---
title: "Michelle LeMoine: Cultivating Joy, Connection and Belonging—One Garden at a Time"
description: Michelle LeMoine of Verde Gardens champions sustainable pet-friendly design with native plants that nurture families and wildlife in the Pacific Northwest
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2025-08-19T16:34:16.000Z
updated: 2026-03-04T20:39:45.779Z
canonical: https://richwoman.co/article/michelle-lemoine-cultivating-joy-connection-and-belonging-one-garden-at-a-time
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/michellelemoine1-1.jpeg
categories: Home & Living
content_type: Profile
region: Washington State
publication: Rich Woman Magazine
about:
  - type: Person
    name: Michelle Lemoine
    description: "Michelle has built Verde Gardens into one of Seattle's leading landscape firms through her reputation for clear communication and reliable project delivery. She ensures every client's vision is properly defined while staying within budget and meeting deadlines throughout the design process.\n\nHer professional approach, combined with her warm personality and deep knowledge of Pacific Northwest landscaping, has earned her a five-star rating on Google and consistently glowing client reviews. While Michelle specialises in landscape design, she coordinates with trusted service providers to offer comprehensive design solutions, including complex hardscape projects, ensuring clients receive a seamless experience from concept to completion.\n\nLearn more about Michelle's work at www.verdegardens.com ."
    url: https://maps.app.goo.gl/kFzdjcwDQpPkRdWf6
---

The afternoon sun filters through the branches as Michelle LeMoine kneels beside a bed of native sword ferns, her hands gently brushing soil from their fronds. A neighbourhood golden retriever bounds over to greet her, tail wagging as she pauses to scratch behind his ears. ‘Hello, Tucker,’ she laughs, wiping her hands on her jeans. This isn’t staged for anyone watching – it’s simply who Michelle is, as natural in a garden as most people are in their own sitting rooms.

![michellelemoine1 1](https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/michellelemoine1-2.jpeg)

For over two decades, Michelle LeMoine has been quietly changing how Pacific Northwest residents think about their outdoor spaces. As the founder of [Verde Gardens LLC](https://www.verdegardens.com/), she’s built her reputation not by chasing trends or compromising her values, but by sticking firmly to what she believes: gardens should work in harmony with nature, welcome both people and pets, and create spaces where families actually want to spend time.

## Growing From the Ground Up

Michelle’s connection to the outdoors began long before she had the credentials to prove it. As a child, she felt most at home amongst plants and trees, a feeling that never left her even as she pursued a Bachelor of Arts in communication design from the University of Illinois. After university, that pull toward nature became impossible to ignore.

Rather than settle for admiring gardens from afar, Michelle enrolled at Edmonds College, earning an associate degree in landscape design and ornamental horticulture in 2002. Two years later, she became an [ISA Certified Arborist](https://www.isa-arbor.com/credentials/types-of-credentials/isa-certified-arborist) through the International Society of Arboriculture – a qualification that requires years of hands-on experience and passing comprehensive exams covering everything from tree biology to soil science.

The certification isn’t just a piece of paper on her wall. ISA Certified Arborists demonstrate expertise in tree care, pruning methods and plant selection that directly benefits homeowners through improved property safety and increased value. For Michelle, though, the technical knowledge was simply the toolkit she needed to build something more meaningful: a business that would bring more people closer to nature while respecting the environment they shared.

## The Art of Listening

When potential clients contact Verde Gardens, they don’t get a sales pitch or a standard package proposal. They get Michelle, sitting across from them with genuine curiosity, asking questions most landscapers never think to ask. ‘Every potential client starts with a consultation,’ she explains, but her consultation process reveals why her approach feels different.

Where others might immediately start sketching hardscape ideas or discussing plant varieties, Michelle spends time understanding how families actually use their outdoor spaces. Do the children play outside? Does the dog need room to run? Is there a dream of morning coffee on the patio or autumn evenings around a fire pit?

This listening-first approach means every design proposal she creates is personalised to fit not just the property characteristics and budget, but the real life happening within those boundaries. Much like the [thoughtful garden planning approach](https://richwoman.co/article/in-full-bloom-with-martha-stewart-creating-the-rose-gardens) that considers how spaces will actually be lived in, it’s the difference between installing a garden and creating a home.

## Drawing Lines in the Soil

Michelle’s willingness to listen goes hand in hand with her unwillingness to compromise on what she knows is right. In an industry where many professionals will accommodate any client request for the right price, Michelle has built her reputation by occasionally walking away from work.

Her commitment to [organic-based landscaping practices](https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN197) isn’t negotiable. She educates clients about beneficial insects, advises against pesticide use and champions natural pest management methods that protect pets, children and the environment. This principled approach to [sustainable gardening practices](https://richwoman.co/article/inspiring-green-spaces-rooted-in-tomorrow-how-no-winter-survived-spring-at-jardin-dion) means she’ll turn down work rather than compromise her values.

This stance might seem limiting, but Michelle has found the opposite to be true. She’s delighted that since starting her business decades ago, more people are asking for organic gardens and showing genuine interest in avoiding harmful chemicals. The Pacific Northwest has proved particularly receptive to [native plant landscaping](https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/ec-1577-gardening-oregon-native-plants-west-cascades) that supports local wildlife while requiring less water and maintenance.

## Creating Spaces That Matter

Walk through one of Michelle’s completed projects and you’ll understand why clients often describe their gardens as extensions of their homes. She doesn’t just arrange plants – she creates outdoor rooms where life happens. The cosy coffee nook tucked between fragrant lavender bushes. The outdoor kitchen that makes dinner parties spill naturally into the garden. The carefully planned stonework that creates [natural gathering spots](https://richwoman.co/article/thinking-of-gardening-the-elegance-of-restraint-and-what-diane-keaton-did-with-her-garden).

Each element serves a purpose beyond looking pleasant. The [pet-safe plants](https://brandywinenursery.com/pet-safe-plants-in-the-pacific-northwest-enjoy-nature-with-peace-of-mind/) mean families can relax knowing their four-legged members can explore freely. The native species she favours – Oregon grape, salal, sword ferns – thrive in local conditions while supporting the birds and beneficial insects that make gardens feel alive.

‘All our furry friends deserve a yard where they can play safely,’ Michelle believes, which means every plant choice, fertilization method and pest management decision gets filtered through the lens of safety for both human and animal family members.

## A Living Legacy

Ask Michelle about her long-term goals and she doesn’t talk about business expansion or market share. Instead, she speaks about encouraging people to spend more time outdoors, helping them discover the mindfulness and health benefits that come from connecting with nature.

She views each project as a piece of art – not in a precious, don’t-touch-anything sense, but as something that reflects both her vision and her clients’ hopes for their outdoor space. Whether the final result leans toward timeless elegance or whimsical charm depends on the family living there, but every project carries Michelle’s signature: spaces that work with nature rather than against it, designed for real life rather than magazine pages.

This approach to [authentic leadership](https://richwoman.co/article/the-ripple-effect-of-authentic-leadership-how-one-woman-s-vision-sparked-the-path-to-self-mas) in her field means following her convictions even when it might be easier to bend the rules.

## Listen In

Michelle recently shared more of her thoughts and approach in an interview with Jim Masters on [Close Up Radio](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-up-radio-spotlights-landscape-designer-michelle/id1785721253?i=1000721914373) on 12 August. For anyone curious to hear her own words about creating sustainable, pet-friendly outdoor spaces, the conversation offers insight into the philosophy behind her work.

The interview is available on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/7G23MAZ8rBOOSI3AiilQkS) and [iHeart](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-close-up-radio-242020413/episode/close-up-radio-spotlights-landscape-designer-289527541/) for those who prefer to listen while working in their own gardens.

## Full Circle

Late in the afternoon, Michelle often finds herself in newly completed gardens, making final adjustments or simply taking a moment to see how everything has come together. It’s in these quiet moments that her favourite projects reveal themselves – not necessarily the most elaborate or expensive, but the ones where she can already picture families making memories.

Recently, she stood in a backyard where months earlier there had been only patchy grass and good intentions. Now there were raised beds where children could help grow vegetables, seating areas positioned to catch both morning sun and evening shade, and carefully chosen plants that would provide interest through all four seasons. The space felt ready for the life it was designed to hold.

Michelle LeMoine is creating spaces that gently call us back outside, one garden at a time – places where families can reconnect with nature and each other.

**About Michelle Lemoine**

Michelle has built Verde Gardens into one of Seattle's leading landscape firms through her reputation for clear communication and reliable project delivery. She ensures every client's vision is properly defined while staying within budget and meeting deadlines throughout the design process.

Her professional approach, combined with her warm personality and deep knowledge of Pacific Northwest landscaping, has earned her a five-star rating on Google and consistently glowing client reviews. While Michelle specialises in landscape design, she coordinates with trusted service providers to offer comprehensive design solutions, including complex hardscape projects, ensuring clients receive a seamless experience from concept to completion.

Learn more about Michelle's work at www.verdegardens.com .

[Website](https://maps.app.goo.gl/kFzdjcwDQpPkRdWf6)