About us
Solis Gardens is a landscape design entity born out of the core value of supporting our earth and each other. We believe that gardens should connect humans with nature and that every individual garden has the potential to fight climate change, sequester carbon, provide animal habitat, beautify our neighborhoods, save water… the list goes on.
We use California native plants to create gardens that honor and restore our native ecosystems as much as possible. Because California native plants evolved in our distinct climate, they require minimal irrigation. California native plants also uniquely support native insects and birds that are endangered or even facing extinction.
We oppose the water-wasting practices of previous generations— sprinklers that water sidewalks, french drains sending precious rainwater from your roof to the gutter, and plants of yore that don’t belong here and take unnecessary resources to keep alive.
We encourage using recycled materials, installing fountains to support wildlife, including vegetable gardens + fruit trees in our designs and opting for permeable surfaces in order to harvest rainwater.
Our services range from consulting + design to implementation + maintenance. We would love to help you design the perfect landscape for your unique needs. Learn more about how we work, check out our portfolio or contact us.
What is Solis?
Quite literally, Solis is a homophone for solace – meaning a feeling of respite, comfort, safety or soothing. To us, that’s what gardens should be. No chemicals, no dust plumes from leaf blowers, deafening lawn mower noises waking you up on a Saturday. Just the rustling of leaves and birds singing, humans talking and maybe a fountain bubbling in the background.
Solis is also an anagram for soils, the building block of our gardens and the foundation on which our gardens either thrive or struggle. We emphasize the importance of embracing our native soils, building soil through natural practices, and letting our soil be our guide, informing our plant selection and watering needs.
Finally, Solis comes from the Latin word sol or in English, sun. Along with soil + water, the sun dictates all life on this planet. This part feels self explanatory.
About our founder
Sophie graduated from Chapman University with a degree in environmental science and communication before completing a post-grad certificate program at UCLA studying horticulture. She founded and managed edible + native gardening company Urban Farms LA for 12 years before rebranding as Solis Gardens in 2025. With Solis, Sophie aims to place a greater focus on native landscape design.
Her work has been featured in the LA Times, LA Times Plants, Sunset Magazine, as well as on the Theodore Payne Native Garden Tour. She also teaches classes at Theodore Payne and privately through Solis Gardens. Sophie’s passions include environmental education, re-wilding cities, combating habitat loss and species extinction and creating beautiful spaces for humans to connect with nature.
More about us
Graphics: Our logo, illustrations and overall theme was designed for us by the extremely talented Kelly Malka (Instagram).
Photos: Photos were taken on site by our favorite photographer, Lexi Wimberly, unless specified otherwise.
Website: Our website was designed by Nestingzone Studio.