OUR STORY
It all started on a humid summer evening in 2005, when a curly-haired boy pedaled up to a girl sitting outside a Minneapolis café. What began as a chance encounter quickly blossomed into the birth of something special. Head over heels for each other and maybe a little love drunk, we (now married) decided to leap into something we'd never done before—together. Armed with homemade flyers and our parents' borrowed gardening tools, Landscape Love took its very first breath. We believed then what we still believe now: creating beautiful outdoor spaces isn't just work—it's our calling. Maybe it’s because beautiful outdoor spaces have the power to make hearts happy.
From those humble beginnings, we've grown into a collaborative team of designers, stone artists, garden gurus, and skilled craftspeople. We've transformed hundreds of landscapes, grown a family of our own, and even returned (most of) those borrowed tools to our parents. But through it all, we've always been guided by the mantra we've whispered to each other since day one: "alive and in it together." To us, it means embracing a life with dirt under our fingernails and sunshine on our faces. It means crafting spaces where people can gather, play, breathe deep, and connect with nature in intentional, inspiring, and unique ways.
We remain incredibly grateful for every family that invites us into their outdoor world and for the relationships that continue to grow alongside the landscapes we create together.
MEET THE TEAM
nan
CO–OWNER + project manager
Nan accidentally landed in landscaping weeding gardens for summer cash—and 25 dirt-filled years later, she’s still at it, now as co-owner and project wrangler-in-chief. She’s the one keeping all the plates spinning: managing crews, translating designs into reality, solving problems before they happen, and adding that final zhuzh to make a space truly sing. Her superpower is thinking fast, moving faster, and spotting every tiny detail without losing sight of the big picture. At home, her yard is part spa, part experimental garden (don’t mess with her Globe Alliums.) For Nan, great landscapes are all about creating joy, connection, and a reason to spend more time outside.
STEELE
Steele loves the life flowing through all things—stone cut at the quarry, shipped across the prairie, and set with care to create a space for backyard summer memories. He loves hands in the dirt and working in concert with the living earth, and he brings this appreciation for interconnectedness to his role managing install crews, client relationships, and exhaustively searching for new ways to use new materials in our landscapes. In the offseason you can find Steele hitting the road with Nan and their two sons to explore every scenic route they can find on the page-worn Atlas in their sprinter van.CO–OWNER+ Lead Designer
MICHELLE
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
With roots in organic farming and a background in art, Michelle brings creativity and precision to every aspect of operations. Over 11 seasons, she’s gone from working in the field to running point on estimates, logistics, communication, and client care. She loves the artistry of planting day and thrives on keeping everything humming behind the scenes. Her own yard is her happy place—a patchwork of garden “rooms” and a veggie plot big enough to feed a crowd. Michelle believes a good landscape feels like a living, breathing extension of home.
BRIDGET
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Bridget’s path to landscaping took her through Latin America, environmental work, and eventually back to Minnesota, where she earned her master’s in landscape architecture. She specializes in creative problem-solving—turning tricky sites and unique client needs into beautiful, functional spaces. Her favorite days involve sketching big ideas in the studio, then heading out to the field to see them take shape. Whether she’s hiking, hosting, or exploring the city, she finds joy in how landscapes shape the way we live. For Bridget, good design is part puzzle, part poetry.
BETSY
LANDSCAPE DESIGNER
Betsy transitioned from art school administration to landscape design after becoming a master gardener and realizing her true passion was in the dirt. She’s been designing with Landscape Love since 2017, blending creativity with deep plant knowledge to build spaces that reflect each client’s vision. Her superpower is listening closely and crafting designs that feel personal, intentional, and beautiful. In her own backyard, a canopy of trees, colorful perennials, and cozy seating areas make space for both birdsong and late-night fires. Betsy loves landscapes that feel like little sanctuaries.
EMILIANO
Architectural Design+Carpentry Specialist
Emiliano joined the team with a background in architecture and hands-on carpentry, bringing a rare blend of design thinking and field experience. He thrives at the 80% mark of a project—when the structure is set and the final details bring it to life. Whether building a complex fence or crafting a render in record time, he’s the go-to for getting things done. His easygoing approach and “dirt boy” spirit make him adaptable and unshakable on the job. For Emiliano, landscapes are living systems—spaces where people, plants, and creatures coexist and thrive.
