Christie Dustman

Principal,  Nationally Certified Designer

My love of plants and people drives my passion for gardens, good design, and making outdoor spaces that feel just right. -Christie

Over more than two decades, Christie has grown her company from a solo operation to fifteen employees, offering expertise in garden design, installation, and maintenance. She has established hundreds of gardens in the greater Boston area that continue to flourish and offer four-season sanctuaries.

Christie looks back fondly at her days in Upstate NY. Her parents both grew up in farming country and as such, had extensive food and flower gardens. She chuckles now at her early dislike of bugs, prickers, and weeding. “My early years were sprinkled with plants, gardens, and parks – no beaches.” Her father, Elmer, still practices the art of Bonsai, now for 50 years.

“It was in my early 20’s in Boston that my gardening genes emerged. It started with hastily planted perennials to fill in the area around my urban apartment before my parents came. Little did I know that my instinct to garden would take me back to school for Landscape Design and later, to start my own garden design company.”

Christie’s study of landscape design and horticulture includes training from The Landscape Institute (formerly Radcliffe Seminars), UMass Extension’s Green School, and countless educational and certificate awarding seminars. Coupled with her gardening passion, she has grown CD & Co into an award-winning firm that values innovative design, practical solutions, superior plants and expert plant care. Christie has a gift for keen listening and tailors every project to the needs and taste of her clients.

Showcased on the Company’s web portfolio, a Christie Dustman & Company garden is bold yet detailed in style, with a balance of practicality, functionality, and innovation. She has a passion for conifers, often incorporating just the right evergreen into her designs as a living sculpture. Favoring elements of Japanese design such as stone, clarity of focal points, and attention to detail, the garden becomes a living work of art.

Christie spent the early years of her career as a licensed social worker. That experience gives her a unique perspective as a business owner, a steadfast dedication to people — her employees, her clients, those in her life. “Unlocking the potential in people, plants and properties – that gives me satisfaction and allows me to make a difference in my little sliver of the world.” Known by her staff as a generous and justice-minded employer, Christie prioritizes staff development through fair wages, profit sharing, educational opportunities and mentoring. “It is important to me to empower my employees and add to the quality of their lives. It is my hope to raise up everyone who works in our company.”