On the early years
I grew up on an 800-acre ranch, a former Getty property, in a small town near Yosemite. We were a well-to-do family -- my father owned an aquatic management company, and my grandfather owned a number of real estate companies. But we were very religious Jehovah Witnesses. So, I grew up under the flag of self-denial, which is very different to my life today. I left the family, my marriage and the church in 2012 when I “came out” after a decade of traditional married life. I had to recreate myself, and even to this day I’ve been officially shunned by family and friends. In spite of all that, I now have an amazing life.

On developing the gardening bug
Part of the property we lived in featured a shepherd’s pen with surrounding stone walls that had been created by a Chinese immigrant. I started gardening the plot when I was 12 and by the time I had turned 19, I had more than 200 species growing.

My neighbor saw what I was doing in my garden and said, “Jarrod, you really need to study landscape architecture.”  From the time I was a young kid, we would go nursery shopping together. I learned a lot from her.  I would get up every morning and walk through my garden, go to school, come back home and walk through it again to see what changed.  I just loved it.

Project designed by Jarrod Pebble Beach overlooking Stillwater Cove and Holes 3 and 4 of Pebble Beach Golf Course

On finding a career in landscape architecture
I studied landscape architecture for 5 years graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in the subject, but I also worked full-time during those college years. That concurrent work experience gave me valuable exposure to a variety of essential subjects – irrigation, planting design, trees, shrubs, residential design, project management, etc.

The first week out of school, my new employer, Reed Associates in Mountain View, received the design contract for one of the largest residential gardens in the United States -- a nine-acre parcel where I did the bulk of the work.  There was no budget-- we spent about $14 million on the garden.  Paul Reed and I worked on that project together for three years, and after he had a falling-out with the architect, he wrote the client saying, “I’m not going to be working on this anymore, but I strongly encourage you to continue with Jarrod.”  By then I had developed a large number of residential clients.  He wrote me checks for all of my clients’ retainers, and I started my company. He’s a very good man and remains a close friend to this day.

On having that special eye
When I walk out onto a site, I just know what it should be. By the time I was 12, I was already redlining architectural plans for my family’s custom homes. It’s an instinctive thing and I’ve trained it and nurtured it over the years. When I look at unattractive things, I see what they could be. For example, when I go on vacation, I have to stay in a beautiful hotel, because if not, I analyze it to death.

The greatest educator for me has been travel. I’ve been to Europe at least once every year ― since I was 20. Portuguese and Italian gardens are the most creative and unusual.  I found Portugal, in particular, to be very inspiring.  For instance, in a country garden in England they might have a Diana statue in the middle of a fountain.  In Portugal, they’ll have a small troop of monkeys.  Their gardens are classical in form, but also playful, and they feature elements of surprise. 

Japanese Inspired Garden in Palo Alto features limestone moon gate and rare specimen trees imported from Oregon

I’m intrigued by Lotus Land in Montecito, a stunning 50-acre garden, like a surreal dream out of Tim Burton. It was designed from the perspective that “everything was a stage set,”. A central swimming pool in the center has two lily ponds that flank it, so you feel as if you’re swimming in the water and the lilies.  An amazing blue garden where all of the plants are silvery blue.  Another pool surrounded by gigantic seashells.  It’s interesting because it’s a very classical Montecito estate, but the gardens are filled with elements of surprise. That’s the biggest thing I bring to my work -- there are elements of surprise in every garden that I design.

On building Zeterre
When I moved my office from the Peninsula to San Francisco in 2014, the hardest challenge was getting my name out there.  I believed that I could locate my business anywhere and people would flock to my door. Big mistake! I soon realized that it’s all about who you know. My team and I started networking in San Francisco by researching, “Who do I want to know?”  When I reached out to people, the most common thing I heard was, “How did we not know about you?”  

We have approximately 30 active projects at any one time. Our past projects cover the waterfront from estates in Los Altos Hills to Saratoga, Los Gatos, Atherton, Woodside, Pebble Beach and Tiburon/Belvedere, as well as an 80-acre private polo field with dressage facilities, and a multi-acre Howard Backen-designed winery and luxury estate in Napa. We’re also working on projects in Southern California, including one in West Hollywood for one of the wealthiest families in the U.S. Internationally, we’ve worked with two Royal families in the Middle East, completed a huge resort project in Puna, India, and a rooftop garden overlooking the Eiffel Tower, and we’re currently working on a Royal Castle in Czech Republic.  

Obviously, a lot of projects come from referrals – architects and designers, but our online leads, driven by Instagram and Facebook are significant in number. In fact, our biggest project ever came via a Google search. Go figure! That said, it’s not unusual for me to be on retainer with the client for the rest of their life.  I’ve been on retainer with one client since 2007.

We are unquestionably the most tech-savvy landscape architecture firm in the region. No other landscaping firm in the U.S. is using 3D rendering software, including fly-overs, to the level that we are. It streamlines the process, and when I show clients my concepts, they readily understand what it would be like to live in that space, with the result that they generally let loose the purse strings.

On running the company
My job is not to impose my taste upon my clients, but to help shape their taste and expose them to concepts that they may not have known were possible. If their taste runs to “Elvis on Velvet”, then I’m going to expose them to better stuff. So, we don’t espouse a particular Zeterre “aesthetic”. We feel that it is critical to be site-specific and treat each garden as a unique design exercise. -- an extension of the people it surrounds.  I like designing for people. That’s the thrill for me -- not the budget.

A lot of clients in the Bay Area build the gardens just for themselves, not as a status symbol.  One of my husband and wife clients, who have spent many millions with us on their garden, which incidentally features more than 400 plant species, don’t even entertain.  They’ve probably had two or three people visit that garden in the last ten years.  It’s just for them. It’s not about being grandiose, it’s about their personal connection to and with the garden.

I love Luciano Giuble’s work.  He’s a London-based designer who grew up in Sienna, Italy and who designs exquisite English gardens. There’s an elegance and simplicity in his gardens that exhibit restraint. I continue to love Andrea Cochran’s work.  She’s exceptionally talented and has developed a very specific style that’s kind of Zen -- quiet and minimal. I love the work of artist Andy Cao who has designed some incredible temporary art installations, at places such as the Luxembourg Gardens. He strung flower petals across my favorite fountain, the Medici Grotto. He did the installation at the Cinema Cornerstone where he hung 10,000 chandelier crystals from a piece of aviary netting -- basically, like a cloud. And I have great admiration for Paul Wiseman. He’s created a large, successful firm that continues to produce great work, and he has a team that loves and respects him.

On his legacy
Sometimes I lose money on a project.  Last year, I intentionally spent an extra $60,000 out of my own pocket on a project, even though I had a “not-to-exceed” figure, because I wanted create an awesome garden.  That’s the legacy that I hope to leave.  It’s not the money that I have in the bank.  It’s the gardens that become immortalized with time. I want to be unabashedly proud of what we do.

I’m extremely driven. I absolutely believe that we have the skill, talent and bearing to create the most amazing gardens in the world. Why? Because on every single project where we have had the opportunity to create something really great, we have blown our clients away. I have always believed that we could be the Frank Lloyd Wright of landscape architecture.

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This is an in-depth interview series featuring interior design luminaries who are redefining the business. The interviews are conducted by Alf Nucifora, Chairman of LuxeSF, and brought to you by...