Full Circle

 

In November of 2001, I volunteered as a gardener at the Center for Urban Horticulture (UW Botanical Gardens) in Seattle, WA . Even after a layoff and a break up that miserable winter, working through wind, rain and freezing temperatures, I couldn't imagine returning to a desk. The head gardener was an educator and encouraged me to seek out the highly-regarded Landscape Design program at Edmonds College. 

 

Halfway into the program, I was hired by landscape contractor, designing new construction residential landscapes for the major builders in our area. It was a crash course in curb appeal, working with multiple crews and homeowners, deadlines, sourcing material, and balancing tight budgets.

 

After graduation, I started thrive | urban gardens, became a Certified Professional Horticulturalist (CPH), and focused my work on my immediate neighborhood: container gardens for downtown highrises. Large-scale pottery and dramatic plantings could transform a space, allowing me to create living sculptures with highly-intentioned plant combinations of color, texture, and form.

 

In 2008, I launched Potrisers - a simple solution to a problem I couldn't solve - how to elevate heavy containers without help and without using ugly, expensive, breakable, pot feet. We gained national distribution and international sales before I sold the business to pursue an opportunity in management consulting. It was a chance to work outside my comfort zone, build my professional skills, and put my communications degree to work at the executive level.  

 

But my love of design and horticulture didn't go away.

 

In 2023, I returned to the green industry and Leigh Design, freshening my skills and connection to the community through:

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• a professional certificate in Permaculture design from OSU

• becoming a Master Gardener, working in Kitsap County

• joining the board at Friends of the Farm - supporting local agriculture on Bainbridge Island and the Kitsap Peninsula

 

I'm passionate about good food, sustainability, circular economies, self-sufficiency, regenerative agriculture, and reused and recycled materials. Good design works with, not against, our environments and resources, creating sustainable systems that get stronger and more self-sufficient over time.