medford Native Plant and landscape design Projects
August 2026
It’s been a while since I’ve updated the journal section on this website… These days, almost all the journaling I’m doing is in physical books but because I’ve started volunteering for various native plant community projects (primarily Wilderscaping and TreesMedford) I figured I’d add some images and text here to track these efforts.
Landscape design was a topic on my periphery up until 2026. I enjoyed attending public lectures hosted by GSD’s Landscape Architecture department, and attending MassAudubon nature programs throughout the years, but hadn’t personally considered applying my artistic training to projects outside of fashion, textiles and product design.
Since I started renting a studio at Arts Collaborative Medford (ACM) earlier this year however, I’ve had more interactions with a host of local organizations and people affiliated with ACM. One of the organizations that ACM partners with to maintain the native plant garden in the front of their property is Wilderscaping, founded by landscape designer and native plant authority Dan Bender. He’s brought me into a variety of projects he’s working on, including a redesign of a plot of land near Barry Park and designing native plant labels for his clients.
Being enlisted into a delightful community of botanists, gardeners, Medford’s Forestry and Parks divisions, city council, and neighbors that push these projects forward has been such a rewarding, unexpected outcome. I’m so excited to see the work continue to develop in the coming months!
Hand-drawn Plant tag design project
September 2026
Dan was hired by ACM to redesign a patch of land in front of their building. He divided the area into five beds, planted about two dozen native species, and currently enlists the help of volunteers to maintain the site. However, Dan wanted to ensure the plants would not be mistaken for weeds and accidentally removed by volunteers.
To help, I designed ID tags that will be placed next to each plant. The photos below detail the process of designing and producing 21 unique tag designs.
The planting site in front of ACM
ACM’s species chart. Dan requested the bolded names to receive a tag design.
Initial pen and ink drawings based on internet images and on-site field visits
All the tags, scanned, digitally cleaned, and vectorized.
Engraving test on stainless steel - four hours were spent calibrating and testing the material until the settings were optimized. Finally, a clear result! I used a MOPA laser, a machine that engraves dense materials like stainless steel using 60 watt power.
More photos and project info soon!