Sustainable Landscape Design is the process of meeting our client's needs while also meeting the needs of Nature. Our goal is to create a garden that you want to spend time in. When you step into your garden, we want you to find a place of recreation for your family and pets, a sanctuary for healing your mind and body, and a landscape that encourages wildlife to visit often.
Of course, we want your garden to be as healthy for you as it is for your plants, the birds, butterflies and bees. Putting the right plant into the right place, lowering your maintenance time, capturing and filtering water on site, and protecting the natural environment are just a few things that we consider.
Our 3 service areas, Organic Lawn & Plant Care, Design, and Construction, focus on eight guiding principles:
Protect and Conserve Soils
Conserve Water
Protect Water and Air Quality
Protect and Create Wildlife Habitat
Conserve Energy
Sustain Healthy Plants
Use Sustainable Methods and Materials
Protect and Enhance Human Health and Well‐being
Within each of these guiding principles is a myriad of decisions to be made with people and Nature in mind. These decisions lead to a convergence of people and Nature sharing a healthy relationship within your property.
PERMACULTURE: BEYOND SUSTAINABILITY
Permaculture is an emerging design field that is gaining a foothold. In essence, permaculture meets the needs of humans through ecological and regenerative design. The word permaculture was coined in the 1970’s by combining the words “permanent” and “culture.” While the early adopters of permaculture focused on self-sustaining and holistic agricultural practices, it is applicable across many disciplines.
We employ permaculture because design decisions are first made on ethics and then incorporate the logic of natural systems. When we mimic Nature’s patterns, we develop systems that require fewer resources as the landscape matures. We think this is good not only for the person managing the landscape but also for Nature.
PHILOSOPHICAL DESIGN STANDARDS
We pull from the philosophical work of those who walked the garden path before us. The Landscape Architect Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) is very dear to our hearts. In an essay worth reading, writer Matt Linderman summarizes Olmsted’s design philosophies. To Olmsted and us, all design work starts with “the genius of a place,” a belief that every site has ecologically and spiritually unique qualities. Combining your needs with the needs of Nature and recognizing that each property holds a unique quality of “place” truly creates very special garden spaces.
All design work is custom-tailored to meet the needs of those who inhabit and visit the landscape. Give us a call to see if we may be a good fit to re-envision a very special outdoor living place for you.
