Carrie's Philosophies

Carrie Dubberley has a passion for nature, a thirst for knowledge and a desire to shift the way we landscape. Armed with a Horticulture degree from Colorado State University from 1987 and Landscape Design and Management degrees from Richland College from the 1990’s, she is motivated by the drought of the last two year’s to teach people how to be better stewards of our environment. Through Dubberley Landscape Design, she works closely with clients to achieve a landscape that is both satisfying for her clients and good for the environment.

Her main philosophy is that landscapes should be useful by growing herbs, creating habitats with natives and well-adapted plants, and collecting rainwater through rain gardens. She is connecting her clients to the outdoor world in a way that is healthy, teaching them how to conserve and protect our natural resources. Carrie’s way of landscaping will show you how to save money (water) and effort (low maintenance), while reducing waste and pollution.

Her favorite quote is from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, “Water and energy are scarce and expensive resources and highly maintained landscapes are big users of both and generators of waste and pollution.”

She is sharing her philosophy by teaching classes at Collin County Community College on the subjects of Herbs and on Sustainable Landscaping Practices. She lectures on these topics to various groups large and small. And she volunteers by contributing her landscape design expertise to organizations such as Master Gardener’s Landscape Community for the Arts of Collin County and the Pioneer Place. She is very active with Collin County Master Gardeners Association, and the Collin County Master Composters, Heritage Herb Club, Association of Professional Landscape Designers, Texas Nursery and Landscape Association, and Sustainable Dallas.

She was showcased in the Plano Profile Magazine on Xeriscaping in March 2007 and The Dallas Morning News on Rain Gardens in May 2007. She has had other articles and letters printed in various publications.

Carrie Dubberley is shifting the way we landscape for a greener and more sustainable future.

Rain gardens are the newest trend in sustainable landscaping practices that combines rain water harvesting with native plant material in a beautiful garden that saves water for plant use. Installing rain gardens will help water infiltrate slowly into the ground thereby reducing flooding, and storm water runoff pollution. Rain gardens will help recharge our shrinking ground water supply thereby helping springs and creeks run at a constant level. 60% of Texas spring water (ground water) has dried up and it is caused by the way we treat our land. Flooding is caused by too much imprevious materials covering our land. Our creeks and streams no longer act like sponges soaking up rain water. All the pollution from fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and motor oil go directly into our precious and scare drinking water.

Rain gardens are the next step; a step above designing native landscape and reducing lawn maintenance. The next time you install a garden, put a rain garden in first, then plant it with native trees, shrubs, flowers and groundcovers. You'll save money, help the environment and feed wildlife at the same time. We can all help save the planet one garden at a time.

We all want to help protect our planet so our children will have something worth inhertiting!