We are big admirers of Molly Sedlacek, a self-described “second generation female landscape designer from the central coast of Oregon.” (You can find our coverage of her projects here, here, and here.) As the founder of ORCA, she wants to “help reconnect humans with nature through plants and materials in their rawest form. My work bridges the places I find most inspiring: the Pacific Northwest in Oregon and West Marin in California.” 

For our inaugural Quick Takes column, we asked Molly about plants, pavers, and her personal preferences about just everything.

Photography courtesy of ORCA.

Your first garden memory:

Under the large maple tree in my parent’s front garden in Florence, OR. I am laying in the grass looking up, moving my head to allow the leaves to shade the sun as the light filters through. There is a smell of grass below me and the sound of blue jays above me. I revisit that tree, and lay under it, every time I am home.

Book/show/movie/art that has influenced your work:

Dwellings, a book from the ’70s my father gave me. The conversations are around building with the materials in proximity to us, and creating space through resourcefulness.

A quote from the book: “The way in which you are and I am, the manner in which we humans are on the earth, is Bauen, dwelling. To be a human means to be on earth as a mortal. It means to dwell. The old word bauen which says that man is insofar as he dwells, this word bauen however also means at the same time to cherish and protect, to preserve and care for, specially to till the soil, to cultivate the vine. Such building only takes care—it tends the growth that ripens its fruit of its own accord.

Garden-related book you return to time and again:

Japanese Gardens for Today by David Engel—one of my favorite books that talks about the philosophies of Japanese gardens. Specifically, this book discusses the four human principles of design that ORCA uses in our work: economic unity, logical unity, aesthetic unity, and spiritual unity.

Instagram account that inspires you:

@for.the.wild It’s a podcast and Instagram account that is focused on land-based protection, co-liberation, and intersectional storytelling. They feature some really wonderful subjects, and I find myself awaiting their posts.

Plant that makes you swoon:

Eriogonum fasciculatum. California’s native buckwheat gives the garden year-round magic. My favorite time for this plant is in fall when it turns a rusty red color. We use it abundantly in our gardens—clients and pollinators love it.

Plant that makes you want to run the other way:

Dracaena trifasciata. I’ve always had a hard time with this plant as it is very structured. I’m a fan of movement and texture that evolves. The snake plant seems to be stuck in its way, without much flexibility.

Favorite go-to plant:

Sphaeralcea ambigua. Desert globemallow is such a carefree, colorful texture to add to any garden. It’s great for pollinators and its pale silvery blue leaf adds a bit of brightness. I like using it at the edges or bases of hedges to brighten the garden. There’s a large variety of mallows, too, so if the orangey color isn’t right for the space, chances are there’s another color that will work.

Most dreaded gardening chore:

Weeding nettle! Ouch.

Unpopular gardening opinion:

Let wood rot.

The one thing you wish gardeners would stop doing:

Using artificial decking, spacing plants evenly, use of plastic edging.

Old wives’ tale gardening trick that actually works:

Place pennies alongside your roses for good fortune and health. (The copper from the pennies adds nutrients to the soil and prevents fungus in roses.) Also, planting according to the full moon! The gravitational pull helps seeds grow.

Favorite gardening hack:

Coffee grounds. I drink a lot of coffee and am able to have a constant supply of fertilizer. Also, cover your perennials with their own dead leaves in the fall to add protection against excessive rainfall and cold weather.

Every garden needs a…

Stone (boulder) and wood (preferably large format). The permanence of rock complemented by the impermanence of wood is a beautiful symbol of life and gardening.

Favorite hardscaping material:

Cobble pavers. They wear so beautifully and offer endless pattern opportunities. I like using them in modern landscape environments to bring a bit of worn, reclaimed feel to a new space.

Tool you can’t live without:

My pruners I got in Kyoto. They are my co-pilot in the garden!

Go-to gardening outfit:

My canvas work coat from ORCA, garden clogs from Birkenstock, and usually a linen pant from Ozma as LA tends to be warm and I need to be able to move swiftly.

Favorite nursery, plant shop, or seed company:

Jo’s Australian natives in Casita Springs, or Flora Grub Gardens.

On your wishlist:

Soaking tub from Goodland.

Not-to-be-missed public garden/park/botanical garden:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, TX.

The REAL reason you garden:

I am processing life and my purpose through the garden.

Future projects?

We are transforming two trailer parks in Oregon and Utah at the moment for the ultimate camping experience, working on a handful of adobe homes and mid-century moderns. Also a church in Santa Monica! This spring, our materials studio is also introducing a collection of outdoor hardware and clay cobbles to help offer alternatives to stone that is imported for hardscaping.

Thanks, Molly! Follow her @orcaliving.