A small studio for Hill Country landscapes.
Founded in 2018 by Mara Whitfield, RLA. Based in East Austin. Six people, one crew, one philosophy: design landscapes that look like they belong in Texas, then build them to outlast the install.
“I started Greenline because every yard I visited looked the same.“
I grew up in Texas and trained at the UT Austin School of Architecture, where I focused on landscape architecture and Hill Country ecology. After a decade working at larger firms — including 4 years at a top landscape architecture studio in San Francisco and 3 years at an established Austin design-build — I started Greenline in 2018.
The pattern I kept seeing was simple: Austin yards were being designed to look like generic American backyards. Tropical plants. Bermuda lawns. Travertine patios. None of it suited the place, none of it lasted, and the homeowners I talked to could feel that something was off — they just couldn’t name it.
Greenline is the firm I wished existed when I was first looking. Design-build under one roof. Native plant palettes. Hill Country materials. The boring parts — drainage, base, soil prep — done right. A real warranty.
We stay small on purpose. Six people including the crew. Maximum five projects in build at any one time. The work is hands-on. The relationships are real.
— Mara Whitfield, RLA
Texas Board of Professional Landscape Architects #LA-3247
Three principles that show up in every project.
Native by default
We design with what thrives in Central Texas. Period. If a client wants tropicals or fescue lawn, we’ll tell them what it costs in water, replacements, and frustration — then design something better.
Outdoor rooms, not just yards
A yard is the space left over around a house. An outdoor room is designed: fireplace, pergola, kitchen, all part of the same composition.
Built to outlast the install
The pretty plants are the easy part. We obsess over drainage, soil prep, base, edge restraint. A project that looks good in year ten — that’s the standard, not the floor.
What working with us looks like.
Site visit
We walk the property, talk through use, check drainage and sun, and leave with a fixed-fee design proposal — usually within a week.
Master plan
2D plan view, material palette, native plant list, phased budget. You see it before we touch a shovel. Design fee credits 100% toward the build.
Build
Our crew, not subs. We handle hardscape, planting, irrigation, lighting end-to-end. Most projects finish in 4–10 weeks.
Year-one care
Walk-throughs at 30 days, 6 months, and 12 months. Anything that doesn’t establish, we replace. 5-year warranty on hardscape.
Want to talk about your project?
We’re a small studio. Replies come from a real person — usually Mara or Tasha. We’ll have a conversation before anyone gets a quote.