GaiaScape LLC, Pittsburgh, PA (2026)

01/22/2026

The Garfield Green Zone to Fort Pitt Park is now home to over 40 new species of trees that were not present on site before. The monoculture of Amur Honeysuckle and Knotw**d was cut back and will be kept at bay.

The perennial layer is seeded out and hopefully will start coming alive in 2026. Many of these woody plants produce edible crops such as berries and nuts for human consumption and the rest will be a host to the resident birds, wildlife, and insects. Thanks to support from and for the incredible support.

If you are interested in knowing more or how to get involved please let me know or reach out the BGC. We will need trail stewards and tree tenders, it will direct our expansion of the trail within Garfield.

Meg Graham and her team at have also been working hard to clear out the right of way and knotw**d from the site.

Thank you Todd Kaufmann for the incredible drone footage shot on 11/24/25. More clips to come!

11/10/2025

For years I've seen tree plantings in neglected corners of Pittsburgh turn into amazing spaces for community and biodiversity. Today it started in my neighborhood in what will soon be Fort Pitt Park (hopefully). This soon to be protected green zone in Garfield has had many people loving it over the years despite its history as a dump site and place to strip dahn cars and light them on fire (almost weekly in the 70s so I've heard). and still have their positive efforts and love all over it and today we expanded that effort, it was amazing to have Meg there continuing that work today.

58 native trees and shrubs were planted, mulched, and protected from the herds of deer from browsing and buck rubbing them. was monumental in supplying the trees, cages, staking, and years of knowledge of how to do this work. Please consider volunteering with them if you want to know more.

The support from and the bulletin helped bring together 12+ amazing volunteers for this November tree planting. I am absolutely overwhelmed by the support and look forward to many more trail work days. I can't wait to watch these plants mature and create a home for diversity and foraging in an otherwise forgotten urban corner of hillside. The sentence "I had no idea this was here" was mentioned many times.

Thank you everyone who showed up and helped make today possible. I could not have done this without yinz. It's really a dream to help steward a space with others that is community building and will help feed us in the future.

Please message me if you're interested in helping out in spring as I figure out the best way to organize our efforts.

11/05/2025

Sunday November 9th Garfield Green zone tree planting 10-3pm.
Shamrock way and Winebiddle steps!

Thank you for supplying these beautiful trees. I'm hoping to get 30-60 planted but I need your help. We will need help planting, mulching, and caging all these beauties so please come help in whatever way you can!

10/13/2025

I can't believe this project is only approaching its one year mark. I have exceptional clients and often they become more like friends as their gardens mature and I see them grow into their spaces. This space has brought me so much joy and happiness as it is on a frequent walk of mine on Penn Ave in Garfield. The client asked for a schoolyard inspired planting and for it to be low maintenance. I really wish I had this sort of space to look out upon when I was in school. I would have probably approached ecology and landscaping first instead of healthcare as a way to support my community. This sort of space has really inspired me to lean into clients that want to bring these spaces into the work they're already doing as Chris added plant labels and is often showing her own clients the plantings. I can't wait to see what this space looks like in spring and it will only be more vibrant as the summer and fall displays mature. I would absolutely love to do more public facing spaces like this and add more ecological value to our human spaces.

This space is on a relatively challenging slope with very disturbed urban soils and a lot of gravel backfill from the retaining wall and alleyway. The native plants are absolutely thriving in it due to a curated selection of plants that are adapted to the soil conditions. Though they've been heavily watered to get established, they should be able to tolerate the urban environment and the absolute full sun in the space. The landscape fabric was entirely removed and 1 in of mushroom manure and 2 inches of wood chips were added to prep the site.

As a side note, this is a fully functional indoor/outdoor gym and the turf grass really softens the spaces for the clients to work outside in the patio/garden space and though most of my job is killing lawn, I'm willing to look past the artificial substitute. The inside of the gym also looks incredible! With a well curated homage to a millennialish elementary school experience. I'm pretty sure the classes here will meet you where you're at and hopefully allow you to relive some found school memories or create new ones... now with 200+ native plants.

06/04/2025

Happy to share some tips in this month's bulletin. Garfield is a great community of people making our region greener.
is a wonderful friend and business promoting sustainable land care. has incredible native plants you can't find at many nurseries. has amazing volunteer opportunities, classes, and produce. is a great neighbor keeping Healcrest tidy and with winter goats.
Thanks for putting this into print!

Article link in bio

06/03/2025

Free tomato and pepper seedlings, please share with your community garden friends. Hope to have these AHT by this weekend. Varieties listed in bio

05/17/2025

Veggie seedlings are up for sale in bio!

Mostly heirloom tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, herbs, and brassicas. Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are $4 each, smaller plants are $2 each.

These are for pickup only in Garfield as I don't have the time to set up shop, deliver, etc at this time. I don't want to turn anyone away due to lack of funds (NOTAFLOF) but I worked hard growing these extra plant babies. The majority are being planted at AHN healthy food center gardens so I am selling off the extras because I missed doing spring veggie seedlings and meeting neighbors and other members of the growing community.

Please send me a DM, email, or text and I will pull your order and set it out after payment is received via Venmo or Zelle (cash/check if I am home). I'm still very happy to answer any questions yinz have and will do my best to say hi when I'm home. I'll update inventory as things sell. Please share with your friends and community gardens.

Happy growing yinz!

12/31/2024

I made a short how-to for Winter Sowing as I have been getting a lot of questions about it lately. It is by far the easiest way to germinate perennial and native seeds as many of them require a period of cold stratification (30-60 days of fluctuating cold temperatures) before breaking dormancy.
Many guides will suggest using a milk jug, which will work, but I prefer using a deeper pot of 3-4 inches as it allows you to delay up potting/transplanting later in the year when things are busier. The deeper soil reserves hold more water and allow roots to grow apart making it easier to prick them apart later on. The open environment doesn't encourage early germination like a milk jug "greenhouse" might and allows them to germinate when the conditions are right rather than looking to us to keep them watered. Once the seeds begin germinating I do keep them watered despite weather conditions.
My biggest tips are using at least 2-3 inches of potting soil with added drainage materials (vermiculite, perlite, or small pine chips). You will want to make sure that the seeds won't move around in heavy rains or eaten by birds or other critters such as chipmunks and squirrels, the grit is the perfect material for this. It also helps to keep the soil from drying out as it retains a little bit of moisture at the soil surface right where the seeds are. You should also protect the seeds/future seedlings from predation by wrapping them in fencing materials like chicken wire.
Pay attention to the containers after mid-late February as some seeds may begin to break dormancy then. I then move these to an area that is easiest for me to keep an eye on and water.

05/22/2024

Hi Everyone,

I am collaborating with Chatham's Eden Hall Campus to create a native garden bed alongside one of their high tunnels in the heart of the grounds. It is located outside the Esther Barazzone Center at 6035 Ridge Rd, Gibsonia, PA 15044, and the event will begin at 2:00 PM. I will be discussing how to prep a site for planting, how to establish a bed, the importance of native plants, and the management practices of using native plants. I will also briefly cover how to layout these types of beds.

The workshop will include a hands-on portion where participants can help plant the new plugs before enjoying a Farm to Fork Dinner on campus. Please join us if you can; there is no cost and no experience necessary. This event is open to the community.

05/12/2024

I physically wouldn't be here without my Mum .brooks.712 . Also I certainly wouldn't be inspired to have the same spirit that she does without her influence on my life. When people ask where my plant journey started, it started by sitting in my mother's lap while she w**ded the triangle flower bed and she taught me what was a w**d and not. She's also the only person who's not in land care that I can share stories of being out gardening past dark, cleaning the house until you realize it's 11pm, and having so many silly stories of people we've had in our lives over the years and how we can both still get so emotional and grounded over these little things in life. My Mom taught me to be meditative and caring for all things in the world, I don't know that I would be focused on the little creatures of Gaia without her. I certainly think of her every day, today is just one of those days where I decide to mark the occasion more directly.
Thank you Mum for your love and support, you're an inspirationally strong woman! Thanks for continually sharing your energy with me and the world!

05/04/2024

Hello my well loved and appreciated Pittsburgh community! It will officially be 1 year GaiaScaping the Pittsburgh region as we orbit the sun to another this weekend! I started GaiaScape in 2023, as far as the state of PA is concerned, thanks but I really hit the ground running after I returned from last year, for you guessed it...Pittonkitonk! I invite yinz to come celebrate with me this Saturday by bringing something to share on the blankets. There is no sanctioned potluck, but I miss it so I want to make our own!
I plan on setting up a blanket near the stage around 2 pm and hanging until the end. It is at the Vietnam Veterans Pavillion in Schenley Park, 1pm-midnight?
I can think of no better way than to celebrate than by dancing in our beautiful Schenley Park surrounded by smiling faces and out of this world music.
Please join me, bring a blanket for the afternoon, something to share (food/bev/vibes), and get ready to dance until they kick us AHT!
Thank you Pittsburgh for being such a wonderful, welcoming, native-plant-nerdy community of people that keep me smiling and happy to be making our region a better place, one native plant/veggie at a time. If you are a friend, neighbor, client, Instagram acquaintance...Yinz are the best! You have no idea how much yinz motivate and move me everyday....thank you!
Please come celebrate Gaia and Pittonkitonk this coming weekend, I couldn't do my work without you! Extra points if you bring a Pittonkitonk newbie!! (there are no prizes, just +vibes)
Thanks .brooks.712 for being an amazing mother and inspiring me and for the best supportive sister ever

03/15/2024

What an amazing evening! The 2nd annual Wild Ones Symposium discussing Sustainable Land Stewardship SOLD OUT! The room was filled, wonderful food was shared, and an incredible discussion about the challenges and successes of land stewardship in our region went on longer than expected.
I'm so thankful for our panel members for sharing their knowledge, time, and experiences with us. There are so many take-aways from the evening. For those interested in knowing more about land stewardship, a great start is to get involved with an organization in your area. There are plenty of opportunities with the panelists and their organizations alone but if you are looking in your specific area, perhaps reach out to your local Conservation District to find ways to get involved.
Thank you again to the amazing panelists, the evening was anchored on your shoulders and yinz kept us engaged all evening!
It wouldn't have been possible without the amazing team. I'm so happy to be part of this wonderful organization promoting native plants and ecological practices. It's only been 1 year since I've been a part of this organization and I can't imagine where I'd put this energy of engaging with our community that is ready to grow!
Consider joining Wild Ones if you enjoyed this event or if you want to see more events like it, please consider being involved. We're always looking for help and for more discussion and sharing if you have a niche of your own. We'll be sharing workdays, garden tours, workshops, field trips, native plants, and plenty of discussions with activists and gardeners alike.

GaiaScape LLC

01/22/2026

11/10/2025

11/05/2025

10/13/2025

06/04/2025

06/03/2025

05/17/2025

12/31/2024

05/22/2024

05/12/2024

05/04/2024

03/15/2024

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