Our Mission

There is no denying the world around us is changing, especially our environment. The urban and suburban sprawl has continued to expand away from cities, and the D.C. Metro area is no stranger to this. Unfortunately, a lot of natural land has been demolished, and is continuing to disappear quickly. Urbanization has destroyed 150 million acres of ecologically productive land in the continental United States and every hour we lose another 150 acres of natural land.

Map of Maryland showing land area developed in 1973
Map of Maryland showing an increase in land area developed in 2010

Did you know: Grass lawns cover over 40 million acres of land creating a monoculture that is essentially useless to wildlife.

This has created fragmented landscapes that cannot sustain functioning ecosystems, as isolated natural spaces are not large enough to support wildlife. Furthermore, most of the plants used in new developments are exotic and have little to no wildlife value. Some of these plants can even invade natural areas and outcompete the existing native vegetation.

At Native Plant Scapes, our mission is to use native plants to create beautiful and functional landscapes that also provide an abundance of environmental benefits. We believe that native plants are essential in restoring ecosystems that have been affected by urbanization. The more native plants we can help get into the ground (in residential, commercial, park, and nursery spaces), the better we can restore these depleted environments.

Meet the Owners

  • Robert Severynse

    OWNER AND NATIVE PLANT SPECIALIST

    Rob has always admired nature and found his love of native plants while studying at college. With degrees in Environmental Science and Geography, as well as a minor in Meteorology, his goal is to create positive and lasting changes in our natural world. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and searching for native plants, having observed over 1000 species in their natural habitat.

  • Haydn McGriff

    PARTNER AND BUSINESS DIRECTOR

    Haydn brings over eight years of experience in the Landscape and Horticultural fields, having worked at local plant nurseries. He also attended Santa Clara University to study Finance and gained knowledge in the sales process. He enjoys connecting with clients about native plants, as well as developing relationships in similar industries to collaborate on eco-friendly solutions.

We would also like to thank Shyon Parsadoust for his effort and help in the early stages of Native Plant Scapes.