Observing the land, then working alongside it.
Shelter & Seeds helps property owners develop a reciprocal relationship with their land. Not through a quick install or a maintenance schedule — but through careful observation, holistic understanding, and thoughtful action.
My Stewardship Philosophy
We’ve been trained to think of beautiful landscapes as tidy lawns, neat beds, and plants chosen purely for aesthetics. I prefer ones that are a blend of productivity, habitat, biodiversity, and wildness.
I start by asking a few questions: What is this land already doing? What stage of succession is it in? How does water move throughout it? What's growing here and what does that tell us? When we understand the land, the stewardship gets simpler, more purposeful, and more effective. We can stop fighting and start cocreating.
What I do
Reading land
Property consultations and site assessments. We walk your land together — reading water, soil, vegetation, accessibility, habitat, sun, shade, wind, and fire — and develop a stewardship approach.
Working with water
Water retention earthworks, rain gardens, mulch, and irrigation only if necessary. Water is the first thing I look at on any property.
Building living structure
Fungi, grasses, forbs, vines, shrubs, and trees — layered to create food, shade, shelter, and habitat, and invite other species in.
Edible & medicinal systems
Bioregionally-adapted edibles, medicinals, and foraging-friendly design. Plants that can thrive here and spread naturally.
Is this a good fit?
This is for you if...
You're curious about your land and want to have a closer relationship with it, not just manage it. You're interested in what your land can provide — food, medicine, materials, fuel, shade, beauty, habitat, privacy, spiritual connection, etc. You want something that gets more full of life and self-sustaining over time, not more dependent on inputs. You want to help care for the planet through regenerative stewardship.
This probably isn't a good fit if...
You want a quick install with someone else maintaining it on a schedule. You're looking for decorative landscaping, weed cloth, and sprinklers. You want it to look "done" from day one.
Start with a consultation
Before beginning a project, I like to walk the land with the property owner. We'll look at what the current and historical characteristics of the site tell us about what’s possible for its future, and how we can help it along. You'll get a clearer picture of your property and a stewardship approach to build from. Sometimes people just want the consultation. Sometimes people ask me to start working on projects right away. And sometimes we decide the best thing to do is nothing at all.