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Swamp Rose Co-op

Regenerative Landscaping with Native Plants in Silver Spring Swamp Rose believes that gardening with native plants can help build a more joyous, equitable, and sustainable world, and that everyone has the right to live and play in vibrant, sustainable landscapes. Native plants transform our yards into dynamic, ecologically thriving spaces, with almost immediate benefits for local wildlife. Gardening therefore represents one of the most straightforward tools that we–as individuals and in community–can deploy in the fight against climate change and biodiversity collapse, issues that often feel overwhelming. We launched Swamp Rose because gardening with native plants has deepened our relationship with the land and developed our sense of reciprocity with the natural world that sustains us. We’re so excited to share our passion with our community! Swamp Rose is owned and managed by its workers. We make decisions collectively, share all profits, and pay sustainable wages. The average landscaping worker in the metro DC region earns $15.85 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and many landscapers are Latino immigrants who earn even less than this while working in harsh conditions for exploitative bosses. At Swamp Rose, we index our rates to the Living Wage Calculator designed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. One of our founding members who is a native Spanish speaker used the phrase “no jefes” – no bosses – when explaining Swamp Rose to a landscaper who now works with us. We found that it was very helpful in showing the difference between our company and the conventional approach in our outreach and recruitment efforts with landscape workers. We take worker empowerment very seriously, and you can reference our Spanish-language brochure for more details.

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