Season 1
EPISODE 9
In this season wrap, Land Language hosts Brit Sastrawidjaya and Bethany Rydmark reflect on a full season of conversations and what it's actually changed in how they think and practice. They move through deck design, material permanence, lawn-to-meadow transformation, and the deeper question of why any of it matters: for the land, for their clients, and for the professionals listening.
"When your garden is alive, you've nurtured so many other layers of life — in the soil, in the plants, in the wildlife around you, and then in yourself as you're connected to it."
—Bethany Rydmark
We don't get overnight understanding of what our actions are going to turn into. Whether it's seeds of conversation or seeds of design and construction, we do all of these things out of the effort to see, over time, health and improvements and vitality in ways we aren't experiencing them right now.
We discuss:
Why the first question in any deck project isn't about materials but about purpose
Why extruded aluminum framing and juniper decking is the most ecologically sound Pacific Northwest deck choice
The lifetime cost of cheap composite vs. the permanence of a well-built deck
How to bring a client from lawn loyalty to meadow conviction: root depth, carbon, wildlife, morning routines
A real 2026 Portland front yard: native garden, willow play structure, brass auto-shutoff faucet, reflecting bowl, wildlife habitat directory
Designing for children from toddlers to teenagers: splash zones, nooks, and getaways
“ There's a missing gap of information and it shouldn't continue to penalize the end result. Let's help fill that gap.”
—Bethany Rydmark
The landscape industry is still building its catalog of case studies for regenerative work. Every project that gets built is an example. Every conversation that shifts a client's understanding is a seed. We're all relearning methods of cultivation that were once just daily life, and we're doing it together.
As Founder of Blueprint Earth, she has spent 15 years turning the Pacific Northwest’s waterlogged yards into thriving ecosystems.
By integrating native plants, drought-tolerant gardens, and eco-friendly outdoor living spaces, her team at BE crafts beautiful, functional landscapes that support biodiversity and stand the test of time. From design to construction, they work with their clients every step of the process.
Founder and Principal Landscape Architect of Bethany Rydmark Landscapes, Bethany is an eighth-generation Oregonian who grew up on a grass seed and nursery stock farm in the Willamette Valley. She watched seasons turn, learning what it means to tend land across generations and understanding that beauty and function work hand in hand.
Her team’s work spans residential to commercial, wineries and estates to public projects, English rose gardens to pollinator meadows and everything in between.
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