Hello fellow plant-lovers! My name is Elena, owner and somatic horticulturist at Moonbeam Gardens. I grew up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin where the pine sap scent drifting on the breeze called me to explore. I fell in love with the plants around me at a young age; identifying them, observing them, tasting them, and caring for them. And they cared for me in return. There has been a magical quality to my community with plants that buoyed me through to a BS in Plant Biology from UW-Madison in 2015. I took a job as a gardener right out of college, earned experience in horticulture and landscape design, and began my own horticulture business in 2018.

As a highly sensitive and neurodivergent individual, I use my lived experience to design bespoke somatic sanctuaries tailored specifically for over-stimulated and burnt-out minds. I believe gardening to be an act of community investment as well as a cooperative biological art form. Each garden that bestows peace and ease to someone pays it forward tenfold as that individual goes about their day in a more relaxed, open state.

My love for plants stems from the interconnectedness of all living things and the inherent generosity they embody. My design style reflects these values as I offer you a distillate of practical guidelines for enhancing your wellbeing with the power of plants. My horticultural specialties lie in native species sanctuary gardens, apothecary gardens, spring bulb designs, and natural/sustainable soil amendments.

When I am not in my own (or a friend’s) garden you’ll find me foraging for my home herbalism practice, painting or writing, and enjoying time with my family.