80-20 Plan for a Healthy Landscape

At TDS we feel strongly that it is our responsibility to not only understand your project’s programmatic needs but to also understand your landscape in the context of its larger ecological function and wellbeing.

Ecological function and health start at the ground level with healthy soil. Teeming with life, healthy soil is dependent on the spaces between soil particles for air and water capture. Even when proper measures are taken, compaction or loss of soil structure can result through the movement of heavy equipment and stockpiling of materials. This can result in poor plant establishment as well as drainage and erosion challenges for years to come. 

Strategies to help mitigate the damage incurred during the building process include incorporating native plants into the new planting scheme. Our goal is to provide an 80% native to 20% introduced plant palette. This helps re-establish the plant community and soil biota that existed prior to the construction destruction. Native plants have co-evolved to fill an important role in the local ecosystem supporting many pollinators, birds, and animals.

Non-native, non-invasive specimens can be enjoyed in your landscape as well and may include vegetables, herbs and annuals. Using natives beyond the immediate house envelop helps transition your home landscape back to the larger landscape context re-establishing a connection to place. Once established, native plants often require less maintenance and fewer inputs. By purifying our air and water, providing food and habitat, creating seasonal beauty and enhancing our well being - native plants support life.