Tracy and her team of experienced gardeners have been providing high quality garden maintenance and design services to Portland metro residents and businesses since 2005.

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Tracy Osborn

Designer & Horticulturist

Tracy Osborn is a garden designer & horticulturist, and the owner of Smiling Gardens. She enjoys plants, people, and working outdoors in the landscape.

After growing up in Indiana and earning her BA from DePauw University in Greencastle, Tracy moved to the Pacific Northwest. Drawn here by its abundant natural beauty and by the horticultural opportunities, the Pacific Northwest has been her home for 30 years. Tracy gained her expertise as a horticulturist over years working at botanical gardens, including The Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden (Federal Way, Washington) where she worked for eleven years. She also worked at The Oregon Garden (Silverton, Oregon) managing staff, volunteers, and plants.

Tracy has been designing gardens for over ten years. Her vast knowledge of plants and years of experience in the field lend special insight to the creation of gardens that thrive in our climate.

Tracy is a member of the following organizations:

The Team

Dana-Waelde

Dana Waelde

Horticulture Manager
Dana came into the gardening world through her organic farming background. She grew her plant knowledge and experience by doing a Horticulture Internship at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh. Since moving to Portland she has received certifications in Herbalism, Plant-Based Nutrition, and Permaculture Design. Dana is passionate about ecological gardening, habitat restoration, and sustainable agriculture. She spends a lot of time at farmers markets and connecting with the natural world.
Becky Borden

Becky Borden

Gardener
Becky is a born and raised Portlander. Having previously worked as a floral designer, she is creatively inspired by the natural world. She has interned as an Environmental Educator at the Audubon Society of Portland, and volunteered at their Wildlife Care Center where she worked first hand with native wildlife. She has a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of San Francisco, where she gained experience working in urban community gardens. She is interested in native species conservation, organic gardening, permaculture and design.
Mahalah Shafer

Mahalah Shafer

Gardener
Mahalah has a strong passion for horticulture and approaches her work with deep curiosity and consideration. She worked for a garden center/nursery in California for 2 years where she gained knowledge of various plant species and their needs. She has worked on urban and rural farms and is passionate about regenerative agriculture. Mahalah enjoys traveling, learning about plants and growing food.
Lauren-Van-Wyke

Lauren Van Wyke

Gardener
Lauren has a fine arts background and brings her aesthetic expertise to her work for Smiling Gardens. A native of Nebraska, she holds a BFA in printmaking from the University of Nebraska and an MA in education. She has always been inspired by the varied and complex beauty of natural systems and environments. She enjoys traveling, photography, rockhounding and organic gardening. She can often be found working in her garden w/ her corgi Clementine.