philosophy
Our role as landscape designers and horticulturists is to advocate on behalf of the local plant and animal species, watershed and community in ways that align with our client’s needs and desires. We use our extensive knowledge and interest in sustainable landscape practices to create and maintain garden spaces that serve our clients’ individual needs while creating a net positive impact on the local environment, humans and native species.
We encourage the use of local native species of plants in our designs to provide habitat for local insects and birds, providing islands of survival in their currently fractured ecosystem. When native species are not appropriate or desired, we select drought tolerant plants to reduce the impact on the local watershed. Our approach to weed and pest control is holistic, using cultural practices first, like mulching and composting, and minimal non-toxic soaps and oils when needed.
We are practical problem solvers and value our relationships with our clients as much as our relationship with nature. Excellent communication, transparency, active listening, and willingness to go the extra mile are part of our teamwork toolkit.
In order to serve our clients and nature best, we maintain and constantly strive to grow relationships with the local landscape community. Our team is part of the local chapter of the California Native Plant Society, California Landscape Contractor’s Association, and heads HIVE, a collaborative consortium of female landscape business owners in the Bay Area. We are always adding to our roster of nurseries, arborists, materials suppliers and other landscape professionals who support us in providing the best service and products possible. We place higher value on quality, thoroughness and appropriate compensation for hard-working landscape crews over price. (We love this piece on “land and labor”)
about us
We offer Landscape Design and Fine Garden Care to Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and Monterey Counties.
julia holbert
Julia has worked in ecological landscape design and restoration in the Central California region for the past 25 years. Her background in fine art, design and botany fuse with a love for California wild-lands, and she sees her gardens as living sculptures as well as part of the greater ecosystem. Above all, Julia enjoys the rich collaborative process among designers, clients, and the fellow contractors and craftspeople that propel each project through to a successful ecological landscape.
Formal education from UCSC (BA Art, BA Biology), the Permaculture Design Certificate (2021), Cabrillo and West Valley College (Landscape Design & Architecture, Horticulture, Engineering Technology, Graphic Design, etc) has provided a solid backdrop for continual ongoing studies. Working for many years at San Lorenzo Garden Center, one of the best retail nurseries on the central coast also enhanced her horticultural knowledge, customer service, and network within the local landscape community.
Julia is passionate about the dynamic field of landscape design and is currently involved in many exciting projects that fuse fine art with horticulture and design in residential, educational and commercial settings. Special interests include: California native ecology, pollinator attraction, edible/ usable gardens, xeriscape, Permaculture, rainwater harvesting, soil science, upcycling, and sculpture-gardens.
hallie schmidt
Hallie is an artist and scientist and has been immersed in plants and humans’ relationship to them for 20 years. A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Public Horticulture program, she has studied California native plants and ecology, horticulture, landscape design, sustainable farming, and outdoor education. Her experience as a horticulturist maintaining established gardens, such as those at the historic Filoli in Woodside, gives her an edge in creating landscapes that will succeed and be practical to maintain, in addition to being beautiful.
Hallie holds her Landscape Contractor’s license. She has written for and been featured in Pacific Horticulture Magazine. She is also the founder of Tierra Madre HIVE, a collective of female landscape business owners of the Bay Area.
adrienne beck
Adrienne is passionate about creating stunning, natural, and useful outdoor spaces. Her thoughtful design work is informed by over a decade of holistic and regenerative farming and gardening experience. She is in awe of our incredible planet. Her love of art and nature leads her to design and maintain organic and native landscapes managed with care and respect.
Adrienne has a degree in Anthropology and Studio Art from the College of Charleston, focusing on cultural food systems and drawing. Her studies led her to better understand how we interact with our environment. After getting her Permaculture Design Certificate in 2014, the California Native plants community captivated her. Though a lover of all plants, Adrienne is a proud member of the Santa Cruz Chapter of the California Native Plant Society and volunteers with their native plant propagation group.
She spends her free time exploring the different microclimates in California enjoying the flora, fauna and fungi around us.
