Ethnobotany’s child

Libby Peter’s work expresses her essential being

Libby and Matt Peter are the owners of SmartScape Landscaping in Kimberley, B.C. — Photo courtesy Matt Peter

Libby Peter is a rare character. As children of back-to-the-landers, she and her brother were raised on an acreage near Cherryville, on the fringe of B.C.’s Okanagan region. Their house had a wood stove for heat and, for several years, no running water except the nearby river. They did have a computer, though, and the children were home-schooled until Libby was 11.

Libby’s mom was a nurse who researched and taught herself ethnobotany—the study of the relationship between people and plants—and shared her knowledge with her young children.

“My brother and I grew up knowing about each plant in our forest and fields,” said Libby. “I thought everyone had that knowledge. I knew what each plant was called and what it could be used for. I knew what to use for a bee sting, or a nosebleed, or a bellyache. Mom was really interested in how the indigenous people used plants for healing, so that’s what she studied and shared with us.”

When Libby was 13, the family moved into Lumby, where their house had the luxury of a shower and a dedicated phone instead of a three-neighbour party line.

A stumble on the path?

Some years later, with a nature-oriented background and skills in ethnobotany, and after studying adventure tourism for a year in Fernie, B.C., Libby entered the nursing program at College of the Rockies in Cranbrook. However, she was immediately uncomfortable with her choice. When her dad expressed his doubt about the appropriateness of her career path, and suggested that she spend some time working with him to build a house, Libby felt great relief.

“I dropped out of nursing school and I’m very happy about letting go of that path,” she said. “I bought a lot in Kimberley and my dad and I began the world’s best father-daughter bonding experience ever—building a house together. We did it all ourselves—carpentry, electrical, plumbing—everything, and complied with all the codes.”

Perfect timing

When Libby was ready to landscape the property, she turned to the community, looking for a professional who could advise her or do the work. There were no landscapers available, and it occurred to Libby that this could be the career for her. After a winter spent studying and researching, she launched her business, SmartScape Landscaping, in the spring of 2003. The business was an instant success. 

"The challenge right now is having enough hours in the day," Libby said. "I’m writing quotes now for our work for next spring. It’s been like that right from the beginning—booming."

A partner and a plan

Matt Peter, a friend and former co-worker from Island Lake Lodge near Fernie, joined her in SmartScape in 2009, and the two married in 2011.

“The first thing we do on a project,” Libby said, “is walk the property, both of us. We spend plenty of time looking it over, listening to what the client wants, taking lots of notes, and we measure and photograph the space. We ask lots of questions, getting lots of detail about what the client wants, so that we get it right. We plan in great detail, and do lots of xeriscaping so that the finished product won’t require much water or fertilizer or maintenance.”

What really inspires Libby, beyond the satisfaction of seeing the immediate result and having a happy client, is going back after two or three years and seeing the mature landscape.

“At that point it will be what I envisioned at the planning stage,” she said, “and I just love to see it come to full growth.

“For me, living this life makes sense. I joke about my dad being a Zen master—he’s always calm, never in a flap. He once said to me, ‘It takes a lot less energy to be who you were meant to be than it does trying to be something else.’ I hold that wisdom close, and remember it all the time.”