Landscape designer Eileen Stark:

I've had keen interest in growing things and a tremendous respect for all animals for as long as I can remember. I considered myself a conservationist as soon as I learned what the word meant. With background studies that include wildlife biology, ecology and horticulture, I've been professionally designing unique gardens that transform underused spaces into vibrant and functional landscapes, since 1996. Utilizing my botanical expertise and strong design, permaculture and restoration ecology principles, my designs help conserve resources, increase biodiversity, meet clients' goals and harmonize humanely with the environment. I'm also a freelance non-fiction writer, photographer and passionate advocate for animals who strives to inform how our daily choices affect other species down the proverbial stream. I coordinate neighborhood tree plantings, speak out on behalf of mistreated animals and volunteer for various humane organizations. My present and past affiliations include, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Berry Botanic and Leach Botanic Gardens, Big Wildlife, Center for Biological Diversity, Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, Friends of Trees, Oregon Native Plant Society, Pesticide Action Network, Plant Amnesty, Predator Defense and World Society for Protection of Animals. I completed Master Gardener training in Seattle and have been growing some of my own food organically for over 20 years. Peviously, I worked in the animal protection and veterinary fields.
ABOUT
SERVICES
GALLERY
Specialities:
~ Native habitat gardens
~ Edible landscapes
~ Water-wise landscapes
~ Arts & Crafts period designs
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Why garden sustainably?

We live in an age of tremendous human activity and are losing the fight to save biodiversity. True wilderness is almost non-existent and habitat loss has caused 30 percent of the world's mammals and birds to be on the brink of extinction. With a heightened awareness of the earth’s fragility, many of us feel helpless and hopeless over the human-induced destruction of the earth and its flora and fauna. But having knowledge of the wrongs we do makes us able to make things right: In our own private yards we can create a little piece of the world we want to live in.

The basic principle behind 'sustainability' is for humans to live successfully as part of Nature, rather than separate from it. Of all the species in the world, we are able to create of our own volition: We may choose to exploit the land, harm its creatures and exhaust resources just because we can, without asking whether we should. Or we may choose to enrich and protect, so that the beauty, diversity, function and structure of the ecosystem is maintained, creating an exchange that lasts. In plain terms, we need to balance our taking with giving back. It is a simple, often inexpensive activity that also gives one a feeling of well-being and self-sufficiency. Sustainable gardening asks us to create gardens that kindly provide for our needs while the natural conditions of the site are restored and enhanced with, for example, native plants, minimal lawn and tillage and an opposition to synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and non-renewable substances like peat.

As stewards of Nature, we can have year-round, carbon-negative gardens that thrive with healthy soil, support a diverse population of native plants and wildlife, provide food and look beautiful. Whether we're starting with a bulldozed suburban backyard or a tiny urban courtyard, a garden will be most sustainable when we tread in small footsteps, adding garden elements that are well-suited to the site and dwindling native wildlife. This idea is not new and is how gardening was done until industrialization began in the 1800s. Guidelines for sustainable gardening are found in many schools, including organic, English cottage, permaculture, Arts & Crafts and bio-dynamic gardening.