Nature By Design - About - Nature By Design

Karen Welch, VSLD & Hort Cert

Nature By Design, LLC is a landscape design and consulting firm in central Virginia, owned and operated by Karen Welch.

Karen is committed to meeting the landscaping needs of her customers and helping them improve property value. As a Virginia-certified landscape designer and horticulturist, she takes pride in the quality of her work and the attention she gives to detail.

Karen grew up climbing trees and gardening with her mom. She studied Economics at DePauw University, earned a degree in Operations Mgmt from U of Arizona ('86), and attended Rutgers' Landscape Architecture program to learn drafting techniques and how to present her ideas. Coupled with 35 years of field experience, today Karen has a thorough understanding of what really works in our landscapes and how to get it done.

Karen and her husband of 36 years reside in the Richmond area.

My Design Approach...

I particularly enjoy getting to know my clients and the satisfaction that comes from understanding and then meeting their needs. To do that, I must listen carefully and ask the right questions. Specifically, how will you use your landscape? How much lawn do you really need? How will you transition through the yard? And many more.

I must also have a sense of proportion and scale, pay close attention to environmental clues, and have a thorough understanding of plants - their environmental requirements and the way they grow. Mature plant size and shape is incredibly important to the longevity of my designs.

The true test of a great design and good investment is not what the landscape looks like when first planted, but what it looks like in 5 to 10 years. Your landscape should be a showpiece of living art requiring minimal care.

Plan Implementation...

You will have several choices once the design is complete. You can install the plan yourself, you can interview and hire your own installers, or you can let me help you. I have developed working relationships with contractors in each of the landscape trades (i.e. masonry, carpentry, irrigation, plant installation, etc). With them, I can develop quotes for every aspect of the project. Should you wish to proceed, I then schedule the work and manage the project from start to finish. It’s turn-key, stress-free, and it’s that easy.