Find your home in nature

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Mariposa Gardening & Design Cooperative, Inc.

Restoring ecological systems to give homeowners an outdoor living space that connects them to the natural world.

“Mariposa is operating on a totally different level.” - Scott F.

Nature is our foremost collaborator

Mariposa Gardening & Design Cooperative, Inc. is a women-led landscape design build cooperative that is founded on restoring our relationship with nature. 


A wooden chair filled with potted plants in a garden.

Eco-Friendly 

We place emphasis on installing habitat gardens to attract a diverse array of butterflies, songbirds and pollinators.

A package of carrot seeds is laying on top of a pile of dirt.

Conscientious

We choose ethically sourced materials to ensure the smallest environmental footprint, and support local economies with our cooperative business structure.

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Caring 

We are a worker-owned cooperative committed to creating a safe and inclusive work environment that celebrates diversity and inspires our communities.

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“Mariposa does it right from the start.” - Christine C.

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    Our Work

    Habitat Garden

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  • A blue house with a red door and a planter in front of it.

    Our Work

    Habitat Garden

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    Our Work

    Habitat Garden

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  • Our Work

    Seed Fountains

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  • Our Work

    Stonework

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A bunch of figs growing on a tree branch.

KQED

Andrea Hurd, founder of Mariposa, was a guest on KQED to discuss Gardening in a Drought. She used her experience to weigh in and let listeners know her tips on gardening in drought and the dry California climate. Listen to the KQED forum episode by clicking the link below!

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There is a fire pit in the middle of the garden.

Pacific Horticulture

Andrea Hurd wrote an article for Pacific Horticulture about her/Mariposa’s water management philosophy. Green is the Color of Nature explores the concept of drought and conventionally recommended strategies that ask California residents to stop watering their gardens. But not watering your garden actually feeds into the drought cycle! Read more by clicking the link below.


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A stone walkway surrounded by purple flowers in a garden.

Sunset Magazine

Featured in Sunset Magazine, Andrea discusses here top 8 reasons why meadows make more sense than lawns in dry California. Want to know the difference between a meadow and a lawn? (And why meadows are so magical?) Learn more by clicking the link below.

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“Being in my Mariposa garden makes me happy.” - Christine C.

Design with nature

Everyday we strive to build outdoor environments that restore and reveal the living beauty and complexity of nature, bringing our clients in closer connection to the natural world. 


A garden with a stone walkway surrounded by plants and flowers

Habitat Gardens

We see each of our gardens as a link in a chain of microhabitats that support birds, butterflies and other pollinators. To develop these relationships, our gardens incorporate plant combinations that are both beautiful and function as a complex ecosystem. We expertly choose plants that provide seasonal interest and bloom year round. 

A garden filled with lots of plants and rocks

Stonework

Dry stacked stonework is done without the use of mortar or glue to bind the rocks. Carefully selected stones are knitted together using a time-tested technique that forms an interlocking, load bearing structure that can last for hundreds of years. Unique and well-crafted stone structures bring combined beauty and durability to an ecologically designed garden. 

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A red door is visible behind a stone wall

Seed Fountains

Mariposa’s Seed Fountains are dry stacked stone fountains that are regularly visited by birds, bees and butterflies. Seed Fountains are designed for water to gently flow over the stone surface, making water more accessible for local pollinators. Seeds often grow in proportion to the Golden Ratio, inspiring the shape of our Seed Fountains and giving them their name.

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We work with nature to bring your garden alive. As a cooperative, we have many combined years of experience and understanding of how to work in harmony with your garden’s unique ecosystem. From design to install to garden care, we bring a holistic approach to reconnecting the natural world to the urban spaces we call home.


Andrea Hurd

Andrea (she/her) is the founder, general manager and a co-owner at Mariposa.

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Gina Trautner

Gina (she/her) is a co-owner at Mariposa and has been with the company since 2018. She is the lead designer.

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Lauren Bennett

Lauren (she/her) is a co-owner at Mariposa and has been with the company since 2019. She is the project manager for the installation division.

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Kari Ballesteros

Kari (she/her) is the Garden Care Manager and a co-owner of Mariposa.

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Anna Sturbaum

Anna (she/her) is one of the install crew members at Mariposa. She found her way to landscape construction through her interest in urban gardening.

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Finn Wick

Finn (they/them) is a co-owner of Mariposa and they work on the install team.

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“My Mariposa garden draws me out at all hours of the day.” - Margaret

Newsletter

Summer Is Almost Here, Start Thinking About Your Soil

By Andrea andrea • June 9, 2025
CHECK YOUR SOIL! Isn’t it great to feel the longer and warmer days of late Spring? I love the feeling of going outside and seeing the sun, shining brightly on all of the green leaves and beautiful flowers. It is so wonderful to feel the glow of summer approaching. What a joy to get caught up in that glow, while we watch the gardens grow gorgeously. However, that joy makes it easy to forget that here in the Bay Area, we are entering the months long dry season. Our Mediterranean climate shifts this time of year, which can transform gardens from showing lots of flowering and new green growth, to gardens where soils and plants become dry and damaged. This transition can lead to health issues in the garden over the coming weeks and months. While plants are still thriving from the lovely winter rains, the soils are now drying out. We often don’t realize that the soils are becoming too dry because at this time of year, it takes plants longer to show signs of stress. However, if we know what is about to come, we can stay ahead of the dry season and the damage that hydrophobic soils can do to our garden.

Happy Spring!!!

By Andrea andrea • May 3, 2025
With the warmer temperatures and longer days, gardens are literally bursting with hope. New leaves unfurl and early blooms emerge under the lengthening days and warming temperatures. April never fails to inspire me with its magical expression in the natural world. Each year, as this phenomenon occurs, I am delighted by the immense force that nature has to replenish and re-emerge anew. Being able to count on the small miracles of leafing out and blooming helps to give stability in an unstable world. Tending a garden is not only therapeutic for our soul, but also will help heal your local environment.

Spring Cleaning For Habitat

By Andrea andrea • April 28, 2025
Spring is an amazing time of year to witness rebirth and transformation in the garden. Buds are swelling, flowers are beginning to bloom and butterflies are starting the procession of early, mid and late seasonal emergence into the garden! All of the subtle and beautiful change that happens day to day draws us gardeners out into the garden to witness the fullness of spring. During March, we see a chorus of changes in the garden, each element playing in harmony. Paying close attention to how your garden is changing and developing during this season can help you to become a better guardian for habitat protection. In Mariposa’s newsletters and articles , we discuss that in order to protect habitat in the winter garden, one must be very careful. Many grown pollinators and butterflies, as well as their dormant eggs gather protection under the leaves and in the dried stems of flowering perennials such as Echinacea (purple coneflower) and Rudbeckia (black eyed Susan).

Start your garden journey 

Finding your home in nature starts with Mariposa. We work with you to create a garden that is both beautiful and ecologically sound. 

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