Focus — The Pros at Home
Denise Sandoval’s
Sustainable Garden Practicing What She Preaches Nina A. Koziol Editor’s Note: This is another in a series of articles that feature the home landscapes of green industry professionals—ILCA members, plant breeders, nursery owners, public garden staff and educators. After all, who wouldn’t like a little peak at what peers are doing around their own homes?
When Denise Sandoval bought her Naperville
home on a corner lot in 1993 she was working as a software engineer. “I landscaped for about six years, mostly vegetable gardening before deciding to take a landscape design course at the College of DuPage (COD).” She fell in love with design, took more courses and eventually left her tech career. In 2003, she received a horticulture degree but continued to take ecology and naturalist courses. “The natural world is my greatest teacher and inspiration. When I have free time, I hike natural areas and volunteer at restoration sites.” In 2005, she started her company Good-Natured Landscapes.
plugs, then added some seed since I worked at The Natural Garden at the time, but I wish I would’ve started with seed first. I started my front garden from a native seed mix, which I developed myself, then added some plants.” She installed the first of many rain gardens in 2004, using native plants that would grow well, look good and benefit wildlife. “My landscape is pesticide free, so I have a diverse lawn. I had an organic vegetable garden for many years, but now I participate in a local CSA.” Besides composting, she has permeable walkways and various structures made from local recycled or reclaimed materials, like the deck and walkway she designed for her front entrance. Sandoval did all of the landscaping herself except the newer hardscape and front deck. “I oversaw the installation of permeable areas since this was a new technique at the time.”
Going Native
Sandoval discovered the beauty and benefits of native plants while volunteering at COD’s Russell Kirk Prairie. “It was then I decided to feature native plants in my landscape designs Beginnings when I finished school. When she moved in, I used to incorporate a the one-third acre proplot more species divererty was mostly lawn, sity but now I use fewer a few shrubs, several species to make the mature silver maples, a landscape more legible patio and fencing. “My and the plants easier to goal was to provide learn.” wildlife habitat and keep Many of her clients most of my property are new to native plant Sandoval did all of the landscaping herself except the newer hardscape run-off from flooding gardening and have and front deck. waterways and neighsmall or medium size bors.” yards. “I have a better understanding now of how many native Out went the burning bush, barberries and Japanese honplants look and behave long term in a designed landscape, eysuckle after she observed their spread in natural areas. The their wildlife interactions, and various run-off infiltration side yard was her first big project — a prairie. “I started with (continued on page 40) 38
The Landscape Contractor July 2021
