Welcome! Welcome Living Earth People. My name is Natalie and I am the owner/designer here at Living Earth Design. I live in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne with my partner and two kids.
My absolute passion in life is helping people reconnect with the land on which they are planted. Inspiring and designing outdoor spaces for people and their families that get them excited to be outdoors and amongst the plants and wildlife.
My logo for Living Earth is a tree for a reason. Trees are incredible plants, reaching high to access sunlight, providing shade and dappled light for underplanting, they are synonymous with the earth. Their roots reach deep into the ground, connecting and communicating with each other. Did you know that this communication (called mycorrhizal networks) allows trees to share nutrients, water, and defense signals. They work together for the good of the group, bigger trees providing necessary nutrients to saplings until they can reach the sunlight themselves, warning of dangers from insects so the group can protect themselves and even sharing water. They grow, they thrive, and they protect. Everything a Living Earth design will do.
Gardens designed by Living Earth operate in the same way, I design spaces that are visually stunning, naturalistic in nature, bringing incredible joy to their Living Earth People. They are ecosystems that thrive and improve the soil, creating living soil that is protected from our harsh Australian sun. Living soil also acts like a sponge, absorbing the rain instead of letting it runoff into our storm water systems. This allows the plants to be more resilient and with less need for regular watering. Sustainability is in every part of our design process and not just as a catch all word. We seek to educate and inspire, to improve the lives of people and their gardens lives too. We plan so that your garden improves not only your life but the earths life as well.
Ever wonder why gardeners are such happy people? There are many answers to this, science tells us that soil biology is essential for gut health, digging your hands in the dirt is actually good for your gut! The physical activity that is good for our bodies and brains, the sunshine providing vitamin D. The list is endless, but I have another theory, our lives, now so indoor and screen focused have deprived us of the connection humans have had with the earth for thousands of years. Living Earths purpose is to reconnect people with the earth, find the joy and peace of being in nature, the reprieve from constant pressures and tasks – to just sit and breathe.
So welcome Living Earth People, welcome and breathe.