These are local horticultural and environmental programs that I am proud members of. All of them work directly with issues that affect my practice, and thusly are important organizations to support as they work to educate and inspire great design and plant usage.

The opinions expressed at the following links may not represent the values, mission statement, or opinions of Ashcrow Landscape Design or Lawrence Ziese.

American Society of Landscape Architecture: As a future landscape architect, I fully support the work of this lobbying group. They support the profession, guide their ethics, and maintain the focus on green, sustainable designs. As the profession gains more and more recognition for it's contribution to society, the ASLA provides a real voice in the political arena as well.

The California Native Plant Society: Using native plants in landscaping design may be considered the latest trend by some, but it's also demonstrating that there's an amazing range of beautiful and breathtaking plant species that have already adapted to our environment. I'm a proud member of this group to continue my education and support of the use of native plants.

The California Rare Fruit Growers: California has some of the greatest climates for growing fruit from all over the world. Have you ever ate a Southern blueberry? How about a jostaberry, a dewberry, a quince, a blood orange, a Mexican guava, or a plumcot? This organization is the integration and growth of exotic fruit for the backyard gardener. I use exotic fruits for various garden designs, sometimes for their flowers and foliage, but mostly because they taste good!

The American Horticultural Society: One of the oldest and most established knowledge sources in the world on plants, I've read through just about all their books, and hope to someday start contributing on new editions. I support their youth gardening projects as well as their affiliation with the Master Gardener program.

The California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers: I support the program and only purchase plants from nurseries that been certified under their stringent rules and regulations. Since I want my customers to have the best plant material available, I make sure from the source that I know I can trust the growers and retailers.

The American Rose Society: I've always been a fan of roses, and use different types in my designs. Roses are drought tolerant, have amazing color ranges and fragrance, and have a variety of shapes and sizes that can be the cornerstone of a design. I stay in contact to keep up with all the new varieties as well and help keep my favorites in production.