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Butte County is a botanical wonderland.  Oak woodlands, wildflower meadows, river canyons, and chaparral surround us with extraordinary natural beauty.  We inhabit some of the best farmland anywhere.  Imagine if a walk through our neighborhoods gave a sense of this unique place.

I love to help people create gardens that express their personality while celebrating Butte County’s natural and agricultural heritages.  I specialize in site-specific landscape architecture and garden design combining native and edible plants with artistic accents.

Why natives?

Why Use Native Plants?The plants that evolved here love our hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters.  Our region abounds with alluring natives that thrive on low maintenance, require no fertilizers or dangerous pesticides, are drought tolerant, and support beneficial wildlife like butterflies and song birds.  Native gardens offer a subtle beauty that comes from the interplay of textures, structure, movement, scent, and color.  They are inherently sustainable and less expensive to maintain than gardens filled with exotic plants and lawns.

Why edibles?

Why you should use edible plants in your gardenFood plants flourish here, too!  Butte County is one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. Edible perennial plants bring year-round rewards to the garden.   Fruit trees, berry bushes, herbs, and fruiting vines delight with spring  blossoms, scent, fall color, the element of surprise, and fresh, real food.  We all eat; it just makes sense to take advantage of our optimal growing conditions to grow plants that give beauty as well as bounty.  Organic home gardening provides the healthiest, earth-friendliest path to delicious produce.

Why NOT lawns?

Why not Lawns?Lawns are great to play on!  In the right circumstances, they can be the right choice.  But, to keep them healthy and lush requires a lot of resources: in California, over 50% of household water goes to irrigate lawns; pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides applied to lawns pose health risks to humans and leach into waterways; and gas-powered lawn mowers produce as much as 5% of the nation’s air pollution each year.  Yet, many lawns are barely used.  They are often grown not because they are needed but because they are familiar and provide reliable greenery.  Why expend all those resources on something that has far reaching consequences on your health, environment, and pocket book unless it really is enhancing your life?  Native and edible gardens provide beauty that is truly green.