jamin leather catalog

thedesıgner
ASSOCIATION OF
PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS
Summer 2016
Ahhh ...
Summer
GARDEN REVOLUTION ■ MAKERS ■ EVERYDAY CARRY
editor’sletter
Verb. “To Make”
W
hen I first thought about “makers,” I focused on things—chairs,
pots, trellises, outdoor rugs—for our landscapes. However, every
garden, sunshade, piece of stoneware, or rolled metal, every marketing plan, and every book profiled in The Designer this summer is the result
of a terrific amount of work, obsession, and/or brute willpower exerted by
someone, and that story is often more interesting than the final product. Think of this
issue of The Designer as "How It's Made:
Landscape Design Edition."
Susan Cohan, APLD, explains how to make
moodboards that better communicate project vision to clients. Nancy Wallace details
the Plant App(lication)s for rain garden design and construction. In Wander.Lust. Jane
Berger, FAPLD, grabs our hands and leads us
on an insider’s tour of Washington, D.C. Nick
McCullough, APLD, pulls back the curtain on
his collaboration with Longfield Gardens.
Elizabeth Przygoda-Montgomery, APLD, empties her (chic yet affordable) hobo
bag in “Everyday Carry.” We bicycle through a town in Belgium with Rochelle
Greayer, learning tips for minimalist design. Judy Nauseef, FAPLD, reviews Garden
Revolution, the new book by APLD member Larry Weaner and co-author Thomas
Christopher, from which we can all learn how to “make” landscapes that nestle
comfortably within their surrounding ecosystems. Finally, Scott Hokunson, Benjamin Vogt, and I take you into the studios of a handful of “makers” in the traditional sense—gifted artisans that craft pottery, sculpture, and hardgoods that put
the finishing touches on your landscape designs.
While flipping through this issue you might find a great new piece of furniture
to spec or discover a new place to shop, but even more, I hope you’re inspired
to go forth and “do.”
KATIE ELZER-PETERS
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EDITOR@APLD.ORG
DynaSCAPE drawings leap off the page with their
fine line weights, precise shapes, and an artistic
flare that makes it hard to believe that they weren’t
hand-drawn and rendered.
dynascape.com
1.800.710.1900
SUMM E R 2 0 1 6
11 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
12 DESIGN ROUNDUP
Product, Place,
Project, Shop
20 IN THE FIELD
Everyday Carry
BY E L I Z A B E T H P RZ YGO DAM O N TG O M E RY, AP LD
24 WANDER.LUST.
Washington, DC
BY JA N E B E RGE R, FAP LD
32 PL ANT
APP( L ICATION )S
Rain Gardens
BY N A N CY WALLACE
38 BOOK REVIEW
Garden Revolution
BY JUDY NAUSEEF, FAP LD
44 BUSINESS
Promoting Your Brand
Through Social Media
Partnerships
BY N I C K M CCO LLO UGH , AP LD
48 DESIGN 101
Moodboards
BY SU SA N COH AN, AP LD
54 PROFILES
Makers
BY SCOT T H O KUNS O N, BE NJAM IN
VO GT, KAT I E E LZ E R- P E TERS
70 TRAVEL INSPIRATION
Belgium
BY R O C H E L L E GRE AYER
O N T H E COV ER: FRO M TH E BO O K ,
G A R DE N R E VOLUTION, D E S IGN
BY L A R RY W EANER, P H OTO GRAP H
BY R O B C A R DILLO.
S E E A D D I T I ONAL CRE D ITS PAGE 43
T H I S SP R E A D : P H OTO GRAP H BY
ST E P H E N P R O C TER
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contents
Stephen Procter
vessels can make
a landscape come
to life. For more
see page 56.
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thedesıgner
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Katie Elzer-Peters
Jane Berger
ART DIRECTOR
Marti Golon
FAPLD
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
p. 24
Wander.Lust:
Washington, DC
Denise Calabrese, CAE
ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Lisa Ruggiers
MEMBERSHIP &
CERTIFICATION DIRECTOR
Angela Burkett
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
Michelle Keyser
EVENTS DIRECTOR
Lori Zelesko
Jane Berger, FAPLD,
has been designing
gardens for the past
20 years and writing about them even
longer, for Landscape
Architecture Magazine,
The American Gardener, The Associated
Press, and others. After a career as a radio
news correspondent in
Washington DC, Jane
graduated from the
Landscape Design Program at George Washington University. She
served on the Board of
Directors at APLD as
Communications Chair
and was editor of The
Designer from 2009 to
2013.
MEMBERSHIP, CERTIFICATION
& CHAPTER ASSOCIATE
Kelly Clark
COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE
Courtney Kuntz
FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR
Jennifer Swartz
DATABASE MANAGEMENT
ADMINISTRATOR
Leona Wagner
OFFICE SPECIALIST
Jamie Hoffman
EVENTS SPECIALIST
Julie Wilhelm
COPY EDITOR
Claire Splan
>>Click name to email us!
For information on
advertising in The Designer,
contact
communications@apld.org
>>Click here for our
submission guidelines
Allium flowers from
Longfield Gardens
bulbs. Check out
more on page 44.
contributors
Susan Cohan
Danielle Ernest
Rochelle Greayer
APLD
Design 101:
Moodboards
Design Roundup:
Lotusland, Santa
Barbara
Travel Inspiration:
Belgium
p. 48
p. 14
Susan Cohan, APLD,
is the award-winning
principal of a
boutique residential
landscape design
studio in New
Jersey. Her work
ranges from small
urban backyards
to large residential
properties in
the New York
metropolitan
area. She is also
an inspiration
junkie who travels
the world to fuel
her habit and is
passionate about
all things design
related. She shares
what she finds
on her blog Miss
Rumphius’ Rules
when the spirit
moves her. Danielle has a
Bachelor of Science
degree from Michigan
State University in
Horticulture and
Landscape Design. In
2008, she moved to
Seattle and worked
remotely for Proven
Winners North
America as their
Public Relations &
Brand Development
Coordinator. Her
work has been
featured in Fine
Gardening, Pacific
Horticulture,
GreenProfit, and
more. In 2016,
Danielle was awarded
one of the “40 under
40” by Greenhouse
Product News for her
achievements in the
horticulture industry.
p. 70
Scott Hokunson
Meet the Makers:
Sculptor Jennifer
Asher
p.66
Rochelle Greayer
is the founder and
editor of Pith +
Vigor, a literary
newspaper and
online magazine for
garden enthusiasts
and the author of
Cultivating Garden
Style. In addition, she
is the creator of the
popular blog Studio
‘g’, named one of the
top ten gardening
blogs by the editors
of Better Homes and
Gardens. A graduate
of the English
Gardening School in
London, she has been
designing gardens
for private residences
and hotels around
the world since 2002.
Scott Hokunson,
principal behind Blue
Heron Landscape
Design, has been
creating landscapes
since 1981, and brings
a wealth of experience and expertise
to each project. A
proponent of natural and sustainable
principles, Scott
works closely with his
clients to create elegant outdoor living
spaces, minimizing
the impact on the environment through all
phases of the project,
including ongoing
stewardship.
>>Click bold names for link to website
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contributors
8
Nick McCullough
Judy Nauseef
APLD
FAPLD
Elizabeth Przygoda- Benjamin Vogt
Montgomery APLD Meet the Makers:
Case Study:
Social Media
Partnerships p.44
Book Review:
Design with Style
In the Field:
Everyday Carry
Stephen Procter
and Shannon Lester
p. 38
p. 20
p. 56 + p. 60
A self-described
“plant nerd,” Nick
McCullough is
passionate about
perennials. He is
an APLD-certified
designer, who has
won numerous
awards including
Young Professional
of the Year from
the Perennial
Plant Association
and Ohio Nursery
and Landscape
Association. Nick has
owned and operated
McCullough’s
Landscape &
Nursery since 1997.
Family operated, the
business is a blend of
Nick’s artistic vision
and a genuine love of
making exceptional
properties truly
extraordinary.
Judy Nauseef,
FAPLD, is an
award-winning
landscape designer
and a garden
writer. She owns
her own business,
Judy Nauseef
Landscape Design,
in Iowa City, Iowa,
where she designs
and manages
installations of
primarily residential
landscapes. She
writes for Iowa
Gardener magazine
and will have a
book, Using Native
Plants in Gardens in
the Upper Midwest,
published by the
University of Iowa
Press in spring 2016.
Elizabeth is an
award-winning
landscape designer
and the founder
and principal
designer at Boxhill
in Tucson, Arizona.
She is a creative
stylist, an educator,
a public speaker,
and a product
designer whose
line of fire pits has
received national
acclaim. Educated
in Fine Arts from
the University of
Arizona, Elizabeth
also draws on
her travels to the
Caribbean, Turkey,
Thailand, France,
and South America
to inspire her
signature designs.
Benjamin Vogt owns
Monarch Gardens,
a prairie garden
consulting and
design firm in
Lincoln, Nebraska.
His personal
garden has been
featured online at
ApartmentTherapy.
com, FineGardening.
com, and
GardenDesign.com.
Benjamin’s weekly
column at Houzz.
com has been read
nearly two million
times, and he speaks
nationally on native
plants, climate
change, and garden
philosophy. You can
link to his social
media pages at www.
monarchgard.com.
|
>>Click bold names for link to website
apld.org
thank you to our
Nancy Wallace
Plant Apps:
Rain Gardens
sponsors
p.32
GOLD
Nancy Wallace is
the proprietor of
Wallace Gardens, a
garden design and
installation business
located in north
Atlanta, specializing
in container gardens,
garden design,
landscape renovation
implementation,
and personal plant
services.
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of AZEK, today’s most highly sought-after material
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president’smessage
Inspiration
Abounds
I
spent some time recently talking with colleagues
about inspiration. This time of year we are all
so busy that we barely have time to think, much
less to pause, seek inspiration, and design! But design
we must and the source of inspiration is something
landscape designers depend on daily, especially in
times of intense seasonal work.
So where does inspiration come from? A wildly varying answer is sure to emerge from each and every one
of you. Creativity is made manifest daily when one is
open to absorbing visual, sensual, lyrical, and rhythmical inspiration
that bombards our senses. Walking in the woods, lying in a meadow, or looking down on
an alpine lake inspires an obvious connection to nature and thus our gardens. But then
again, walking through a new city, absorbing sites, smells, color, and stimulation can also
be an inspirational journey. Visit a new nursery, go on a garden tour, or stroll through a
botanical garden to seek inspiration. Inspiration goes beyond color, although color in all
that we see and imagine can be a vast inspirational generator of design. But can you look
deeper; can you find that underlying reason for what makes you pause, evaluate, and
enjoy something you see? What inspires you?
For me it is hard to slow down this time of year to seek, much less find, inspiration. Clients are desperate to have an installed masterpiece by summer—and we all do our best
to accommodate. Nonetheless, finding inspiration, while challenging, is what landscape
designers must do regularly. Inspiration leads to creative output. It allows the designer
to produce client masterpieces.
Prepare to be inspired when you open the pages of this edition of The Designer. You will
find seasonal, colorful, thought-provoking, and clever designs sure to offer inspiration
for your landscape space. Find a designer today at www.apld.org to design your landscape vision and turn those dreams into a reality. Post your source of inspiration on
Instagram and don’t forget to use the hashtag #apld, #landscapedesigner, or #IamAPLD
to share visual images of what inspires you.
Be inspired!
LISA PORT APLD
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designroundup
PRODUCT:
Parasoleil
APLD’s Product of the Year
BY KATIE ELZER-PETERS
It’s fitting to feature in this issue, one focusing on
makers, the APLD Product of the Year. In 2016,
members selected architectural metal shade panels
from Parasoleil as the winner. Their website says
that the panels are used create shade while
maintaining air circulation, bridge architecture with
nature (in terms of design), and create interactive
shadows that change throughout the course of the
day. Overhead panels are available in raw copper and
aluminum finished with various patinas and treatments.
Other finalist products include two types of outdoor leather, a hanging swing
chair that looks like it belongs in the kitchen with a bunch of bananas but is
large enough to house a human, outdoor throw pillows, a few pots and items
of furniture, and bespoke bug boxes from Urban Hedgerow.
❧
>> To check out the finalists and get links for all products click here.
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Pebble Mosaic
in the Parterre
Garden designed
by Jim Minah
and installed
by stonemason
Oswald Da Ros in
1969.
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PHOTO: GA N N A WA LSKA
designroundup
PLACE: Lotusland
Santa Barbara, California
Above:
Madame
Ganna Walska
at Lotusland,
circa 1950s.
BY DANIELLE ERNEST
“Lotusland, in Santa Barbara is a must-see destination, with unexpected and
dynamic vistas at every turn. If Van Gogh had created gardens instead of paintings,
this is what I imagine it would look like,” says designer Billy Goodnick.
The garden, located in the gorgeous hills of Santa Barbara, California, is the creation
of Madame Ganna Walska, a Polish-born opera star who channeled her love of nature
and plants into developing a garden that would not only rival most botanical gardens
in sheer beauty, but would also create a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere—that
which only supreme outdoor spaces can conjure up. The meta-description on the garden’s website is “Botanical nirvana.” Lotusland delivers.
Lotusland, the property, has a history almost as colorful as its maker. In 1941, Madame Walska and her then-husband, Theos Barnard, purchased the property and
➸
>>Click bold black names for link to website
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designroundup
called the gardens “Tibetland.” Barnard was known in the yogi world as “The White
Lama” for his published works and the couple believed the land could be used as a
sanctuary and retreat for Tibetan lamas. After their 1945 divorce Madame, who had
been married five times previously and assured, via a prenuptial agreement, that she
would retain the property in the event that her sixth union dissolved, renamed the
property Lotusland to signify rebirth and rejuvenation.
The world-famous plant collections, meticulously assembled by Madame Walska,
are designed into vignettes beyond your weirdest dreams. From aloe, to cacti, to the
world’s largest grouping of cycads, it’s a living fantasy entirely in the image of its creator, who was willing to pay almost any price to secure a plant she wanted. Botanists
and horticulturists travel
cross-country to Lotusland
to study the collection. The
“Million-Dollar Garden,”
as they call it, received its
name from the origin of
funds used to purchase the
plants; in 1977 Madame
Walska auctioned off an
enormous collection of
jewelry to purchase these
diamonds in the rough.
Because the garden is situated in a residential neighborhood, only a select number of guests may visit on
a daily basis. Reservations
must be made in advance
by calling 805-969-9990.
❧
Left: A restored statue of
Neptune anchors one end
of the Parterre garden.
Right: Madame Walska’s
rose garden, now filled with
floribunda roses, is at the
opposite end.
P H OTO GR A PHS: DA N I ELLE ER N EST
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“
If Van Gogh had created gardens instead of
paintings, this is what I imagine it would look like.
”
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designroundup
PROJECT: Sunset
Test Gardens
Cornerstone, Sonoma
BY KATIE ELZER-PETERS
Sunset Magazine staff vacated their
Menlo Park, California, headquarters
this winter after 65 years, relocating to
Jack London Square in Oakland. While
the urban campus is perfect for exploring urban living anew, the new test
gardens have opened elsewhere—taking over an 11,000–square foot parcel in
Sonoma’s Cornerstone marketplace. Stefani Bittner and Alethea Harampolis
of Homestead Design Collective created
the new gardens with input from Sunset
Garden Editor Johanna Silver. “There
are five main rooms,” says Johanna. “The
Cocktail Garden, Farm, Gathering Space,
Backyard Orchard, and Flower Room. It
would be hard for me to choose a favorite. They’re all really spectacular.” PH OTO : L IN DA L A M B P ETERS /S U NS E T P U BLIS H ING
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The Gathering Space is where the Sunset Western Garden Collection will be
showcased. “We’ve gotten really great
feedback on our plant line from the design community,” Johanna says. “It’s an
almost paint-by-number situation. You
can pretty much grab any three plants
and have a striking combination. In this
garden, every few feet you get a different view of textures and colors playing
together that is super satisfying.” She
says that the plants are also mostly lowmaintenance, providing a bold impact
from foliage rather than fussy flowers
that need to be deadheaded.
Who has time to design when there are
so many places to visit? Well, you have
to get inspiration somewhere. Pencil
in a visit to Cornerstone the next time
you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area. ❧
SHOP: Boxhill
“Your Curated Source For Modern,
Outdoor Style + Décor”B Y K A T I E E L Z E R - P E T E R S
Elizabeth Przygoda-Montgomery serves on the Editorial Board of The Designer.
She rang me up to discuss topics for this issue and just happened to mention something about BOXHILL while we were on the phone. I looked it up and immediately
yelled, “I must put that in the Summer Design Roundup.” Przygoda-Montgomery
started the shop after years of specifying outdoor accessories for clients.
“I’ve tried everything in the shop and I stand behind it,” she says. Outdoor rugs,
throw pillows, dining sets, umbrellas, lighting—you name it, you can find it at
BOXHILL, and it is guaranteed to be of excellent craftsmanship and
quality. Przygoda-Montgomery hunts for new
products while traveling
overseas. “I like to offer
items that you can’t get
anywhere else,” she says.
The shop has been featured in Garden Design,
Sunset, on HGTV, GOOP,
and more. I’d like one
of the Hanging Single
Recliner Chairs which
looks as much like a
sculpture as a piece of
furniture. In addition
to the broad, expected
categories, there are
also curated collections
with themes including
“holiday,” “glam,” “nautical,” “rustic,” “boho chic,”
and more.
❧
>>Click bold black names for link to website
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inthefield
BY ELIZABETH
PRZYGODA-MONTGOMERY, APLD
Everyday
Carry
I NEVER
L E AV E H O M E
W I T H O U T…
... A BIG BAG
I like hobo bags, because you can put little
bags (right) inside of the big bag (below).
>>Click text for links to websites
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... MY
IPHONE
Who doesn’t have
this? My favorite
apps are MileIQ,
Quickbooks, and
PDFpen.
... MY IPAD
(WITH STYLUS)
I can make
corrections onsite
and it seriously can
do anything.
➸
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I
NEVER
L E AV E
HOME
... A DRAWING PAD
At times I still need to sketch on site, so I usually
have something I can write in. We had notepads
made for our company. I like that I can also give
one to a client and it has all our info on it.
... A RETRACTABLE
MEASURING WHEEL
This is not in my purse, but it’s always in my car
and can fit in the hobo handbag. I always have
this with me. We want to work smarter—not
harder, and this snappy little tool prevents me
from having to get on my hands and knees. It’s
reliable and easy to carry in your bag.
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W I T H O U T…
inthefield
... MY HAT & SHADES
I’m an old-school rayban girl and
I usually wear a wicker fedora—it
kind of hips you up a bit.
... SCIENCE
SUNSCREEN
Every landscape designer
needs this product. We are
always outside, but this helps
us not look like it. It’s a powder and sunscreen, easy to
put on, and is super clean.
You also get a little makeup
and it takes away the shine.
... ROSEBUD
LIP BALM
It’s unisex! Multifunctional—protects
and heals.
... A MIDDAY
PICK-ME-UP
Coffee can make you crazy. Try
using an essential oil for a midday pick-me-up. Grapefruit +
Energy are my favorites.
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wander.lust.
>>Check it out on our map! Click here
DESIGNER’SEYE VIEW:
Washington DC
BY JANE BERGER, FAPLD
M
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ost people planning a trip to Washington DC would never put
gardens at the top of their list, but if you’re in the know, it’s where
you want to go. The most famous gardens and landscapes in town
were designed by top landscape architects, and it would be nearly impossible to
take in all of them in one visit. I’ve lived here on and off for 30 years, and even I
haven’t seen them all, but here’s a rundown of some of my favorite places, and
I’m just scratching the surface.
>>Click bold black names for link to website
apld.org
The National Mall
The best garden walking tour
starts at the U.S. Capitol to view
the grounds designed in 1874 by
Frederick Law Olmsted, considered
the father of U.S. landscape architecture. The
grounds were designed to direct attention to
the building itself, so large trees were planted
specifically to frame views and provide shade for
visitors. Of the 890 trees that Olmsted planted
near the building, more than 60 still survive
today.
➸
Top: USBG with United
States Capitol in background. The Conservatory
houses 10 garden rooms
with 28,944 square feet
of growing space. Inset:
The Summerhouse was
designed by Olmsted and
completed in 1881.
P H OTO G R A P H Y BY JANE BE RGE R
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Amble down to Olmsted’s Summerhouse on the west front lawn, a hexagonshaped brick structure with arched doorways and wrought-iron gates. Inside
the open structure, stone benches are shaded by a red-tiled roof, and there’s a
fountain in the center that at one time provided drinking water.
On the East Front plaza, stop and admire some of Olmsted’s hardscape
elements.
At the foot of the Capitol, the U.S. Botanic Garden is a required stop for plant
lovers: a tropical paradise inside, with innumerable rare and exotic species—
including a large orchid collection—and outside, the new National Garden
showcases plants from the mid-Atlantic region.
Cross Independence Avenue SW to the new American Veterans Disabled
for Life Memorial. It’s a chance to see the work of noted landscape architect
>>Click bold black names for link to website
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PHOTO CR EDI T: KATI E ELZER -PETER S
wander.lust.
Michael Vergason, known for his spare,
minimalist designs. In this case, there’s a
simple grove of trees framed by granite and
glass walls, a ceremonial flame, and a starshaped reflecting pool. It’s a quiet place for
contemplation.
Left: Admire some of
Olmsted’s hardscape
elements. Above: The
Garden Court in the
Conservatory at the US
Botanic Garden.
Continue on down Independence Avenue to 7th Street, where you’ll find a lovely
sculpture garden at the rear of the Hirshhorn Museum. The recessed garden
contains more than 60 sculptures and landscaping is by the late Lester Collins
of Innisfree fame.
Cross over the Mall and stop at one of my favorite places for lunch: the Cascade
Café in the National Gallery of Art—a cafeteria featuring an impressive
➸
>>Check out all these places on our map! Click here
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wander.lust.
waterfall “wall.” Nothing like it anywhere else. And the nearby gift shop is a
winner.
Around the corner is the National Gallery Sculpture Garden. designed by
landscape architect Laurie Olin. The six-acre garden features sculptures by
modern artists including
Joan Miro, Claes
Oldenburg, Alexander
Calder, Ellsworth Kelly,
and many others. In
winter, there’s an ice rink,
and the Pavilion Café is
open year round.
Hop on the DC Circulator
Bus to Stop #8—and
walk on down to the FDR
Memorial designed by
Lawrence Halprin. Four
garden “rooms” tell the
story of FDR’s presidency,
and water is the
metaphor, as waterfalls,
Untitled, 1989, by Amer- cascades, and pools build up in a crescendo
throughout the site.
ican artist Joel Shapiro
at the National Gallery
Sculpture Garden.
Get off the bus again at stop #11 and walk on up to
the Federal Reserve Building at 20th and C Streets
NW. The gardens date to 1977, and they put Wolfgang Oehme and James
van Sweden on the map. Oehme van Sweden’s New American Garden style,
with huge drifts of perennials and ornamental grasses, started a true garden
revolution across the United States. It still looks revolutionary today.
Georgetown and Upper NW
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No visit to DC would be complete without a stop at the famed Dumbarton Oaks
garden, one of the great masterpieces by Beatrix Farrand. A series of terraced
garden rooms, all connected, are designed in the European tradition, with
Italian and English landscape elements, including a swimming pool, a Lover’s
Lane pool, cutting gardens, and much more. It’s a must for any garden designer
apld.org
Fractured pieces of
or garden aficionado. Just half a block away is
granite symbolizing the
upheaval of the times
Tudor Place, a historic estate built by Martha Custis,
are the primary
granddaughter of Martha Washington. Enormous
hedges of boxwoods, a knot garden, a bowling green, materials used in the
FDR Memorial.
and a circle garden are some of the favored rooms.
Eat at Bistro Lepic, at Wisconsin & S Streets NW, which is just a block or two
away and offers a classic French menu and atmosphere.
A little further north is Hillwood Museum and Gardens, the home of the Post
cereal heiress, Marjorie Merriweather Post. In my opinion, it’s one of the best
maintained gardens I’ve ever encountered, and you don’t want to miss it. Mrs.
Post collected plants and designers, and the gardens showcase her eclectic
style. There’s a Japanese-style garden, a lovely rose garden, a French parterre
garden, a putting green, classic statuary, a Russian-style Dacha, a huge
➸
>>Check out all these places on our map! Click here
>>Click bold black names for link to website
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29
wander.lust.
lawn for parties, and woodland paths throughout. There’s
a garden café for lunch, and tea is served on Sundays. The
Van Ness Metro stop is just a few blocks away.
Farther Out
The Lunar Lawn
has been the site
of many public and
private gatherings
at the Hillwood
Museum.
It’s a car trip or a long taxi ride, but do plan a stop at the US National
Arboretum. First, stop at Union Market (a huge Food Hall with plenty of ethnic
options) for lunch (1509 5th St. NE) or grab an Italian sub at A. Litteri, one of
the city’s oldest Italian markets (517 Morse St. NE) and take it with you, as the
Arboretum has many picnic tables. The 446-acre site is home to magnificent
collections of dwarf conifers (The Gotelli Collection), azaleas, magnolias,
crabapples, dogwoods, hollies, and much more. Don’t miss the Asian Collection,
the Bonsai Pavilion, Fern Valley, or the National Capitol Columns, which were
rescued from neglect and sited at the Arboretum by British landscape architect
Russell Page. It’ll take up a good part of your day, but remember that this is your
garden.
>>Check out all these places on our map! Click here
>>Click bold black names for link to website
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Plant Places
There’s not a lot to choose from, but one of my go-to places in the city is
Ginkgo Gardens (911 11th St. SE) on Capitol Hill, a small space jam-packed with
trees, shrubs, herbs, garden furniture, you name it. There are more choices at
Johnson’s Florist & Garden Center, 4200 Wisconsin Avenue NW, with loads of
containers and a nice collection of plants. The largest garden center within easy
reach of downtown
DC is American
Plant, with two
locations on River
Road in Bethesda,
MD. You’ll find all
you need here in
the way of garden
supplies, and the
plant selections draw
lots of designers as
well as homeowners.
For a truly different
experience, drive
on out to Boyds,
Maryland, about
a 30–45 minute
drive from the city,
and visit Susanna
Farm, a nursery
that specializes in
unique conifers and
Japanese maples.
It’ll be a day you
won’t forget. They
have everything that
everyone else does
You don’t need superpowers to get back to business
not.
after a disaster — we help you get there. Our claims
adjusters have the strength to support your unique
horticultural insurance needs. Call Hortica Insurance
at 800.851.7740 or visit us at hortica.com.
Not your ordinary
claims adjuster.
❧
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plantapps
Rain Gardens
BY NANCY WALLACE
R
ain gardens are becoming an environmental trend
across the country, and they are being implemented
by both residential gardeners and city managers alike.
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) shared results of their
Rain garden at the home
February 2016 survey identifying the
of Pam Estabrooke.
top ten design trends for residential
Wallace designed the
garden and built the
landscape architecture. According to the
hardscape. The client
media release, “‘Water-focused design
installed the plants
elements dominated this year’s top ten
herself. Directing the
list and reflect consumers’ growing comstormwater runoff
mitment to landscapes that reduce water through the gardens
use and stormwater runoff,’ says Nancy
allows vegetable beds
to thrive nearby on a
Somerville, Hon. ASLA, executive vice
very slightly higher
president and CEO of ASLA.” Rainwater/
piece of ground.
graywater harvesting was the number
one trend, and rain gardens were in the
top ten.
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Rain gardens temporarily capture and
detain water from impervious surfaces
(rooftops, city sidewalks, slopes, and
roadways) and preserve it in the local water table for vegetative benefits.
As agricultural and forested lands are
paved over and replaced with strip malls
and subdivisions, the ground loses its
natural ability to absorb water, making
it all the more important to “repurpose”
rain water before run-off overwhelms
sewage and storm water systems, which
apld.org
PHOTOGR A PHY BY N A N CY WA LLACE
are often connected. Rainwater can be captured from downspouts and piped
to a shallow depression area on the down-slope of a homesite located at least
twelve feet away from the foundation, so as to avoid water seepage. (Do not
place a rain garden over a septic system.)
Incorporate a rain garden into the existing landscape so that it becomes an integrated element rather than a stand-alone project. A typical rain garden is six
to twelve inches deep, defined in the shape of a teardrop or crescent depending on site placement. The longer, lower side of the rain garden should be ➸
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33
plantapps
perpendicular to the slope with a berm
about the same elevation as the uphill
side of the garden. Use a garden hose
to lay out the circumference of the rain
garden to visualize size and placement.
Before determining the overall shape,
consider the amount of water draining
into the rain garden after a heavy storm.
(An inch of rain may take as long as 24
hours to infiltrate the ground, depending on soil conditions and size of the rain
garden.)
RE
O
F
E
B
When designing a rain garden, choose
as many native plants as possible,
utilizing plants that are both drought
and flood tolerant. Plants on the lower
side of a rain garden must tolerate
prolonged periods of wetness and
inundated soil conditions, whereas
plants on the upper end of a rain
garden may need to withstand more
xeric conditions. Native plants are more
adaptable to such fluctuations, which
makes them ideal components for a
rain garden, but ornamentals may also
be used with careful consideration.
Most of the plants listed in this article
can be found on the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers National Wetland Plant List.
Before the installation process, perform a soil test and add lime or fertilizer
and compost as required. Detailed rain garden installation instructions can
be found at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
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In the age of technology, no article about rain gardens would be complete
without mentioning the Rain Garden App, developed by the University of
Connecticut, Center for Landuse Education and Research (CLEAR). It has
been created for use by designers, homeowners, and others to assist in the
apld.org
A
FT
ER
A row of rain
proper design and selection of plant materials
gardens will grow
for rain gardens. The app is available for both
iPhones and Android smartphones, and currently into a beautiful and
functional stormwater
represents 13 states where rain gardens are
handling system.
commonly installed: Connecticut, Georgia,
Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Vermont.
➸
P H OTO G R A P H Y BY NANCY WALLAC E
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plantapps
PERFECT PLANTS
These plants are consistent top performers in rain gardens.
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■ Callicarpa americana
■ Leucothoe axillaris
ZONE 6–10
ZONE 6–9
The American beauty bush is
a Southeastern native with a
graceful, arching habit. It is
most notable for an abundance
of iridescent purple berries
adorning the branches in fall,
providing food for birds. This
shrub performs best in afternoon
shade and tolerates moist soil.
The coastal doghobble is an
evergreen shrub requiring moist,
acidic soil. It grows 2–4’ tall and
5’ wide, making it an appropriate
addition to smaller rain gardens.
The glossy green foliage turns
purple to bronze in winter. It is
effective as a hedge along the
edge of a rain garden.
■ Chionanthus virginicus
■ Cephalanthus occidentalis
ZONE 3–9
ZONE 4–10
This fragrant fringe tree is a
show-stopper when it blooms
in April. It is considered a
small landscape
tree, reaching 30’
in height at maturity. Lacy, chiffonade-like flower threads are
bewitching when
the wind flutters through the
branches. Use
as a specimen in
the rain garden,
protected from
afternoon sun.
A prized plant, the buttonbush
may be difficult to locate but
worth the effort if you can find
apld.org
this unique member of the coffee
family. Give it some room to spread,
because it will ramble 6–10’ tall and
wide if not pruned back occasionally. Blooms appear on new wood, so
pruning can be done in late winter.
Spherical flower clusters appear like
fuzzy pincushions in July, followed
by spiky red fruits in late summer.
Beneficial to bees, hummingbirds,
and butterflies, this is an excellent
pollinator plant. Sugar Shack is a
dwarf variety from Proven Winners,
growing 3–4’ tall and wide, and suitable for bog gardens.
■ Magnolia acuminata
ZONE 3–8
Commonly known as the cucumber
tree, this is the only magnolia native
to Missouri. ‘Butterflies’ (pictured
here) is a hybrid cross between M.
acuminata and M. denudata, the
Asian pollen parent. Tolerant of a
wide range of soil conditions, ‘Butterflies’ would be suitable to the
more xeric conditions of a rain garden. Flowers cover the entire tree
in early winter, and it is not until the
petals have dropped that the leaves
begin to emerge.
Perennials can be planted in
the bottom or along the sides of
a rain garden, depending on
moisture requirements. Pictured here
from left: Hibiscus coccineus (swamp
hibiscus); Helianthus angustifolius
‘First Light’ (dwarf swamp sunflower);
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower); and
Asclepias curassavica (milkweed).
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37
bookreview
Ecological
Design
G AR D E N R E VOLUT ION : HOW OUR
L A N DSC AP ES C AN BE A SOURCE OF
E N V I RO N MEN TAL C HAN G E
BY L AR RY WE A N E R A N D
T HO M AS C HR ISTO P HE R
REVIEW BY JUDY NAUSEEF, FAPLD
G
arden Revolution, by Larry Weaner and
Thomas Christopher, is more than a
discussion of the state of traditional
garden design and the need to understand the
ecological context of our sites before imposing an aesthetic on them. It is a handbook for
“studying how plants and wildlife associate in a
natural state and basing our gardening on that.”
The authors explain their philosophy well and
share an amazing
amount of knowledge accumulated by
both throughout years of planning, implementing,
and observing landscapes.
>>Get the book!
Click here
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|
apld.org
In the introduction Weaner writes, “My experiences have taught me that this change of behavior
brings not only better results—a healthier, more
dynamic landscape—but also one that demands
far fewer inputs.” (The prologue, written by Christopher, explains his contribution and the reason
why the book is written in Weaner’s voice.) Wean-
er writes that the primary reason for creating the book is
that he “believes we can create landscapes that are easier
to manage, more ecologically beneficial, and reflective of
the beautiful plant compositions of our respective regions
only if we expand our studies beyond the confines of traditional garden design.
“I learned that a traditional garden is like a beautiful car
with no engine,” Weaner continues. “The body is sleek and
the stereo sounds great, but the owner will always
➸
This Pennsylvania estate
provided Larry Weaner
an opportunity to work
on a truly large scale.
The plan included more
than 3 acres of native
gardens and 30 acres of
seeded meadow. The pool
was designed as a path
leading from the gardens
to the wild landscape.
PHOTO CR E D IT: R O B C ARD ILLO
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39
bookreview
“
Weaner prefers to use native plants to
connect with the local ecosystem.
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”
need to push it up the hills with bags of fertilizer,
weeding forks, and watering wands.” If you think
about it, applying fertilizers and pesticides and irrigating to create an unnatural environment to coax
plants to grow makes little sense. He writes that the
site is your partner. This is something we should
always have been observing. We should not have to
learn this now. We definitely need a garden revolution, and the authors show that there are many ways
to get started.
While designing, Weaner prefers to use native plants
to connect with the local ecosystem and provide
habitat for wildlife, but does not rule out the use
of non-invasive exotics, saying a successful plant
not only survives but proliferates within a habitat
or ecosystem. If we are familiar with the plants we
use, we can plan for this and avoid ending up with a
monoculture. Weaner relays how, while designing, he
enriches and diversifies the on-site plant communities, taking the natural growth as his guide. Within
this design philosophy, planning for succession is a
necessity and opportunity.
P H OTO C R E D I T: RO B C ARD ILLO
I love the thought that, during succession, indigenous species will appear. However, I know that on
the disturbed soils I most frequently plant there is
no seed bank of rightful past inhabitants. In my experience, there are sites that begin in such degraded
conditions that there are not enough naturally occurring resources to evolve into well-balanced, improving ecosystems without
This may be a small
the designer’s continued
meadow, but it’s
influence. These sites are
still too big to hand
weed like a garden.
often lots with homes
Consequently, habitats
surrounded by turfgrass
and ecological
and few pollinators in
processes must be
sight. It takes quite a
considered when
bit of ingenuity to apply
designing, planting, and
ecological design to ➸
managing it.
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41
bookreview
“
Gardens aren't meant
to remain the same … they
should evolve over time.
”
these types of projects, but Weaner provides a solution to
this problem. “One answer is to introduce the element of
time by using a design approach based on ecological processes to introduce and manage plant combinations that
evolve and change, as plant communities do in nature.”
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The chapter titled “The Garden Ecologist’s Primer” is the
most helpful in explaining a program for the creation of an
ecologically functional system, showing how we can have
beautiful spaces and healthy gardens with new combinations that will evolve over time. The rewards to gardening in a
more ecologically informed style are decreased maintenance,
benefits to the local ecosystem and habitat, and a landscape
that continues to surprise us with changing beauty.
apld.org
Creating this
landscape was like
initiating a dance
with the site. Weaner
made a move—
cutting existing
growth in one place
but not another—and
the site responded,
predictably but
also with thrilling
serendipity.
PHOTO CR EDI T:
KA R EN B USSOLI N I
Vignettes about past experiences and specific projects,
break up the long stretches
of practical knowledge,
which helps the reader to
absorb the massive amount
of information contained
in the book. Most of the
projects shown in the book
are larger properties, with
very different parameters
than those in which many
of us design. In reality, it is
the accumulation of many
small projects (backyards,
ditches) across the country
that will make a difference.
It is up to us to interpret the
information for our (usually) smaller sites. The many
photographs give the book
a coffee-table feel, which
actually is a good thing, as
it is hard to read in a single
sitting. I would suggest that
you read a chapter and then practice applying to your designs
what you have learned before going back to learn more, just
as Weaner has done throughout his years of creating the landscapes highlighted in the book.
The revolutionary path of Weaner’s work is something we
should all consider when designing our gardens. I particularly
like the point that gardens are not meant to remain the same as
they appear on the day they are planted, but should evolve over
time. We need to take an honest look at what we are contemplating or have already completed and ask if we have limited
the promise of the site and plants by attempting to preserve a
garden as originally conceived. Can we let the landscape
evolve into the healthy ecosystem it is meant to be?
❧
Waves of
contrasting
textures and
hues define this
wild garden.
PHOTO CR ED IT:
R OB CA R DI LLO
TA KEN FR OM G A RDEN
R EVOLUTI ON©
COPYR I GHT 201 6 BY
LA R RY WEA N ER A N D
THOMAS CHR ISTOPHER.
PUB LI SHED BY T IMB ER
PR ESS, PORT L A N D, OR.
USED BY PERMISSION
OF THE PUB LISHER.
A LL R I GHTS R ESERV ED.
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43
business
Promoting Your Brand Through
Social Media
Partnerships
BY NICK MCCULLOUGH, APLD
A
s an early adopter and avid user of Pinterest, I have gathered a large
number of followers (3.3 million) on my G A R D E N S board. Even
outside the horticulture realm this is a significant number, and I
knew its power when I started getting “pay-to-pin” offers and even offers to
purchase my username outright. However, as a professional landscape designer
I wanted to leverage my following to promote myself as a landscape design authority and grow my business. To date I have received design projects in Ohio,
Indiana, and Montana and a collaboration in Connecticut just from my Pinterest
profile.
In the fall of 2015 I was contacted by Longfield Gardens about a partnership
that would leverage my Pinterest followers to promote their products. Longfield
supplies many of the same varieties of bulbs I use in my designs and the peonies
we grow for the cut floral industry at Red Twig Farms. My firsthand experience
with the bulbs they supply made me confident with putting my reputation next
to theirs.
Instead of just pinning existing content, we decided to generate original content
that would combine Longfield’s bulbs and my expertise as a designer. With
the National Garden Bureau designation of 2016 as the year of the allium, we
decided that I would design two perennial gardens featuring Longfield’s allium
bulbs. This provided me with the complete freedom to design with my favorite
plants and color palette, showcasing my abilities as a landscape designer while
featuring alliums that I value as a perennial.
➸
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Nick developed
a garden design
with four different
types of allium from
Longfield Gardens.
The design was
included in a blog
post that was shared
on social media by
Nick, Longfield, and
other bloggers and
designers. Read the
blog post here.
Check out Nick
McCullough's
social sites:
And his blog,
Thinking Outside
The Boxwood,
his website
www.mccland.com
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45
business
Nick's instagram
feed is a mixture
of professional
(plants &
design) and
personal
(beer). It keeps
followers
engaged.
The designs
were timed to
release during
spring blooming and then
again during
fall planting.
Initially, the
partnership included the designs, blog posts for background, and adding the
content to my pin boards. As the project evolved, we added Instagram. Longfield
also partnered with other bloggers to share their experience with alliums and
share the #yearoftheallium hashtag.
For compensation, I charged my standard rate structure for the designs as I use
on all my projects, plus an incentive for each repin of the designs on Pinterest
for a specific time period. The first phase is complete and it has been a great
learning opportunity. The project took more time than I anticipated; however, I
made great connections in the garden media network and had firsthand experience watching a brand promote and market a concept.
Longfield finds that their customers usually visit the website several times
before making a purchase, so their goal for the promotion was to increase
referral traffic and, over time, generate new customers. The first design was
released in April, along with a giveaway for free allium bulbs. During the
promotion week, referral traffic to Longfield’s website was up 40 percent. My
blog, Thinking Outside the Boxwood, was the 13th highest referral source.
That’s a big number in one week, because referral traffic generally gets stronger
over time as Google picks up content and indexes it in search results. Traffic to
a supporting article on Longfield’s website was up 565 percent during the week
of the promotion and was in the top 25 trafficked pages on their website.
❧
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apld.org
LONGFIELD POINT OF VIEW
We are growing our online flower bulb business without the help
of a catalog, so to acquire new customers, we use all the usual
inbound marketing strategies such as SEO, paid search and pay per
click advertising, as well as email, blog posts, how-to content, PR,
and social media.
We have had a presence on Pinterest for several years and it’s a
good source of referral traffic. Watching successful influencers like
Nick has helped us develop our social media strategy. The quality
and consistency of his Pinterest presence is impressive, as are his
stats. We also noticed he’s a fellow flower bulb enthusiast!
When we started planning our 2016 marketing strategy, we knew
we wanted to do something special with alliums, since the National
Garden Bureau had chosen them as the 2016 bulb of the year. One
idea was to find a garden designer, have them create a garden
plan featuring alliums and then distribute the design through social
media as a way to generate brand visibility and increase site traffic.
We immediately thought of Nick and reached out to see if he was
interested. He and his wife Allison totally understood the idea and
were eager to collaborate. It’s been really fun working with them
and we are delighted with the results.
This is the Longfield
Gardens Pintrest page.
Check out their social
pages by clicking
icons:
And their website
longfield-gardens.com
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design101
HOW TO CREATE
Digital
Mood
Boards
BY SUSAN COHAN, APLD
A digital mood board created
with photoshop includes elements
not easily communicated with a
traditional landscape plan.
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49
G
etting the entire idea across to a client for a landscape design
in plan view can be a challenge because many clients can’t
visualize what their yard will look like from a plan. Mood
boards are one of the least-used visual communication tools
by most landscape designers, but they should be an integral part of any designer’s workflow and sales presentation.
Nothing gets an idea across to a client better than a group of cohesive and focused images that help them to visualize a designer’s vision and get excited about
the changes to come.
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Landscape designers tend to limit their visual backup tools to pictures of plants
and an occasional bench, pot, or paving pattern, but what about the rest? All
designers and many clients save inspirational images both physically and online
with tools like Pinterest and Houzz, but they often aren’t cohesive and focused
enough to communicate the entire design concept. Sharing a private board on
apld.org
design101
Pinterest or an Ideabook from Houzz is not the same as creating and sharing a
mood board designed specifically for a project. Similar design disciplines, particularly interior design, depend on mood boards to communicate their ideas
to clients in a clear and visual way, and landscape designers can, and should,
as well.
Traditional physical mood boards can show texture and can include samples
of materials. They are still valid, but are very time consuming to create, have
to be carted around, and take up actual storage space when they are left with a
client or are returned to the studio. With the availability of digital mood board
generators and photo collage tools that are intuitive to use and customizable,
designers can place their ideas directly on a presentation plan.
The Three Basic Components of
Great Mood Boards:
■ INSPIRATIONAL IMAGES These can be of anything that anchors the
design’s main idea—gardens, beautiful places, a plate of food, a bee or bird,
or even an abstract painting. They can be shots of a previous project or something more random found elsewhere. These images should be chosen carefully
and be specific in terms of overall look, color, and the details of the intended
design. No matter how beautiful the images, if there is a stylistic disconnect,
including it will defeat the purpose of the mood board. Often only one inspirational image is needed. It will anchor and support all of the others on the
mood board.
■ SECONDARY IMAGES These images make the design concept come
alive. These are the details—textures, colors, plants, furniture, pots, and other
elements that will be included in the overall design. Think about these as the
real talking points of a mood board and opportunities to upsell the project.
■ ORGANIZED LAYOUT AND DESIGN Like any other design element,
the layout of a mood board is critical to its ability to communicate an idea.
Order, layer, and edit the images until the idea is clear and concise. Scale items
so they assume the importance you intend them to have in real life. There is
no hard and fast rule for how many images should be used, but too many will
overload the viewer and detract from the overall message. The layout of the
mood board should support the plan view and be incorporated into the overall
presentation.
➸
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51
design101
TOOLS YOU NEED TO MAKE
YOUR MOODBOARD
These mood board generators/image collage tools all
generate images that can be saved as a .jpg and then placed
on a presentation plan or shared separately.
■ PHOTOSHOP, PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS, AND GIMP are
three photo editing tools that are also useful for making mood
boards. Images can be clipped and layered and saved as .jpg
files. The programs do have a learning curve and are not
intuitive, but they do the trick and can be used for other
design applications as well. GIMP is free.
■ OLIOBOARD is intended for interior spaces but has a small
section devoted to patios and offers the ability to upload
custom images. It is easy to use. Completed mood boards can
be saved as .jpg files and then incorporated into a presentation
plan. The site also tracks each element on that board so it is
easy to go back and find the details again.
■ NIICE has an image bank to start with. The free version
allows the creation of up to three mood boards. The Pro
version is $9/
month and allows image uploads as well as
text overlays. It
is grid based and
easy to use and
can include text
and captions with
images. Of the
three, it is the
least flexible in
terms of collage
options.
❧
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apld.org
Beautiful spaces. Intelligent design. Experienced professionals.
We define landscape design!
Find YOUR landscape designer at www.apld.org.
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53
PHOTO CR EDIT: SEA N R E ID
Stephen Procter's
Sentry Vessel
WORK
Shannon Lester's
Mod Dish
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apld.org
OF
FOUR
INCREDIBLE
PHOTO CREDIT: TA M BI L AN E PHOTOG RA PHY
THE
profiles
Jan Kirsh's
Corn Sculpture
Meet
Makers
PHOTO CR EDIT: CA R L R UL IS
THE
PHOTO CREDIT: A LI A LTR I
ARTISTS
C R E AT I N G
TRUE
BEAUTY
Jennifer Asher's
Kismet Sculpture
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55
“
The vessels
induce the sense
that they have
always been in
that space.
”
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apld.org
Stephen
Procter
profiles
M A S T E R P OT T E R
B R AT T L E B O R O,
VERMONT
I
BY BENJAMIN VOGT
n southern Vermont,
tucked into the Connecticut river Valley, large
garden vessels— fired by
a deeply sensual sense of
earth and negative space—emerge
from the studio of Stephen
Procter. Watching his daughter
work on a kick wheel in a pottery
class is how Procter stumbled upon the idea of working with clay. At that moment, he knew that his life
had found focus—and that the pieces he wanted to
make would hold gravitas. Stephen Procter in the
studio snuggling with
one of his hand-thrown
stoneware urns.
Procter asks himself through his creative process, “How is it that a vessel can
evoke the urge to touch, embrace, or sing into it? How can he awaken more
subtle, internal responses, such as awe, quietude, or joy?” Because they’re made
of high-fire stoneware, impervious to moisture, Procter’s mix of modern and
classical designs are unlike terra cotta or earthenware, so they can stand up
to winters. In fact, it’s winter where his pieces may shine the most, enlivening
viewpoints in unexpected ways.
The colors and textures of the pieces cover a range of rusty browns emerging
from iron-rich clay. Many gather moss over time, inducing the sense that
➸
the piece has always been in that space.
L E F T: P H OTO C RE D IT: STEP H EN P RO CTER
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From June through October, Procter’s pieces will feature in an upcoming exhibit
on the grounds of Blithewold in Bristol, RI. Procter says walking the space to
gather inspiration has begun to morph his vision while making each of the 20
vessels that will be on display.
“Working with the site in mind, I am intrigued to see forms emerging from the
wheel that are more inspired by nature than by classical models. Hives, cocoons, and seed pods are exerting their influence, and I hope they will look as
though they grew among the trees and gardens.”
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According to Procter, installation of the large urns is fairly straightforward. He
PHOTO CR EDI T STEPHEN PR OCTER
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profiles
Left: Procter's vessels are
recommends a foundation of bluestone or
most prominent in the garden
crushed gravel for good drainage underneath.
during the winter. Right: Each
Stability can be enhanced by using sand or
handcrafted piece is inspired
pea stone as interior ballast, and, in the case
by forms found in nature.
of public spaces where theft may be an issue, the drain holes make bolting the large pieces to a buried post quite easy.
Procter says turnaround time on custom pieces is typically 6–8 weeks, and he
approaches each as a one-of-a-kind creative process for the client and site.
What does he most hope for when seeing his vessels, some as high as 5 feet, in a
garden? “A specialness of destination, a sense of sanctuary … and … surprise.”
❧
A B OV E R IG H T: P H OTO CRE D IT: E LIZABETH BELLI N GHA M
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This Mod Dish honors
the Deschutes River
Basin, the lifeblood
of Central Oregon,
which is near the
home of designer
Shannon Lester.
“
The
shallow
planters
eliminate
the need for
excessive soil
and watering.
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”
Shannon
Lester
profiles
M I D C E N T U RY
MODERN DESIGNER
CENTRAL
OREGON
I
BY BENJAMIN VOGT
f your artistic inspiration
comes from a whitewater
rafting trip, then you’ve got
something in common with
Shannon Lester. Her first
piece, the Mod Dish, was inspired by
seeing a man panning for gold in the
Rogue River Valley of Oregon. While
designing modern-inspired rooftop
gardens, Lester had been looking for the perfect midcentury planters that would celebrate succulents—so
she and her husband decided to simply make them.
Facing: Mod dish planter
from Steel Life made
from salvaged and
upcycled steel. Above:
Shannon Lester pictured
next to her Urban
Planter, a collaboration
with Loll Designs.
The shallow planters are intended to mitigate the
need for excessive soil and watering so common to
deep containers. Each piece is hand-spun by a local
craftsman on an early twentieth-century machine using as many salvaged metals and wood components as possible, while powder
coating allows for creative coloring and durability that plastic can’t provide. Lester is based on the edge of the Willamette National Forest, with 18 years
of experience in landscape architecture. She sees smaller indoor/outdoor living spaces as the primary emerging trend, so to that end, her pieces tend to
be table-top or patio-focused in size and functionality. The challenge of small
spaces, though, is to make them interesting, unique, and alive with purpose ➸
P H OTO G R A P H Y BY TAM BI LANE P H OTO GRAP H Y
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"The Jack
Planter" on top
of the barrel.
while helping the eye focus on details, so
the intent is on bringing a bit of galleryquality art to everyday living. Her favorite piece is called “The Jack
Planter,” because it recalls her childhood
summers playing Jacks and Ball or Pick
Up Sticks for hours with her mother.
Lester's pieces are at home
Lester is eager to see her work used in
in the garden as planters or
more public spaces, as well as eclectic hoaccessories, beautiful and
tels and restaurants, so folks can see the
functional.
possibilities of vibrant small planters in
a diversity of settings. She offers a trade
discount when ordering through the Steel Life website, as well as an additional discount if a designer uses her work in a show, display garden, or as a feature
on their blog or Instagram feed. Be sure to check out her feed—it’s worth exploring and will delight your senses.
❧
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Jan
Kirsh
profiles
3-D MODEL
S C U L P TO R
BOZMAN,
MARYLAND
J
BY KATIE ELZER-PETERS
an Kirsh’s pear sculptures were front and
center on the cover of the winter 2015
issue of The Designer. The irregular,
voluptuous curves of the fruits starkly
outlined against the snowy background
bear evidence of a human touch, but the initial sculpting is just the beginning for these pieces of art.
Jan Kirsh with
her Chili Pepper
sculpture. She creates
3-D models that live
in the computer and
can be scaled from
wearable art size to
full scale sculpture.
PHOTO CR EDI T: SETH HOFF MA N
Kirsh has found the perfect balance between man and machine with her series
of vegetable sculptures. “I sculpt the original pieces out of oil-based clay,” Kirsh
says. “They are then run through a series of castings in different materials to
get them to the point where they can be scanned and turned into 3-D models
that live in the computer.” From there, the possibilities are endless.
“The 3-D model can be used to custom-fabricate my work in any size and in different materials. The original pear was 12 inches tall. I have a pear living out in
the world that is 20 inches tall and I’ve been commissioned to build one that is
72 inches tall. In addition to providing choice in size and color, the technology
also makes the pieces more affordable,” she adds.
A professional auto body painter finishes sculptures destined for outdoor spaces. “I choose colors and give direction about how the paint will be applied,” she
says. Kirsh paints the pieces that are to be displayed indoors. Common ma- ➸
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PHOTO CR EDI T: JA N KI R SH
terials include bronze, resin, fiberglass, and stone.
Kirsh began the series of fruits and vegetables
for which she is known in the early 2000s. “I was
doing castings, making molds, and making cast
resin pieces. I started researching, asking questions, following up, and exploring the technology.”
She says, “I had worked with this type of art as a
child—making molds. The sense of repetition—
creating the same character over and over again—
appealed to me.”
The clay model is made
first and then its scanned
into the computer.
The piece can then be
fabricated and painted
for indoor or outdoor use.
The original model is small
enough to display as a
tabletop sculpture, but
subsequent versions may be
up to three or four feet tall.
The key, she says, is this: “I had a vision and I did an incredible amount of legwork, driving and calling people and finding sources who could help me. I educated and continue to educate myself about the process because it keeps changing.”
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Her new venture is scaling down the sculptures and making a collection of
wearable art using 3-D printing. “I was invited to a technology conference in
Baltimore as a show and tell so that these computer people could see how
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profiles
PHOTO CR EDI T: HOWA R D COUN TY TOU RISM & PROMOTION
Kirsh says, “The reason why my business is
growing is that I’m strongly driven to make it
all happen. I believe in the art.” There’s a bit
of serendipity involved, as well. “I have a client who started as an art patron, commissioning three 20- to 22-inch habanero peppers.
We discussed the colors, the way the pieces
were placed in the garden. That installation led
them to ask me to re-design the entire garden.”
That’s right. In addition to being a sculptor, Jan
runs a full-scale landscape design-build firm.
❧
Kirsh hand paints sculptures destined for indoor
display. (Below) An avocado bird bath, with small
bird scupltures.
PHOTO CREDIT: JA N K IRSH
Artist to artist, she says, “Don’t be shy.
Put yourself out there and open yourself to
possibilities.”
PHOTO CR EDIT: STEPHEN CHERRY
someone was using their programs. That is
where I met the head of the company that does
the 3-D printing. Part of my research is to keep
going where I’m invited and learn.”
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“
I want
to create a
conversation
between the
art and the
space.
”
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Jennifer
Asher
profiles
M E TA L S C U L P TO R
LOS ANGELES,
CALIFORNIA
W
BY SCOTT HOKUNSON
hat comes to
mind when
you think
of art in a
garden? For
centuries designers have been incorporating works of art into the gardens
they create, using carefully crafted
pieces as a conversation between their
Sculptor Jennifer
vision and each visitor’s experience. When Jennifer
Gilbert Asher with
Asher was a landscape designer in Los Angeles, Calione of her creations.
fornia, drawing on her fascination with the transfor(Opposite) Stainless
mation of space when geometry and nature intersect,
steel Gravity.
her thoughts about art in the garden led her to start
designing and creating abstract, minimalist sculpture for her landscapes. She
was overwhelmed by the feeling she experienced when seeing her sculpture
placed in the natural landscape, each piece transforming its space almost immediately. This feeling inspired her to change direction and focus solely on her
sculptural work at her studio, Terra Sculpture.
At Terra Sculpture, Asher works with cold-rolled mild steel and stainless steel,
which she acquires in the forms of solid plate, sheet, and hollow tubing. Pieces
are created with different finishes—oxidized, or weathered, which is similar to
Corten steel, and powder-coated with highly saturated colors. At times a combination of finishes—stainless and weathered or weathered and powder- ➸
P H OTO G R A H Y BY ADAM GROSS M AN
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67
profiles
coated, for example—is used in the same sculpture.
The resulting effect of weathered and finished together makes for a unique and interesting contrast within
the piece.
Gracie Arbors and
Toki Bubble trellises
in Sunset Magazine
public test garden.
PHOTO CR EDI T: J ODY HA HN
Asher’s works have been installed in gardens across
the U.S. in such places as the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, the Sunset magazine public test gardens in Sonoma, and in public plazas in Washington D.C and along the Columbia River in Washington State. She works closely
with her clients, which include landscape designers and architects, homeowners, contractors, city planners, interior designers, and art consultants, from all
corners of the U.S. and abroad, creating pieces inspired by the feel of the space
they are to occupy.
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“As an artist, I find it immensely gratifying that the moment a sculpture is
placed in the landscape, the experience is altered,” Asher explains. “I want to
create a ‘conversation’ between the art and the space. I find it most rewarding,
knowing that no matter what happens with the physical environment around
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the sculpture, the sculpture is permanent. Its presence is felt every season, year
after year.”
She is also exploring the integration of plants and sculpture, through her line
Terra Trellis. Both sculptural in form and practical in function, Terra Trellis is
traditional and modern, and offers the opportunity to artfully combine both the
hardscape and plant elements in the garden.
Asher offers the following tips for commissioning a sculpture or trellis for a
garden: Decisions regarding the location of a piece should be thoughtful and
precise, so that both the space and the art are tethered by a symbiotic connection. Consider scale and background, by pairing a piece of landscape art with
a well-grounded garden. Get to know the look and feel of the space from many
different perspectives. By adding a piece of art to the garden, the designer is able to transform the
space and impart a message to the viewer. When asked what she hopes her
audience experiences when viewing her work, Asher says, “I hope that my audience takes away an altered experience of that landscape and an appreciation of
the interplay between the texture, geometry, and calm of the sculpture juxtaposed against the haphazard organic forms of nature.”
❧
one resource
FOR
D E S I G N | P R O D U C T S | M AT E R I A L S | AVA I L A B I L I T Y
Planters
•
Fountains
•
Tables
•
Benches
•
Pottery
•
Accents
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69
Birch tree plantings soften the
industrial look of a mixed-use
courtyard. Right: Moveable
seating in another area of the
parking court and play yard.
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travelinspiration
SIMPLICITY AND
ENVIRONMENTALLY
CONCIOUS
Belgium
BY ROCHELLE GREAYER
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71
I
n the summer of 2014, while enjoying an extended vacation with my family in Belgium, I took a
day off from my personal holiday to meet up with
Carrie Preston of Studio TOOP (recently named
the APLD 2016 Designer of the Year) and Carolien Barkman (a fellow designer in Amsterdam) to check out some
gardens together—a travel indulgence that most families
(including mine) can only tolerate for so long.
Until that day, Carrie and I had only been friends on Facebook, but she brought along her colleague Carolien and
we also added to our band of merry landscape designers
a freshly minted landscape architecture student named
Robbe Mortier, whose handy car helped us navigate our
way to Kortrijk, Belgium. With the exception of Carrie
and Carolien, none of us had ever met in real life but we
found that our shared profession gave us instant connection and camaraderie.
We arrived at Studio Basta, an up-and-coming landscape
architecture firm in the Flanders region, and found that
the principals, Kenny Windels and Bert Buschaert, had
rented bicycles for us. We rode all over town that day,
looking at and discussing a wide variety of Studio Basta’s
projects. Not only was it was great fun to see the town
and the projects this way, and with such an eclectic
group, but I like to think that Kenny and Bert got as much
out of showing us their work as we did in seeing it. Bikes
were perfect for this tour in Belgium—they’re the dominant mode of transportation in the entire region—and
the ride between each point was only 15–20 minutes
over completely flat terrain. Between gardens and bikes,
it might have been one of the best days of my vacation
(but don’t tell my family that).
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We started at a little pocket garden, where they gave us
the lay of the land, and then continued to a residential
garden outside the end unit of a row of houses occupied
by a couple and their two small children. The garden had
just been planted, but it’s a good example of what
Studio Basta is known for. They’re very budget-ori- ➸
ALL P H OTO GRAP H S BY R OCHELLE GR EAYER
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travelinspiration
“
Between gardens
and bikes it might have
been one of the best
day's of my vacation.
”
This spa is another business
that incorporates several
business functions into a
relatively small footprint. We
stopped at the restaurant
inside for happy hour cocktails
at the end of our tour.
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73
ented but still do funky, cool, modern things. If their designs went into a maga–
zine in the U.S. it would be a budget version of Dwell—very modern and minimal but still very interesting. Their over-arching theme struck me as “simplicity
with a strong eye for being environmentally conscious”—more conscious than
what is typical in American design.
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Many of their gardens illustrated something I found so interesting, which is
that the Dutch/Belgian/European garden look is the result of designers plant-
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travelinspiration
Espaliered fruit trees
do double duty,
softening the space and
producing edibles.
Right: Large flat stones
serve as seating areas
and massage tables in
the courtyard.
“
Their themes are more
concious than what is typical
in American design.
”
ing more, smaller plants in one area, particularly in comparison to what we do
here. There, if you plant a 4-inch pot, it’s considered big. Plants are also available in a huge variety and are cheaper, smaller, and planted in far greater quantities. The size and cost generally means that it is easier to experiment with a
new types of plant in multiples, as opposed to a single, expensive specimen.
From a design perspective, I’d much rather plant six tinier things than three
bigger things and I hope this is a trend we will see in the U.S. in coming years.
The effect you’re going to have after a couple of years will be much better
➸
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“
The children's park illustrated
a completely different mentality
about what's good for kids.
”
and it is considerably easier to create planting schemes that highlight a naturalistic style.
Our second stop was a children’s park. It was simply amazing—easily my favorite place we saw that day. It illustrates a completely different mentality about
what’s good for kids. There’s no plastic crap. There’s a “school” building on site,
but it’s basically a glorified shed—shelter from the elements, but that’s it. The
kids spend most of their time outside.
Every single thing onsite had a purpose and was built or designed with local
materials with a policy that no waste comes in and no waste goes out. Rather
than bulldozing the whole site, they designed into it.
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Instead of filling in a swamp, they built a cool log walkway to make your way
over the top and put in a little dock on the water. There’s a shallow pond with a
raft and rope pulley so kids can float from side to side. Another pond is a swimming hole that was converted from an old concrete swimming pool. The water
was totally clear—it’s filtered by an attractive water garden and natural filtration area. Meadow-like plantings enhance the “wild” feel of it all, keeping it
from feeling over-engineered, even though it was thoughtfully planned.
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There was no
plastic in sight at
the children's park.
Kids enjoyed
playing in a couple
of ponds on the
property.
travelinspiration
I noted how in the U.S. we seem to have
this tendency to attack things and fight
little battles. We think, “Oh well, we can
just plant native plants and not have a
chlorine pool. Boxes checked.” This park
was top to bottom designed thoughtfully
and environmentally to be everything
kids would want and everything the environment needs to be a healthy local
ecosystem. Kids want to walk into a pit
full of muddy water, and birds and animals need the habitat. Kids want to build
things. They want to play in ways that
stretch their imaginations and physical
skills and they want to explore nature.
They also want to be trusted and encouraged and allowed to experiment and
take care of their surroundings. The most extraordinary part was that this type
of park, while extraordinary to me (as an American), was not at all unusual
for Belgium.
➸
Our third stop was a
mixed-use residential/
commercial property.
The people who owned
it have an interior design showroom. The
mixed-use parking area/
family courtyard/gathering area was created by
removing part of a building. This courtyard was
filled with large paving
squares and planted
with birch trees. At the
end of the business day,
a gate can be shut to
keep cars out so the children can ride their bikes
around or the owners
can host elegant cocktail parties and large
outdoor events for their
business.
Design show
room at mixeduse residential/
commercial
property.
I found it to be such an
intelligent solution and
counter to the segmentI found a lot of inspiration ed attitude that we often
take in American design.
in this thoughtful way to design We think, “This is my
and live and have all of those house, this is my driveway, this is my yard, this
things elegantly intersecting.
is my business and never
shall they cross (if we
can help it!).” But as a small business owner myself, I found a lot of inspiration
in this thoughtful way to design and live and have all of those things elegantly
intersecting.
“
”
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Our last stop, which thankfully also included cocktails and dinner, was a spa
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travelinspiration
with similar multi-use areas. Repeating on
ideas we saw everywhere else, there were
courtyards that were public, but that could
also be closed off to become private treatment areas. Large stones made lovely seating areas but could also serve as a place for
massage. Outdoor showers and lap pools
also made for interesting tableside water
features. It was a fantastic place for a nice
meal but also to rest and reflect that when
landscape design is more intimately incorporated into the whole site design (rather
than as an afterthought or as second to the
architectural design), the results are remarkably different and I would argue substantially better and more exciting.
❧
Our hosts met us with bicycles—a
perfect way to see their design
projects scattered around the city.
Image courtesy of Graham Landscape Architecture
YOU SEE THE WORLD DIFFERENTLY.
TRANSFORM IT.
When Jay Graham envisioned creating a space that
conveyed a merging of ancient style with contemporary
use, Vectorworks Landmark software was the tool he
used to transform sites like the Langley Residence.
Learn more at vectorworks.net/landmark.
Vectorworks is a proud sponsor of APLD and will be at
APLD’s 2016 International Landscape Design Conference in
Santa Fe, NM on September 15 – 18, 2016.
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79
2016 board of directors
PRESIDENT
Lisa Port, APLD
Banyon Tree Design Studio
3630 Northeast 123rd Street
Seattle, WA 98125
(206) 383-5572
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Danilo Maffei, APLD
Maffei Landscape Design LLC
202 N. Garfield Street
Kennett Square, PA 19348
(610) 357-9700
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Jock Lewendon, APLD
Outdoor Living Spaces, LLC
766 Schoolhouse Lane
Bound Brook, NJ 08805
(732) 302-9632
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Colleen Hamilton, APLD
Bloomin' Landscape Designs
7122 Willey Way
Carmichael, CA 95608
(916) 961-0191
ADVOCACY DIRECTOR
Richard Rosiello
Rosiello Designs &
Meadowbrook Gardens
159 Grove Street
New Milford, CT 06776
(860) 488-6507
CERTIFICATION DIRECTOR
Maryanne Quincy, APLD
Q Gardens
PO Box 2746
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
(408) 739-5493
COMMUNICATIONS
& OUTREACH DIRECTOR
Nick McCullough, APLD
McCullough’s Landscape &
Nursery
14401 Jug Street
New Albany, OH 43054
EDUCATION DIRECTOR
Ellen Johnston, APLD
ETJ Designs
5543 Wateka Drive
Dallas, TX 75209
(469) 628-3321
GOVERNANCE DIRECTOR
Eric Gilbey
Vectorworks
7150 Riverwood Drive
Columbia, MD 21046
(443) 542-0658
CONNECT
WITH US!
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR
Paul Connolly, APLD
Sundrea Design Studio
4999 North Sabino Canyon
Road
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 302-7441
RESOURCE DIRECTOR
Joe Salemi
DynaSCAPE Software
3426 Harvester Road
Burlington, ON L7N3N1
(800) 710-1900
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Designers (APLD), 2207 Forest Hills Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17112. Ph: 717-238-9780 Fax: 717-238-9985.
Disclaimer: Mention of commercial products in this publication is solely for information purposes;
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2016 APLD International Design Conference
The Art of Adaptive Design
Santa Fe, New Mexico • September 15 - 18, 2016
thedesıgner
wants you!
The only magazine written by designers for designers,
The Designer is looking for talented members like you to share
your stories, teach new techniques, and inspire with your designs.
calling
all
writers
All submissions from APLD members are considered, but The Designer
is particularly interested in articles that fit the issue’s editorial theme
or are appropriate for one of the magazine’s regular columns spotlighting technology
or business strategies.
Learn more about the submissions process and view the 2016
editorial calendar here.
Not sure if your story is a good fit? 2016 Editor in Chief Katie Elzer-Peters is happy to
discuss your idea with you. Reach her at editor@apld.org.
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