Big Ideas: Sustainable Landscape Design with Brooke Merriam: Season 3 Episode 2
Brooke Merriam of Sunflower Designs, LLC shares her expertise about sustainable landscape and garden design.
Brooke Merriam, photo courtesy of Brooke
Brooke Merriam is a landscape designer and Principal of Sunflower Designs, LLC, based in Bristol, Rhode Island. For over 20 years, she has worked closely with clients to create new landscapes, transform old ones, and establish beautiful year-round settings. Through collaboration with homeowners, and in partnership with her professional colleagues, including masons, carpenters and landscape contractors, she creates outdoor spaces that are ecologically friendly, functional, beautiful and meaningful to each homeowner.
Brooke is a Rhode Island Certified Horticulturist (RICH), a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), the Rhode Island Nursery and Landscape Association (RINLA) and the Ecological Landscape Alliance (ELA).
Just in time for your spring garden and landscape planning, Brooke talks sustainability with co-hosts Katie and Dawn. Give the episode a listen to learn more about how to make your landscape and garden more sustainable. Brooke talks about limiting inputs and outputs, water management, rain gardens, rain barrels, native plant recommendations, and more.
To pique your interest, here are a few of Brooke’s snapshots of native plants she recommends.
Foamflower (Tiarella-white flowering) and Native Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis-the red flower) Native perennials that bloom in spring
Gayfeather (Liatris) with Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly (Midsummer bloom)
Swamp Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) and Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnales) (native perennials that bloom late summer)
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) Native shrub with berries in fall)
And a rain garden as a feature.
Rain garden designed by Brooke/Sunflower Designs
Learn more about Brooke’s work at Sunflower Designs, LLC.
