Margaret Brower moved from the Midwest to the Hudson Valley in 1985. In 1996 she started a garden business with a partner in Stone Ridge NY. Two years later she struck out on her own and began working as Back to the Garden LLC​.

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Marge has a BS in education and worked as a teacher in Illinois, but wanted a different type of creative outlet and passion in her work. A background in art and home gardening inspired her to begin landscaping as a fulltime career. She completed a Certificate in Landscape Design and a Certificate in Horticulture at The Institute of Ecosystem Studies at the Cary arboretum in Millbrook NY. The school at IES was mentored by the New York Botanical Gardens,  with an ​emphasis on sound environmental and ecological methods in garden design. The two years of intensive course study were followed by many weekend workshops in other aspects of landscape design such as gardening with natives, soil science, and ecologically sound pest and disease management.

 

With many projects of differing scopes under her gardening belt, Marge is still enthusiastic and inspired by each client’s unique dreams, site challenges, priorities, and budget.

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