Free tools for DIY gardeners
Look up the plants native to your county, see which crops grow well together, and plan a garden that mostly takes care of itself.
Illustration: a green city seen from above, with rooftop gardens, parks, plazas and community gardens, and cars, cyclists and people moving along the streets.
Permaculture design · Cleveland, Ohio
Grow a greener city, one yard at a time.
We design and build native, food-producing landscapes across Cuyahoga County, and make free tools that help anyone plant for their local ecosystem.
- Free on-site consultation
- Native & edible plantings
- Free tools, no sign-up
Two ways we help
Do it yourself, or let us get our hands dirty.
Some people want a plan and a little guidance. Others want it done for them. Either way it starts with one idea: plant for the place you live.
Design & install in Cuyahoga County
From a free site visit to a finished, planted landscape: native and edible gardens, lawn removal, rain gardens, and invasive plant removal.
Free tools
Plant smarter with free ecology tools.
Built on county-level plant data, so your garden feeds the pollinators and birds that actually live near you. Free to use, no account needed.
Native Plant Finder
Pick your state and county to see which plants are native, which are invasive, and what each one does for local wildlife.
Find native plantsCompanion Planter
See which vegetables, herbs and flowers help each other grow, and which to keep apart, so your beds need less spraying and weeding.
Plan your bedsServices in Cuyahoga County
From bare lawn to living landscape, in three steps.
Every phase is quoted and billed on its own, so you can stop after any step, or build the design yourself.
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Free on-site consultation
We walk your property with you, talk through your goals, and send a written proposal for the next step.
Always free -
Site assessment & design
A Site Ecology Report on your sun, soil, water and existing plants, then a drawn plan, plant list and care guide.
Typically $600–$1,400+ -
Build & care
Native plantings, edible beds, rain gardens and manual lawn removal, built by hand, with seasonal care if you'd like it.
Quoted after design
Every assessment includes a Site Ecology Report
Often 20+ pages: your county's native species, climate outlook and invasive threats, plus an inventory of every plant already on your property, marked native, non-native or invasive.
Where we work: Cleveland, Lakewood, Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, University Heights, Euclid, Parma, Rocky River, Westlake and the rest of Cuyahoga County.
In the community
Helping bring new life to Vel's Purple Oasis.
Vel's Purple Oasis is a one-acre urban farm on Cleveland's east side that has grown fresh produce for its neighbors for more than 15 years. Ryan ran the farm for two and a half years before founding Urban Permascapes, and we still help it thrive.
Along the way we've added growing space, built hydroponic systems in the high tunnel for leafy greens and tomatoes, and planted wildflowers for the pollinators that keep it all going.
What clients say
We hired Urban Permascapes to replace our front lawn with native plants, install a rain barrel, and set up a compost system. We could not be more pleased with the results. The experience was great, and I was thoroughly impressed by the 23-page ecology report and design plan Ryan shared with us, including an existing plant inventory highlighting native vs nonnative vs invasive species. He also removed our invasive species, and was all around generous with his knowledge. I'm giddy over our new front yard and cannot wait to watch it grow!
Why we do this
We're part of the ecosystem, too.
Urban Permascapes makes climate action local and doable, by helping people heal the ecosystems right outside their door.
Education
We build tools and share what we know for free, so anyone can learn to garden with nature instead of against it.
Empowerment
Hands-on help and honest advice, so people can take direct action to restore the ecosystems in their own neighborhoods.
Ecology
Local ecology comes first: the living web of plants, pollinators, soil and people. We're part of it, and we can help it thrive.
Questions
Good questions, straight answers.
Do you only work in Cleveland?
Our design and installation work covers Cleveland and the rest of Cuyahoga County, including Lakewood, Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, Euclid, Parma and Rocky River. Invasive plant removal is available across Northeast Ohio, and our free online tools work anywhere in the United States.
What happens during the free consultation?
We visit your property, walk it together, and talk through what you'd love the space to become. Afterward you get a written proposal for a site assessment and design, or a site assessment on its own if you're still deciding. The consultation is free, with no obligation.
How much does a garden design cost?
Every project is priced from materials plus time and effort, so costs vary. For most properties under half an acre, site assessment and design typically run $600 to $1,400 or more, and implementation $800 to $2,000. Each phase is billed separately, and you can stop after any of them.
Do you remove invasive plants?
Yes. We identify and remove invasive plants like bush honeysuckle, buckthorn, Callery pear and Japanese knotweed across Northeast Ohio, mostly by hand, and replant with natives. It's billed at $65 per hour plus disposal.
Are the tools really free?
Yes. The Native Plant Finder and Companion Planter are free to use, with no account needed. Making ecological gardening accessible to everyone is a core part of our mission.
What is permaculture?
Permaculture is a way of designing landscapes that work like natural ecosystems: diverse, productive and largely self-sustaining. In practice that means native plants, food plants, healthy soil and water that soaks in where it falls, arranged so each part supports the others.
Do you offer ongoing maintenance?
Yes. Seasonal care visits can be once a season or once or twice a month, and every client gets free monthly check-ins through the growing season to make sure everything is thriving.
Get started
Ready to grow something good?
Book a free site consult, or get a short email when we release new tools, guides and planting days.