About 👋

Hi, I'm Kelly!

Welcome to The Sunshine Collective! I'm a permaculture designer, ecological educator, and soil enthusiast rooted in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Through landscape design, native plant growing, hands-on workshops, and community collaboration, I help people create beautiful, regenerative landscapes and deepen their relationship with the living world around them.

My Journey

My path to permaculture started long before I knew the word for it.

Growing up with my father very ill, I learned early that food is medicine. Devoting my life it it, that lesson sent me down a winding, beautiful road. My back ground from culinary arts and cooking professionally, to farming and growing food, to diving deep into soil health and ecological systems. Each step brought me closer to understanding that the health of our land, our food, and our communities are all profoundly connected.

After watching so many people fight against nature with conventional agriculture to landscaping. Witnessing the world around me endless chemical fertilizers, watering from drought, battling pests… I discovered there was another way entirely.

When I found permaculture and native plant gardening, everything shifted. I realized that by working with natural systems instead of against them, we could create landscapes that were not only stunning but also:

🌱 Required far less maintenance 🦋 Supported pollinators and wildlife 🍅 Produced real food for families and communities 🪱 Built living, breathing soil 💧 Captured and held rainwater 🌿 Restored native habitat and biodiversity 🤝 Strengthened local food security and community resilience

The answers are in the SOILutions! Nature as our greatest teacher.

What The Sunshine Collective Is

The Sunshine Collective is a regenerative design and ecological education collective rooted in Western North Carolina. We collaborate with land stewards, local food systems, and ecologically minded businesses to help people and communities build deeper, more nourishing relationships with the land.

That means landscape design consulting, native plant starts through our nursery arm Plants of the Land, workshops and classes, farmers market community presence, and ongoing partnerships with organizations to grow regional food systems together.

My Approach

I believe everyone deserves access to the transformative power of regenerative living. Whether you have a small backyard or acres of land, a community garden or a dream that's still just a seed.

My work is rooted in:

🌱 Permaculture Ethics: Earth care, people care, fair share 🌿 Native Plant Knowledge: The right plant in the right place 💧 Water Wisdom: Capturing every drop and working with the watershed 🦋 Ecological Thinking: Designing landscapes that support whole ecosystems 🍽️ Food as Medicine: Farm-to-table growing, seasonal eating, and the art of foraging ☀️ Community Connection: Education and collaboration as acts of care

Certifications & Training

Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC)

Let's Grow Something Together! 🌻

Whether you're ready to redesign your landscape, join a workshop, source native plants, or simply start a conversation about what's possible, I'd love to connect!

Growing abundance, one garden at a time.