Call: (650) 391-7109

The people behind Petrus

A small studio of quiet obsessives.

Petrus is deliberately small. The same faces design, build, plant, and steward every landscape. Continuity is the craft.

Ward Dilmore Founder of Petrus Landscape
Studio philosophy

A studio, not a company.

Most landscape firms grow by adding crews and adding clients. Petrus grew by adding depth — a horticulturist here, a mason there, a designer who trained under Ward for a decade.

The result is a studio of no more than thirty people, all working on a limited roster of estates at any one time. The names on the door — Ward, Gabe — are the names that walk the property. The people who draw the landscape are the people who plant it.

Meet the studio

The talented professionals
who bring every Petrus landscape to life.

Ward Dilmore Founder of Petrus Landscape

Ward Dilmore

Founder

Ward Dilmore is a landscaping expert dedicated to creating beautiful outdoor spaces. He’s the Founder of Petrus, a renowned Luxury Estate Landscaping Company. Ward’s journey into landscaping began with a strong connection to nature and a sharp eye for detail developed over years of caring for private estates.

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Gabe Thomas Petrus Landscape Cofounder

Gabe Thomas

Co-Founder

Ward Dilmore is a landscaping expert dedicated to creating beautiful outdoor spaces. He’s the Founder of Petrus, a renowned Luxury Estate Landscaping Company. Ward’s journey into landscaping began with a strong connection to nature and a sharp eye for detail developed over years of caring for private estates.

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Sharddha Mehta Head of Marketing

Shraddha Mehta

Head of Marketing

Ward Dilmore is a landscaping expert dedicated to creating beautiful outdoor spaces. He’s the Founder of Petrus, a renowned Luxury Estate Landscaping Company. Ward’s journey into landscaping began with a strong connection to nature and a sharp eye for detail developed over years of caring for private estates.

Read more
Shared values

Four commitments that hold us together.

Composition first

A Petrus landscape is drawn before it is planted. Every axis, every threshold, every material is decided on paper first.

Long-horizon thinking

We design for what the landscape will be at year seven, year twenty, year one hundred — not what it looks like on install day.

Horticultural fluency

We speak the languages of Provence, of the English perennial border, of the California oak woodland — and we know when to use each.

Quiet craftsmanship

Our crews return year after year. The people who plant our landscapes also steward them. Continuity is the craft. 
Questions

Frequently asked questions

Petrus is founded by Ward Dilmore — a landscape artist with a genuinely singular background: raised by two artists on transforming farmland, educated at the University of Sussex in both international relations and horticultural technology, and shaped by decades of work in the world’s most private and extraordinary estates. Ward brings a design vocabulary drawn from French palace gardens, Mughal landscapes, English estate horticulture, and California native rewilding that simply does not exist elsewhere in the Bay Area. We also limit our client roster deliberately to ensure Ward’s personal attention on every project.
 
Petrus serves Atherton, Woodside, Portola Valley, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park, Hillsborough, Saratoga, Pacific Heights, Pebble Beach, and surrounding Bay Area communities. For exceptional projects, Ward also works beyond these primary areas — please contact us to discuss your specific location.
 
Yes. Ward is personally involved in every Petrus project — from the initial consultation and site reading, through design concept development, to installation supervision. This is why Petrus intentionally accepts a limited number of new estate clients each quarter. Ward’s personal involvement is not a selling point — it is a non-negotiable standard.
 
Sustainability is not a constraint for Petrus — it is a creative opportunity. Ward’s deep passion for rewilding and native planting makes him one of the Bay Area’s most forward-thinking designers in this area. We offer full xeriscaping programs, California native planting design, smart drip irrigation systems, rain garden design, and native meadow restoration. Many of our most beautiful projects are also our most ecologically responsible.
 
Yes — Petrus offers comprehensive estate maintenance programs including weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly care, seasonal planting rotations, irrigation management, and annual estate health reports. Many clients engage Petrus for both design and long-term stewardship, allowing the landscape to continue evolving under the same trusted team that created it. We also offer multi-property programs for family offices managing multiple estates.
 
Petrus is fully licensed by the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB License #1132139), bonded, and insured. We carry comprehensive general liability and workers’ compensation insurance on all projects, and our teams operate under strict professional standards expected by our estate-level clientele. NDAs are available upon request for clients who require complete discretion.
 
The first step is a private consultation — a personal conversation with Ward to understand your vision, your property, and your aspirations. You can request this consultation through our website, by calling +1 (650) 391-7109, or by emailing media@petruslandscape.com. We accept a limited number of new estate clients each quarter to ensure every engagement receives the full depth of Ward’s personal attention.
 
The Invitation

Begin with a private consultation

Every Petrus estate begins with an unhurried conversation — about your land, your architecture, and the life you wish to live outdoors. We accept a limited number of commissions each year.
Request a Consultation
or call (650) 391-7109