About Us - Plant People NW

OUR TEAM

Shannon Stephens, CPH Owner/Manager

Shannon has been in the professional gardening world for 22 years, with prior experience in greenhouse plant care. She works behind the scenes assisting the management team, overseeing general operations, and collaborating on design. She is a Certified Professional Horticulturist.

Taylor Clark, CPH Maintenance Manager

Taylor manages communication with new and existing maintenance clients, and works with our gardening crews to ensure excellence and quality service. He is a Certified Professional Horticulturist with WSNLA.

Ian McCutcheon, CPH, MFTS Project Manager

Ian develops estimates for new stone and paver projects and oversees the installations. He is a Certified Professional Horticulturist with WSNLA. He is also our fruit tree guru, having completed the Master Fruit Tree Steward program with City Fruit.

Denise McDonough, CPH Design Manager

Denise is our Design Manager, overseeing the design process and client communication from start to finish. She is a Certified Professional Horticulturist with WSNLA.

Genyk Okolowicz Crew Lead

Genyk is a graduate of SSC’s Landscape Horticulture program. He has interned at the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetland, and trained as a Neighborhood Garden Mentor with Tilth Alliance. He grows gorgeous vegetables in his home garden.

Kelly Cline Crew Lead

Kelly worked in a variety of industries before joining our team, with a desire to understand horticulture and plant design. In the time he's been with us, he has grown tremendously in gardening knowledge and been promoted to crew leadership.

Shannon Fleck Crew Member

Shannon worked as an assistant gardener at Woodland Park Zoo and for several summers with a landscaping company in Alaska before joining our team.

Justin Craperi Crew Member

Justin joined our crew this year with a desire to deepen his knowledge of the horticulture field. He grew vegetables and raised chickens in the high desert of Nevada before moving to the Seattle area.

Ab McDonald Crew Member

Ab worked previously on a trail maintenance crew with Americorps. They loved working outside every day in all kinds of weather, and gravitated toward horticulture after that job.

Michael Leigh Crew Member

Michael had 4 years of experience in professional gardening with another local company before joining our crew. He is with us part-time while concurrently starting his own small business in landscape design and restoration.

Our service area includes North Seattle (north of the ship canal), Shoreline, and Lake Forest Park.

Our Service Area

Our Commitment to Sustainability

Landscaping operations are often known for their egregious overuse of gas-powered tools and chemical applications. At Plant People Northwest, we are interested in being a different kind of company: one that respects our common space and the health of our planet and bodies.

We use only electric power tools. We purchase organic and local products as often as possible. We use digital, paperless invoicing. And we design for food production, water conservation and wildlife habitat.

What Organic Means to Us

Most garden problems do not require either chemical or organic sprays; they can often be resolved through careful attention to soil moisture & health, plant placement, and skilled pruning. In the rare case that a plant does require treatment, we’ll communicate with you closely to make sure we are bringing approved products into your garden.

Products such as fertilizer, compost, and mulch labeled “organic” are manufactured to a range of different standards. We purchase the best available and, when possible, buy local.

Why Choose Plant People Northwest

Poor design, and unskilled maintenance, can cost you more money and stress than they save. Overplanted or improperly pruned plants and trees are higher-maintenance, less attractive, and more susceptible to disease. Often, the damage of unskilled pruning may be corrected over several years of careful work by a trained gardener; other times, malpruned plants and trees are better off being replaced. Plant People Northwest is a member of PlantAmnesty, our esteemed local source for pruning and gardening education, and our crew prunes according to their standards. When designing a garden, we space plants to reach their full potential without impinging on one another (or your doors, windows and pathways).

We treat your garden with respect and approach our tasks with care. Many landscapers default to chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides rather than addressing the root cause of a wilting plant, an aphid-infested rose or a lilac that won’t bloom. Our focus on soil fertility and “right plant, right place” cultivates a garden that is healthy, beautiful, and lower maintenance in the long run.

Our focus on continuing education also sets us apart from other landscape companies. All of our managers are Certified Professional Horticulturists with WSNLA, and many have also taken classes with Plant Amnesty and City Fruit.

With a focus on thoughtful, sustainable design, safe ecological practices, and highly skilled maintenance, your outdoor sanctuary is in good hands.

Plant People Northwest is a licensed, bonded and insured specialty contractor (#PLANEPN832BK).

AWARDS AND MEMBERSHIPS

We earned the Super Service Award from Angie’s List for 2017, 2018 and 2020. The Award reflects consistent high levels of customer service. Check our reviews at AngiesList.com.

Shannon, Ian, Denise and Taylor are Certified Professional Horticulturists with the Washington State Nursery and Landscape Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting, promoting and educating the horticultural community of Washington State.

Plant People NW is a member of Plant Amnesty, a nonprofit whose purpose is “to end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs caused by malpruning.”

GIVING BACK

Plant People Northwest donates 1% of its profits to local charitable and environmental organizations. This year, we are donating to Washington Conservation Action (waconservationaction.org). Their mission statement: “To advocate for environmental progress and justice through actions that mobilize the public, elect champions for the environment, and hold our leaders accountable.” This year we’ve also done volunteer fruit tree pruning work at the Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford.