Our Hudson Valley project comes to mind as we celebrate Earth Day at the studio. Here is Dani checking in with one of our favorite clients @callistohudsonvalley . Installed using a mix of planting and overseeding, the farm house entry garden has taken shape through time and collaboration. If youâve worked with us, youâve likely heard things like⌠how did the spice bush grow in this year? Did you turn off your irrigation? Did you remember to cut back that aster? Did any of those seeds you threw down come up? Do you see more birds, more butterflies? Are you noticing anything new?
Weâre so grateful that our vocation is to work with the earth and to invite people into the practice of nurturing it with us, not just when we plant your garden but for years to come. Gardening brings us closer to our shared humanity and all living beings. Happy Earth Day đ
March in the studio garden. Happy to see all the foundations for a stunning summer being built, like the achillea seeds we sowed a year ago coming up, the verbena stretching a foot taller, and the early blooms waking up our insect neighbors. Happy Spring!
Concept for our Inner Richmond project. For this one weâre really working with some existing infrastructure both by building on it and softening some of the harsh lines with planting. Weâre excited about the pergola in the heart of the space, a moment to sit among the plant material that surrounds it, and the little knoll of viola that will become a play space for little ones.
Part 3:Â Â @PHFGardening show. Final product.
Our exhibit, âNorth of the White Barnâ considers landscape as inheritance rather than a backdrop, making sense of the blurry visions of the northern California roadside as something lived, layered, and still unfolding. Neither static nor untouched, we wanted our concept to showcase those peripheral places embodied through use, adaptation, and memory, where land and human presence are inseparable, shaping each other in ways seen and unseen. Â
Thank you again to our volunteers & partners, @leo__swartz , @derek_james_weston , @sonomavalleynursery , and small but mighty build team @mr____peach . We are so lucky to have had so much support on a project that was quite out of the ordinary for us.
Photography by the talented @petersherno
Thank you for joining along.
Xx- Dani and Emily
Part 2:  @PHSGardening show continued. We played around with how we wanted to convey the mixed use / human presence element of our concept - we messed with ideas like an old cattle fence or a sculptural element, but we landed on a crumbling stone wall because we felt like it portrayed the passage of time through use and abandonment. We also chose to enclose our exhibit in white walls because ironically it helped us portray a feeling of vastness inside. The accent wall gave a preview into the exhibit via a doorway, meant to be a snapshot before rounding the corner to see the whole thing, like you might get glancing out the window for a split second while driving.â¨â¨Thank you to @leo__swartz and @derek_james_weston for the build support, and everyone who forklifted over boulders while we stood back and pondered their placement. This was my favorite part of the build. Weâre used to slow, intentional work that requires patience and the passage of time to see the fruits of our labor, but this came together in just two days. More soon!
Part 1: We were beyond honored to be selected to present at this yearâs @phsgardening show. We spent around 4 months landing on a concept that felt right for us to showcase, and we knew that we wanted to tell the story of the landscape that inspired us through plant material rather than huge structural elements. We worked closely with Sonoma Valley Wholesale Nursery to land on a final plant list that captures the mixed use history of the landscape north of the Bay Area. Mostly native, some adapted /Â naturalized, and a very few invasive species, our plant palette was meant to pay homage to our inherited landscape.Â
Thank you to the incredible team @sonomavalleynursery . Paul (and Iris), Sarah, and crew, we couldnât have done this without you. And thank you to our freighter who safely delivered our precious cargo!
The story of the repurposed redwood in Healdsburg continues. Since we posted the stools, weâve been able to build an entirely new perimeter fence and these sweet loveseats for a little patio outside the future primary. Thanks again to Shawn Gavin for the beautiful work, and our clients for their shared dedication to reuse!
Join us this Thursday, January 29th at 12pm EST for a special web presentation hosted by the Philadelphia Horticultural Society. Weâll be diving into the design process behind our upcoming exhibit âNorth of the White Barnâ at the 2026 Philadelphia Flower show and giving you a peek at what weâve been working on all winter. Link in bio. See you there!
Photo by @madelineshields_ đ¤
Medicinal, herbal tea garden seed mix to spread in your yard, your neighborhood, or on your stoop. Mixed in collaboration with our friends at Leaves and Flowers, these plants are herbal allies and staples in many L & F blends. Meant to be sown, tended to, harvested, dried, and consumed with intention and care.
Contains yarrow, tulsi basil, lemon balm, leaf fennel, mountain mint, chamomile and hyssop.
Weâre adding a few books to the Etta shop tomorrow, ones that reflect how we design, build, and think about gardens. A lot of our practice is informed by function, materiality, beauty, and the pillars of âgoodâ design, but also by the weight of knowing weâre impacting natural processes. We often find ourselves coming back to this somewhat comforting theme of cohabitation, which youâll find across this small stack.
Over the next week weâll be adding a few more items to our web shop in honor of whatever youâre celebrating this year.
Xx
