Hi, I’m Suzanne!
I educate gardeners, garden clubs, agencies, and private companies in the North Bay (and online) on how to grow and manage healthy homes and gardens.
IPM Advocate · ReScape (Bay Friendly) Qualified Landscaper · Certified in Greywater Principles and Installation · IPM Innovator Award-Winner · QWEL-Certified · Master Composter
Why I teach about growing healthy gardens
I believe the choices we make within our gardens affect the larger ecosystem around them.
That’s why I love to watch people light up when they discover a connection to their garden. When they see the healthy balance in their garden they once thought was impossible, they know they can find this healthy balance within themselves too.
My environmental educator approach to gardening
Soil health
Water-wise methods
Integrated pest management
Companion planting practices
Organic, eco-friendly gardening products
Environmental and ecological impacts
When you address the root of your problem instead of finding a surface-level solution…
The result is a sustainable garden and plant harmony
The best results come from this holistic approach to building healthy soils, proper plant selection, and being water-wise. I also look to traditional methods our ancestors used, such as the close planting of “Three Sisters:” corn, beans, and squash.
This integration of companion planting helps these plants grow better together. By drawing on these proven practices, I help you employ the principles to achieve a healthy and balanced environment.
Want me to educate your club, group, agency, or company on organic gardening techniques?
My activism work beyond Plant Harmony
My career in the gardening industry began over 25 years ago as a retail associate for a landscape supply business. Then I worked for a women-owned landscape contractor business, as a gardening consultant, and in retail garden center management.
Now, I am the program coordinator for Our Water Our World (OWOW). This is my full-time career outside of Plant Harmony!
OWOW is a partnership between city and county-based water pollution prevention agencies, garden centers, and hardware stores to educate on less-toxic, eco-friendly products and techniques.
OWOW also exists to show consumers they have a choice… hopefully, one that’s not water-contaminating.
Many common pesticides are harmful to sensitive species and ecosystems when they reach local creeks, bays, and the ocean.
My work as an activist and environmental educator aims to solve pest problems with non-toxic solutions that preserve clean water and our watersheds.
Many of my events are in partnership with OWOW. Join me at an upcoming talk – some are virtual, others are in-person, but all are free to attend.
