West Michigan’s biophilic design experts of over 40 years

Integrating plants, people, and places, one space at a time.

Rooted in West Michigan since 1986

  • Over four decades, that belief has only deepened. We've designed atriums for major health systems, installed living walls for corporate offices, and maintained plantscapes for businesses of every size across the region.

    In 2012 we became Integrated Plantscapes, and in 2020 we sharpened our focus on what we'd always known: that the intersection of plants and people isn't just aesthetic, it's rooted in science.

    Biophilic design is the practice of reconnecting built environments with the natural world. Research consistently shows that people in spaces with natural elements experience measurable improvements in wellbeing, creativity, and focus. We've been doing this work before it had a name and today, we bring both the expertise and the genuine love of plants that no certification can fully capture.

    We're still a West Michigan company at heart. Our team of certified horticulturists, designers, and installation specialists shows up for every client the same way we always have: with the right plants, real care, and a long-term commitment to keeping your space alive and thriving.

What started as a husband-and-wife passion project has grown into one of West Michigan's most trusted names in commercial horticulture and biophilic design.

Integrated Plantscapes was founded in 1986—originally as Foliage Design Systems of Western Michigan—with a simple but powerful belief: that plants belong in the places where people spend their time.

How we’ve grown

Owner

  • Dirk Bakhuyzen has been the majority owner of Integrated Plantscapes for 7 years. Experienced in the landscape industry, Dirk saw an opportunity to work with interior plants. His passion is servant leadership and bringing out the best in people each day. Dirk enjoys reading, camping, boating, and long walks with Phyllis, his spouse of 43 years. Together, they have 5 children and 12 grandchildren. His main hobby is leading Beyond26 Inc., a nonprofit he founded that serves individuals with disabilities by assisting in finding volunteer or paid employment opportunities.

Sales Consultant

  • Cynthia has been with IP for almost 20 years with educational and enrichment breaks in between. She started as a Horticulturist and expanded into Sales and Design where she has been for seven years. Cynthia loves being out in the community meeting new people, seeing their spaces, and bringing plants to places that need them. She thinks plants belong everywhere: at work, home, places of healing and hospitality. Jades are her current favorite plant because they are stately and forgiving. In her free time, she enjoys nature, hanging out with her cattle dog, cooking, and spending time with family & friends.

Horticulturist

  • Julie has worked with IP for over 9 years and enjoys being on the road cultivating plants and relationships. She loves working independently and learning about new plants, particularly Liriope, a favorite she recently discovered. She likes to spend time with family, enjoys hanging out with friends, and loves pet sitting.

Horticulturist

  • Katie's first horticulture job was as a seasonal technician at a wholesale nursery in Columbus, OH, where she grew all kinds of landscape plants. She worked her way up through production and eventually to assistant grower of annuals and shrubs. When she moved to Chicago in 2023, she knew she wasn't going to find the outdoor growing operations she was used to. That's when she transitioned to interior horticulture, and she hasn't looked back since.

    Katie approaches her work through a lens of curiosity. What could be causing this discoloration or wilt? Can it be fixed? What are the options? Her secret is never assuming she knows the answer and using her team as a resource.

    As much as she loves plants, the people are still her favorite part of the job. Seeing how plants positively affect the people around them makes all the difference. And as she'll tell you, the team rocks too.

Meet the team

Operations Manager

  • Selina's roots in horticulture go back to childhood, working outside alongside her family. She went on to study Ornamental Horticulture at Ferris State University, then spent seven years as a grower at a perennial nursery before joining Integrated Plantscapes, where she's been ever since.

    Ask her the secret behind her skills and she'll pause before answering. Years of experience, a willingness to try different plants and techniques, and a lot of careful observation. She's not one to overclaim—the plants tend to speak for themselves.

    What's clear is that Selina's approach is as deliberate as it is hands-on. She's seen a lot, grown a lot, and brings that quiet depth of knowledge to everything she does at Integrated Plantscapes.

Asst. Installation Mngr.

  • Sam has worked with IP for 9 years. She enjoys seeing how versatile and creative plants can be, especially in an atrium. A lifetime lover of plants, she and her family would plant 100 evergreens on their property every Arbor Day. Sam loves to spend time with her pets and enjoys being around animals of all sorts. She also enjoys planning and changing things up in her garden.

Horticulturist

  • Hwaja has been working with IP for 8 years. She puts great value on how much she’s learned about plants and their needs; Her commitment to learn about each one is a core value. Growing up in Korea, she learned from her Mom who raised many varieties of vegetables in her garden. Hwaja’s husband and children got to help harvest in Korea when they visited. She enjoys her flower gardens at home and loves starting and growing vegetables every year—she even grows her own Napa cabbage to make kimchi.

Horticulturist

  • Sherry has been with IP for 5 years and finds the job very zen. Convinced that she is really a Hobbit, she loves this quote from JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit: ”But where our hearts truly lie is in peace and quiet and good tilled earth. For all Hobbits share a love of things that grow.” Sherry fosters kittens for the Humane Society as she can, enjoys taking walks with her dog, and chilling with her cat when reading or binging a good Netflix series. A fan of trying new things, she is learning how to keep bees and would love to have some chickens.

Horticulturist

  • Jackie has always loved plants. Even as a teen she had a room full of cuttings growing. No matter where she was, something was growing, whether houseplants or gardens. In 2021 she completed MSU's Master Gardener training, then worked at a greenhouse for three years before finding Integrated Plantscapes. This is her second season with the team.

    Jackie takes care of every client's plants as if they were her own. Someone told her a long time ago to be quiet and listen to what the plants want, and she's found that to be a big part of her success, along with leaning on her knowledgeable co-workers and staying open to learning.

    She works mainly with outdoor planters and loves watching plants grow from little sprouts to beautiful, flowering mature plants, and the joy it brings to people who stop to say how beautiful the flowers are. She's also quick to mention how much she loves the team of amazing women who are always caring and supportive.

Chief Financial Officer

  • Kim started with IP 16 years ago in 2008. She loves, no, LOVES working with numbers; Making sure that things balance, creating budgets, and strategizing. She is a detail-oriented person who loves diving into big projects as much as she loves taking on a jigsaw puzzle. She loves to spend time outside snowshoeing, kayaking, hiking, and traveling. A big fan of Autumn in Michigan, she is happiest in cooler temps, Autumn colors, and scents. Her most favorite hobby is snuggling her new grand-baby.

Horticulturist

  • Tuesday has cared for plants for 11 years. She likes the solitude of working independently and being around the grounding energy of the plants she cares for. Her Grandmother inspired her green thumb with her plants, flowers, and vegetables. She loves to listen to music, enjoys animals, and doesn’t mind quiet days.

Horticulturist

  • Katie came to IP in 2021 after working in the gardening industry for about 6 years. She has been a nature lover for as long as she can remember, and grew up playing in the lake and woods of her families’ home. She credits her Mom for instilling her love of gardening; she used to help her Mom dead-head the Hostas around the house and cut them down in the Fall. Her internship experience at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and connection to the woods inspires her to create items and gifts with found natural materials, giving them a second life.

Horticulturist

  • Julia studied ecology in college, which is where her interest in plants was really piqued. But her green thumb comes straight from her mom, who loves to garden and had her hands in the dirt most of Julie's childhood. She's been with Integrated for a little over two years and has loved expanding her knowledge to lots of different kinds of plants.

    Julia approaches her work as a lifelong learner. She loves meeting new plants, learning how to care for them, and her reward is watching new growth unfurl. There's no secret, she'll say, just practice and a love for plants. If you fail at something, ask questions and try again.

    She loves transforming spaces, watching outdoor planters grow and change throughout the season, and talking with clients about their plants at home. Sharing the tips and tricks that have helped her along the way is one of her favorite parts of the job.

Horticulturist

  • Kathleen's love of horticulture started as a new hobby during the 2020 pandemic, growing and propagating spider plants at home. Her obsession quickly grew from there, and she kept learning about and collecting all different kinds of houseplants.

    She's always approached her work with a keen attention to detail. In addition to making sure plants are happy and healthy, she believes everything about the container and the plant itself should appear clean and tidy. The secret, she'll tell you? Lots of trial and error and practice.

    Kathleen loves working independently, moving around all day, getting outside, and going somewhere new every day of the week. And, of course, working alongside a great team.

Rooted in our community.

We're proud to be a West Michigan company. Our team, our partners, and most of our clients are here, and that local accountability shapes everything we do.

Plants belong everywhere.

At work, in places of healing, in spaces of hospitality—we believe every built environment is better with living things in it.

What we believe

Craft over convenience.

We've been doing this for over 40 years because we care about doing it well. Every install, every maintenance visit, every design recommendation reflects that commitment.

People come first.

We're horticulturists, but we're in the people business. Every plant we place is ultimately about the humans who will live and work alongside it.

Our trusted partners