Spirited Gardener

What Spirited Gardener does

Spirited Gardener, Inc. is a privately-held, founder-owned landscape design and ecological contracting firm founded in 2005 by Julia Bunn and headquartered in Evanston, Illinois. The company designs, installs, and stewards eco-functional native landscapes, rain gardens, and stormwater management systems for residential property owners across the Chicagoland region. Core technical capabilities include SITES-compliant sustainable site planning, LEED-contributing landscape design (including Cultec Rechargers, swales, and permeable surfaces), and application of a minimum 70% regionally native plant palette to support pollinators, birds, and local ecology. The firm's most prominent reference project is a 2018 LEED Platinum residential project in Evanston on which Spirited Gardener contributed 15 LEED points.

The business operates a project-based professional services model with four revenue streams: paid consultations (including gifting), full-service landscape design from concept to completion, installation services, and ongoing evolutionary stewardship for clients enrolled in the Network of Eco-functional yards. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The customer base is entirely individual residential property owners in the Chicago metropolitan area, with a single secondary collaboration referenced with an architecture firm (Kipnis Architecture + Planning). The team comprises founder/owner Julia Bunn plus at least one credentialed team member (Scott Morgan, joined 2020), suggesting actual operational headcount in the low single digits.

Go-to-market is community- and content-led rather than paid acquisition: the firm sustains an active educational blog (Eco(Fun)ctional Blog) since at least 2013, participates annually in the Illinois Green Alliance GreenBuilt Home Tour, maintains board and speaking presence in the Ecological Landscape Alliance, Evanston Environmental Association, and West Cook Wild Ones, and showcases a Featured Gardens portfolio of 15+ completed projects. There are no funding rounds, institutional investors, or external capital; the firm operates as an organic, lifestyle-scale services business celebrating its 20th anniversary in October 2025.

Name

Spirited Gardener

Legal name

Spirited Gardener, Inc.

Website

https://spiritedgardener.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Spirited Gardener is a privately-held, founder-owned landscape design firm in Evanston, Illinois that designs, installs, and stewards eco-functional native landscapes, rain gardens, and stormwater management systems for residential property owners across the Chicagoland region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Eco-functional Landscape Design Services

NAICS

Landscaping Services (561730), Landscaping Services (56173)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Native & Pollinator Garden Design/Install (HSAIABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Landscape Renovation & Re-Design (Yard Makeovers) (HSAIABAC), Residential Landscape Design (HSAIABAA)

Keywords

• Native landscape design
• Rain garden installation
• Stormwater management
• Ecological landscaping
• Residential garden design

Headquarters

HQ city

Evanston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Consultations: Property owner consultations for landscape assessment, reconnecting with nature, and ecological planning. Bookable service for individuals wanting to assess or redesign their outdoor spaces.
2. Garden Design Services: Full-service landscape design from concept to completion. Includes design, installation, and project management for new landscapes, rain gardens, and eco-functional yard conversions.
3. Ongoing Stewardship: Evolutionary landscaping and stewardship services for clients in the Network of Eco-functional yards, assisting at different phases to steward and manage garden evolution over time.
4. Gift Consultations: Gifted consultation certificates available for purchase, allowing customers to gift landscape consultations to others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Spirited Gardener designs, installs, and stewards eco-functional native landscapes and rain gardens for residential properties in the Chicagoland area. Services span concept-to-completion landscape design, property owner consultations, rain garden and stormwater management installation, and ongoing evolutionary stewardship through its Network of Eco-functional yards. The company emphasizes a minimum 70% regionally native plant palette to support pollinators, manage rainwater on-site, and create ecologically functional residential yards.

Product overview

Spirited Gardener is a landscape design and garden installation company offering eco-functional landscaping services. The core offerings include Landscaping & Garden Design Services (concept to completion), Property Owner Consultations, and Evolutionary Landscaping & Stewardship. The company specializes in rain garden installation, native plant gardens (targeting minimum 70% regionally native plants), and sustainable stormwater management solutions. Additional offerings include a Featured Gardens Portfolio showcasing completed projects and an Eco(Fun)ctional Blog providing educational content on native gardening and ecological landscaping practices. All services focus on environmentally responsible stewardship of home gardens and community spaces in the Chicago/Chicagoland area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Landscaping & Garden Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• LEED Platinum certification achieved with 15 points contributed from landscape design
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Evanston Environmental Association (EEA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Owner Julia Bunn joined the board of EEA in 2020. EEA helps support the Evanston Ecology Center and has begun an Annual Bird Buzz Native Plant Sale to further assist re-wilding of suburban and urban landscapes.
• Kipnis Architecture + PlanningcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Architecture firm collaborated with Spirited Gardener on the Dana Pearl LEED Platinum residential project in Evanston. Spirited Gardener provided landscape design and stormwater management systems that contributed 15 points to the project's LEED certification.
• Illinois Green AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Spirited Gardener has participated in the GreenBuilt Home Tour organized by Illinois Green Alliance (formerly USGBC Illinois Chapter) every year since 2014. This annual event showcases sustainable home projects including Spirited Gardener's landscapes.
• Ecological Landscape Alliance (ELA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Julia Bunn is an active member of ELA. She has published articles through ELA including 'Deluge and Drought: A Landscape Designed for Rainwater Management' documenting the LEED Platinum project.
• West Cook Wild OnesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpirited Gardener is a supporting Business Member. Julia presented virtually for West Cook Wild Ones on 'Bringing the Savanna Home' in 2022 and refined the talk for the Wild Things Conference in 2023.
• Homegrown National ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpirited Gardener supports the Homegrown National Parks Movement, encouraging clients to add gardens to the interactive Home Grown National Park's Map and contributing to the goal of converting half of U.S. lawn acres to native plant landscapes.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Midwest Groundcovers: Regional wholesale nursery supplying native plants, perennials, and landscape materials to landscape professionals across the Midwest. Comparable as a key supplier and ecosystem partner for native-focused landscapers like Spirited Gardener, though it operates upstream as a plant producer, not a service competitor.
• Mt. Cuba Center: Delaware-based native plant research and public garden focused on studying and promoting native plants for Mid-Atlantic landscapes. Comparable as a thought-leadership and education institution in the native-plant space, supporting the broader movement Spirited Gardener participates in, though not a service competitor.
• Cardno: International environmental and ecological restoration consulting firm with practices in ecological design, habitat restoration, and stormwater management. Comparable at the technical/conceptual level (SITES, LEED, ecological restoration), though Cardno operates at project scales and geographies far beyond Spirited Gardener's residential focus.
• Ecological Landscape Alliance: Professional association promoting ecologically sound landscaping practices through education, conferences, and certification programs. Comparable as a knowledge network and community for the eco-functional landscaping niche in which Spirited Gardener operates; Julia Bunn is an active member and contributor.
• Wild Ones: National nonprofit organization promoting native plant landscapes through education, local chapters, and partnerships. Comparable as a closely aligned ecosystem actor — Spirited Gardener is a supporting Business Member and Julia Bunn is an active presenter — but Wild Ones is an advocacy/education entity, not a service competitor.
• Prairie Nursery: Wisconsin-based native plant nursery and consultancy specializing in prairie and wetland plants. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem participant in the Midwest native-plant supply chain, and a potential supplier or referral partner for firms like Spirited Gardener, though not a direct service competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Davey Tree Expert Company: National provider of tree care, landscape management, and environmental services for residential and commercial properties. Comparable as an established landscape services incumbent with a sustainability-adjacent portfolio, though it operates at far greater scale and broader scope than Spirited Gardener.
• Christy Webber & Company: Large Chicago-area landscape design, installation, and maintenance firm with a broader portfolio spanning commercial, institutional, and residential clients. Comparable in that it operates in the same Chicagoland market and increasingly incorporates sustainable/native design, but at substantially greater scale and broader service breadth than Spirited Gardener.
• BrightView Landscapes: Largest commercial landscaping services company in the U.S., providing design, maintenance, and enhancements nationwide. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the landscaping services category, though its scale, geographic reach, and commercial focus differ materially from Spirited Gardener's residential eco-functional niche.

Direct peers

• Native Edge Landscape: Midwest-based ecological landscape design firm specializing in native plant landscaping, restoration, and sustainable design. Directly comparable to Spirited Gardener in niche specialization, residential/mid-scale project focus, and commitment to ecological function, though operating in adjacent Midwest geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spirited-gardener

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spirited Gardener