Meet the Team at Past The Gate | Bay Area Custom Landscape Design in Walnut Creek, CA

Meet Past the Gate

We are Past the Gate, a landscaping company and gardening services provider transforming back yards, front yards, side gardens, and more into luxury outdoor spaces for over 30 years in the beautiful Bay Area including but not exclusive to Walnut Creek, Berkeley, Palo Alto, Oakland, Napa, Danville, Orinda, Pleasanton, San Ramon, Alamo, and Moraga.

Begun in 1985 as G. J. Wrenn Company, Inc. and renamed Past the Gate in 2008, we offer landscape architecture services, garden design, and gardening and maintenance services in The Greater Bay Area.

As Company Founder, as well as Lead Landscape Designer, Landscaping Contractor, and Horticulturalist, Greg Wrenn creates outdoor spaces that are as useful as the space inside your home is unique, and as a result, his work is in high demand.

Our mission is to create outdoor spaces that are both highly functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Meet Greg

Greg Wrenn is the owner and founder of Past the Gate. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, Greg’s passion for design, horticulture, and landscape architecture can be seen in every beautiful garden in our portfolio. Greg studied Agriculture with a focus in Ornamental Horticulture as well as Construction and Design at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; graduating with honors in 1983. He is a member of the California Landscape Contractors Association; he has served as the CLCA’s East Bay Chapter president for three years and as the State Director of Membership for two years. Greg has judged several awards ceremonies for the organization, including for the Sacramento, San Joaquin, North Coast, and San Francisco Bay Area Chapters.

What sets Greg apart from other landscape designers and landscaping contractors is his passion for design stemming from a deep family history full of artists, architects, sculptors, and builders dating back to the 16th century in Italy, Switzerland, and England. Greg’s hands-on approach to landscaping and design means that he is a continuous presence throughout every job.

One of Greg’s favorite gardens in our portfolio includes a dual-level water feature separated by a seat wall that enables the visitor to physically engage in the flow of water and appreciate the garden with all senses.

His goal for every client is to create a space that can be used for years to come. Greg also understands that your needs for use of space may change over time. One of Greg’s greatest transformations was a complete landscape remodel that turned one family’s no-longer-needed kid-friendly garden into a resort-like entertainment and lounging area for sophisticated parties.

Greg strives with every client and project to ensure that function and beauty combine to enhance your space, extending your experience of home to include everything past the gate.

Meet Clay

Clay Tully is our licensed landscape architect and contractor. With over 10 years of experience in landscape design and construction, Clay brings an artistic eye for design combined with an architectural knowledge of how to best utilize space, in order to deliver beautiful and practical solutions grounded in our clients’ needs and budgets. Clay holds a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where he received a prestigious Award for his Senior Project, a design for a California Native wildlife research center. Clay is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the California Landscape Contractors Association.

Throughout his career, Clay has participated in the implementation of numerous award-winning gardens in the greater Bay Area. Clay’s deep passion for design with an emphasis on material and plant selection combined with his understanding of the microclimates throughout the bay area, leads him to create gardens that are not only gorgeous and high-quality, but also sustainable. Clay’s favorite aspect of designing gardens is seeing how his work ultimately enhances the desired ambiance and unique lifestyle of each of his clients.

Meet Luis

Crew Leader Luis Garcia has been with Past the Gate for 24 years. In this time, Luis’s incredible work ethic, extreme intelligence, and drive for precision in all aspects of construction have been key elements in the transformation of countless Bay Area gardens. Luis is a master of general landscape construction with special focuses in woodworking, masonry, concrete, and metalwork. Luis runs a specialty crew that focuses specifically on the flow from indoor to outdoor, thus modifying homes with the installation of doors and windows to create better access, flow, and views to the garden. Luis also performs custom fabrication of metalwork elements, enabling Past the Gate to offer our clients that special one-of-a-kind touch.

Luis is responsible for overseeing all of Past the Gate’s crews and foremen. Luis checks all job sites daily and assists in completion of complex tasks where needed. Luis’ skill set and passion for perfection ensure our clients have the gardens of their dreams.

When you find yourself saying, “I need help landscaping my front yard,” — think of Past the Gate landscaping company in Northern California, providing landscape design and complete horticultural services and custom maintenance services.