What is “ecological design”?

Ecological design is relationship based. This form of landscape design elevates and heals the relationships between the land and the living organisms that depend on it (including us!). Ecological design employs ecological principles and methods to bring natural landscape function back into our surroundings. These methods include influencing natural succession, enhancing landscape connectivity, fostering pollination, providing full-life cycle support, and mimicking natural plant communities.

Why use native plants?

Native plants form the base of local food webs and are essential transformers of sunlight into energy for other organisms to consume. You may be familiar with the story of the monarch butterfly, whose caterpillars can only consume the leaves of milkweed plants — this is the story for nearly all butterfly and moth species. Each species of butterfly and moth (Lepidoptera) caterpillars is only adapted to consume a narrow selection of all available plant species. A landscape that does not have milkweed will not provide habitat for monarch caterpillars, a landscape without pipevine or snakeroot will not produce pipevine swallowtails, and so on. Native plants and Lepidoptera caterpillars have evolved together for millennia, forming dependent relationships that non-native plants cannot fulfill. Why do we care so much about caterpillars? Those walking sausages are an essential part of the greater food web, providing a protein-rich food source for a variety of wildlife, including breeding birds. As superfans of Dr. Doug Tallamy’s work, we apply many of his research findings about keystone species to planting plans.

Why hire Reconnect Landscapes?

Reconnect Landscapes uses science-driven design to create ecologically-functional landscapes. From a scientific perspective, we refer to research and ecological principles when assembling a plant community. Through a landscape architecture lens, we see the design through your eyes, and employ design principles, environmental psychology, and artistic beauty to create a legible landscape. The result is an engaging, legible landscape that will reconnect you with the native plants, pollinators, birds, and wildlife that are rapidly disappearing from our surroundings.

What garden styles are possible?

I practice dense, matrix-style plantings that replace wood mulch with “green mulch” aka plants. This gives a dense, layered look to the design and is in stark contrast to traditional, mulch-forward gardens. In this way, the style is lush, textured, and full of life. Together, we can create a more naturalistic, Oudolf-style garden or perhaps a more formal garden — I weave ecological function into a style that suits you. Please send any inspiration photos that capture the garden you would like to create!

I like to work with you to identify a guiding theme; what are you excited to see in your surroundings? Hummingbirds? Swallowtails? Lightning bugs? Or maybe you just love the color purple — we can work with that! How about a purple martin theme? I have a deep love for creating bird and pollinator habitat that supports the full life cycle. Let me know if you have a special species in mind!

Here is list of garden themes I get excited about (I hope you do, too!):