Wednesday, March 18, 2009

design/ecology/organics

In case my swing to organic vegetable gardens seem odd to some...take comfort, really nothing has changed.  I've always believed that the homeowner is the "key" to a healthy environment, or at least key to eliminating use of products and plants that cause harm to our environment.

My commitment to gardening has always been a holistic approach to the earth and plants, the Wildflower Farm was the second chapter in that expression.

When i first came to Nantucket I was just in awe at this prairie surrounded by ocean - what and odd, wonderful and peaceful place.

I was working at the airport in those early days, meeting lots of people excited about our early 80's building boom.  Often they would invite me to see the land they had just purchased, share with me their dreams of their new home.

More often than not, I would look at this beautiful piece of land that had welcomed me with its serenity and see the inherent destruction that was going to result from their efforts.

I have worked as a Designer most of my life: Theatre, Film,Television, Corporate retail, home interiors, fashion -it's just in my blood, a part of my senses - and what my senses were telling me is this doesn't make sense!

So I booked back to school for retooling.  Horticulture, which got mixed in with Ecology. I came back even more fascinated with this place - i understood so much more of this place.  I began the Nantucket Wildflower Farm to support my interest in leaning to propagate every native plant on Nantucket.  I had hopes of working in Ecological Restoration, restoring some of the degradation, teaching more people how to put back what belongs here, what our birds and butterflies needed to thrive here.

I did a few projects with the Town, the beautiful Hypericum off the Polpis bike path; restoring the Birds food Violet at the airport; working with the Nantucket Shad bush on the Old South road bike path; and a few clients who understood the need.  about 6 restoration projects in 20 years - there just wasn't enough interest.

Most people know me from my years of Nantucket Wildflower, nursery and shop, a few know me as their Landscape Designer.  To be consistent with my understanding of what helped the soils, flora, fauna and waters of Nantucket flourish necessitated that I run my nursery, gardens, client's gardens with the highest regard for the ecological systems of Nantucket - organics.

Regardless of what a plant material is chosen to create a design for the garden, organic principals most honor our native ecosystems.  They also honor our own bodies and health.

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