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Meet Our Team  

Kelly Shaeffer

Kelly is the owner of Plant Providers, a multi-faceted company focusing on landscape design, plant brokering and tree care for residential and commercial customers. Plant Provider's mission is to build long-term relationships and to make our customer's experience easier and cost-effective while enhancing the value and appearance of their properties.

Currently, Kelly is serving as the 2007-2008 President for the Central Coast Chapter of the California Landscape Contractor's Association (CLCA) and previously served as the Event Coordinator for two years. She has been featured on the Do It Yourself (DIY) network 'The Dirt on Gardening' filming the show 'Serenity in the Garden'.

Kelly is actively involved in several industry organizations such as the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), California Landscape Contractor's Association (CLCA) and the California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers (CANGC). She writes gardening articles and lectures on various aspects of the landscape industry.

Kelly's career started in San Diego over a decade ago utilizing her skill and passion for Mediterranean and native plants. She is a Certified Arborist and holds a degree in Landscape Horticulture from Cabrillo College in Aptos, California.

Patty Walters
Senior Designer

Patty started in landscape design in Sacramento, California, supplying what in hindsight looks like "child labor" for her family's yard and garden. Evenings were spent on the sofa poring over Sunset Magazine, Sunset's Western Garden Book and seed catalogs, comparing plantings and discussing ideas. A plaque in her grandparent's home read, "Faith will never die as long as color seed catalogs are printed."

Later (and to this day), she has "educated" (they may say "tormented") her friends on neighborhood walks that have turned into landscape design reviews and unofficial redesigns of the many yards passed.

She's since formalized that early training with both UC Berkeley Extension landscape design courses and horticulture classes from Cabrillo College in Aptos, California. And today she works with delighted clients throughout the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Areas, acting as guide to a wonderful new world of outdoor living.

Elizabeth Rhoades
Senior Plant Broker

Elizabeth brings to the Plant Providers team a wealth of expertise in all facets of the wholesale nursery industry. As a previous owner of her own estate garden maintenance company, she has first hand knowledge of thousands of plants, their characteristics, and their usefulness in the landscape. Elizabeth works with many professionals in the nursery industry, which provides our clients with an extensive network of plant material possibilities. With her understanding of how landscape projects work she is able to access many sources for just the right plants and trees to get the job done. Because sharing information with others who have an interest in plants is important to her, Elizabeth also writes articles for several CLCA and CAN/GC monthly newsletters.

John Black
Senior Designer

A native son and resident of Palo Alto, John designs imaginative yet practical outdoor spaces that take full advantage of the generous Bay Area climate. His detailed plans - works of art in themselves - suggest architectural elements and plant combinations that are not only interesting and beautiful but also appropriate to the homeowner and the environment.

John particularly enjoys utilizing uncommon plant varieties, and often tests unfamiliar cultivars in his own garden before recommending them to his clients. ("If I can't keep it alive," he promises, "I won't ask you to.") While he refuses to believe that he has a characteristic style, John usually can't resist incorporating a bit of irreverence into his designs.

Roxanne Evans
Senior Designer

Roxanne has a deep love of nature and ecology. She designs landscapes utilizing ecological principles and incorporating CA natives, edible and medicinal plants, beneficial-attracting and companion plants. She looks at the design process as a collaborative process between the client and the designer and enjoys working closely with them to create a unique garden space.

Roxanne has lived and worked in the Santa Cruz area for over 14 years and has an A.S. degree in Landscape Horticulture with skills certificates in Landscape Design and Restoration Landscaping from Cabrillo College in Aptos, CA. Roxanne will bring her understanding of ecological systems to create a beautiful garden with every project.

Sue Schavel
Associate Designer

From the seed industry to floral arranging to tending the gardens at the historical Shadowbrook restaurant for four years, my design ideas stem from my varied background in the landscape world . My most recent nursery experience was with Sierra Azul Nursery in Watsonville working with drought tolerant plants and xeriscape landscape design. I have attended programs at Cabrillo College Horticulture Department and at the UCSC Arboretum. I have my own business specializing in plant placement and color design as well as plant maintenance. I particularly enjoy working on small space designs, incorporating pottery and landscape accessories.

Shannon Robbins
Associate Designer

Shannon's first passion is plants, and has been a part of her life since she was a child. After becoming a Master Gardener through a program at Western University, Shannon started a business providing garden maintenance, design and property care for many years on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.

Upon returning to her native California in 2000 she pursued more knowledge by enrolling in the Merrit College Horticulture program and later in the Cabrillo College Horticulture program. She has completed courses including garden design, soil and plant nutrition, esthetic pruning, edible gardening and many plant, shrub, and tree identification courses. Shannon's design style has been described as casual, fun, natural, colorful, resourceful, thoughtful, and in tune with the surroundings. Her goal is to provide a happy, healthy environment for you and your home.