About

Laura McGrath and the Cultivar team design, install and care for residential gardens that entice people out of doors. Our style is elegant and naturalistic. Our projects range in scale from intimate urban spaces to properties with swaths of woodland and lawn. We invite you to take a look at our gardens and the services that we offer.

Person smiling while holding a bouquet of colorful flowers, including red and orange flowers, in a well-lit indoor setting.

Laura McGrath

Owner and Principal Designer Laura McGrath has had her hands in the dirt since childhood. While studying for her undergraduate degree in Biology and Environmental Studies at Brown University, she took charge of a stunning formal garden when its owner was transferred overseas. Thus began Laura’s career, building collaborative relationships and beautiful spaces. In 1995, after honing her eye for design through the Radcliffe Certificate Program in Landscape Design, she founded Cultivar and began designing and building gardens in Cambridge and surrounding communities.

Laura McGrath approaches projects with an ear attuned to the desires of each client and an eye for the relationship between the built environment and a site’s natural beauty.

THE CULTIVAR TEAM

Each member of the Cultivar team is an experienced professional gardener. Our crew members are knowledgeable about pruning, plant health, organic garden care, and garden design. Some of their passions include pollinator and wildlife friendly gardens, vegetable gardening, designing public spaces, and container arrangements.

Two workers plant trees beside a small loader. Piles of large stone tiles are in the foreground. A house and other greenery are in the background.
Two people loading bags of leaves into a truck on a tree-lined road. They are wearing casual clothing and gloves.
Two people are planting ferns and small plants in a garden area surrounded by trees under sunlight.