Root Design

10/12/2026

Phase II of this rooftop prairie was funded 75% by the Missouri Department of Conservation through the Community Conservation and Forestry Cost Share Program, and designed and installed by Root Design Co.

This expansion further strengthens a thriving native environment and contributes to crucial habitat corridors for species like the eastern monarch, whose population increased by 64% between 2025 and 2026.

More than 700 new plants and 7 additional species were added, bringing the rooftop total to 1,909 plants representing 69 native species. This increased biodiversity will support an even wider range of pollinators while strengthening the resilience of the rooftop ecosystem.

We’re excited to watch this prairie continue to establish, evolve, and contribute to the surrounding environment.

08/12/2026

A 70-ft swale designed to put stormwater to work. 🌧️

Instead of moving runoff across the property, we sculpted the ground into a series of shallow basins and high points—creating many small rain gardens along the swale, taking advantage of the present slope. During storms, water spreads out, collects, filters into the soil, and becomes available to the nearly 200 native plants growing throughout the system. 🌳

Functional stormwater infrastructure can also be a pretty incredible landscape.

This project was partially reimbursed through Shawnee, Kansas’ Contain the Rain program, which helps homeowners invest in water-wise improvements on their properties.

08/01/2026

“We’ve already gotten multiple compliments from our neighbors!”

We love hearing that—especially just 24 hours after completing the installation. 🌱

A well-designed native landscape improves curb appeal, complements your home, supports local wildlife, and brings impactful ecological value to your property.

Perhaps most importantly, it invites you into a deeper relationship with the natural world.

🌳 Design With Nature

07/25/2026

🌿✨ New before and after of a large backyard bed installation and a front yard renovation.

This project features 127 native plants and 3 non-native plants across 32 different species, spanning woodland to prairie habitats and creating two distinct, biodiverse landscapes.

Strategic earth contouring and thoughtful plant selection work together as natural erosion control measures, transforming an area that struggled to grow grass and was plagued by washed-out soil into a thriving, multi-season landscape full of texture, color, and life. 🌾

Nature provides solutions when we design with it instead of against it.

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07/21/2026

Interested?

Kansas City is giving out money to help grow more food close to home. 🌱

The city just opened its 2026 PLANT Grant (Promoting Local Agriculture and Neighborhood Transformation), which funds community gardens and urban farms that expand local food production and make fresh food easier to get.

Here is what you can get:
Up to $5,000 for new farms or gardens open less than 2 years
Up to $5,000 for projects that received a PLANT Grant before
Up to $10,000 for established farms running 3 years or longer

Awarded projects get 50 percent of the money up front, and all funds have to be spent within 9 months.

To qualify, your project has to be inside Kansas City, Missouri city limits and support at least one program goal (growing more food, improving fresh food access, or advancing regenerative agriculture). Community gardens and orchards planning to work with Kansas City Community Gardens also need to finish a site assessment first.

Applications are open through September 21. Comment “FARM” to get a link!

07/06/2026

Spotted Bee Balm (Monarda punctata)

Thrives in sunny areas in dry, sandy, or rocky soils, glades, and prairies and emits a strong herbal scent similar to oregano, with a stacked, pagoda-like growth structure.

Great addition to the native plant scape to support many different pollinator species. This one pictured is just a year old and already doing great work in the garden.

07/01/2026

🌱 Turning a drainage problem into a landscape feature

🌧️ Runoff from neighboring properties was causing erosion and standing water in this client’s yard.

A 30-foot vegetated bioswale/rain garden hybrid was installed — designed to intercept and slow stormwater, hold and give it time to infiltrate the soil, and passively direct excess water through integrated overflow channels along the back fence landscape.

The area is planted with 73 native plants across 22 species—creating a biodiverse landscape that drinks and filters water, supports pollinators, and helps solve the problem naturally. 🌿🐝

06/26/2026

Our biggest project yet. 💫

What started as failing wooden terraces and eroding, honeysuckle-covered hillside is now a thriving native landscape and living terrace system. Complete with:

✨ Forest rehabilitation with native redbud, dogwood, spicebush, hydrangea, coneflower, phlox, sedge, river oats, columbine, ragwort, and more
🪨 Dry-stack limestone retaining wall terraces
🏡 New hilltop patio overlooking the property
🌼 414+ native flowers, shrubs, and trees
🦋 Habitat for pollinators, birds, and wildlife
👣 Two natural limestone staircases

Designing with nature isn’t just beautiful—it’s an investment in healthier ecosystems for decades to come.

📍Kansas City Metro

06/03/2026

One year in, this rooftop prairie garden is bursting with life, color, pollinators, and proof that ecological spaces belong everywhere.

Hope you enjoy these photos as much as we do. Thank you for maintaining this space for public enjoyment!

Some plants pictured:
- Rose verbena
- Glade coneflower
- Prairie dropseed
- Black-eyed susan
- Purple poppy mallow
- Little bluestem
- Prairie pussytoes
- Eastern blazing star
- Butterfly milkweed
- Lance leaf coreopsis
- Purple coneflower
- Cliff goldenrod

05/19/2026

13 months later, the James Walker Elementary community and education garden native plants are thriving! What was once compacted, poor soil is now supporting blooming native plants, pollinators, healthier soil biology, and outdoor learning opportunities for students. Great success.

This space will continue filling in dramatically over the next growing season — increasing habitat value, stormwater absorption, biodiversity, and seasonal beauty year after year. Looking forward to more impactful gardens to come. 🌼🐝🌱