Hi! I’m Devon Snyder. I started Sedge & Soil because I’m obsessed with native plant landscaping and restoration ecology.

For 15 years, I have worked in public land management, ecological research, and higher education. My work has almost always involved extensive field work, measuring and monitoring plant populations and ecological dynamics on the ground, close to the earth. I am a professionally trained ecologist, with degrees in environmental sciences from University of Vermont and University of Nevada, Reno. 

Many years ago, I started to have the opportunity to bring my training in ecology into my home landscape. As I shopped for plants and looked for inspiration in nurseries, neighbors’ yards, books, and magazines, I was disappointed to see that the horticultural industry and culture around gardening were not keeping up with the work my colleagues and I were doing. We were studying (and writing, and teaching) about the perils of invasive plants and insects, water overconsumption, overuse of plastics, and the loss of wildlife habitat. When I attended plant sales and events with other gardeners, I found I was somewhat lonely in my view of the home landscape as potential habitat. While I found others with similar view points, they were challenged to find the right plant materials or accurate information about how to create a natural landscape that was site-appropriate.There are trickles of this information in public media (one article per magazine…) but even today it is still relatively difficult for the average person to get it right when it comes to ‘Bringing Nature Home’, to quote Doug Tallamy. 

Meanwhile, my colleagues were also building an awareness that the path forward for conservation involves more than just wilderness preserves. Active management of landscapes is critical, and the more the average person can understand this and participate in this, the better off we will all be.

I have now planted and managed home gardens in both Nevada and Vermont - two distinctly different ecosystems. I have watched with joy as birds, bees, and butterflies have flocked to native plants throughout the seasons. Landscaping with native plants is so rewarding, and it has become my mission to share the feeling of hope it inspires with others.

Throughout my career, I have always found the most joy when I am able to help people understand the natural landscape around them. With Sedge & Soil, I want to empower the home gardener or landowner to understand and feel connection to the plants and soil they manage. Together we can learn a few things, get our hands dirty, and plant some plants.