PLACE provides garden design, consulting, and care — for everybody. We’re rooted in Richmond, VA and work on projects worldwide.

PLACE was founded by Melissa Batchelor Warnke aka Mel, a hardworking plantswoman with fine gardening, boutique nursery, urban farming, and greenhouse experience. Mel belongs to the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), the Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association (VNLA), and the Metropolitan Business League. She graduated from UC Berkeley and UVa.

Mel believes each one of us deserves a secret garden — whether tucked into a tiny balcony or woven across an acreage — where we can experience peace, ease, and delight. She lives to design custom spaces, solve your plant problems, and give your beauties some TLC.