Everwild Design and Landscape was born from my desire to build a life around the things I love.
The Quick Version
Hi, I am Chloe. I am the owner of Everwild Design and Landscape, an ecologically minded landscape design, installation, and stewardship company based in Western North Carolina. I have worked in landscaping and horticulture since 2012, beginning as a laborer and quickly becoming engrossed in learning everything I could. Before long, I became a crew manager and eventually started my own business.
Over the years I found myself increasingly drawn to native plants, ecology, and the Southern Appalachian landscape. Today my work focuses on creating beautiful, functional outdoor spaces that support wildlife, incorporate native plants when possible, and feel rooted in this region. I combine hands-on field experience with a passion for design, ecology, and thoughtful craftsmanship.
My approach always prioritizes ecological health, responsible plant care, and thoughtful methods. Whether the project leans more traditional or more naturalistic, ecological awareness guides every decision.
What sets my work apart is not just plant knowledge or construction skill, though both matter. It is the lens I bring. An understanding that landscapes shape how we feel, that design near the home affects mental clarity, and that outdoor spaces can be both organized and alive.
I believe the way we design our home environments has the power to influence the health of our communities, people and wildlife alike.
The deeper philosophies
I did not start this work because I wanted to mow lawns faster, install the same shrubs in front of every house, or build a giant profit-driven business.
I started because I was looking for my place and purpose in the world. I wanted work that could offer stability while also feeding my creative and curious side. This work touches on many of the things I care most about: design, nature, psychology, movement, beauty, and the way people feel in a space.
I wanted to create a job for myself that felt meaningful and could eventually grow into a few jobs for other like-minded people. I wanted to create something real and good.
For me, landscaping is not just about making things look nice. It is about creating places that feel alive. Places that hold beauty, comfort, peace, curiosity, habitat, and a sense of belonging.
I believe people need a connection to the natural world. Study after study shows that time spent around plants, wildlife, and healthy ecosystems improves mental health, lowers stress, increases focus, and helps us feel more grounded. I think many of us are longing for that connection, even if we do not always realize it.
Although Everwild still offers traditional horticultural services, I am passionate about finding ways to create habitat wherever I can. I believe we need to rethink the typical American residential landscape.
We are used to seeing large mulched beds with evenly spaced plants, neatly pruned into submission. We have been taught to value the newest cultivars with larger flowers, unusual leaf colors, and more dramatic forms. To many people, that has become what "organized" and "well-kept" looks like.
But I believe there is another way.
More densely planted communities can reduce the need for yearly mulching and significantly cut down on weeding. Native plants are often better suited to the conditions they evolved in, which means less irrigation, less fertilizer, and less fighting against the site.
When we begin to see the native plants around us as beautiful, the landscape changes. You start to notice more birds, butterflies, pollinators, and seasonal shifts. The space feels more alive, more grounded, and more connected to this place. Instead of constantly seeing things that need to be controlled, you begin to experience the landscape as something that can offer peace.
A native garden does not have to feel messy or out of control. It can still be designed. It can still feel intentional, artful, and deeply cared for. In many ways, that balance between wildness and structure is what inspires me most.
I believe a landscape should fit the place it is in.
That means paying attention to the natural conditions of a site: the soil, moisture, sunlight, slope, existing trees, and the character of the surrounding landscape. It means choosing plants that thrive in those conditions rather than forcing the land to support plants that do not belong there.
I am especially passionate about native plants, but my approach is not rigid or all-or-nothing. I love creating landscapes that feel rooted in this region while still feeling personal, artful, and welcoming. Sometimes that means a mostly native garden with a few beloved ornamental plants mixed in. Sometimes it means a meadow, a woodland edge, or a garden that quietly blends into the surrounding landscape.
What matters most to me is that a space feels intentional and meaningful.
I value honesty, craftsmanship, and doing things the right way, even when that takes more time. I believe in being transparent about budget, process, and what is realistic. I believe in treating workers fairly, creating thoughtful spaces rather than rushed ones, and building landscapes that age well.
I also believe ecological landscaping should not feel intimidating or inaccessible. You do not have to turn your whole property into a wild meadow to make a difference. Even small changes, choosing better plants, reducing lawn, supporting pollinators, or improving soil can create something more beautiful and more alive.
My goal is to help people create outdoor spaces that feel like an extension of themselves and of this place. Landscapes that are grounded, resilient, and full of life.
If that sounds like the kind of work you are looking for, I would love to hear from you. And if you already have a more traditional landscape but are looking for someone ecologically minded to help care for it, make thoughtful changes, and guide its evolution, I would love to begin that journey together.