“It is a pleasure to work with Mary. Her casual grace in the garden belies her extensive knowledge of plants. With that knowledge as a backdrop, she listens carefully, and then brings her eye and her feel for the land to the table. She weaves her passion for native plants into a wondrous landscape of color and texture, alive with birds and bees and butterflies. She will plant with or without you, but I always look forward to a day in the garden with her.”

Paula Camacho, Sebastopol

“Mary has exceptional knowledge of gardening techniques and plants.  She demonstrates a strong standard of excellence in her work, from small jobs to larger more complex ones.  She uses wise, independent judgment, and is very pleasant to work with.  She is good at balancing our desires of aesthetics and personal taste with what works best from a practical, biological base.  I recommend Mary to anyone wanting a personal and capable professional who they can trust to make a notably positive improvement to their landscaping and gardens. “

Laurie Fusfield, Sebastopol, CA

“I had never worked with a garden designer before, but I wanted some help making my habitat garden more coherent and diverse.  I wanted plants that were deer resistant and beneficial to birds and butterflies.  Mary came recommended by the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, and transformed my garden into a great visual, tactile and olfactory joy, ever changing with the seasons and its maturity.  Now in its third year, the plants have really filled in beautifully and the butterflies and hummingbirds are happier than ever.  Mary continues to be a resource when I expand and continue to tweak other areas of my landscape, and has also been a help in my large established vegetable garden.”

Donna Lockhart, Sebastopol, CA

“No landscape is maintenance-free and almost all look good when new, but how they look after a few years is more telling.  We brought Mary in as parts of our older landscape design were no longer flourishing as they once did.  She has helped us select native and low water replacements.  Our site is challenging with both extremely sunny and shady zones, and Mary’s wide knowledge of plant species has brought it new interest.  Mary has been a huge help in maintaining and keeping our landscape looking fresh and well groomed.  Mary is very easy to work with, and very reliable.  With her help our landscape has evolved into an environment we very much enjoy.” 

Mike Connolly, Sebastopol, CA