"We need particular and unique places. Places worthy of our loyalty and commitment, places where we feel at home, places that inspire and uplift, and stimulate us, and that provide social and environmental sustenance." - Timothy Beatley
I am a landscape designer and author living in Austin, Texas. My educational background includes a bachelor of arts degree in the Plan II Honors program at the University of Texas, and a master's of science degree in horticulture from Texas A&M University in 1977. My studies in graduate school focused primarily on the propagation and uses of native plants; an area of horticulture that until that time had been largely overlooked. My first book, How to Grow Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest, published in a revised edition by the University of Texas Press in 2001, records the knowledge of several generations of plant experts and growers. Some consider it a classic reference text that has been influential in increasing awareness of the value of native plants in both vernacular and built landscapes.
Currently, I am involved in promoting my new book Yard Art and Handmade Places: Extraordinary Expressions of Home (University of Texas Press Nov. 2007). In addition, I am shifting the focus of my practice from residential design to public open space projects and land management consulting to owners of rural property who desire to become good stewards and improve the overall ecological health of their land.