Story by Heather Berry | Photos by Olivia Siegel
Lauri Newman-Waters, owner of Asheville’s Farm Girl Garden Designs, has a passion for science and nature. A former research scientist, she focuses her passions today on her small farm in the Leicester hills west of Asheville, where she showcases her talents as a landscape architect and fresh-cut flower supplier for local restaurants. Farm Girl specializes in celebrating the western North Carolina terrain, using native plants and low-impact techniques for weddings, flower arrangements and parties.
“We aren’t like usual landscapers in that we are very plant-centric here at Farm Girl,” Newman-Waters says. “No herbicides, pesticides or chemicals of any kind, because we believe nature comes first,” she explains. “We want people to feel connected to nature, because nature is important. You won’t see us using anything that could harm bees, for example, to treat plant diseases.”
Each landscaping project involves a process where Farm Girl gets an idea of what the client wants and then puts together a balanced design to create in spring, along with a plan for maintenance.
“We aren’t big fans of grass; we prefer using edibles and natives,” says Chloe Miller, Newman-Waters’ righthand woman. “We like unusual plants most landscapers don’t use, mainly medicinals and natives.”
A North Carolina coastal native, Newman-Waters changed the trajectory of her life when her son Elder was born. “I took maternity leave and decided I didn’t want to go back to science,” she says. She obviously made the right choice, and her enthusiasm spills over to her customers.
“Lauri is an amazing person and her flowers reflect her personality,” says Cary Hitchcock, an owner at Asheville’s West End Bakery on Haywood. “Her flowers brighten up the bakery and our customers love them. Every week she brings something new and our customers get to enjoy what’s in season.”
Building her business over the past 13 years, Newman- Waters started with a mere .08 acres. “I kept asking local businesses, ‘Hey! What if I brought you fresh cut flowers in vases, or landscaped these areas for you?’”
Today, her farm of around five acres is a living example of the latest in low-impact growing trends. She admits it hasn’t been easy, but she toughed out the rough patches and the business began to take off around 2010. Prospective and current clients can see for themselves Newman-Waters’ ability to take the ordinary and create beauty on the western North Carolina slopes, often using repurposed junk for fencing, flower bed borders and the like.
Newman-Waters lives and works on her farm and she hopes, one day, Miller and other employees can join her here. “I had always dreamed of having about 20 acres with a farm and a place where women could live and work; I’m very women-centric,” she explains. The vision is becoming a reality after years of hard work. As a single mom, Newman-Waters hopes her triumphs inspire other women. “Be strong and don’t give up,” she advises.
Heather Berry is an award-winning feature writer and editor with more than 20 years of published work in both national and local publications.
