Do you use herbicides?

Yes, but with moderation and for target purposes. Situations where we use herbicides include:

• Removal of Invasive Plants: Typically, this would include situations where killing the plant down to the root is required to prevent regrowth and physical removal would either prove ineffective or too costly.

• Site Preparation For a New Planting: When preparing a site for a new garden bed, our goal is to minimize disturbance to the existing soil as much as possible so as to minimize stimulation of new weed growth after planting. Depending on the vegetation that needs to be removed, time of the year and available time between site preparation and planting (i.e. weeks vs months), herbicides can be a very useful tool for establishing a successful planting with minimal weed pressure.

• Preventing Regrowth After Woody Shrub/Tree Removal: When removing a tree or shrub, its usually better for the soil to leave the stump in place and allow the roots to decompose over time. The downside is that many shrubs/trees will re-sprout from the remaining roots. To prevent this, painting the stump with a herbicide directly after removal can be very effective at killing of the remaining root system.
  

We do not use herbicides for routine weed control as the risk for environmental damage exceeds the benefit.

Do you just use native plants? Are you against non-native plants?

No, we do not use 100% native plants in our plantings. But since native plants do have more positive impact across the wildlife food chain, we do aim for 70%+ native plants in our projects. There are lots of good non-native plants, which aren’t invasive…Tea Olive (Osmanthus fragrans) or Chinese Snowball Viburnum (Viburnum macrocephalum). Many of these are the ones that we have grown up with and hold sentimental meaning to us. So if you have one that you would like to use, just ask and we will work to include it.

Do you design/install hardscapes, irrigation or lighting ?

No, at this time, we don’t provide any of these. The closest we get is incorporating stepping stone paths (connecting beds or within beds) in our projects.

Are you against grass?

No, I just think that it is overused in traditional suburban landscapes and that we make too many landscape decisions (removing trees, watering, chemical use) based on having the perfect lush lawn. Where I do find grass to be extremely useful is areas with high foot traffic as it stands up better to repeated routine wear and tear better than anything else (except hardscapes). Rather than eliminate the lawn, I would recommend right sizing it…replace the lawn in areas that don’t receive heavy foot traffic and keep it where you do have foot traffic (children’s play areas, lawn areas used for socializing, paths, etc.).