About
Design Philosophy
In 2022, I launched Clare Squire Designs to foster a deeper connection with nature. With my knowledge of horticulture and talent for design, I help others realize their dream gardens.
A garden is a peaceful oasis, a place for the mind to rest, and a method for tending to our innate bond with the environment. As a space to gather and grow, gardens nurture our bonds with family, children, and community. My goal is to help my clients envision and cultivate a serene and joyful outdoor life.
Whether you are refreshing an existing shape or aim to create new designs and uses for your space, I will develop and execute a plan aligned with your goals for aesthetics, maintenance, and enjoyment.
A lifelong student of botany and horticulture, I delight in researching and sourcing unique plant palettes that are both practical and ornamental. I take a special interest in coastal and inland Mediterranean gardening; dry, native, succulent, and shade gardens; and California contemporary and minimalist forms.
Meet Clare:
Certifications I’ve earned and am working towards include Horticulture, UCLA (2024); Dry Garden Design, Ruth Bancroft Garden +Nursery (2023); Qualified Professional in Landscape Design, ReScape (2023); and Community Educator, Garden for the Environment (2009).
Growing up in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, I developed a deep appreciation for the first sprouts of spring after the endless-seeming winter. A Californian at heart, I now delight in the benefits of year-round gardening.
Before launching Clare Squire Designs, I was a fundraising lead at NewSchools Venture Fund, where we raised $500M for educational equity between 2016-2021 and $150M in 2021 alone. My educational background includes a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in Sociology from Mills College. I am also a certified yoga instructor.
I live in the Bay Area coastal town of El Granada, California with my family and our backyard chickens. I maintain a large (mostly) dry garden of my own, featuring jade, agave, haworthia, aeonium, cactus, echeveria, euphorbia, fruit trees, a kitchen garden, and much more.
