At Life Giving Landscapes we embrace the gestalt, consider the interconnected systems of which we are part, and aspire to a sustainable cohabitation with the life forms around us. We acknowledge the fact that plants are the foundation of our ecosystem.

Our post-industrial and agricultural landscapes are highly fragmented and severely degraded by short-sighted environmental practices and exotic plant species the nursery trade has promoted in earnest over the past sixty years. Common landscape choices are non-native, cultivars (genetically modified for aesthetics) and many have escaped cultivation to become invasive. As our climate warms and destabilizes, invasive plants and insects are increasing in number and effect and biodiversity is steeply declining. Native plantings and ecological gardening practices are more valuable than ever.

It is critical to change how we approach our relationship with land and how we maintain and develop it, shifting away from an anthropocentric and purely decorative framework to one that encompasses consideration of history, soil, water, weather and most importantly, the many life forms around us dependent on native plants. Conventional landscapes don’t serve and in fact often jeopardize wildlife.

Native plants have coevolved with insects and wildlife to plug directly into the ecosystem. Choosing the right plants for a given site ensures less/no auxiliary watering. Reading the landscape around us and considering the current site characteristics invites us to make more informed plant choices.