Landscape architect Andrew van Egmond observes that Vancouver yards are increasingly designed to feel less controlled and more connected to nature. Homeowners across the Lower Mainland are moving away from manicured lawns toward spaces that embrace wildness, biodiversity, and seasonal change.
Shift Toward Naturalistic Gardens
Van Egmond, founder of Designing Landscape, notes a global movement in landscape design toward looser, more naturalistic planting. "It's a movement that is present in landscape design and landscape architecture globally," he says. Originally from the Netherlands and now based in British Columbia, van Egmond works on projects from Ucluelet and Whistler to Quadra Island and Summerland, emphasizing subtle, minimal, and site-specific designs using local materials and native plants.
Inspiration from Leading Designers
Van Egmond credits designers like Dave Demers, Botanica Design, and Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf—known for Millennium Park in Chicago and the High Line in New York—with making naturalistic planting more mainstream. He believes the next step is bolder and more local: "I think now it's time to go one step further and let the spontaneity of a real native planting system back into our spaces close to where we live, our homes."
Practical Benefits for Homeowners
This approach reduces yearly mulching, heavy irrigation, and reliance on exotic plants that can become invasive. "I think we are moving to a yard that is more in tune with nature, supporting the local ecosystem and accepting the flux of the seasons and nature that we so much value in B.C.," van Egmond says. He advises homeowners to look at what is already around them—trees beyond the fence, borrowed views, site slope, light, and nearby native plants.
Upcoming Installation at IDS Vancouver
This fall, van Egmond will present a feature installation at IDS Vancouver exploring the relationship between design and dynamic natural forces. The project will incorporate layered planting, biodiversity-focused design, and circular, upcycled materials to create an evolving landscape.
Subtle Luxury in Outdoor Spaces
To elevate an outdoor space without overdesigning, van Egmond recommends going big with restraint. A restrained concrete terrace opening to a dramatic West Coast water view, balanced with moss and surrounding rock, exemplifies this philosophy.
