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When I left my permaculture design course I was fairly comfortable walking the landscape and looking for areas of shade or full sun, and tracking how that would change throughout the day. To walk barefoot after a brief rain to feel where the soil drained quickly or to find spots where water pooled, even if I couldn’t see it with my eyes. To build either a water or an A-frame level to plot and map contours. I knew how to make a base map, a plant list, and to use those to put together a design. With shears and a pocket knife, I could prune limbs or loosen pot-bound roots. With a shovel and spade, I could dig holes and put plants in the ground.

I could effectively design for a residence and work as a gardener and, with a bit of practice and planning, as a teacher. What I didn't know how to do was start a design company that could meet client needs efficiently. The scope of permaculture provided a huge number of tools, but I didn't know how to select the ones to create an efficient toolbox.

I've learned a lot since then, but find that how to work as a professional designer remains something missing from broader permaculture education. Though I see permaculture as a bigger umbrella than just landscape design and teaching permaculture design courses, these are areas where people have had and can continue to find, successful livelihoods. As that is the case, I want to share more about professional practitioners so you can take up the mantle of a designer and hang out your own sign offering design services, if you would like.

As my main work is as an educator and not a landscape designer, to further this conversation I wanted to call on someone with experience to share their process. So, my guest today is Owen Wormser, a landscape designer from Massachusetts who specialized in low-maintenance landscape designs with an understanding of the unique role and needs of permaculture practitioners.

Using the framework of his design business, Abound Design, as a model, he shares how he goes from finding clients, including his early days getting started, through to his design process, and how he lays out plants to finalize the design with his client. During our conversation he includes his thoughts on what work to accept; how as a professional we spend more time designing than just our time in the studio; and ways to consider setting our prices. We end with his thoughts on the DIY spirit of permaculture and how that translates to our work as professional designers.

Find out more about Owen and his design firm at abounddesign.com.

If you'd like to learn more about Owen's background and his recent book, Lawns into Meadows, we recorded an interview about this recently, which you can listen to here:

Turning Lawns Into Meadows

You can learn more about his book and pick up a copy at stonepierpress.org.

If you choose to become a professional designer, over time you'll develop your own process for speaking with customers, how you create your designs and the ways to go from paper to plants in the ground. If you're already a designer, you probably have many of these established already. Wherever you find yourself, I hope this conversation with Owen provided a fresh perspective and tools you can use every day in your practice, whether that's taking a more education-focused approach to your customer interactions, or finding ways to create functional designs more efficiently.

But, what Owen shared here is only the beginning. If you are interested in starting your own design company, what additional questions do you have? If you are already a professional designer, what would you add to what we discussed in this interview? Let me know.

Leave a comment in the show notes or send me an email: The Permaculture Podcast

Schedule a Consultation

I'm here to help you with your permaculture journey, whether that's deciding on your next steps, as a professional to bounce ideas off of for your next project, or to refine your permaculture design. You can schedule a one-on-one consultation, or casual conversation, at calendly.com/permaculture.