sustainable, regionally appropriate landscaping and to share her knowledge of plants native to California and other mediterranean and dry-climate regions through her writing, teaching, and design work.
Johanna Woollcott
Landscape Designer Johanna Woollcott of Wild Gardens focuses on creating intimate, resilient gardens that connect homeowners to the beauty of the natural world. Garden design is a second career for Woollcott, she first found success as a commercial producer but shifted to what had always been her passion, gardening and horticulture.
In addition to her design work, she has held a leadership role on the board of APLD GLA (The Association of Professional Landscape Designers for Greater Los Angeles.) for well over a decade. APLD GLA is a non profit that strives to provide the leading edge of education events for its membership and the greater horticultural community.