LET’s create
an oasis
NATive GARDEN DESIGN
TO nourish your soul and THE ecosystem
every inch of ground
has a profound role
to play IN support
OF a thriving planet
Whether the land you tend to is a patio or several acres, together we can help support native pollinators and find joy in our connection with/as nature in our gardens.
“...even the tiniest backyard or balcony can be a stopover for those smallest of animals upon whom we all depend.”
- The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Plant Friends offers design services in regions where we have relationship with wild plant communities, including Southern Appalachia and the Piedmont regions of the Southeast, the Mid-Atlantic, New England and Southern California.
TANGIBLe, MEANINGFUL & JOYFULL–IN SUPPORT OF BIODIVERSITY
Native gardens not only deepen our connection with home by inviting in the wider web of life but very practically help to stem the tide of species extinctions by fostering biodiverse communities.
In place of ecologically impoverished lawns, sterile xeriscapes or stale ornamentals, native gardens return the symphony of life back to human dwellings and gathering spaces.
These gardens are part of a path to re-finding a positive ecological role for all of us. We also happen to think they are the most beautiful, and are confident we select native plants that are both ecologically powerful and stunning!
// How We Design //
Ecology. Every design begins with site-specific ecosystem research. Which keystone species will anchor this garden and provide an outsize benefit to local wildlife? What plant communities were present on this site prior to building? We’ll take the time to get to know the many lives that will benefit from this garden.
Current conditions. We take in the existing conditions of the site from the light to the composition of the soil to details such as the extra moisture from an air conditioner or downspout, and find opportunities in all these. In a recent garden we were able to install a rain barrel to catch condensation from coastal fog that drips
Community. We are part of the ecosystem too. Facilitating relationships between people, plants and critters inspired the foundations of plant friends, and is core to our design process. In many ways we consider this a match-making process between people and plants. We want you to fall in love! We choose from native plants that will engage you specifically and have designed gardens with home chefs, floral designers, and children especially in mind.
// OUR TOOLS //
We use AUTOCAD to provide scaled drawings that smoothly facilitate installation. Hand drawing is also foundational to our design process, and helps us build intimate relationship with the space and interactions among plantings.
GALLERY OF WORK
What People Are Saying
It was such a joy to work with Rose on a native garden design for my backyard! She has such deep knowledge, yet made this whole process straight forward and clear to me, someone who is very much a beginner learner. The customized design we received is absolutely remarkable and has so much information and resources included. I absolutely cannot wait to make my yard a pollinator paradise.
Rose is warm, friendly, professional, and her love and passion for native plants and healthy ecosystems is contagious. I feel so inspired and ready to transform my backyard!
— Kelly P. , WESTCHESTER COUNTY, New York
“Your work adds joy every single day for us!!”
— Jessie n. , LOS ANGELES, California
TELL ME ABOUT
YOUR VISION
I look forward to hearing what’s important to you, and offering guidance to create beauty and habitat.
Landscape designer Rose Fairley began working with native plants in Western North Carolina, where she studied plant communities with naturalist Luke Cannon. She is a Certified California Naturalist (UC-ANR) and Native Plant Landscaper (Theodore Payne, California Native Plant Society). Now splitting her time between both coasts, Rose has been gardening with native and edible plants for nearly a decade, and combines the practical experience of a gardener with a commitment to creating beautiful and wildlife-supportive gardens that brings joy to clients through interspecies connection!