Landscape Design in the Hollywood Hills
Terraced gardens for steep lots, canyon light, and city views
Hollywood Hills lots are steep, narrow, and spectacular. A garden here is really a series of terraces cut into a slope, each with its own light and view, held together by walls, stairs, and planting that keeps the hill in place. Orchard designs and builds landscapes across the Hills, from Laurel Canyon and Outpost Estates to the Bird Streets, Beachwood Canyon, and Mount Olympus.
We plan structure, drainage, and planting together, coordinate hillside engineering and city review, and finish with gardens that make a difficult lot feel generous.
Neighborhoods we serve in Hollywood Hills
Laurel Canyon, Outpost Estates, The Bird Streets, Beachwood Canyon, Mount Olympus, Hollywood Dell, Whitley Heights, Nichols Canyon, Sunset Plaza
Designing for Hollywood Hills
Building on a slope
The City of Los Angeles reviews hillside work under the Baseline Hillside Ordinance, with limits on grading, retaining wall height, and disturbed area. We design stepped terraces with low walls, plan drainage that carries canyon runoff around the house rather than through it, and plant slopes with deep-rooted natives that stabilize the soil. Engineering is coordinated with the design so walls are built once and built right.
Views, light, and privacy
Most Hills gardens are about the view, so planting is composed to frame it rather than block it. Canopy is kept low or limbed up on the view side, and screening is concentrated where neighbors are close. Lighting is layered and warm so the garden holds up at night, when the city view is the point.
Fire-aware planting in the canyons
Laurel, Nichols, and Beachwood Canyon sit in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. We design defensible space into the terraces: hardscape at the house, spaced and irrigated planting on the slopes, and lower-fuel species that stay green through summer. The garden looks full and is easier to defend.
Work in Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills FAQ
Can you create usable outdoor space on a steep Hollywood Hills lot?
Yes. Stepped terraces with low retaining walls create flat rooms for dining, lounging, or a small lawn, within the hillside ordinance limits. Stairs and planting tie them together.
Who handles the hillside engineering and permits?
We coordinate the structural engineer and manage LADBS submittals and inspections as part of project management.
How do you keep planting from blocking the view?
We compose planting to frame the view: low or limbed-up canopy on the view side, screening only where neighbors are close, and layered lighting for evenings.
Is the garden designed for fire safety?
Yes. Canyon properties get defensible-space planning: hardscape at the house, spaced and irrigated slope planting, and lower-fuel species.
Do you maintain the garden after construction?
Yes. Our care program keeps slope planting healthy and defensible space maintained.