Go Native Landscape Design Studio is the educated and experienced choice for landscape design.

Megan Fairleigh, ASLA, the Principal Designer at Go Native, has over 10 years of experience in horticulture and landscape design in Southern California.  She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Horticulture from Cornell University and a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Environmental Design.  Megan also is an Associate Faculty member at both the College of Environmental Design at Cal Poly Pomona and MiraCosta College in Oceanside, teaching Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at the undergraduate and graduate level.

our design philosophy

    • California Native doesn’t mean brown and boring!
    • Low-Water doesn’t mean low-beauty!
    • Great design is good for the environment!
    • You can have sustainability with style!

plants are our passion

Planting design is both an art and a science.  A thorough knowledge of plants, their habits and cultural needs is essential to creating a successful plant community, especially when using California Natives.  We have the knowledge to address every site and microclimate, and to find the right plant for every situation.  We seek out the most interesting species and cultivars to bring you a unique, artistic, and aesthetically fresh look while making an ecologically sound, healthy oasis.

why landscape with california natives?

    • Require little to no water once established
    • Attract birds, beneficial insects and wildlife
    • Low maintenance
    • Require little to no fertilizer or soil amendments
    • Improve soil quality
    • Require no pesticides
    • Provide significant seasonal interest year round

why landscape with edibles:

SUSTAINABILITY:
Homegrown produce is the ultimate in local food.  Any food item in the grocery store has traveled an average of 2500 miles to reach the shelf, contributing significantly to our country's carbon emissions and dependence on foreign oil.  If every American citizen ate only one meal per week of locally raised meats and produce it would save 1.5 million barrels of oil every week.  Edibles can be integrated in to just about any yard.  Your sprinklers are watering something, why not have it produce food too?

BEAUTY:   
Edible gardens can also be beautiful gardens.  Gardens should be beautiful places for all to enjoy nature and experience the outdoors.  Edible gardens can offer a wide variety of colors, textures and visual pleasures, while also producing valuable food. 

HEALTH:  
The minute a fruit or vegetable is picked it begins to deteriorate, losing flavor and nutrients.  Modern packaging and refrigeration can somewhat address this, but the fact remains that food eaten fresh from the plant is more nutritious and more flavorful.  Gardening is a healthy, productive form of exercise and has been proven to improve cardiovascular conditioning and muscle strength while reducing depression and anxiety. 

MONEY:    
Food prices are on the rise.  With a small initial investment in seeds and plants, a mature edible landscape can produce a significant amount of a family's diet and save a considerable amount of money each year.  Southern California has one of the longest growing seasons in the United States and home gardens here have the ability to produce food year round. We estimate that the average back yard could produce up to 300 lbs of produce each season or up to 1200lbs per year if maintained properly.

FLAVOR:    
Home gardeners can grow varieties of fruit and vegetables that are selected for their superior flavor, not their pest resistance or ability to handle a long truck ride.  It is impossible to get a truly ripe peach in the supermarket. Many fruits and vegetables, for example tomatoes, apricots, peaches and plums, are picked before their prime in order to withstand packing and shipping.  Growing your own allows you to experience a fruit or vegetable's true flavor and nutritional value.

ADVENTURE:   
Planting a seed is an act of faith.  Gardening is a healthy adventure that can benefit people of all ages.  It provides a creative outlet, sense of satisfaction, a sense of accomplishment, and helps us experience a stronger connection to the earth.  There are few greater pleasures than enjoying food planted, nurtured, and harvested with your own hands.  

facts & tips on edible landscaping:

• It all starts and ends in the soil.  Soil fertility and health are the largest determining factors in gardening success. Nourish your soil with organic material and non-chemical fertilizers and it will reward you with a bountiful harvest.

• Plant multiple varieties of all crops to stagger your harvest and to avoid having an overabundance of one crop at one time.

• If you want fruit trees or berries, know your chill hours: Some crops, such as peach, plum, apple, pear, cherry, apricot, blueberry, and raspberry require a certain amount of cold winter weather to bear fruit reliably. Coastal areas of Southern California do not get enough cold to meet these requirements for many varieties of fruits.  Low-Chill varieties bred especially for these locales can be found at most specialty nurseries.  Ask a knowledgeable nurseryperson to recommend a variety suitable for your location.

• Perennial herbs such as thyme, lavender, oregano, rosemary as well as strawberries make great permanent groundcover.

• All edibles do best in full sun, but not all need full sun to produce an appreciable crop.  Many will still produce if given partially shaded sites, especially inland from the coast. For example citrus, grapes, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries will yield some fruit in shade, just not as much as if planted in full sun.

• Many perennial crops such as ultra dwarf fruit trees, blueberries, raspberries, asparagus, artichoke, bay leaf, and rhubarb make attractive permanent landscape shrubs and accent plants.

• Where space is limited up to four fruit trees can be planted in one hole to save space and stagger the harvest.

• Organic culture is the healthiest for the environment and for those who eat the food grown.  It takes less money and, over time, less effort to grow organically compared to using chemical pesticides and fertilizers, plus it yields healthier, chemical-free food.

  

Go Native has the expertise, creativity, and experience to create a beautiful productive edible landscape in your yard, and help you to grow the ultimate in local food!