# Rewild Landscape
> Landscape Architecture & Planting Design 

## About
REWILD Landscape is a woman-led landscape architecture and planting design studio founded by Marie Salembier, a French-trained landscape architect and horticulturist. The practice creates sophisticated residential, hospitality, commercial, and cultural landscapes defined by sensory richness and ecological intelligence. Rewild's design methodology bridges ecology, architecture, and atmospheric quality, shaping landscapes that feel immersive, refined, and deeply rooted in their site. Based in New York City and the Hamptons, Marie's studio serves clients across the Northeast United States and internationally — including projects in France, England, and Asia.

Rewild Landscape is the continuation of Watson Salembier, the practice Marie co-founded with landscape designer Julia Watson in 2020 and which produced the early rewilded American Meadow installations at Rockefeller Center. Under Marie's sole leadership, Rewild has deepened its focus on rewilding, native plant communities, biodiversity restoration, and seasonal stewardship. Notable projects include the Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center, the Cartier SoHo Terrace, 144 Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn (covered by The New York Times), The Surrey Hotel terrace, and residential estates across Long Island, Connecticut, and the Hamptons.

Our commitment does not end at installation. We remain involved as each landscape matures — guiding refinement, seasonal stewardship, and long-term care so the place becomes more resonant, biodiverse, and beautiful with time.

Marie Salembier founded Rewild Landscape in January 2021 as the continuation of Watson Salembier, the landscape design practice she co-founded with Julia Watson in 2020, with a deepened focus on rewilding, biodiversity, and ecological design. Work completed before 2021 is credited to Marie Salembier personally; Rewild Landscape's own work dates from 2021. Each project below carries its credit.

### Founder
Marie Salembier — Founder & Principal Designer
Marie Salembier is a French-trained landscape architect and horticulturist, and the founder and principal designer of Rewild Landscape. Before turning to landscape design, she spent about a decade as an international fashion model with Elite Models and Ford Models. She studied horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden's School of Professional Horticulture and holds an advanced degree in landscape architecture, which she combines with hands-on field practice across residential, hospitality, cultural, and public-realm projects. Before founding Rewild, Marie co-founded Watson Salembier with landscape designer Julia Watson in 2020 — the partnership behind the rewilded American Meadow installations at Rockefeller Center. She launched Rewild Landscape under her sole leadership in January 2021 to deepen the studio's focus on rewilding, native planting, and ecological design. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Dezeen, CN Traveller, Haute Living, Goodee, and Rockefeller Center Magazine, and she is recognized internationally for biophilic and ecologically intelligent planting design.

## Services
### Landscape Architecture
Full-service landscape architecture for residential, hospitality, commercial, and cultural projects, rooted in ecology, atmosphere, and a strong sense of place.
Our landscape architecture work begins with a close reading of the land, the architecture, and the way a place is meant to be experienced. We design landscapes that feel immersive, refined, and deeply connected to their surroundings, balancing ecological intelligence with beauty, function, and long-term resilience.

Each project is shaped through site-sensitive planning, spatial organization, material thinking, and planting design, resulting in landscapes that are both highly resolved and alive. From private gardens to hospitality and cultural environments, our work creates places that support both human experience and the living world.

### Garden Design
Refined garden design shaped by beauty, seasonality, ecology, and sensory experience.
We design gardens as living compositions — places of beauty, pleasure, atmosphere, and memory. Each garden is tailored to its site, architecture, and owner, with a strong emphasis on how it feels to move through and inhabit the landscape over time.

Our approach balances structure and softness, wildness and restraint, creating gardens that are immersive, deeply personal, and ecologically grounded. The result is not a generic outdoor space, but a landscape with identity, depth, and presence.

### Planting Design
Naturalistic planting design that brings together beauty, biodiversity, seasonality, and long-term performance.
Rewild Landscape is a planting design studio in New York City and the Hamptons, led by founder Marie Salembier, who studied horticulture at The New York Botanical Garden's School of Professional Horticulture. Planting is at the heart of the studio's work. Each scheme responds to soil, light, climate, and ecological opportunity while delivering a strong visual and seasonal experience.

The studio's planting plans balance native and adapted species, structure and movement, and bloom and evergreen presence, so gardens read as resolved through all four seasons. In New York City that means planting for roofs, terraces, courtyards, and public spaces, from the seasonal installations in the Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center to the Sky Garden and Sunken Garden at 144 Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn. In the Hamptons it means planting for coastal conditions across East Hampton, Sagaponack, Bridgehampton, and Southampton.

Every planting plan serves both the look of the project and the long-term health of the site, and the studio can stay involved after installation to guide how the planting matures.

### Ecological Landscape Design
Landscape design that supports biodiversity, pollinators, soil health, and ecological resilience without sacrificing beauty or refinement.
Ecological landscape design is landscape architecture that treats soil health, habitat, water, and native plant communities as design drivers rather than add-ons. At Rewild Landscape, the New York City and Hamptons studio founded by Marie Salembier, it is the foundation of every project. Each site is read for its soils, light, water, and existing plant communities before any composition is drawn, and the planting is designed to support pollinators, birds, and soil life as it matures.

The approach runs from city roofs to coastal estates. At 144 Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn, designed with SO–IL, more than 11,000 square feet of gardens and terraces, including a Sky Garden and a Sunken Garden, blend native species into a residential building. In the Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center, seasonal meadow installations have brought native plant communities into one of Manhattan's most visited public spaces. On the South Fork, the studio designs for properties in East Hampton, Sagaponack, Bridgehampton, and Southampton, where salt spray, sandy soils, and glacial moraine geology decide what will thrive.

The result is a landscape that looks composed on the first day and grows richer each year, with lower demand for irrigation, fertilizer, and replacement planting.

### Rewilding and Revegetation
Rewilding and revegetation strategies that restore ecological function while creating landscapes of richness, atmosphere, and place.
Rewild Landscape is a New York landscape design studio built around rewilding. Its rewilding and revegetation practice restores layered plant communities, biodiversity, and the connection between land, water, and habitat on sites from Manhattan to the East End of Long Island. Founded by Marie Salembier and based in New York City and Sagaponack, the studio guides each site toward a stronger ecological future without giving up beauty or design integrity.

Rewilding here does not mean leaving a site to go wild. It means reintroducing native plant communities in deliberate layers, removing what degrades the site, and managing the transition so the landscape reads as intentional at every stage. The studio's rewilding work includes seasonal installations in the Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center, the wider rewilding of the Rockefeller Center campus, and the rewilding of a country property in the Cotswolds, England.

On Long Island, revegetation often carries regulatory requirements, such as restoring disturbed ground or meeting town clearing limits. Rewild Landscape designs that planting to satisfy the requirement and still read as a designed landscape.

### Residential Landscape Design
High-end residential landscape design for gardens, rooftops, courtyards, and estates shaped by beauty, ecology, and lifestyle.
We create private landscapes that feel personal, immersive, and enduring. From city terraces to country properties and multi-phase estates, our residential work is shaped by the rhythms of daily life, the architecture of the home, and the emotional atmosphere a landscape can create.

Each project is designed to feel both highly considered and effortlessly lived in. The result is a landscape that offers beauty, calm, sensory richness, and a meaningful connection to place.

### Hospitality Landscape Design
Landscape design for hotels, restaurants, retreats, and hospitality spaces where atmosphere, identity, and guest experience matter.
Rewild Landscape designs gardens, terraces, and courtyards for hotels, restaurants, retail flagships, and retreats in New York City, the Hamptons, and beyond. Founded by Marie Salembier, the studio treats a hospitality landscape as part of the guest experience. Planting sets the atmosphere at arrival, frames views, and gives a property an identity guests remember.

Recent work includes the terrace at The Surrey hotel on Manhattan's Upper East Side, the rooftop terrace at the Cartier SoHo boutique, and a Mediterranean-inspired courtyard of olive trees and cypress for Aimé Leon Dore's Los Angeles flagship. Each project balances the operating realities of hospitality (heavy use, events, maintenance windows, and rooftop loads) with planting that stays generous and composed through the year.

The studio works alongside architects, interior designers, and operators from concept through construction documentation. Through Rewild Plus, it can stay involved after opening with seasonal stewardship.

### Commercial and Retail Landscape Design
Commercial and retail landscapes that elevate experience, reinforce brand identity, and create a memorable sense of place.
We design landscapes for commercial, retail, and branded environments where the exterior experience plays an essential role in how a place is perceived. These landscapes help frame arrival, create atmosphere, and extend the architectural and brand language into the outdoor space.

Our approach combines strong planting character, visual clarity, and site responsiveness to create landscapes that feel distinctive, polished, and inviting.

### Cultural and Institutional Landscapes
Landscape design for cultural and institutional spaces that require identity, public presence, and long-term performance.
We work on landscapes for cultural, civic, and institutional environments where a strong relationship between people and place is essential. These projects often require a balance of visibility, access, atmosphere, and long-term resilience.
Our design approach creates landscapes that are both meaningful and durable — environments that support gathering, reflection, public life, and ecological value while maintaining a clear design identity.

### Rooftop, Terrace, and Courtyard Design
Urban landscape design for rooftops, terraces, and courtyards with a strong emphasis on planting, privacy, atmosphere, and architectural integration.
We design rooftops, terraces, and courtyards as immersive outdoor rooms — spaces that offer beauty, softness, and retreat within dense urban settings. These projects require careful attention to scale, exposure, weight, wind, drainage, and maintenance, as well as a refined approach to atmosphere and use.
Our landscapes bring planting, materials, and spatial organization together to create outdoor environments that feel lush, elegant, and fully integrated with the architecture.

### Master Planning
Long-range landscape planning for estates, hospitality properties, and multi-phase sites requiring vision, structure, and ecological coherence.
Our master planning work establishes the long-term landscape vision for complex or evolving properties. We consider circulation, land use, ecological opportunity, architecture, views, and future phases to create a framework that allows a site to develop with clarity and integrity over time.
This approach is especially valuable for larger properties and phased projects where a strong overall vision is essential to guide future decisions.

### Plant Sourcing and Procurement
Intentional sourcing of exceptional plant material to ensure beauty, quality, and alignment with the design vision.
Plant quality is essential to the success of a landscape. Through REWILD Plus, we guide the sourcing and selection of plant material with close attention to form, health, maturity, and overall suitability for the site and design intent.

We work with trusted nurseries and growers to find material that supports the structure, character, and long-term success of the landscape, ensuring the built result reflects the design at the highest level.

### Installation Review and Plant Placement
Hands-on site involvement during installation to refine composition, guide plant placement, and ensure continuity with the design intent.
We remain closely involved during installation to make sure the landscape is realized with care and precision. This includes reviewing layouts on site, refining planting compositions, and adjusting placement where needed so the built work fully reflects the original vision.
Planting is not treated as a technical afterthought, but as a final act of composition. This level of involvement helps bring clarity, rhythm, and balance to the finished landscape.

### Landscape Stewardship
Ongoing guidance as the landscape matures, with seasonal refinement, editing, and stewardship over time.
Our commitment does not end at installation. We remain involved as landscapes mature season after season, guiding adjustments, enrichment, and care so each place continues to grow into itself over time.
This ongoing stewardship helps preserve design integrity while allowing the landscape to evolve naturally. The result is a garden or site that becomes richer, more layered, and more beautiful year after year.

### Realization Oversight
Direct involvement during realization to maintain clarity, coherence, and fidelity to the original landscape vision.
REWILD Plus bridges the space between design and built work. We stay engaged through implementation to help ensure the landscape is executed with precision, sensitivity, and a strong understanding of the intended atmosphere and design language.
This may include coordination around planting, materials, detailing, and site adjustments. Our role is to help the finished landscape feel resolved, balanced, and fully aligned with the original concept.

### Landscape Advisory
Flexible consulting for architects, interior designers, developers, and property owners seeking clarity, refinement, and ecological perspective.
REWILD Advisory offers targeted guidance for projects that do not require full design services but would benefit from an experienced landscape perspective. We help refine direction, strengthen planting strategies, and improve the relationship between ecology, architecture, and atmosphere.

This service is often used to review an existing concept, guide key decisions, shape planting direction, or bring more coherence and sensitivity to a project already in development.

### Planting Strategy Consulting
Focused consulting on planting direction, palettes, ecological opportunity, and overall landscape character.
For projects that need a strong planting point of view without full design scope, we offer focused consulting on planting strategy. This can include guidance on plant palettes, site-responsive communities, visual character, ecological performance, and seasonal rhythm.
The goal is to bring clarity and depth to the planting approach so the landscape feels intentional, beautiful, and appropriate to both site and architecture.

### Design Review for Architects and Designers
A collaborative review service for architects and designers seeking a refined landscape perspective within a broader design team.
We collaborate with architects, interior designers, and creative teams to bring greater depth and coherence to the landscape dimension of a project. This may involve reviewing plans, strengthening site strategies, refining exterior character, or advising on the relationship between architecture and planted space.
Our role is to help ensure the landscape feels integral rather than secondary — fully considered as part of the overall project vision.


## Projects (35 total)
### A24 Headquarters Terraces
- Location: New York, NY
- Year: 2026
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: commercial
A renewal of two New York City terraces with layered evergreen planting, seasonal texture, and a calm green palette.

### 144 Vanderbilt Avenue
- Location: Brooklyn, NY
- Year: 2024-2025
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: residential
Landscape design for 144 Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn, as featured in The New York Times.

### Rewilding in the Cotswolds
- Location: Long Compton, England
- Year: Ongoing
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: international
A rewilding project in the Cotswolds, England.

### The Rink's Summer Garden, Rockefeller Center
- Location: New York, USA
- Year: 2020
- Credit: Marie Salembier (before founding Rewild Landscape)
- Category: public
Summer garden installation at The Rink, Rockefeller Center.

### Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center
- Location: New York, NY
- Year: 2020-Present
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: public
Seasonal planting design for the Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center.

### Cartier SoHo Terrace
- Location: SoHo, NYC
- Year: 2023
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: commercial
A 2,000 sqft terrace landscape merging crafted hardscape and circulation with an evergreen tapestry and seasonal planting designed to bloom across the year. The design emphasizes rewilding principles and horticultural precision to deliver privacy, freshness, and a quietly immersive sensory experience in the middle of the city.

### Aimé Leon Dore Los Angeles Flagship
- Location: Los Angeles
- Year: 2026
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: commercial
A courtyard garden designed by Rewild Landscape, the New York and Hamptons studio, as a quiet retreat within the Aimé Leon Dore Los Angeles flagship, blending Mediterranean planting with a refined, immersive spatial experience.

### A Norman-Inspired Estate Landscape
- Location: Long Island
- Year: 2025
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: residential
A 12-acre estate landscape pairing crafted circulation and architectural details with richly layered, seasonal planting rooted in rewilding principles. The design draws inspiration from Norman geometry and European garden traditions, creating a sequence of outdoor rooms where architecture and planting speak the same language.

### Garden in Passy, Paris
- Location: Paris, France
- Year: 2021
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: international
A private garden in the Passy neighborhood of Paris.

### The Surrey Hotel Terrace
- Location: New York, NY
- Year: 2024
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: hospitality
Terrace landscape design for The Surrey Hotel in New York City.

### Lush Retreat in Sagaponack
- Location: Sagaponack, NY
- Year: 2022
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: residential
A lush residential retreat in Sagaponack, NY.

### NYC Midtown Urban Rewilding
- Location: New York, NY
- Year: Ongoing
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: public
Urban rewilding project in Midtown Manhattan.

### 5 Acres Restaurant
- Location: New York, NY
- Year: 2022
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: hospitality
Landscape design for 5 Acres Restaurant in New York.

### Parisian Oasis
- Location: Paris, France
- Year: 2023
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: international
A garden oasis designed in Paris, France.

### Nested in the Luberon, Provence
- Location: Luberon, France
- Year: 2023
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: international
A landscape nestled in the Luberon region of Provence, France.

### Norwalk Microforest
- Location: Norwalk, CT
- Year: 2025
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: public
A microforest project in Norwalk, Connecticut, creating a dense, multi-layered native planting in a compact suburban space.

### Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center
- Location: New York, NY
- Year: Ongoing
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: public
The installation reimagines the Channel Gardens as a vivid, planting-led installation that reads like an urban meadow in full bloom. Rewild curates the planting design seasonally, with six annual reimaginings for Easter, Spring, Summer, Fall, Christmas, and Winter.

### Rockefeller Center Interior Lobbies
- Location: New York City
- Year: Ongoing
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: hospitality
Interior lobby planting designs for Rockefeller Center.

### NYC Urban Oasis
- Location: New York, NY
- Year: 2024
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: residential
An urban oasis garden in New York City.

### SKIMS at Rockefeller Center, Channel Gardens
- Location: New York, NY
- Year: 2023
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: commercial
SKIMS installation at the Channel Gardens, Rockefeller Center.

### Pride at Rockefeller Center
- Location: New York, NY
- Year: 2022
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: public
Pride celebration planting at the Channel Gardens, Rockefeller Center.

### Christmas Channel Gardens, Rockefeller Center
- Location: New York, NY
- Year: Ongoing
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: public
Seasonal Christmas planting design for the Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center.

### Country Retreat
- Location: Connecticut
- Year: 2022
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: residential
A country retreat landscape in Connecticut.

### Less Lawn, More Life
- Location: Bedford, NY
- Year: 2024
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: residential
A rewilding project in Bedford, NY transforming traditional lawn into biodiverse, ecologically productive landscape.

### Away from Abercrombie & Fitch
- Location: Brooklyn, NY
- Year: 2022
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: commercial
A residential landscape project in Brooklyn.

### Private Residence in Long Branch, New Jersey
- Location: Long Branch, NJ
- Year: 2022
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: residential
A private residential landscape in Long Branch, New Jersey.

### Oasis in the Woods Residence, Sagaponack
- Location: Sagaponack, NY
- Year: 2021-2022
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: residential
A residential oasis set within the woods of Sagaponack.

### Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial
- Location: Kiev, Ukraine
- Year: 2021
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: cultural
Landscape design for the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial in Kiev, Ukraine.

### Wilmington Rehabilitation Courtyard
- Location: Wilmington, MA
- Year: 2020
- Credit: Marie Salembier (before founding Rewild Landscape)
- Category: commercial
A healing courtyard for a rehabilitation facility in Wilmington, Massachusetts.

### Salem Rehabilitation Courtyard
- Location: Salem, MA
- Year: 2020
- Credit: Marie Salembier (before founding Rewild Landscape)
- Category: commercial
A therapeutic courtyard for a rehabilitation facility in Salem, Massachusetts.

### Shenzhen Polyculture Armature Green Axis
- Location: Shenzhen, China
- Year: 2019
- Credit: Marie Salembier (before founding Rewild Landscape)
- Category: international
Large-scale urban green axis design in Shenzhen, China.

### Manhattan Beach Dune Restoration
- Location: Manhattan Beach, LA
- Year: 2020
- Credit: Marie Salembier (before founding Rewild Landscape)
- Category: public
Dune restoration project at Manhattan Beach.

### Downtown Fashion Showroom, Lofted Natures
- Location: New York City
- Year: 2020
- Credit: Marie Salembier (before founding Rewild Landscape)
- Category: commercial
Interior planting design for a downtown fashion showroom.

### Houston Botanic Garden
- Location: Houston, Texas
- Year: 2017-2018
- Credit: Marie Salembier (before founding Rewild Landscape)
- Category: cultural
Planting design for the Houston Botanic Garden.

### Rockefeller Center North Plaza
- Location: New York, NY
- Year: 2022
- Credit: Rewild Landscape
- Category: hospitality
North Plaza planting design at Rockefeller Center.


## Press
- AIA New York: "Rockefeller Center Rink Level Public Concourse — 2025 AIANY Design Awards Interiors Merit Award" https://www.aiany.org/architecture/featured-projects/view/rockefeller-center-rink-level-public-concourse/
- New York Times: "144 Vanderbilt" https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/12/realestate/pink-building-brooklyn-fort-greene.html
- Forbes: "Cartier Opens New Boutique in New York's SoHo Neighborhood" https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2023/11/18/cartier-opens-new-boutique-in-new-yorks-soho-neighborhood/
- Haute Living: "New Cartier Boutique SoHo" https://hauteliving.com/2023/11/new-cartier-boutique-soho/740794/
- Goodeeworld: "Watson Salembier's Wildest Dreams" https://www.goodeeworld.com/blogs/stories/lo-tek
- Rockefeller Center Magazine: "Into the Rewilding of Rockefeller Center" https://www.rockefellercenter.com/magazine/arts-culture/into-the-rewilding-of-rockefeller-center/
- Dezeen: "Rewilding the American Meadow at Rockefeller Center" https://www.dezeen.com/2020/08/28/rewilding-the-american-meadow-julia-watson-rockefeller-center/
- Dezeen: "Turner Works Converts Cotswolds Barn into Creative Retreat" https://www.dezeen.com/2021/01/02/dut18-converted-barn-turner-works/
- CNTraveller: "The Best British Houses to Rent in 2021" https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/best-british-houses-2021

## FAQ
### What is rewilding in landscape design?
Rewilding in landscape design means integrating ecological principles — biodiversity, native planting, pollinator support, and habitat creation — into designed environments. Rather than purely ornamental planting, we create landscapes that actively support local ecosystems while maintaining the beauty and sophistication our clients expect.

### What areas does Rewild Landscape serve?
Rewild Landscape is based in New York City and the Hamptons (Sagaponack, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Southampton). Primary service areas include Long Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Upstate New York. International commissions have included France, the Cotswolds (UK), Provence, and Hong Kong. Over 100 projects completed across these regions.

### How much does landscape design cost?
Design fees at Rewild Landscape typically range from $25,000 to $150,000 for residential projects, with full-design-plus-build engagements running $150,000 to well over $500,000 depending on scope and site. Advisory hourly rates start around $350/hour. Final fees depend on land area, level of detail, hardscape complexity, permitting, and whether multi-year stewardship is included. Scoping conversations are complimentary.

### What is the difference between landscape design and landscape architecture?
Landscape architecture typically involves licensed professionals working on larger-scale public or commercial projects requiring engineering and regulatory expertise. Landscape design focuses on the aesthetic and horticultural aspects of outdoor spaces. At Rewild, we bridge both disciplines — combining ecological design intelligence with refined horticultural craft.

### What does the landscape design fee include?
Our design fees cover site analysis, concept design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration. Planting design and plant sourcing are included on most projects. Installation, plant material, and hardscape are billed separately by the landscape contractor. Seasonal stewardship is a separate annual program.

### Do you work on residential projects?
Yes, residential projects are a core part of our practice. We design gardens and landscapes for private homes ranging from Brooklyn townhouse gardens to Hamptons estates. Every residential project receives direct principal involvement from our founder, Marie Salembier.

### What is a planting design?
A planting design is a detailed plan that specifies exactly which plants go where, how they are grouped, and how they will perform across seasons. Our planting designs consider bloom times, foliage texture, fragrance, wildlife value, soil conditions, and maintenance requirements to create layered, year-round beauty.

### How long does a landscape design project take?
Timelines vary by project scale. A rooftop terrace might take 3-6 months from concept to installation, while a large estate landscape could span 12-24 months. We work with your schedule and coordinate with builders and architects to ensure seamless delivery.

### Do you provide ongoing maintenance?
We offer Seasonal Stewardship Programs rather than routine maintenance. This means we provide strategic direction, seasonal rotation planning, and periodic site visits to ensure your landscape evolves beautifully over time. We guide your maintenance team rather than replacing them.

### What types of plants do you use?
Rewild Landscape favors native and regionally adapted species. Anchor natives regularly specified include Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed), Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem), Amelanchier canadensis (serviceberry), Quercus alba (white oak), Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed), and Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (New England aster). Palettes include non-invasive naturalized perennials and select cultivars when they advance ecological or design intent, always evaluated for pollinator value.

### Can you design a rooftop garden in NYC?
Absolutely. We have extensive experience with rooftop and terrace gardens in New York City, including the Cartier SoHo Terrace and multiple private residential rooftops. We understand the unique challenges of rooftop environments — weight loads, wind exposure, drainage, and irrigation — and design accordingly.

### Do you only use native plants, or also ornamental species?
We are native-first, not native-only. For residential and hospitality gardens we layer regional natives with carefully chosen climate-adapted ornamentals where the design calls for specific texture, bloom color, or evergreen structure. Restoration and revegetation projects are typically 90%+ native and site-provenanced.

### How is Rewild Landscape different from a traditional NYC landscape architect?
Rewild Landscape combines the rigor of traditional landscape architecture — site analysis, spatial composition, construction documentation — with an ecological-first approach that treats biodiversity, soil health, native plant communities, and long-term stewardship as core design drivers, not afterthoughts. Where a conventional NYC landscape architect might deliver a site plan and step away after installation, Rewild stays engaged across seasons, refining plant palettes, evolving the design as the landscape matures, and tracking ecological outcomes like pollinator presence and soil biology.

### What is the difference between rewilding and traditional landscape architecture?
Traditional landscape architecture composes outdoor space for spatial function and visual effect, typically with curated ornamental plantings selected for static appearance. Rewilding composes living plant communities — layered native and naturalistic species — that perform ecologically: supporting pollinators, restoring soil biology, providing wildlife habitat, and evolving across seasons. Rewild Landscape applies rewilding principles within full landscape-architecture rigor, so site analysis, hardscape detailing, and spatial composition all serve ecological function as well as aesthetic intent.

### How does Rewild Landscape compare to other Hamptons landscape design firms?
Most Hamptons landscape firms focus on traditional ornamental design — curated horticultural beds, formal lawns, hardscape-first compositions. Rewild Landscape positions ecology at the center of every project: native plant communities suited to Long Island's coastal microclimate, layered planting strategies that support pollinators and soil health, and seasonal stewardship that lets each landscape mature into its ecological potential. Rewild also works at the residential, hospitality, and cultural scale equally — most Hamptons firms specialize in only one of these contexts.

### Rewild Landscape vs Watson Salembier — what is the relationship?
Rewild Landscape is the continuation of Watson Salembier, the landscape design studio Marie Salembier co-founded with landscape designer Julia Watson in 2020. Watson Salembier rose to prominence for the rewilded American Meadow installations at Rockefeller Center and hospitality work across New York. The practice was rebranded as Rewild Landscape under Marie's sole leadership to deepen the studio's focus on rewilding, biodiversity, and ecological design. All project history, press coverage, and design lineage carries forward from Watson Salembier to Rewild Landscape.


## Glossary
### Rewilding
The practice of restoring ecosystems to a more natural, self-sustaining state by reintroducing native species and ecological processes.
In Practice: In landscape design, rewilding means creating gardens and landscapes that support local wildlife, pollinators, and biodiversity rather than relying on purely ornamental, non-native plantings.

### Biodiversity
The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
In Practice: We design landscapes that maximize biodiversity through diverse plant palettes, habitat features, and ecological corridors that support birds, pollinators, and beneficial insects.

### Native Planting
Using plant species that naturally occur in a specific region and have evolved with local wildlife.
In Practice: Native plants are adapted to local soil, climate, and rainfall conditions, requiring less maintenance while providing critical food and habitat for native pollinators and wildlife.

### Pollinator Garden
A garden specifically designed to attract and support pollinating insects and birds through nectar-rich, pollen-bearing plants.
In Practice: Our pollinator gardens include carefully sequenced bloom times to provide continuous food sources from early spring through late fall, supporting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

### Microforest
A dense, multi-layered planting inspired by natural forest ecosystems, typically established in small urban or suburban spaces using the Miyawaki method or similar approaches.
In Practice: We create microforests as ecological anchors within larger landscape designs, providing habitat density, carbon sequestration, and cooling effects in surprisingly small footprints.

### Hardscape
The non-living, structural elements of a landscape — terraces, paths, walls, pools, and outdoor structures.
In Practice: Our hardscape design integrates with planting to create cohesive outdoor rooms where architecture and nature dialogue, using materials that complement both the building and the ecological goals of the site.

### Softscape
The living, horticultural elements of a landscape — plants, trees, groundcovers, and soil.
In Practice: Softscape is our primary medium. We compose plant palettes that deliver layered texture, seasonal color, fragrance, and ecological function across the full year.

### Planting Palette
The curated selection of plant species chosen for a specific project based on aesthetic, ecological, and performance criteria.
In Practice: Each planting palette is custom-designed for its site, considering soil type, sun exposure, microclimate, deer pressure, salt tolerance, and the client aesthetic vision.

### Seasonal Stewardship
An ongoing program of strategic landscape management that guides a garden through seasonal transitions and long-term maturation.
In Practice: Unlike routine maintenance, stewardship involves art direction — knowing when to edit, when to let things grow, and how to evolve a landscape toward its fullest expression over years.

### Revegetation
The process of replanting and restoring vegetation to land that has been disturbed, cleared, or degraded.
In Practice: We provide revegetation services that meet regulatory compliance requirements while establishing resilient native plant communities using proven ecological restoration techniques.

### Coastal Planting
Plant selection and design strategies adapted to coastal environments with salt spray, wind exposure, sandy soils, and tidal influence.
In Practice: Our coastal planting expertise covers the full range of Northeastern shoreline conditions, from exposed oceanfront dunes to protected harbor gardens in the Hamptons and Long Island.

### Construction Administration
The phase of a project where the designer oversees construction to ensure the built work matches the design intent.
In Practice: During construction administration, we review submittals, conduct site visits, approve material samples, oversee plant installation, and manage quality control through project closeout.

### Master Planning
A comprehensive, long-range plan for the development of an entire site, establishing the overall vision, phasing, and spatial organization.
In Practice: We create master plans for large properties that establish a cohesive vision while allowing for phased implementation over multiple seasons or years.

### Bioswale
A vegetated, shallow channel designed to capture, filter, and convey stormwater runoff using plants and engineered soil media.
In Practice: Bioswales are both functional infrastructure and beautiful landscape features. We integrate them into site designs as planted corridors that manage water while adding ecological and aesthetic value.

### Meadow Planting
A designed planting that mimics the structure and species diversity of natural meadow ecosystems using grasses and wildflowers.
In Practice: Our meadow plantings — like those at Rockefeller Center — create dynamic, seasonally shifting landscapes that support pollinators while reducing maintenance compared to traditional lawns.

### Matrix Planting
A planting design approach that uses a base layer of structurally consistent grasses or perennials as a matrix, interplanted with punctuation species and seasonal themes. Developed by designers like Piet Oudolf and widely adopted in naturalistic planting.
In Practice: Common matrix species include Sesleria autumnalis, Deschampsia cespitosa, and Sporobolus heterolepis.

### Keystone Species
A native plant that supports a disproportionately high number of local insect and bird species relative to other natives. Per entomologist Doug Tallamy, a single oak (Quercus) supports more than 500 caterpillar species.
In Practice: Northeastern U.S. keystones include oaks (Quercus), willows (Salix), and cherries (Prunus). Specified as anchor species on biodiversity-driven projects.

### Ecotone
The transitional zone between two ecosystems — for example, the edge where woodland meets meadow. Ecotones typically show higher species diversity than either adjacent community.
In Practice: Prized in ecological landscape design for habitat layering and bird/pollinator activity.

### Xeriscape
Landscape design that minimizes irrigation through drought-adapted planting, efficient hydrozoning, and mulch strategies. The term originated at Denver Water in 1981.
In Practice: Xeric principles apply anywhere water is constrained — including sections of a Hamptons site with thin sandy soil.

### Provenance
In horticulture, the geographic origin of a plant’s seed or genetic stock. Regional provenance matters for natives: a Panicum virgatum seed sourced from Long Island performs differently than one from Texas.
In Practice: Rewild Landscape specifies local ecotype when available for restoration and revegetation projects.

### Hydrozone
A zone within a landscape grouped by shared water requirements so irrigation can be calibrated to the needs of a single planting group.
In Practice: Typical hydrozones: high (≥18 in/yr), moderate (10–18 in/yr), low (≤10 in/yr), and natural (rainfall only). Mapped during design development.

### Pollinator Corridor
A linear habitat connecting fragmented pollinator populations. Corridors often follow roadsides, utility easements, or property lines and are planted with native flowering species that bloom sequentially. Xerces Society publishes regional corridor guidelines.
In Practice: Incorporated on larger residential and campus projects to link to adjacent protected land.

### Soil Microbiome
The community of bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and microarthropods that live in soil and drive nutrient cycling, water retention, and plant health.
In Practice: Ecological landscape design protects the microbiome by minimizing compaction, avoiding broad-spectrum pesticides, and preserving organic matter.

### Phenology
The study of seasonal timing in plants and animals — bloom dates, leaf-out, bird migration, insect emergence. Phenology data is tracked regionally by USA-NPN.
In Practice: Used to compose bloom sequences that support pollinators from earliest spring through late fall.

### Succession Planting
A planting strategy that introduces species in stages so the landscape evolves toward a target ecological community. Early-succession pioneers establish cover and build soil; later species outcompete them over years.
In Practice: Core to restoration and revegetation work where a mature community is the goal.

### New Perennial Movement
A planting design approach emerging in the 1990s from Northern European designers — Piet Oudolf, Henk Gerritsen, Cassian Schmidt. Emphasizes long-season perennial and grass plantings with naturalistic community structure and winter interest.
In Practice: Heavily influences Rewild Landscape’s meadow and border compositions.

### Seed Bank
The dormant seeds in a soil profile, some viable for decades. Site clearing activates the seed bank — which can mean beneficial native re-emergence or invasive resurgence.
In Practice: Evaluated before clearing and restoration decisions to avoid invasive rebound.

### Allelopathy
The chemical inhibition of one plant by another through root or leaf exudates. Black walnut (Juglans nigra) produces juglone, which limits what can grow beneath it.
In Practice: Allelopathic species are noted during site analysis and inform companion planting.

### Understory
The layer of shrubs, small trees, and groundcovers beneath a canopy of taller trees.
In Practice: Rich understory plantings are characteristic of woodland-edge designs and significantly increase biodiversity and structural depth.

### Cultivar
A cultivated variety of a plant, bred or selected for specific traits — flower color, form, disease resistance — and propagated asexually to maintain those traits. Indicated by single quotes in plant names.
In Practice: Example: Echinacea purpurea “White Swan”. Used selectively alongside straight natives.

### Nativar
A cultivar of a native species. Nativars retain ornamental appeal but may have reduced ecological value compared to straight natives — Mt. Cuba Center trials show pollinator visitation varies widely by cultivar.
In Practice: Evaluated for ecological performance before specification on habitat-driven projects.

### Forb
A non-grass herbaceous flowering plant. In meadow and prairie restoration, forb diversity drives pollinator value.
In Practice: Typical Northeastern forbs: Asclepias, Solidago, Symphyotrichum, Echinacea, Eupatorium.

### Graminoid
Grass or grass-like plant — includes true grasses (Poaceae), sedges (Cyperaceae), and rushes (Juncaceae).
In Practice: Forms the structural matrix in prairie, meadow, and sedge-meadow plantings.

### Riparian Zone
The vegetated zone along a stream, river, or wetland edge. Riparian plantings stabilize banks, filter runoff, and provide critical wildlife corridors.
In Practice: New York State DEC regulates disturbance within riparian buffers — Rewild Plus handles compliance.

### Ecosystem Services
The measurable benefits humans receive from functioning ecosystems — stormwater management, carbon sequestration, pollination, air quality, temperature regulation, and cultural value.
In Practice: Documented in scope on ecologically driven projects for corporate ESG reporting.

### Plug Planting
Installation of small rooted perennials (typically 1-inch to 4-inch pots or plugs) at high density rather than using larger container stock.
In Practice: Cost-effective at scale for meadow, grassland, and native-groundcover projects; establishes strong root systems quickly.

### Drift Planting
A technique where a single species or cultivar is planted in irregular, elongated drifts rather than geometric blocks. Mimics how plants self-sort in nature.
In Practice: Gives naturalistic plantings their flowing visual rhythm; used across most Rewild projects.

### Specimen Tree
A tree selected and sited for singular visual impact rather than as part of a planted mass. Typically larger at installation (6-inch caliper and up).
In Practice: Placed to anchor a view, terminate an axis, or create shade over a key outdoor living space.

### Canopy Layer
The uppermost layer of a forest or wooded landscape, composed of mature trees that intercept light and rainfall.
In Practice: Canopy management — thinning, limb-up, light admission — is a key lever in understory design.

### Biophilia
The hypothesis, formalized by biologist E.O. Wilson, that humans have an innate affinity for connection with other living systems.
In Practice: Biophilic principles — access to nature, natural materials, living plants — inform hospitality and cultural commissions.

### Invasive Species
A non-native organism that spreads aggressively and displaces native species, degrading ecological function. Northeastern examples include Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), and multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora).
In Practice: Rewild Plus stewardship programs include quarterly invasive monitoring and removal protocols.

### Mulch
Any material layered on soil to retain moisture, moderate temperature, suppress weeds, and contribute organic matter as it breaks down.
In Practice: Rewild Landscape specifies locally sourced leaf mold or aged hardwood mulch and avoids dyed or pathogen-carrying mulch types.

### Root Flare
The area at the base of a tree trunk where the trunk transitions into structural roots. Proper planting depth exposes the root flare at grade.
In Practice: Burying the flare leads to root girdling, decline, and eventual tree loss — a common but avoidable installation error.

### Biodiversity Metric
A quantitative measure of species richness and relative abundance at a site — often expressed as species count per unit area, Shannon diversity index, or pollinator visitation counts.
In Practice: Increasingly requested by clients for corporate ESG reporting and conservation-minded HOAs.

### Green Infrastructure
Stormwater and habitat infrastructure built from vegetation, soil, and natural processes rather than conventional pipe-and-pond systems. Includes bioswales, rain gardens, green roofs, constructed wetlands, and permeable paving.
In Practice: NYC Department of Environmental Protection incentivizes green infrastructure on private projects through the GI Grant Program.


## Design Methodology
### Step 1: Discovery and Site Analysis
We begin by understanding your vision, site conditions, and the ecological context of your property. Typically 2–3 weeks.
This phase includes initial consultations, site visits, soil lab panels (accredited regional labs), microclimate data logging, existing vegetation inventory, and analysis of sun, wind, and water patterns. When scale warrants, we commission orthomosaic mapping from UAV surveys, and we observe the site across seasons when project timelines allow.

### Step 2: Concept Design
We develop the overarching design vision — spatial organization, material direction, and planting character. Typically 3–4 weeks.
Concept designs include 2–3 schematic alternatives with site plans, atmospheric imagery, material palettes, and preliminary planting concepts. We present in a single client workshop and select a direction for development. Drawings produced in AutoCAD and Rhino; visualization in Photoshop and Lumion.

### Step 3: Design Development
We refine the approved concept into detailed plans with specific materials, grading, and spatial dimensions. Typically 6–10 weeks.
Design development produces detailed site plans, grading and drainage plans, hardscape details, and refined planting zones. We coordinate with architects, structural and civil engineers, arborists, and irrigation consultants. Drawings issued in AutoCAD; 3D coordination in Rhino or SketchUp for complex conditions.

### Step 4: Planting Design
We compose the complete plant palette — species, quantities, sizes, and seasonal performance. Typically 4–6 weeks.
Planting designs specify every plant by species, cultivar, size, and exact location. Bloom sequences, foliage textures, fragrance zones, and wildlife value are mapped across four seasons. Palettes prioritize regional natives and documented keystone species per Xerces Society and Doug Tallamy research; provenance is specified for restoration projects.

### Step 5: Documentation and Permitting
We produce construction-ready documents and manage regulatory submissions. Typically 4–8 weeks; CD sets of 40–80 sheets.
Full documentation packages include construction details, specifications, planting plans, irrigation layouts, and material schedules. For wetland, coastal, and conservation-area projects, we coordinate permitting with NY DEC, local conservation boards, wetland scientists, and municipal agencies. Specifications written to CSI MasterFormat conventions.

### Step 6: Construction Administration
We oversee construction to protect design intent and ensure quality execution. Runs parallel with installation.
During construction, we conduct regular site visits, review submittals and shop drawings, approve material samples, oversee hardscape layout and plant placement, and maintain daily coordination with the GC, landscape contractor, and specialty trades. RFI logs and punch lists tracked through a shared project management platform.

### Step 7: Installation and Planting
We direct the installation of all landscape elements — hardscape, planting, and site furnishings. Typically 4–16 weeks depending on scale.
We work with selected contractors and nurseries to source the highest quality materials and plants. Installation aligns with spring and fall planting windows in the Northeast. During install, we approve plant stock on delivery, direct placement of every specimen, supervise soil prep and amendment, and sign off on post-install watering protocols.

### Step 8: Seasonal Stewardship
We remain involved as your landscape matures, guiding its evolution over time. Ongoing; typically 2–4 site visits per year.
Stewardship programs include quarterly site visits, seasonal rotation planning, plant health assessments, soil biology monitoring, invasive species management, and sourcing replacement stock. Ecological maturity typically shows within 2–3 years on planting-driven projects; full visual resolution between 5–7 years.


## Contact
- NYC: nyc@rewildlandscape.com | +1-917-833-2790
- Hamptons: hamptons@rewildlandscape.com | +1-917-833-2790
- Instagram: @rewild_landscape

## Links
- Website: https://rewildlandscape.com
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- FAQ: https://rewildlandscape.com/faq
- Glossary: https://rewildlandscape.com/glossary
- Methodology: https://rewildlandscape.com/methodology
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