Portraits: Claudia West, Landscape Designer & Author

Claudia West is a principal landscape designer at Phyto Studio and an accomplished author and speaker. Her passion for plant-focused design and her desire for both beautiful and functional landscapes is often the focus of her speaking opportunities and writings. 

Claudia’s interest in horticulture began at an early age. Growing up, her parents were in the nursery business and she worked alongside them in every aspect of their work. 

“I have a deep love for growing plants, but also designing with plants, observing how they behave in planting and managing that behavior so that a planting continues to look really beautiful.”

She has felt that there is a disconnect between growers and designers and hopes to connect the two to create more meaningful designs. 

“…trying to communicate between the world of people who know plants, grow plants, and are expert at that but also people who design with plants who don’t often have a deep knowledge of these plants so trying to tie those worlds together…”

Part of the issue in Claudia’s perspective is the lack of good and useful plantings in places that need it most. 

“Natural places that in the past balanced the effects of urbanization are disappearing at an alarming rate.”

She’s a proponent of creating places that are beautifully planted, but also functional to bring balance to the negative impact that industrialization has brought to the planet. Part of where that starts is letting go of the control that we want to have over planting design.

“There’s so much beauty in seeing plants dynamically change…”

For more information about Claudia and to see the work the Phyto Studio firm is doing, visit the firm’s website.

This episode was filmed by Leon Guanzon and edited by Laura Christian.

Art is by Matthew Gillin.