Softscaping is Drift’s core design service, with natural materials and permeable paths favored for hardscaping wherever possible.

My planting style grew from two influences: the English cottage gardens illustrated in my childhood picture books and many years living in Washington state, and the naturalistic perennial plantings championed by Piet Oudolf. I found a new rhythm of gardening in Texas when I learned about my own soil’s prairie history and blended both approaches to plant design.

Landscapes provide places of reprieve, interest, play, a setting for community, and add beauty to a home. They can also be built in a way that restores soil health, benefits native pollinators and insects, attracts birds, reduces water runoff and the need for heavy irrigation.

One way to bring seasons into your life is through perennial gardening. Texas native an adapted perennials and self-seeding plants really put on a show, with something of interest year-round.

Native and adapted plants do well because they want to be here! They also work for you by helping to control erosion, reduce watering needs once established, and bringing pollinators and critters for added garden interest. There is a myth circulating, though, that they’re no maintenance or xeric gardens. If you plant a garden full of native plants, you will still be a gardener. Seasonal consulting in spring and fall gives you a plan for maintaining and thoughtfully adding to your space.