WHY WE GARDEN
We see the role of the contemporary gardener as one who engages new ideas about what gardens can mean today: a plant-forward approach that envisions a garden as an ecologically diverse place for people and pollinators and one that provides beauty for our clients throughout each of the four seasons. To achieve these goals, we draw on an extensive knowledge of plant growth habits and growth rates and rely primarily on the use of hand tools, hard work, and smart gardening.
This approach provides greater attention to plant health, eliminating the need for the gardener to fight the plant as it ages. In this way, our techniques actually save time, eliminate the need for excessive chemicals or continual mulching, are more plant friendly, and make our jobs wonderful!
WHAT IS LEAF & SPADE LIKE TO WORK WITH?
LEAF & SPADE is founded on honesty. We see this as critical to how we interact with our clients, our co-workers, and how we treat the earth. We believe our clients deserve consistent high-quality work, clear communication, and designers/gardeners with a passion for gardens. We believe in providing care and respect for our co-workers every day. We believe in a commitment to plant and soil health, ecological diversity, and using the best (and safest) gardening practices. These beliefs drive how we work with clients, and we think you will notice that in every interaction.
As an intentionally small company we seek to build a client base that looks for thoughtful garden design and garden care. We work on both large and modest-sized gardens, but most of all we concentrate our work to be for people who want to be excited by their gardens!
LEAF & SPADE was established in 2022 by John Mann. He has worked with some of the best gardeners (and designers!) in some of the most innovative public and private gardens in Chicago and San Francisco. He is passionate about exceptional garden design and stewardship, blending thoughtful sustainability into his gardening practice to create beauty in every season. John uses his own garden as a lab for understanding the growth habits of new plants and what they may offer for his clients. His work as an artist along with his extensive plant care knowledge guides his garden designs to allow for plant and pollinator health while providing garden spaces that are meant to be lived in and experienced.
(Fun fact - his photographic work has been exhibited internationally!)