Meet the Designers

Home » Landscape Services » Meet the Designers

Paul is a FNGLA certified Horticultural Professional.

He greatly enjoys the transformation of outdoor spaces to beautiful, relaxing private gardens that meet individual clients needs.

Paul’s passion for creating outdoor garden rooms and building a better connection between the home and the landscape has expanded to the native plants of Florida.

Designer Arnold Rutkis focuses on designing with native Florida plants, mixed perennial meadows, grasses, unique edible landscapes, fragrance gardens & pollinator/habitat support gardens.

Certifications/Specialty:

• Water features
• Stone walks
• Rock edging

My work focuses on central and southwest Florida plant material, with an emphasis on coastal habitats and inspiration from Craig Reynolds, LA.

My close ties to the coastal regions of Florida keep a continuous area of independent study, identifying plants in the wild and how they may work in a built landscape to mimic their environmental importance and beautify the landscape.

Jaclyne found interest in protecting the environment and healthy eating and wanted to do something more to help the planet. She went on to study plants and became a Certified Horticulture Professional.

After working for several years at Wilcox Nursery she wanted to take her creative background and her love for plants to another level. Working beside their top designers, she has now gone out on her own.

Born and raised in Pinellas County, Jared has always been enamored by Florida’s natural beauty. Spending many years camping along coasts, in pine woodlands, and by freshwater springs, he garnered an eye for local biodiversity. In his youth, he dabbled in different art forms, though his main interests focused on digital design, often spending hours designing spaces in virtual simulations.

Alex has always been fascinated by wildlife, sustainability, and conservation. As a kid in Northern California, he spent most of his time trudging up and down rivers and creeks, learning about the different creatures and plants he came across. As he grew up, Alex carried his enthusiasm and dedication to the environment to Florida, where he obtained his degree in Environmental Studies from Eckerd College with a focus on Florida’s endemic flora, fauna, and environmental education.

Sara Toftegaard is a designer and creative strategist with a background in graphic design, which now plays a core role in how she approaches garden design. She uses the same principles she once applied to visual identities—color theory, hierarchy, flow, and the golden ratio—to shape outdoor spaces that feel balanced, intuitive, and emotionally grounding. Since transitioning into landscape design during 2021, Sara has self-educated extensively through online courses and workshops in permaculture practices, herbal studies, edible and ornamental garden design, and re-wilding techniques.