Gardens designed for the good of the Earth.

Amidst a fast-paced world and a changing climate, the role of the home
landscape has shifted and taken on new significance. Increasingly, gardens
have become a sanctuary from the outside world, places that support
diverse species of plant and animal life, and sustain the natural processes
of a thriving ecosystem.

At Sweetgum Horticulture, we honor an ecology of resilience and connectedness and are committed to the well-being of the Earth. As our understanding of the home landscape shifts—from that of an individual property to one that is encompassed within a larger network of connected yards and natural areas—we recognize the significance each property plays in the resilience of the whole.

With the increasing loss of wild habitats, it becomes essential for gardens to perform the varied ecological functions of natural ecosystems including:

• Sequestering carbon and pollutants like heavy metals
• Absorbing excess nutrients, such as phosphorus, that contaminate our waterways
• Filtering stormwater
• Tempering and cooling urban and suburban temperatures
• Serving as native plant sanctuaries
• Providing habitat for many species of wildlife including insects and animals
• Securing a food supply for pollinators and songbirds

Empowered by this vision, we design landscapes rooted in the principles of a self-sustaining and resilient ecosystems that are able to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change.

We often ask ourselves “what can our gardens do for the good of the earth?”

Nurturing harmonious and resilient plant communities.

Aligned with this new ecological framework, we turn our sights on designed plant communities. When we study plants in the wild, we notice that they exist in diverse, self-propagating and naturally- occurring communities. We also notice the dense ground cover they form, the lack of exposed soil, and the myriad of ways that plants have found to adapt to their natural surroundings. As we select species for a new garden, we look for a diverse set of plants with strong genetics that will yield a harmonious, optimally functional and resilient community.

A well-designed plant community is: diverse, resilient, adaptable, self-propagating, self-correcting and self-sustainable.

The rich assortment of plant choices we utilize include genetically diverse and seed-grown native species, select nativar species that can attract and serve as a food source for pollinators, and other non-invasive species with specific traits. The effect of this careful selection ensures overall functionality, self-sustainability and adaptability of the whole community. Such a garden in turn will have a dense ground covering and will allow plans to grow, change and adapt naturally over time.

Creating places for our creative spirit to soar.

While this community-based approach of planting is good for the Earth, it is also good for us. In our current times, gardens are a refuge from the pressures of the outside world, a perfect antidote to our screen-induced isolation. They are a place where we can refresh our spirit and recharge our energy before going about our work. Gardens give us the possibility and space to become present and connect with our curious, creative spirit. When designed around diverse plant communities, gardens attract pollinators and songbirds. They nourish all our senses and encourage us to connect to a greater sense of life beyond our own.

Our gardens are an invitation and a pathway to experience the rich tapestry of sights, sounds, scents, textures and colors. Amidst bird sing songs, flashes of wings and pungent bursts of color, they offer ever-changing surprises encountered in every season. At Sweetgum Horticulture, we recognize the physiological and psychological importance of being in nature, or ecotherapy, and what Japanese culture recognizes as “forest bathing.” The unique and varied natural spaces we design allow our clients to fully bask in the surrounding atmosphere and rediscover their connection to nature.