Rebuilding Resilience from the Ground Up: Lessons on Community from Plants
We loved having Research Fellow Giri Sharma with us over the summer. Giri is an MFA candidate in Design for Sustainability at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). He approached us to learn about the process, approach, and findings from the work at Indigenous Ingenuities, towards his master’s thesis, “Selling Native Polyculture”. His aim is to build a business case that embraces polyculture in the suburban lawn context to rebuild suburban resilience and provide people with a means of building sustainability in their local neighborhoods.
Giri is a guest contributor to our Field Journal series, and has provided the following reflection and perspective on building and supporting community.
How We are Responding to Climate Change in Our Practice
Last week was Climate Week NYC 2025, and with that was even more coverage than usual on changes in weather and sustainability. It was well timed then, that leading up to it the not-for-profit organization Wild Ones reposted an excerpt from a piece by Kim Eierman: Dealing with Climate Change in Our Landscapes. Kim provides a well researched and easily digested summary of the impact of these changes and what we can do about it. You can read it for free here.
With this growing awareness of climate change and environmental degradation, as well as experiencing weather related challenges firsthand on their properties, we are being asked by homeowners more and more for eco-friendly practices and organic products for their yards. As ecologic design and care is at the core of who we are, we are both deeply appreciative of this media focus and the broad reach of organizations and individuals on these topics. At the local level, we aim to partner with clients and industry associates to implement and promote the importance of these practices in dealing with climate change, in conjunction with improving ecological function.
Honored with Recognition: Care + Time
Honored with Recognition: Care + Time
This summer we were honored to be recognized at the Perennial Plant Association’s (PPA) 2025 National Symposium with an Award of Excellence. Initiated in 1992, the Landscape Design Awards program recognizes design projects that are exemplary in use of herbaceous perennials to help create balanced and beautiful landscapes. This award is meaningful to us on several levels:
Care + Time: Landscape Architecture and the Long Game
“The bulk of all land relations hinges on investments of time, forethought, skill, and faith rather than on investments of cash. As a land-user thinketh, so is he.”
- Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
Hello! I’m Todd, the newest member of the design team at Indigenous Ingenuities. Before joining in June, I spent 16 years at Andropogon Associates — an award-winning landscape architecture and ecological restoration firm in Philadelphia. I started there right out of school and had the privilege of working on inspiring projects across the country, from public parks and school campuses to environmental education centers and new urban districts.
It was deeply fulfilling work with a truly talented team. But over time, I began to sense that something was missing from the traditional design process — especially when it came to creating landscapes that are meant to last. I found myself wanting more time on site, more connection to the communities we were designing for, and more continuity between the initial vision and the long-term life of a place. I was craving a model that kept me grounded — literally and figuratively — in the work: more local, more lasting, and more dirt under my fingernails!
Exciting News: We’ve Merged with Bluestone Group!
Last week we completed the merger of Indigenous Ingenuities LLC with Bluestone Landscape Design Group. As part of the transaction, founder and owner of Indigenous Ingenuities, Matt Benzie, will join Mark Savitsky and Jeff Robinson as a partner leading Professional Landscape Services, Inc, which will now do business as both Bluestone Landscape Design Group in New Hope, PA and Indigenous Ingenuities in Doylestown, PA. Jeff will serve as President of Bluestone Group and Matt will serve as President of Indigenous Ingenuities, while Mark becomes Chief Executive Office of Professional Landscape Services, Inc. Through this merger, the expert team of designers, installers, carpenters, and maintenance team members at Indigenous Ingenuities will begin working under the broader Professional Landscape Services, Inc. corporation.
Streambank Stabilization at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
Nestled in the heart of Delaware’s beautiful Brandywine Valley, Winterthur is the former estate and farm of Henry Francis du Pont. Today, Winterthur exists as a world-class center for the display and restoration of American decorative arts. What many don’t know is that it also includes 1,000 acres of woodlands, meadows and waterways, in addition to an extensive set of gardens both formal and naturalistic around the house.
One of these gardens, set around a woodland stream, is called the March Bank and was the focus of our scheduled site visit in June 2024.
Eco-Friendly Carpentry is for the Birds
One of the many ways our Carpenters choose to recycle leftover materials is through building birdhouses. This idea existed in our wood shop long before we started constructing them earlier this year. The process of materials selection for the nesting boxes asks 2 questions: is it a natural material and is it a drop (or remnant) from a cut large enough to be used? Off cuts of Knotty Cedar, White Oak, Ipe, Meranti Mahogany, Douglas Fir, Pine, Ash and other tree species can be seen in the beautifully crafted, patchwork appearance of each Indigenous Ingenuities birdhouse.
Ecological Beauty
We love brilliant colors and symmetry as much as the next person, but we ask more of our spaces! Beauty is not only about how something looks, but how it works, so our projects address both our customers’ aesthetic and functional needs, while also serving surrounding flora and fauna. In fact, environmental care runs throughout all of our businesses, and
Ecological Landscape Alliance (ELA)
When Ecological Landscape Alliance asked us if we might host a gathering to discuss best practices with members and industry colleagues, we didn’t hesitate to welcome them into our Doylestown workshop and office! The ELA has been promoting sustainable approaches to landscape design, construction, and