Landscape Design & Planting
Thoughtful planning, renovation, planting, and long-term property development.
About Living Earth
Practical Experience, Direct Involvement
Living Earth Landscapes is built around practical field experience, direct owner involvement, and a broad understanding of how outdoor systems work together.
For approximately 30 years, Keith Hamm has worked across landscape construction, water features, drainage, irrigation, carpentry, hardscape, site work, planting, and property improvement projects throughout Northern California.
The work has ranged from small residential repairs and renovations to larger commercial, public, and site-development projects.
Experience Built Across Scales
Keith Hamm has spent nearly three decades planning, building, and improving landscapes across Humboldt County. Through Living Earth Landscapes, established in 1997, he approaches each property as a connected system—bringing landscape design, planting, drainage, irrigation, hardscape, carpentry, and water features together so they work sensibly over time.
His experience also includes serving as a senior project manager for one of California’s largest landscape firms. That larger-scale work strengthened the planning, coordination, and construction judgment he now brings to residential properties and long-term landscape improvements.
Keith was brought in by the engineering firm working on Sequoia Park Zoo’s river otter habitat as a technical consultant on liner-durability options. Because otters are powerful diggers, the habitat required a more resilient containment approach than an ordinary decorative pond. He also represented Living Earth Landscapes as a participant in Aquascape’s 2008 World’s Most Extreme Pond Build at Aqualand in St. Charles, Illinois.
Beyond project work, Keith served as vice chairman of the Humboldt County Green Employers Council and has been invited to speak to multiple garden clubs. Keith Hamm is a Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL), certified through an EPA WaterSense-labeled program. He passed the exam and completed the required irrigation audit; his certificate is valid through December 31, 2027. Learn about Keith’s irrigation audit services.
Selected Experience
- Serving Humboldt County through Living Earth Landscapes since 1997
- Former senior project manager for one of California’s largest landscape firms
- Technical consultant to the engineering team for Sequoia Park Zoo’s river otter habitat
- Participant in Aquascape’s 2008 World’s Most Extreme Pond Build
- Former vice chairman, Humboldt County Green Employers Council
- Speaker for multiple garden clubs
- Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL), certified through an EPA WaterSense-labeled program
Owner-Operated From Start to Finish
Living Earth is an owner-operated company.
That means the person evaluating the site, discussing options, developing the approach, and performing or directing the work is the same person responsible for the outcome.
The goal is not high-volume production. It is broad field capability, experienced judgment, direct involvement, and clear accountability from the first site discussion through completion.
For clients, that often means fewer handoffs, clearer communication, and a better understanding of why a project is being approached a certain way.
Experience Across Multiple Disciplines
Landscape and property work often overlaps.
- A drainage problem may affect a patio.
- A deck decision may depend on grading and access.
- A pond may involve pumps, filtration, plumbing, stonework, excavation, planting, and coordination with electrical work.
- An irrigation renovation may make more sense as part of a broader landscape update.
Living Earth’s experience across multiple disciplines helps identify those relationships before work begins and allows most exterior property projects to be coordinated through one experienced point of contact.
That breadth is a practical advantage when a project crosses several systems rather than fitting neatly into one trade.
Landscape, Construction & Site Experience
- Residential landscape construction
- Commercial landscape projects
- Subdivisions and larger site developments
- University and public-work environments
- Drainage and grading
- Ponds and water features
- Irrigation
- Carpentry and outdoor structures
- Hardscape and stonework
- Equipment-assisted site work
- Planting and landscape renovation
- Long-term property improvement
This background supports both new construction and the evaluation of older properties where repair, renovation, or phased work may be more appropriate than starting over.
Nursery & Pond Retail Background
Keith also owned and operated a retail nursery and pond-supply business for approximately eight years.
That experience added another layer to the practical side of the work: product selection, system compatibility, plant material, pond equipment, customer education, and helping owners complete portions of projects themselves.
It also reinforced an approach that still applies today:
The value of professional involvement is not simply knowing where to buy a product. It is understanding which product belongs in a particular application, how the parts work together, and what happens when something does not go as planned.
Teaching & Practical Guidance
Sharing practical knowledge has long been part of Living Earth.
During the years Keith operated a retail nursery and pond-supply business, he regularly helped property owners understand systems, choose appropriate materials and equipment, and complete portions of projects themselves.
That included years of free workshops and demonstrations on topics such as ponds, water management, rain catchment, planting, and related outdoor systems.
The goal was never simply to sell a product.
It was to help people understand what they were building, avoid common mistakes, and know when professional involvement would make a meaningful difference.
That same approach continues today through consultation, DIY guidance, educational content, and the growing Living Earth knowledge library.
Practical Problem-Solving
Living Earth’s work is often less about applying a standard solution and more about understanding the situation first.
- Is the drainage problem really underground, or is the site simply graded incorrectly?
- Does an aging deck need complete replacement, or can part of it be preserved?
- Is a pond system undersized, poorly maintained, incorrectly configured, or simply aging?
- Should a property be redesigned all at once, or improved in phases?
- Does a project need a formal design, or can the solution be developed efficiently in the field?
The objective is to reach a practical answer that fits the property, budget, and long-term plan.
Long-Term Client Relationships
Some Living Earth clients have worked with the company for many years across multiple projects.
Over time, that familiarity creates useful continuity.
Knowing the history of a pond, irrigation system, fence line, drainage issue, landscape, or prior repair can make future decisions faster and more informed.
For established clients, Living Earth may continue to support a property across several different areas rather than treating each request as an isolated job.
New Work, Renovation & Repair
Living Earth works on both new and existing properties. That may mean:
The right approach depends on the condition and goals of the property.
- Building something new
- Renovating an older system
- Repairing what is still worth preserving
- Replacing what has reached the end of its useful life
- Helping define a project before design or construction
- Developing a phased plan that can be completed over time
Broad Outdoor Capability
Living Earth is comfortable taking responsibility for most aspects of an outdoor property project.
The primary work Living Earth does not perform directly is:
- Electrical work
- Gas work
- Hazardous tree work
For larger concrete projects, Living Earth can coordinate with an established concrete crew when that makes sense for the scope.
That broad capability is useful because many exterior projects involve several disciplines at once. Keeping more of the work coordinated through one experienced point of contact can simplify planning, sequencing, communication, and accountability.
Direct Communication & Modern Tools
Why We Built Our Own Digital Tools
A craftsman’s approach to technology.
Keith designed and built this website, the Ask Living Earth planning assistant, and the Client Portal directly. For an owner-operated landscape company, building custom software might seem unusual, but to Keith, it was an obvious extension of how he runs projects in the field: with direct personal involvement, clear sequencing, and no middlemen.
Sharing knowledge instead of guarding it.
Decades of troubleshooting drainage, soil biology, water features, and microclimates shouldn’t be locked behind a gate. Keith created Ask Living Earth so property owners and local builders have open, immediate access to verifiable horticultural science, regional microclimate realities, and technical construction standards. Helping someone understand their site before work begins creates better projects and smarter decisions.
Tools that strengthen what happens on the ground.
Advanced digital tools don’t replace boots on the ground—they support the work that happens there. Full CAD capabilities provide scaled working plans and editable design files, while AI-assisted perspective renderings help explore ideas. Having a structured working brief clarifies priorities before the first site visit. Maintaining a secure Client Portal ensures homeowners retain full ownership of their property’s history—from scaled design plans and agreements to as-built drawings, equipment manufacturer details, and exact model and replacement-part serial numbers.
Building trust through transparency.
Strong client relationships aren’t built on sales talk or proprietary secrets; they are built on clarity, accountability, and dependable follow-through. By pairing modern digital organization with practical field craft, Living Earth provides clients with the confidence that their property is understood, documented, and built to last.