“I am now passionate about plants and creating spaces that nurture and inspire people, though I didn’t start out this way. Raised in urban Brooklyn, NY, when I was a little girl I thought flowers came from a florist and trees grew out of small concrete rectangles uniformly planted one car apart. As I grew older, I began to feel on some intrinsic level that gardens could be places for nurturing the soul. In 1991, I left the city to pursue my bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts at State University College at New Paltz in upstate New York with a campus setting nestled among forest, farms and orchards. Surrounded by nature, I noticed the way time was marked by the succession of the changing seasons, and how the sense of place connects us to the land. From my fine arts studies, I learned about color, composition, history and aesthetics.

At about this time, I encountered a book that proved fateful. A friend lent me a book called Noah’s Garden, by Sara Stein. In it, she wrote about restoring the ecology by taking all the back-to-back yards in suburbia, removing the vast stretches of lawn and re-planting them with native plants, essentially creating a green belt that mimics nature. That inspired me to change direction and hope to one day fuse my background in art and design with a desire to integrate our role as stewards of the earth.

In 2006, I had the opportunity to move to Portland, OR where I began to transition from a 13 year graphic design career to landscape design by completing advanced certifications in Permaculture and Organic Gardening. My path, in turn, then led to completing an associate’s degree in Landscape Design program at PCC.  I have completed courses which include advancements in Technology, Sustainability, Drainage, Green Roofs, Living Walls, Rain Gardens, Edibles and Outdoor Furnishings. Professional affiliations include, 2015 Co-President of the Oregon chapter of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) and current Adjunct Instructor in Landscape Design at Portland Community College.

My time with Paradise Restored has been challenging and rewarding. As landscape designer, I love the opportunity to find creative solutions and connect (or reconnect) our clients with their outdoor spaces. As design manager, I feel privileged to get to collaborate with Micah and a creative team of designers I respect and admire.”