There's something quietly radical about deciding your yard can do more.
More than grass to mow. More than curb appeal. More than a weekend chore. What if your front yard fed you? What if your backyard brought back the lightning bugs? What if the space right outside your door was alive in a way that actually meant something?
I didn’t always think this way. It took years of bad tomato harvests and a front yard full of vegetables to get here.
I grew up on a small homestead in New York, where we kept two large gardens that helped feed our family. At the time, I thought of it as a chore — something to get done, not something to love. It took years, a porch full of sad vegetable pots, an embarrassing number of houseplants, and eventually a house of my own before I understood the deep truth that growing things is one of the most grounding, purposeful things a person can do.
My outdoor gardening journey started the way most do — a shady backyard, some research on what I could plant that wasn’t hostas, and ultimately a garden that felt like a small miracle. Then three raised vegetable beds. Then the realization that my tomatoes desperately needed more sun, which meant moving things to the front yard. That meant figuring out how to make food gardens beautiful enough that the neighbors wouldn’t mind. That research led me to foodscaping — the practice of weaving edibles into ornamental landscapes so naturally that people stop and ask what that gorgeous plant is before they realize it’s a basil plant.
I was hooked.
For 15 years I worked as a hotel executive and in corporate hospitality — an industry built on anticipating what people need, paying attention to detail, and making spaces feel welcoming and considered. It turns out those instincts translate remarkably well to garden consulting. In 2023, I stepped away to put my energy into something with deeper roots. Into soil. Into ecosystems. Into helping people transform their yards into spaces that feed them, support pollinators, filter rainwater, and feel genuinely alive. It’s the kind of work that makes a small but real difference in the world — and it turns out that’s exactly what I was looking for.
Garden Karma was inspired by my dog, Karma, who has strong opinions about where the squirrels should be, and excellent instincts for finding the sunniest spots. The name also means what it sounds like: you get back what you put in. In good dogs, in gardens, in soil, in community — what you tend, grows.
I’ll walk your space with you, listen to what you want, and build something that fits your land, your life, and your values — whether that’s a thriving food garden, a no-mow native lawn, a rain garden, or all of the above, one phase at a time.
Let’s grow something good together.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Ready to grow something good?
Let's walk your yard together and figure out what it could become.
Serving the Omaha and Des Moines metro areas
In-person consultations only — because every space deserves eyes on it.