Owner Marilee Kuhlmann is a third generation California native. "My life and work experiences, containing the memories of the native landscapes where I played as a child, are the strengths and influences in my designs. The edible and habitat gardens I design are a direct influence from my own personal experiences: the ranch in Bend, Oregon where I raised and grew my family's food and my current front yard vegetable and habitat study gardens where I experiment with edible plants and their pollinators."

"My passion for perennials and herbaceous plants first began when I discovered with admiration the farm's perennial garden planted by Mrs Cobbin, the previous owner of the farm in Oregon. The ornamental gardens unfolded and charmed me through the seasons as I leaned about plants, seasons and the beauty of nature."

"The individuals that influence me greatly today include Gertrude Jekyll and her knowledge of plants and color theory, Bernard Trainor's sense of place and skill in the creation of feeling in a garden, and Christopher Bradley-Hole's expertise incorporating modern influences in historic surroundings within a defined mathematical paradigm."

"These and many others continually provide inspiration through their dedication to craft and devotion to art and nature. The study and creation of beautiful gardens, nature and plants continue to be the center of my work."

Understanding the systems at work in a garden is necessary to a successful landscape.  Marilee Kuhlmann has studied gardening and horticulture at UCLA Extension, spent years practicing garden techniques in many climates, and continuously studied plant nature and needs, soil restoration, new technologies and products for the most advanced and efficient use of imported water.

These skills and the ones acquired from two decades in technical and financial analyses along with the years she's spent as a project manager in corporate America come into play when the design meets the budget and the implementation meets the schedule.

The gardens we design are meant to provide a place for you to be inspired, nurtured and healed in your life's work and a place that thrives and supports all forms of life, for you to enjoy.