Hey! I’m Kirsty, your local (not so shady) plant lady.

Shady Lady is the culmination of all of my plant related passions rolled into one place. 

It’s what grew from my desire to offer my own gardening services and has now evolved into a hub of all of my horticultural interests and expertise.

Here is the run down on why I do what I do ~ the evolution of Shady Lady.

Sustainability, food production and soil health is my horticultural home base. It’s what led me down the path to study Urban Horticulture (University of Melbourne 2018). While gaining my degree in environmental sustainability (RMIT, 2011) I craved real time, practical solutions to many of the environmental challenges we face today. So much of what I learned about the destruction of our natural ecosystems stemmed back to soil and agriculture. Modern agriculture is the most destructive human activity on the earth, fortunately when approached holistically it also becomes the best solution. Plants are the middleman between the soil and us. I believe that if we can reconnect our society with regenerative food production, we can begin to undo much of the damage we have caused.

Biophillia is the word used to describe humans innate tendency to seek a connection with nature. Being outdoors, in nature is my favourite place to be; it is grounding and humbling and reminds me of what is important. Giant trees, rolling waves and winding rivers all remind me that my time on this earth is precious.  Beautifully designed gardens and indoor plants allow us to connect with nature in not so natural spaces. I love the creative aspect to orchestrating aesthetically pleasing green spaces that are also practical, functional and low fuss.

Whether it be through food production, education, some assistance in caring for your garden, adding or enhancing the greenery in your private space - it is my hope that Shady Lady can help you stop and appreciate nature's joy.