I love construction. It’s when all the dreaming and planning become reality. But aside from the actual work, I also enjoy the crews and the human details of the job site- like bringing your own microwave to work.

For landscape crews, the job site is their office.

If you work indoors, you don’t need to think about using the bathroom, storing your lunch, or reheating your coffee. But if you work outside, all of these things require some problem-solving.

Just like office workers, landscapers have different mindsets. Some leave the job site to get fast food for lunch. Others bring everything they need for the day and eat their homemade food in a shady spot on site. Oddly, this is the first year that many of us have noticed crews using microwaves. Is this a new trend that somehow made its way through the landscaper network, or have we not been paying attention before? I’m not sure, but this resourcefulness is just another thing that makes me smile.

From time to time potential clients ask, “Do you have a garden style?”, or “What is the blue house gardens look?”

Mention the name Piet Oudolf, Martha Schwartz, or “Capability” Brown to people who love gardens and you will conjure up a very specific visual. Many talented, local designers also have a signature style, driven either by aesthetic preference or, more commonly, a philosophical inclination such as using only native plantings.

House style is often the fist visual cue for garden style. Here in the DC Metro area, we live in a mishmash of architecture, often on the same block or even the same house! Authenticity is rare; instead, we speak of homes “in the style of.” This means that unless a designer chooses a very niche clientele, they will be moving between styles. The right balance between the architecture of the house and the taste, budget and lifestyle of the client will drive the design.

In my own practice, I’m committed to understanding what my clients want and then giving that to them in the best possible way.

Of course, there are constants that I tend to apply across all my projects. Strong form is a must, as it ensures a garden will read clearly, function well, and even withstand a certain amount of neglect. I prefer a limited plant palette, as masses of a smaller variety will naturally be neater and more manageable than a very diverse collection. I lean toward natural hardscape material, I naturally gravitate to blue flowers until someone tells me otherwise, and I’ve never met a site that couldn’t use some native Inkberry Holly. But with all that said, one could create any style of garden with those preferences.

So what is my garden style? Creating a landscape plan with the best version of your style through the application of thoughtful design.

Do you have a landscape project you’re ready to begin? Let’s work on it together.

As I type, the wind is howling and there are patches of snow on the ground after our first accumulation of the year. Every morning while I’m sipping my coffee I look out to see how some of my borderline shrubs are holding up in the cold. Know what that means? It’s landscape design time!

Winter may seem like the off-season for the landscape industry, but so much is happening behind the scenes.

It’s the time of year to regroup (paperwork!), to reflect on and improve business practices. It’s the time to attend educational events and trade shows (e.g. MANTS, the APLD Annual Winter Lecture, Green Matters) which keep me fresh and inspired. And yes, it is the time for a little rest (plants have the right idea). But best of all, winter is the time to work on plans for this year’s installations.

I love it when I’m busy with landscape design from December-March, because I know I’m going to have happy clients who are securely on the schedule when the weather improves.

It can be hard to think about home improvement projects during the holiday or post-holiday season, but when you factor in design revisions and busy schedules, getting your plans together can take a month or easily much more. If you want your project completed by Memorial Day, start counting backwards and you’ll realize that it needs to start now. If you call 3 weeks before Memorial Day, you may be disappointed to find that you’ll be waiting until fall before work can begin.

Are you looking to revamp your plant beds, build a new patio, or finally start your little urban farm? Is it time to address the failing retaining walls or just add some fun like a bocce court? Let’s make it a reality in 2019! It starts with a Consultation.

Plants that will grow and soften the path edges.

The old walkway was narrow and below the grade of the trees and beds.

Starting the stone pattern on a compacted stone dust base.

The Techo-bloc Rocka step blends beautifully with natural flagstone. This step is 5′ wide and 6″ high.

Changing the front entrance to your home is one of the most impactful choices you can make in your landscape. These clients recently completed a beautiful remodel and needed to start from scratch with the front walkway and planting beds. We replaced the old, narrow brick walkway with a bolder, rectilinear yet meandering flagstone walk for a welcoming path to the front door.

The details:

The Techo-bloc Rocka step make a neat transition between levels and blends beautifully with the natural stone. Large pieces (18″ x 18″, 18″ x 24″, and 18″ x 36″) of mixed color Pennysylvania flagstone keep the look simple and clean and complement the new Hardiplank facade in both color and form. The stones are set tightly on a base of compacted stone dust and finished with poly sand.

A very simple palette of plants was put in at this mid-fall date- Hydrangea, Prunus ‘Otto Luyken’, Sarcococca humilis, Ilex glabra, Dryopteris, Hosta, Phlox subulata, Pennisetum, Hypericum. The huge oak trees have been limbed up a bit for the renovation, so we’ll see what the sunlight conditions are over the next few seasons and adjust as needed.

Meanwhile, we’ll admire the great work of The King’s Masons as we wait for the garden to mature. Welcome in!

There are two things I love about living near St. Mary’s Episcopal Church– the bells, and the gardens. Landscape efforts truly benefit everyone by making our neighborhoods more beautiful, and this property is a prime example. The church grounds contain spring-blooming cherry trees, summer perennials, fall color, and best of all, a wonderful group of Winterberries that glow in winter and perfectly match that famous Episcopal red door. Every time I drive by I say to myself, “Thanks be to God- and gardeners!”