About
Vision
Primrose Nativescapes LLC creates landscapes that marry the art of planting design with the science of ecology. By focusing on native plants, we provide the resources that imperiled insects and birds need to thrive, bolstering biodiversity in your own backyard. Whether it's a full lawn conversion, or a few pots on a balcony, every bit of native planting brings nature conservation to your doorstep.
Founder
Elise Hagen founded Primrose Nativescapes LLC in 2025. After a career in the performing arts, motherhood and the pandemic transformed Elise's casual gardening into purpose-driven habitat creation. Love of birds led to love of native plants and the ecosystems they comprise. She holds a Landscape Design Certification from Emory University. Elise worked for 2 years with the City of Bloomington (Indiana) Urban Greenspace Landscaping team, caring for native plantings and removing invasive species. She volunteered for 2 years with the Indiana Native Plant Society's Landscaping with Natives team. Elise now lives in Lorain County, OH and is a Certified Professional Master Rain Gardener.
You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.
-Jane Goodall
Services
Primrose currently offers all services within a 30 mile radius of North Ridgeville, OH.
Design & Plant Pickup
Design services begin with an in-person consultation where we discuss your goals. I'll take lots of pictures and ask lots of questions. I consider sunlight, hydrology, soil type, plant sociability, and more to create a planting plan that complements the existing environment.
Price: A consultation is $60 for one hour at the site, paid upon scheduling. If you choose to proceed with design services after we meet, the consultation cost will be deducted from the design estimate.
We may discuss a few different layout ideas before proceeding with the Master Plan. Master Plans are drafted in 2-D aerial view on Morpholio Trace. I am committed to using human intelligence and creativity to render your design, with this software replicating hand-drawing.
You will receive:
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Your Master Plan
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Zoomed-in Planting Plan with grid if necessary
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Detailed Plant Spreadsheet
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A Plant Palette
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Plant Purchase List, with recommended sizes, if you plan to do Plant Pickup yourself
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One revision to the Master Plan included in the original estimate
Price: After the initial consultation, you'll receive a cost estimate based on hours needed to produce a quality design. The above design services are charged at $60/hour. Design fees will be paid half upfront and half upon design completion.
Plant Pickup:
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I can pre-order plants for you from reputable native nurseries nearby, which you may pick up yourself.
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Or I can pick up plants for you and deliver them. This enables me to choose adequate backups when needed.
Price: Pickup and delivery is charged at the rate of $45/hr, including driving time from North Ridgeville.
Planting Possibilities include:
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Planting design for the entire yard
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Rain garden
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A butterfly garden
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A winter garden to cheer you in January
Hardscape design and construction is not currently offered by Primrose, apart from delineating walking paths and laying stepping stones. I would be delighted to collaborate with the hardscape contractor of your choosing.
Installation & Maintenance
Seeing a design go from paper to soil is the most exciting part!
Installation services ensure your design is implemented with precision and flexibility.
Installation includes:
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Site preparation can occur months or weeks in advance of planting, depending on your method of choice
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Plant pickup & delivery
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Compost and/or mulch application
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Watering-in after planting
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Two free follow-up maintenance visits
Rain gardens are excavated by hand to avoid compaction from heavy machinery. These are the most labor-intensive installs, and the most gratifying!
Price: You'll receive an Installation estimate range after Design Services are complete. It is paid half upfront and half upon Installation completion. The project cost will not fall below the minimum or exceed the maximum.
Maintenance:
Ongoing maintenance of a native garden requires plant knowledge. Nothing is more frustrating than having a mow-and-blow landscaper tear out flowers you love or weed-whack something that was just about to bloom. Sign up for ongoing maintenance for added peace of mind.
Price: $45/hr. Miles traveled to/from your location are billed at $0.70/mile.
Invasive Removal
Almost every site has pressure from one or more invasive plant species. Unfortunately, many of these are popular in the nursery industry and were planted intentionally. Invasive plants spread to wild areas and quickly dominate, crowding out native species. They are valuable in their native range but cause harm when introduced to our environment in Ohio. Removing invasives is the first step in creating a healthy and resilient landscape.
I am a Commercially Licensed Pesticide Applicator. Some species can be tackled with manual control, while others require targeted herbicide use. I adhere to science-backed methods of invasive control to ensure the most effective techniques and timing are used, while limiting any negative impacts to the immediate environment.
Examples of invasive removal in residential settings are:
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Woody plants like Amur Honeysuckle and Buckthorn that invade fencerows and woods
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Vines like English Ivy and Oriental Bittersweet that strangle trees
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Trees (small trees only) such as Callery Pear
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Grasses like Miscanthus sinensis
Primrose is a member of North American Invasive Species Management Association to remain up-to-date on best practices.
Price: $45/hr. Miles traveled to/from your location are billed at $0.70/mile.
Why Native Plants?
Environmental news is troubling these days. The combined effects of climate change, invasive species, habitat destruction, and pesticides are making it increasingly difficult for wildlife to live. Human thriving is dependent on rich biodiversity. When we advocate for wildlife, we are advocating for human wellness too. Thankfully, we can have a meaningful impact at home.
"In the past, we have asked one thing of our gardens: that they be pretty. Now they have to support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators, and manage water. And the best way to do that?
Plant Native Plants."
-Doug Tallamy, Nature's Best Hope
A native plant is one that originated in our region before European colonization. These plants have evolved alongside native fauna for millennia, forming interdependent relationships. Invertebrates are the "little things that run the world," according to ecologist E.O. Wilson. They need their native host plants in order to live. While some non-native ornamental plants may provide nectar for adult insects, they cannot provide host plant services to feed the next generation.
Without native plants, the food web collapses and biodiversity descends into crisis. While there may be a bird's nest in a Callery Pear or Japanese Maple tree, those birds cannot successfully raise young without caterpillars found on native plants. By planting native, we are choosing to contribute essential ecological services to our environment.
A sweat bee on Helianthus sp. Photo from the St. Kateri Conservation Center.
Bumblebee on Joe Pye Weed. Photo from the St. Kateri Conservation Center.
Where "the perfect lawn" requires constant watering, mowing, and chemical use; native plantings are the opposite. They are compatible with the existing soil and are largely self-sustaining once established. They help mitigate pollution, instead of causing it. The fibrous, deep roots of many of our native plant species prevent erosion, sequester stormwater and carbon, create healthy soil, and remediate toxins in our environment. Even planting a few native trees or a small pollinator patch matters immensely.
Native plantings are versatile. They can consist of perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees. If you have sandy soil or dense clay, there are plants that prefer those conditions. If you need them to be short in stature to appease your HOA, that is also possible. All it takes is knowledge and creativity to choose the correct plants for your site.
Primrose Nativescapes is passionately driven to be a force for positive change in residential landscapes, creating habitat that wildlife desperately needs while bringing humans into joyful relationship with the creatures around us.
Yellow Warbler with caterpillar. Photo by Robin Joesph-Hochman.
Resources
To learn more, check these out.
Familiarize yourself with invasive plants in Ohio.
Doug Tallamy's brain child, a network of privately owned habitats combined to have major impact.
Put your garden on the Northeast Ohio Native Habitat Corridor.
Birds
Join Black River Audubon or Western Cuyahoga Audubon for a bird walk.
Learn all about invertebrates and why their conservation is so vital.
Hear local native plant news and connect with others.
Get In Touch
