Why Grow Natives?
When discussing the importance of growing Native plants, it is very important to have a clear definition of the term. CA Native plants are plants that have evolved in relationship to the climate, pollinators, pests, and pathogens over the course of millenia.
When you take a trip to your local garden store, you will find cultivars with big showy flowers, “drought tolerant” plants, and lush hedges. While many of these may be nice to look at, none of them have evolved within the California ecosystem, meaning that the grower must spend more money on watering, pest control, and disease management without bringing about any benefit to the surrounding ecosystem. For instance, a Crepe Myrtle from Asia requires adequate water throughout its life, but may only be able to support European Honey Bees and a few pollinators while requiring much more maintenance. On the other hand, one Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) is capable of providing shelter, food, or resources for up to 1,000 species of life (according to community science efforts) with minimal watering after establishment.
Many people have the preconceived notion that natives are “weedy” or innately ugly, but this reputation is undeserved. California is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, housing countless species that occur nowhere else in the world, many of which are fragrant and showy. In California, we have the opportunity to incorporate these beautiful specimens into our gardens, enhancing our connection with the land, the beauty of our property, and the well being of the surrounding ecosystem. Through years of experience surveying California ecosystems, growing countless species of plants, and maintaining properties, our company seeks to serve our community by bringing the highest quality landscapes.
Why Work with Us?
Great design isn't just about how a landscape looks, it's about whether it is ecologically functional and practical to maintain. My background spans years of hands-on growing experience, from growing orchid species in controlled greenhouse environments to vegetable and cut flower production in a farm setting. I bring knowledge of soil biology, pest control, disease management, and much more that complements my extensive knowledge of California ecosystems. Over the past 2.5 years, I have amassed more than 12,000 observations of over 2,700 species in California on iNaturalist, providing me with a unique insight into the inner workings of our natural ecosystems and the framework to recreate them.
The result is a garden that needs little ongoing intervention to stay healthy. By choosing the right plants for your specific soil and site conditions from the start, and designing with each plant's natural growth habits and ecology in mind, I build landscapes that require minimal upkeep beyond typical annual pruning. Dense, well-designed native plantings suppress weeds naturally, largely eliminating the need for herbicides. Most plants, aside from riparian and coastal species, only need supplemental water during extreme heatwaves once established (typically after about 6 months), and many are naturally resistant to common pests like aphids and mites.
Just as importantly, these gardens aren't static. Rather than designing around the spring and summer growing season, I design with the actual seasonality of California's climate in mind to create designs with something happening every season. Consequently, the landscapes draw your attention as they slowly transform each season and attract more butterflies, moths, and birds as it matures.
Every landscape I design can come with a full plant list with names, ecological roles, habitats, natural distributions, botanical descriptions, uses of the plant, and even where you might spot it growing wild nearby. For clients who want to go deeper, I can walk through all of it.
This turns a garden into something much more than a landscape; it becomes a portal to the outdoors, a way of experiencing the ecosystem right outside your door. That accessibility matters for everyone, but especially for people who may not easily get out into wild spaces themselves like children, elderly, or those with disabilities; this also has the chance to give them a direct, ongoing connection to California's natural world in the comfort of their own backyard.