About
What?
Stagg Design Landscape Architecture specialise in landscape architectural, garden design, and ecological design services, along with other related services. With a deep understanding and passion for our natural environment, Stagg Design Landscape Architecture develop designs that respond to the unique environmental and climatic factors of each individual site. From winter frosts, to the dry scorching heat of summer; there is always a valuable landscape response to be found.
Where?
Stagg Design Landscape Architecture is based in Shepparton (VIC), Wallan (VIC) and Geelong (VIC). We service Victoria and southern New South Wales. With experience living and working in both regional and metro areas, we understand the difference in approach needed designing for a rural/regional setting or an urban setting. We provide on-site consultations across Victoria and southern NSW, to meet and discuss what you need out of your landscape, and what its potential is. In other words; no need to worry about going out of your way to meet, we’ll come to you. Consultations in the Goulburn Valley, northern Melbourne, central Melbourne, western Melbourne and Geelong areas attract little or no travel fees. Other locations are negotiable, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch to discuss options.
The ‘Stag’ Tree & Our Philosophy
In the field of ecology in Australia, large dead or dying trees are referred to as ‘stags’. Stags have a particularly important status is the landscapes of Australia, as they provide critically important habitat for a wide range of our native animals. One major role they play is the provision of essential nesting hollows. The ‘stag’ just goes to show that nothing in our complex landscapes can be dismissed on a whim as having no value. Even a long-dead tree still plays an essential role in our unique and beautiful Australian landscape. Stagg Design Landscape Architecture use this idea, and meticulously assess every site and provide informed advice on how to get the most out of your landscape; whatever your needs my be. Our philosophy is one of recognising every landscape as unique, valuable, and deserving of the best possible design outcome.
Why & Who?
The driving force behind Stagg Design Landscape Architecture is Melissa Stagg; a passionate landscape architect, and avid nature lover with an invaluable and unique connection to our natural world.
Melissa is an accredited landscape architect as recognised by AILA (Australian Institute of Landscape Architects); Australia’s national industry body. Melissa gained her qualifications in landscape architecture at RMIT University in Melbourne; completing both her Bachelor and Masters degrees in Landscape Architecture. She has gone on to be involved in a wide range of landscape architectural services, serving the public, private, community/not-for-profit and government sectors, and has a particular passion for taking an ecological approach to design.
Coming from a place of passion and dedication, Stagg Design Landscape Architecture has diverged from the standard idea of what landscape architecture is. We’re about more than just creating beautiful landscapes. Instead we have developed an intimate connection to nature, and we’re forever evolving our design approach to adapt to our ever changing environment. It’s not an approach about people controlling or conquering nature, but rather working with nature, and letting nature do the work for you. Our approach isn’t just about creating landscapes for people, but creating landscapes for biodiversity with people. We’re also not just about creating landscapes for people, but about creating people for landscapes too. Through education and giving people enjoyable and fascinating experiences in nature; we aim to give a sense of being part of nature, rather than separate. We humans are just another species of animal after all.
"Creating landscapes for people, and people for landscapes"
Stagg DLA has a valuable network in the fields of environmental restoration, indigenous plant supply, wetland and waterscape specialists, land management consulting, sports and recreation facility consulting, building design, civil engineering and more. Having an affinity with the environment since she was just a tiny tot, Melissa enjoys nothing more than helping people make the most of their landscapes.
Our Connection to Nature
Melissa (Director & Principal Landscape Architect at Stagg DLA) is involved in a range of environmental restoration and conservation work across the Goulburn Valley, working with the Euroa Arboretum. The team at the Euroa Arboretum have decades of experience in the environmental restoration and conservation field, so Melissa is in good company to continue evolving ecological design approaches. From collecting wild seed for the Goulburn Broken Indigenous Seed Bank, to raising plants in the indigenous nursery, to implementing revegetation and restoration in the landscape; Melissa has further developed an intimate connection and fascination with the natural environment. Doing this work gives ample opportunity to observe the environment, and how it changes; especially in response to the conditions caused by climate change. This feeds the ongoing evolution of Stagg Design Landscape Architecture’s design responses to meet these challenges. This level of intimate involvement with our natural environment is rarely found in the profession of landscape architecture. Doing conservation work, getting out in the field, among a diverse array of ecosystems, and working with our unique Australian plants in their natural environment builds invaluable knowledge. Observing and working with our plants in their natural setting, experiencing their natural conditions, seeing their relationships to insects, birds, animals, other plants and the ecosystem as a whole; this exposure develops an appreciation of nature that can’t be learnt from a book, but has to be experienced first hand. Anyone who works out in the field in this way, knows that you never stop learning about our unique and complex Australian environments. Stagg Design Landscape Architecture always have this at front-of-mind, and respond to every landscape, and every design, in a unique and ever evolving way; always looking for the best possible outcome, and never suggesting a solution just because it is familiar and easy. Every idea has to have merit, and every design is a new challenge on which we thrive.
Environmental restoration and conservation work can be hot, dirty, hard work, but offers endless fascinating and beautiful experiences with our natural world. Check out the gallery below to see some of the amazing biodiversity we’ve come across while working in the field.
