People
Michael McFadden is a licensed landscape architect and contractor with a hands-on approach to creating unique outdoor environments. For twenty-five years, Michael has studied and practiced design, while at the same time building and caring for gardens. It is Michael’s belief that part of maintaining design proficiency is keeping his hands in the dirt. Michael holds a BS in Environmental Planning from Rutgers University, and spent five formative years in Jackson, Wyoming, drawing inspiration from the surrounding wilderness of the Teton valley. Today he is the founder and owner of Planted Earth Design Build Company, a small collaborative group of craftspeople and designers. Planted Earth has been honored to showcase two gardens in the Secret Gardens of the East Bay Tour, one of which was the 2007 recipient of the Best Outdoor Living Space award from the city of Piedmont CA. Michael lives in El Cerrito with his wife and two daughters.
Eric Gallagher, a native of San Anselmo, has been living and working in the East Bay for 5 years. His interest in gardening began when he tasted his first home grown strawberries and snow peas as a child. Eric has worked in garden maintenance, honing in on plant care and irrigation system maintenance, and for a garden installation company in Novato. These experiences motivated him to attend the Horticulture Program at Merritt College, in Oakland, where he graduated in 2008 with a degree in Horticulture, specializing in garden design and construction.
At Planted Earth, Eric assists with garden designs, produces drawings with Computer Aided Drafting and by hand, and helps to coordinate garden installations. A day may find Eric designing arbors and fences, or in the field pruning roses. Eric’s many talents converge to help transform a yard into an oasis.
Heather Hale, a Bay Area native, paid her way through college at the University of California, Berkeley as a residential gardener. She will soon be earning a certificate in Landscape Design and Construction from Merritt College in Oakland, where she has completed the aesthetic pruning course series. Heather is also a beginning beekeeper, and has had the opportunity to study organic food farming on the UC Davis Student CSA Farm.
At Planted Earth, Heather provides garden care and coaching for local residential garden owners, troubleshoots basic irrigation problems, and creates small-scale plant designs for homeowners. When not working in local gardens or studying garden design, you can find Heather in a yoga or dance studio, studying antiques, planning her next fishing trip — or spending time in her own garden.
Melissa Frost has lived in Berkeley for over twenty five years and has previously owned a small business that designed and installed gardens in Berkeley and Oakland. When she’s not working in the office at Planted Earth Design Build Co., you will likely find her employing her horticultural skills in her own garden, walking her dogs, or studying business administration at the University of California, Berkeley.