The Designer – Summer 2016

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 I N 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. apld.org

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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.

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contributors

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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.

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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.

SILVER

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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.

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>> 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

➸

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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.

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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.

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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 20

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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. apld.org

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wander.lust.

>>Check it out on our map! Click here

DESIGNER’SEYE VIEW:

Washington DC

BY JANE BERGER, FAPLD

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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

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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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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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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

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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

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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

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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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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 38

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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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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. apld.org

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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?

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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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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. ➸ 44

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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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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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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. apld.org

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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. ➸ apld.org

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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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Beautiful spaces. Intelligent design. Experienced professionals.

We define landscape design!

Find YOUR landscape designer at www.apld.org. apld.org

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PHOTO CR EDIT: SEA N R E ID

Stephen Procter's Sentry Vessel

WORK

Shannon Lester's Mod Dish 54

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OF

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PHOTO CREDIT: TA M BI L AN E PHOTOG RA PHY

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Jan Kirsh's Corn Sculpture

Meet Makers

PHOTO CR EDIT: CA R L R UL IS

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PHOTO CREDIT: A LI A LTR I

ARTISTS

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BEAUTY

Jennifer Asher's Kismet Sculpture apld.org

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The vessels induce the sense that they have always been in that space.

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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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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.”

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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.

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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

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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.

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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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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 apld.org

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.”

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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

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Fountains

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Tables

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Benches

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Pottery

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Accents

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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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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

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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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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.

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Their themes are more concious than what is typical in American design.

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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.

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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 apld.org

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.

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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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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

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Disclaimer: Mention of commercial products in this publication is solely for information purposes; endorsement is not intended by APLD. Material does not reflect the opinions or beliefs of APLD. APLD is not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. All printed articles become the copyright of APLD.

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2016 APLD International Design Conference

The Art of Adaptive Design Santa Fe, New Mexico • September 15 - 18, 2016

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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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