Unveiling the urban landscaper striving for aesthetic transformation in metropolitan areas
Wambui Ippolito, a renowned landscape designer, brings a unique perspective to her work, blending her East African roots and American immigrant experience. Her approach to landscape design emphasizes a deep understanding of plants and ecosystems, reflecting a synthesis of her multicultural background and broad environmental awareness.
Growing up in the Rift Valley in Kenya, Wambui spent much of her childhood outdoors, nurturing a love for nature that would later become the foundation of her career. Her mother, an avid gardener, took her on plant-buying trips, including visits to influential horticulturist Peter Greensmith in Nairobi. One of the plants Wambui chose as a child, a bougainvillea, is still growing at her mother's property.
Wambui's work focuses on native plants, reminding her of her home in Kenya and the plants that grew wild there. She encourages inclusivity and bringing people together in her work, with a goal of creating jobs for young people, particularly women, by setting up nurseries for native plants. Her ambitions extend beyond individual projects, as she aims to work with cities and municipalities to beautify them and reforest large tracts of land.
Wambui's accomplishments are numerous. She has worked at prestigious gardens, including Martha Stewart's in Bedford, New York, and David Letterman's estate. In 2021, she was named by Veranda magazine as one of '11 revolutionary female landscape designers and architects'. That same year, she won a Gold Award and Best in Show at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Philadelphia Flower Show.
Wambui is currently working on her mother's garden in Nairobi, one of the few remaining pockets of original forestland in the city. She is also writing a book titled Terra Nova, which will highlight the influence that immigrants' gardens have had on the American landscape, to be published by Timber Press in 2026.
In addition to her design work, Wambui is in demand for lectures and consultations, helping institutions and museums to develop horticultural programming. She recently chaired the Society of Garden Designers' spring conference and was praised for her enquiring approach.
To learn more about Wambui's work, visit her website at wambuidesign.com. Her distinctive approach to landscape design, grounded in ecological sensitivity and cultural resonance, continues to make a significant impact in the field.
- Wambui Ippolito, a well-known landscape designer, uses her East African roots and American immigrant experience to influence her gardening approach.
- Her enthusiasm for plants began in her childhood in Kenya, where she was often accompanied by her horticulturist mother on plant-buying trips.
- Wambui's design work emphasizes native plants, reflecting her nostalgia for Kenya and a desire to promote the use of native species.
- She aspires to create jobs and educational opportunities for young people, particularly women, through the establishment of native plant nurseries.
- Wambui's accomplishments include working at high-profile gardens and being recognized as one of the top female landscape designers by Veranda magazine in 2021.
- In addition to her designing work, she is sought after for lectures and consultations, and recently chaired the Society of Garden Designers' spring conference.
- Wambui is currently working on a book titled Terra Nova, showcasing the impact of immigrants' gardens on the American landscape, which will be published by Timber Press in 2026.
