Thoughtful Gardens

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Thoughtful Gardens

Thoughtful Gardens

Thoughtful Gardens

Creating ecologically resilient and beautiful gardens for people and wildlife in NYC and surrounding areas.

Licensed and Fully Insured
HIC # 2136196-DCWP

To schedule an on-site or virtual consultation, email: olivia@thoughtfulgardensnyc.com

The roofdeck on this Brooklyn Heights brownstone is glorious. You can see the river, treetops, and the old brick and new shine of downtown Brooklyn all at once. This project was for lovely clients who are selling their beloved former home and our goa

Scenes from @artmageddonbk with Frida feeling more and less delighted by the rain. We tried! What an amazing day anyway. Inspiring art and community and people sticking it out in less than ideal weather. Thanks to everyone who made it happen, everyon

The ghost pipe issue comes out this week! 

I had my first encounter with ghost pipes on a familiar hike through the Washburn-Bull Hill-Cornish loop up in Cold Spring, NY, on Labor Day weekend. The white stems glowed in the leaf litter. My imagi

One of the things I love about stewardship is witnessing the just-before moments. They feel like cues to savor what comes. Right here Nepeta, Salvia, and Spigelia are beginning to rebloom. I’m amazed they have it in them. For a first summer, th

For all my dog people, this month’s newsletter is the Frida issue. It’s about her wisdom, the weather, and things we misunderstand in nature. And as promised, you get a packet of collard greens seeds to eat this winter 💫
💌 subscribe at

Summer vibes, stewardship, last year’s plantings thriving ☀️

A woodland edge tucked behind a Manhattan townhouse. 

We started out with a backyard in need of vision and some TLC. In early spring I removed gravel and wire mesh from the back quarter of the yard, then dug out the five stumps of trees that ha

If only I was a bird. Such a delight working with these clients to create a new story for this space now full of layers, change, mystery, happiness. Many new native and ecologically valuable plants and some of the clients’ old beloveds in the m

Some scenes from a lawn-to-native work in progress that has kept me busy for many months! The front yard in various stages of bloom from April to May, with more still to be planted. A wild delivery day in April. Mulch drop day in December (look at th

These are leaf scars on a Hydrangea quercifolia. I wrote about them in my May newsletter. You can subscribe at the link my bio. 🌱