Julia was a chemist. Derek was a software engineer. We were both trained to observe carefully, think in systems, and trust a rigorous process.

Then we started gardening — and something shifted. What began in our own backyard became a quiet obsession: native plants, seasonal rhythms, the intricate ecology of a garden that genuinely belongs to its place. We redesigned our own space, then our families'. Then their neighbors. We read everything, spent more on plants than we care to admit, and somewhere along the way simply ran out of people to help for free.

Native Riot Gardens grew from that — a studio where scientific rigour and a deep love for the living world turn out to be the same thing.