(and that’s Maisie.)

I’m the owner of Aster + Lupine Garden Consulting and Design, a business born of my passion for making our neighborhoods more ecologically-friendly. I haven’t always been a professional garden designer or a small business owner, so here’s my story:

Five years ago, at the height of the pandemic when my husband and I bought our house, I set about renovating and caring for a yard that had been neglected for some years. With time, dedication, research, and sweat, I learned how to turn our property into a gardener’s playground and built so much confidence in my knowledge and skills. I busted my tuchus getting rid of most of the lawn covering our 1/3 acre lot , battled (and conquered!) monstrous invasive plants, and began to create the garden of my dreams.

Learning to be a better steward of the land where I live has taught me many valuable life lessons. During a time of deep depression, I found that working in the yard was one of the few things that made me feel alive. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and learned from them. I’ve also had successes beyond my wildest dreams.

Because I had learned so much about gardening, others had begun to turn to me for advice. I realized that the hundreds of hours I had dedicated to reading about landscaping with native plants, researching garden design and maintenance, and going through trial and error in my own yard, was worth quite a lot to others who didn’t have the time to do all of that study. I decided to pivot from my former career in international education and see what I could do to help my neighbors contribute habitat necessary for dwindling native species.

I had become severely burned out in my career, working in international education on study abroad and student exchange programs through the pandemic. Having worked remotely for three years, I longed for more tangible interaction with my physical community, and in 2023, I left the international education field. Having studied and prepared, I opened Aster + Lupine in early 2024.

Forever striving to be a good student, I’ve taken courses in sustainable garden design and maintenance and, in 2025, became certified as a Wisconsin Master Gardener. I never stop reading books and continuing my education on best practices in garden installation, maintenance, and design, especially where the use of native plants are concerned.