Featured Landscape Designer > Featured Landscape Designer Archives> May 2009: Amy Whitworth
 

Amy Whitworth is the Legislative Committee Chair of APLD's Oregon Chapter.
Amy is also the owner of Plan-it Earth Design, specializing in Earth Friendly gardens since 1998.

Growing up on Long Island, NY, Amy spent much of her time in the arms of the big old apple tree growing in her backyard. Summers spent in Maine as a young girl cultivated her strong connection to the natural world. Amy's educational background blends the disciplines of Fine Art with Ornamental Horticulture and those themes continue to this day. She earned her MFA in Fiber Art from Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts) in 1980. She has lived and worked in Manhattan and Philadelphia as an interior plant technician, floral designer, jewelry maker and business owner before making the move to Oregon in 1991.

Amy worked for Tsugawa Nursery in Washington for 6 years as a landscape designer. She provided customers with personalized retail assistance during which time she completed landscape design course work at PCC Rock Creek. Her work at Tsugawa provided Amy the opportunity to become well acquainted with a large variety of plants while learning the fundamentals of Northwest/Japanese Fusion Style Gardening.

Her love of textures, form, rhythm and color reveals itself in the creation of stimulating natural retreats that echo the tranquility of the forest. Amy prefers a team approach to creating gardens, and works collaboratively with both clients and contractors from concept through completion. She also provides Garden Coaching to her clients helping them to grow with their gardens.

It was at Tsugawa that Amy began teaching classes on landscape design topics and became fascinated with native plants of the Northwest. She is a regular instructor at Berry Botanic Garden, local nurseries and garden clubs. Amy has just contracted with East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District as a Naturescaping presenter for their Rain Gardens 101 program.

Amy is a member of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon, the National Conifer Association and the Architectural Heritage Foundation. She is a Board member of APLD Oregon and has been the Legislative Chair since 2006, vigilantly protecting the rights of Landscape Designers in Oregon while working to reach out to both the Landscape Contractor and Landscape Architect communities.

She is also the Communications Chair for ANLD (Association of Northwest Landscape Designers), keeping members connected to events and educational opportunities in the region. She can be found in the ReDirect Guide to Healthy and Sustainable Businesses in the Portland/Vancouver Metro area. Amy is currently working to become a Certified Eco-logical Landscape Professional through the Pollution Prevention Outreach Team of the Portland Oregon Metropolitan Area.

To see more of Amy's work, please visit her website at www.plan-it-earthdesign.com
You may contact her at 503-239-0105 or by email at plan-it-earth@comcast.net

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