Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Gonzalez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Melissa, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I have always known I would be a designer; I never imagined I would be a landscape contractor creating garden designs and being their caregiver like my Father. I grew up with a nature loving Father-finding every opportunity to escape the city life to the wild forest; my ancestors were growers of agriculture in places we call “los ranchos”, in a desert climate in Mexico from my Mother’s side. My Father’s side grew more closely to the mountains and rivers. I have engraved the best of both biodiverse environments to paint a better picture and care for wildlife and nature.

When I was in elementary school, many women in the family were getting married (1990’s!) so their voluminous dresses and hair fascinated me-and that’s how the idea of becoming a designer sprouted-I wanted to become a bridal designer. As I got older, and graduated high school, fashion design was not available in my city of Las Vegas and I felt guilty leaving my family behind-especially my Father. I have always assisted him in his gardening business, so I decided to study the basics in college and take up horticulture classes-as my fascination with butterflies emerged. As the years passed, not knowing what to do with the dream of becoming a fashion designer would look like here, I left to study abroad in Madrid to come back in a short period of time and determine what my studies would be. That’s when I entered a year of interior design. When that did not work out, since I still took upon horticulture studies, I decided to go to university and study Landscape Architecture and the rest is history. I found my true passion in pollinators and it all started with the butterfly in community college when I first began horticultural courses. All my focus was drafting and designing pollinator garden designs to implement a cohesive livelihood for both humans and wildlife. In high school my major studies was drafting! I found sharing spaces beautiful and the connection I felt with nature became more inviting in my life. It became a lifestyle. The dream of my Father; like many Fathers and Mothers, to take in the family business for the next generation; my Father’s dream of me studying Landscape Architecture and gifting me his business was both a dream and an opportunity for me to design with my hands, my mind, and soul; it took a new form from elementary school, high school, and from college. I grew the design mindset, learned to drafting, and created havens for pollinators with curiosity and research. All these stages in life, were breadcrumbs that continue to lead me to places and experiences.

When I graduated from the University of Las Vegas, Nevada; my Father was beginning to think about retiring. Even though to this day, I do not allow him to retire (gardening is absolutely so healthy for you! He enjoys the minimal work now a days and assisting with minor projects), we both agreed to continue being there for each other at a different level. I took his business and created it to what it is today, a landscape contracting company that designs with Mother Earth and wildlife in mind with intentional designs and guardianship. I took the passion of ecological designs from college (earned an award of excellence for my final design project) and created my company to align with the principles I began during the time of imagination of what spaces can look like in the studio. It has taken me many years to fine tune the principles and learn from my experiences, but it has only made me stronger and more creative. This year I began to develop the sister company of Earth Green Landscapes, called The Architecture of Wildlife to continue that college dream of learning more about pollinators and their environment to best serve and design for them where we share spaces. It’s a sacred adventure, a sacred space, where sacredness and healing take place for us and for them because we are beginning to show up for ourselves and for them at a nature level. It is a breadcrumb in my life that has taken me to a meadow of seeds and blossoms.

Earth Green Landscapes began in 2014 but The Architecture of Wildlife began in 2010. Earth Green Landscapes has the master hands to create and install and The Architecture of Wildlife has the creativity and play to make gardens a lifestyle and a way of living in the outdoors of our sacred home, it gathers research, creates garden journals, articles, courses, and builds community to maintain a sustainable lifestyle in our sacred homes from the inside out. (Our soul to the souls of wildlife.) Nature journaling bloomed when I was in college and after years of crafting pages of research about pollinators and their environment, I found a community that carves out time to observe and journal their experiences in nature and wildlife, another key and another breadcrumb to follow. This approach of journaling in the field reminds me of the research. I will never forget when I saw for the first time a bumblebee sleep on a plants’ leaves. I knew right away why and how…the magnetic fields from both the bee and the flower comforted the bee to a restful sleep. I then looked around and saw the color palette in the same field…it confirmed my approach to one of the principles of TAOW-design with monochromatic stages of color the pollinators are able to see…I swooned underneath them like a prayer. My heart rejoiced, my heart felt magic. All the breadcrumbs came together in this large magnetic field of flowers.

Even though TAOW took many years to bud after it had been planted, the time is now to bloom. I am so excited to introduce this to my community and in hopes the world to show people the importance of showing up for ourselves in nature and for wildlife that desperately needs our attention and to be curious about them to heal together. Life is hard, and things in life fluctuate with the ebbs and flows-it’s natural to be in hard places and situations; but when we are present whole heartedly in nature, there is always a solution. We need to hear silence from our internal voice and the voice of others to listen to the birdsongs and observe with meditation. There is always a whisper that will emerge, my whisper from spirit said, “Live to be Wild” at a time when I was exploring different ideas in college. I created a sketch where I drew the life of wildlife near water-we are no different. We need all the same things to grow, consume, and heal.

TAOW is blooming this year, and I couldn’t be happier. It has taken 10 years, but I am so thrilled that I never gave up on it. I had to experience becoming the designer for pollinators and the designer of this lifestyle for people in order to create resources for our connection in the wild. I never thought it wouldn’t happen, but when I look back now, I am happy I never rushed things-even though I had some points, but they never worked out. I just completed last week turning in my application for the trademark for this, because the next idea I hope will bloom within the next few years is publishing a book called The Architecture of Wildlife where I teach students the importance of designing for not only wildlife but for people in all scales of landscape spaces. But first, after my years of designing and being the guardian of my clients lands, I have to begin with creating resources for my community where they and I can build from. This project will bloom to the next idea I have had and I am here for it. It may take me 3-5 years or the next 10 years. Patience and grace are my best friends. We have built a relationship many moons ago, and they continue to teach me about life and passion.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a landscape contractor and garden designer living in Las Vegas, Nevada-a native to the Mojave Desert. I was welcomed in this industry by my Father from a very young age, since as far as I can remember, I would write invoices for him for his clients. I learned to pave my journey in a new way in this industry by following the breadcrumbs that I found interesting to create the craft that I now have advanced. I am not your typical landscaper, I create and protect with intentionality-with love and sacredness. I love designing spaces where people can uplift their spirits and gain a new perspective in wildlife habitat in their own sacred spaces and call it their own sanctuary.

I am a nature journalist that designs pollinator gardens and is the guardianship of about 50 acres of land within the community currently. I create garden journals to connect people with nature as it does for me to better understand the world of wildlife and accumulate research topics that expand my knowledge as a designer; for example I explore the anatomy of pollinators to better understand them such as their eyes-how they see and navigate through the landscapes from migration to how they take expeditions in our local native habitat we call home-the Mojave Desert turned me into a pollinator. I explore nature journaling by going on expeditions to gain botanical perspectives for my designs and connect with my being that has become not only an expansion in knowledge within the pages but have gained a larger perspective about myself to better take care of my soul and be a well crafted designer and journalist. I have expanded my principles of biodiversity of plant communities and self care through nature that we live alongside with wildlife. This attracted a particular way of living which I call The Architecture of Wildlife where practice meets rest. It is a practice of connection within with our sacred garden and spaces, it is a plant diary, and it is a natural philosophy for those who are curious about a creative lifestyle with the wonders of the natural world.

Earth Green Landscapes and sister company The Architecture of Wildlife is a boutique offering thoughtfully crafted products and services for nature enthusiasts, wildlife supporters, and creatives seeking deeper connection with the nature and wildlife. It is rooted in love for holistic wellbeing, Mother Earth and wildlife. It exists to honor and express the profound bond between humans and nature. Each creation is a reflection of our reverence for biodiversity and the vital role it plays in nurturing both personal and planetary health. By bringing sacred, nature inspired experiences to life through paper and ritual, TAOW invites people to reconnect, recharge, and rediscover their place within the wild.

My landscape contracting company-Earth Green Landscapes will be celebrating 11 years this October on Halloween! I am so proud where I have come from-from my ancestors to where I am today. The breadcrumbs in life has taken patience and grace and with consistent observation and curiosities about my craft, I have built a latina-woman owned business that does not discredit the rules of contracting but has pushed the envelope from what I have been taught in school in how to design and how to present designs by continuing to do research and always maintain a relationship with Mother Earth because she is my studio, and my teacher.

One of the promises I tell my clients is that I create intentional designs for their well being and the care of pollinators in their gardens. I promise craft, soul-intentional work that is not work but passion to create their dream sanctuary where they will find an anchor to sacred living in the outdoors, but also a sanctuary for their dreams and that requires rest.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I have fostered brand loyalty by what I learned from my Father-being there for their customers one on one and in person. With the ways the world has advanced for businesses which I do not discredit, it is very important that I keep an eye on the intentional work as there are many distractions that perhaps are not important for the wellbeing of the business nor the soul. I have maintained a close bond with my clients by being there one on one from day one. I meet with them in person and give valuable feedback concerning their needs and attention, climate and microclimate changes within their own gardens. With the rise of temperatures, we are always finding solutions to better weigh outcomes from the very beginning, there may be some factors where solutions are created by collaborating with other experts such as Master Arborists to create a plan of action which I am very involved.

One of the things I learned from my Father is loyalty. Word of mouth has been our constant growth strategy. In 2022 was the first year we built a website and it was built to communicate with new clients that wanted to learn more about the company and myself and where I come from. My Father never had it and I have been the new change in the family business. Even though I changed the name, the primary principles of client loyalty remains.

My intention is have a safe haven in my business where burnout is not a word that exists within our vocabulary, but rather it is time to step back, reflect, and rest. When we are present, we are here showing up as our best selves. We do not chase, we walk with grace and constance.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

One of the things I struggled from the very beginning after taking over the business was how finances were controlled and maintained. It is common in this industry to give free estimates and free garden designs, and it has taken me 8 years to comprehend that this does not work-at least not for us. I took those experiences and made them uncommon in my business. I operate from a different mindset and I honour my passion in my industry by being who I am and how we present to our clients from design plans, design installations and guardianship of their properties. My Father didn’t do anything wrong, but he followed the norm. I meditated many times about this over the years; I made a promise to myself and my family business that I am the new generation and with grace and constance by my side, we can grow steadily.

Another struggle has been stepping outside of the comfort zones of people that hire landscape contractors that are interested in working with me. We have found that there are companies that under deliver in their work, leave a financial and environmental burden to the community because of the “mow and blow” mentality. We are very transparent in how we operate and the intentional hours it takes to maintain and design/install gardens. It is an eye opener for those clients that have signed contracts with us (that review at our landscape reports and see the errors of the under deliverables from other companies from irrigation leaks that have been in disfunction for years!) and I am happy to say that this is changing for the good with my new clients that think outside of the ordinary (hiring past underpaid companies and the benefits of hiring a company that dedicates time with skill that is more economical in the long run) that uplift and raise the standards of the industry.

To say the least, I can’t count how many times I have almost missed payroll because we were being underpaid and the worst part being undervalued but that is not the industries fault but our own. I had to remind myself the value we put onto the table. I have learned the hard way and it is best to keep your business at a level that you are able to operate and expand with grace so you over deliver for your current clients versus under deliver because you need to build more clientele to serve your business; my belief is when you serve your business at a healthy level, you serve your clients with an abundant service. I am navigating new strategies so we are fully present in our work and being compensated for the health of the wellbeing of the business. I am fully creative and taking time to expand at ease with what I am able to promise with grace and constance.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.earthgreenlandscapes.com and www.thearchitectureofwildlife.com
• Instagram: @gardensbymelissa / @earthgreenlandscapes / @thearchitectureofwildlife
• Youtube: @architectureofwildlife
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BloomsAndBinds

Image Credits

Claudia Hogan Pardo
Jack Peter Guior