Meet The Team
Daryl Lindsey
Daryl Lindsey is the founder & principal designer of YardFarmer and a life-long lover of plants and wildlife. Like many who live in the Salt Lake Valley, Daryl's anxiety about the state of the Great Salt Lake spurred her to find meaning in action. Enter YardFarmer, a sustainable design studio centered on native plants and water conservation. Since opening for business, YardFarmer has designed more than 300 native, waterwise landscapes, saving over 10 million gallons of water. Daryl has certifications in Permaculture Design and Rainwater Harvesting Design. While not designing, you'll find Daryl painting or playing in the mountains with her husband Steven and rescue husky, Aspen.
Steven Schmidt
Steven is our Webmaster, handling the Website and Servers. He co-founded Yardfarmer after a 14 year career in website development at companies such as Ancestry.com and Ifit. He is also the one who will measure your property in person if needed.
Kyra Scarlett
Kyra has been our Lead Designer since the conception of YardFarmer’s Design Studio in early 2023. She specializes in creating aesthetic and functional spaces that are tailored to each client’s unique vision and needs. Her experience, training, and certification in native plants and rainwater harvesting are driven by a desire to create landscapes that give more back to the environment than they take. Kyra has a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture with a minor in Global Environmental Sustainability from Colorado State University, and a Master of Art in Design for Change, a multidisciplinary sustainable design program from the University of Edinburgh. Her professional experience has included the design of public parks, open space, trails, green infrastructure, and urban public spaces. She views residential design as a method of promoting grassroots community engagement and mobilization toward a future of sustainable landscapes, where small-scale changes lead to long-term net positive environmental impacts.
May Liu
May is a project manager and landscape designer at YardFarmer, currently based in Orange County, California. Originally from Denver, she brings 8 years of experience in landscape design and urban planning. A graduate of Colorado State University, May has worked on large-scale public and commercial landscape projects but now focuses on creating sustainable, impactful designs for smaller personal spaces.
Passionate about connecting people with nature, May loves the challenge of transforming individual landscapes into functional, eco-friendly retreats. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring local restaurants and small businesses, watching beach sunsets, skiing in the winter, and spending time with her playful cat, Miso.
Naima Nawabi
Naima has worked in the architectural design industry for two decades as a project manager and technical designer. She is an Associate with the American Institute of Architects and has a Bachelor of Applied Science and a Master of Architecture from the University of Utah and is working towards her architectural licensing. When she’s not helping our clients make their landscaping dreams a reality, you can find her avoiding weeding her garden and instead testing out recipes in the kitchen on family and friends, exploring the gorgeous Salt Lake valley, or embarking on a new adventure.
Rachel Kade
Rachel is an experienced Operations Manager & Admin with a strong background of 30 + years in team leadership, project management, small business operations, and providing the highest level of customer service.
When not managing day-to-day operations here at YardFarmer, Rachel is passionate about fiber arts, community mutual aid, learning to garden, and her 3 little dogs (Fionna, Harvey & Maisie).
Rachel loves working at YardFarmer and helping Daryl & the team deliver sustainable designs for our clients all over the country & beyond; minimizing environmental impact and making the world more beautiful, one yard at a time!
Molly Kade
Molly is our assistant designer at YardFarmer, providing exceptional support across all areas of the office. With a Bachelor of Science from Westminster University, they bring a strong organizational skill set and a keen attention to detail to their work. Outside of work, Molly is an illustrator and avid reader.