About

Mission

I co-create exquisite gardens that harmonize with the environment,
through active listening to people and place,
thus deepening our relationship with nature and each other.

Biography

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me.

I specialize in creating outdoor spaces that harmonize with the place, the architecture, and the people that inhabit the place. I achieve this harmony through prudent use of native plantings, careful study of the built environment, and a thorough dialog with my clients. The result is a garden that is unique in every aspect of the word.

As a certified Bay Friendly Landscaper, I create healthy, vibrant landscapes that are in balance with the environment around us by:

  • Choosing plants that fit the microclimate and the available space
  • Nurturing healthy, nutrient rich soils to reduce the need for chemical fertilizers
  • Conserving water, energy and topsoil through proper planning
  • Protecting our bay by reducing stormwater runoff through the implementation of bioswales and rain gardens
  • Creating habitat for wildlife by making food, water and shelter an integral part of the landscape
  • Reducing pesticide use by encouraging environmentally friendly pest management methods
  • Reducing waste by specifying appropriate maintenance and on-site recycling

A native of Chicago, Illinois, I received my degree in Ornamental Horticulture from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1982. In addition to managing my own design firm for thirty years, I worked with the Chicago Department of Environment where I coordinated a program called Greencorps Chicago that combined job training for people in recovery with community gardening. In this position I also managed Brownfield Redevelopment Projects, the rooftop garden on Chicago’s City Hall, and Mayor Daley’s Landscape Awards Program.

I also served as Senior Horticulturist for the Chicago Botanic Garden where, in addition to managing ten unique gardens, I worked with one of the nation’s top design firms, Oehme van Sweden, to implement one of their largest landscape projects to date: The Gardens of the Great Basin at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

More recently, in the San Francisco Bay Area, I was operations manager for Rubicon Landscape, social enterprises of Rubicon Programs that provides services to people living in poverty or who are living with disabilities. In this position I managed the landscape operations for Yerba Buena and Treasure Islands where employees are recruited through the Treasure Island Homeless Development Initiative.

My expertise in arboriculture; garden design, installation and management; and vocational horticulture has led me from New York to California and abroad. An avid writer and enthusiastic speaker, I am eager to share what I have learned with gardeners everywhere through garden design presentations and classes, garden periodicals, and outreach programs. My recent interests include therapeutic garden design and permaculture. I am currently working on my first book: Bungalow Garden Design and the New Arts and Crafts Movement.

John Beaudry Resume (PDF 32KB)

John Beaudry Print and Media Listing (PDF 28KB)

Affiliations

Call or email to schedule a consultation today:

John R. Beaudry
33 Edwin Drive, Kensington, CA 94707
p 510-292-6595
f  510-295-3273
email john@beaudrydesign.com