It’s been a long time since I’ve written a post for Open Air Life.  After a very busy spring season I finally got a chance to get away for a few days.  I always love exploring wine country, and had thought about heading to California or Oregon for vacation, but w

I love cottage gardens, and have just wrapped up a project in Wellesley where we installed a fairly classic front yard cottage garden. According to one definition, “the cottage garden depends on grace and charm rather than grandeur and formal structure”.  This style m

I’m working on a project right now for a client who wants to make sure that fragrance is a  prominent element in his new garden.  There are a lot of factors that I evaluate when selecting plants for a project;  sun preference, hardiness, color, size, form and orna

Last week was an incredibly difficult week here in the city of Boston.  I’ve called this city home for almost 20 years, and the tragedy at the marathon was a horrific experience for so many people.  After a week of terrible imagery, I simply wanted to take this opportu

One of the most refreshing signs of Spring is when bulbs start to bloom.  You see them poking their heads above ground; little shots of color from yellow daffodils and purple crocus. One of my favorite places for a walk in Boston is North Point Park, and the planting design by Oe

This past weekend I went to New Hampshire to visit some friends who have an incredible maple syrup making operation.   As we drove up to their house you could see a web of plastic tubing through the woods, connecting the maple trees, and routing sap to a huge collection tank. &nb

A few weeks ago I went to the home of one of my new clients for an initial site consultation.  As we were walking through her home and property I asked her how she wanted her new outdoor space to feel.  She shared with me that a major influence in how she has approached her

The Boston Flower and Garden Show is underway at the Seaport World Trade Center from now through Sunday and is a great place to get inspiration for your home garden.  The show features garden exhibits, vendors, lectures and a market area to buy plants and all sorts of other garde

Edible landscaping seems to be a hot topic these days.  The idea of eating something grown in your back yard (or front yard, or deck, or wherever) is somehow very satisfying.  You feel like you’re doing something good for yourself, and for the environment, all while la

This past September I attended the APLD annual conference in California, where we had the opportunity to tour a wide variety of gardens in the San Francisco area and Napa Valley.  The following residential garden was a wonderful example of how to use art in the landscape.  T