Our Mission
To guide our clients to achieve their landscape goals through thoughtful garden design rooted in sustainability, craftsmanship, and a deep love for the land. We believe that every project is an opportunity to restore balance, nurture wildlife, and celebrate the natural beauty of North Carolina’s native flora.
Our Story
We are a small, women-owned business proudly serving the Triangle community of North Carolina since 2019.
Laurel's love of gardening began early, spending countless hours alongside her mom in the garden. What started as a childhood passion naturally grew into helping friends and family create beautiful outdoor spaces of their own. As more people asked for design help, that passion evolved into Laurel's Garden Design.
In the beginning, Laurel designed with whatever plants best suited the space and the client's vision. Everything changed, however, in 2020 when she read Nature's Best Hope by Douglas W. Tallamy. The book completely transformed the way she thought about gardening. It challenged her to consider not just how a landscape looks, but who it supports and why our plant choices matter.
As she shifted her focus toward designing with native plants, Laurel ran into a challenge: finding the right plants, in the right quantities, at the right time for installation. Rather than compromise her designs, she began growing many of the plants myself. What started as a practical solution quickly became another passion. Laurel discovered that she loved propagating and growing native plants just as much as designing with them, and before long, those few trays of plants had grown into a thriving native nursery.
Today, Laurel's Garden Design and Native Nursery combines thoughtful landscape design with locally grown native plants. By growing many of the species we recommend, we can provide healthier plants, ensure greater availability, and help homeowners create landscapes that are beautiful, resilient, and ecologically valuable.
We believe gardens should do more than look beautiful, they should provide habitat, support pollinators and wildlife, strengthen local ecosystems, and reconnect people with the natural world. Every project and every plant we grow is rooted in that mission.
Our Team
Meet our team of talented, dedicated individuals who share a genuine love for native plants and ecological gardening.
Laurel Babcock
Owner
Heather Bixler
Landscape Designer
Sami Allen
Landscape Designer
Jessica DeMotts
Mel Holt