The reason we are called Thunderbird Design is because of the qualities of the Thunderbird.  The Native American Thunderbird has qualities that are similar to the Phoenix or the Double Headed Eagle.  There are many variations of the image of the Thunderbird in Native American art, but they are all based on the “X” shape.  One meaning of the Thunderbird is a symbol of inspiration and transformation, individually and globally.

In other cultures, the letter “X” also has the meaning of of “X marks the spot”, a crossroads and common ground among different things.  In the old days, two lines crossed also meant partnership.

From another angle, the Thunderbird also means destruction and annihilation followed by rebirth, as in the rising of the Phoenix from its own ashes, or the moving from one cycle to the next, from the lower portion of the "X" to the upper.

All of these things represent what we are all about. Meeting with a customer for the first time, we try to find a common ground or crossroads from which we can find the inspiration to transform their landscape into the custom designed garden of their dreams.  It’s a partnership, because we don’t just tell you what you want.  Instead, through common ground, we try to find out what it is that you truly desire in a garden or scenic landscape. Our extensive experience allows us to plan the renovations necessary to bring your desired custom garden or scenic landscape to life.  Our goal is to express your personality through your landscape, so when you come home from work it really feels like home, inside and outside.  On the weekend, you feel comfortable using your yard in whatever way you wish because it represents who you want to be and what you want your home to mean.

Finally, the other meaning of inspiration also can mean education.  And we are always happy to spend time with customers, teaching them about what we’ve just planted and how to take care of it.

Our mission is to ‘Transform the West, one custom garden at a time’.  This idea came from working at the Denver Botanic Gardens.  I was working on several projects that we labeled ‘Beyond the Garden Gates’.  These were projects that took me out into the community instead of working within the walls of the botanic gardens.  Four other staff and I worked on landscaping projects as diverse as the interiorscapes of Cherry Creek Mall (which won a national design award), themed gardens at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center at Fitzsimons Hospital (which has won local awards), a mixed use development in Highland Gardens, a high altitude alpine garden at a Buddhist retreat called Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, CO, and a very unique park for the City of Denver called Centennial Park, next to Elitch Gardens in downtown Denver.  We were trying to make the city look like a botanic garden, and it was working.

However, after a time the Board of Directors decided against pursuing any new projects.  I decided that I would continue the idea on my own.  That’s basically the reason Thunderbird Design came into existence.  At first our mission was to ‘transform Denver one garden at a time.’  But over time we’ve expanded, a lot.  We now offer services throughout Denver metro, west to Boulder, north of Northglenn, south past Colorado Springs, into the mountains and we’ve even done work throughout metro Albuquerque, New Mexico.