Earlier this summer I wrapped up a really fun design project.  The owner of this beautiful Victorian home in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston wanted to create a back yard for entertaining.   The starting point was a back yard that was uninspiring and featured a large

I’ve gotten interested in home beer brewing in the past few months.  Some time ago I was driving home and happened to pass a sign for a craft distillery here in Boston called Grandten.  I checked out their website and had just missed a speaking engagemen

For New Englanders, the summer often means trips to Cape Cod to enjoy its beautiful beaches and towns.  From Boston, the fast ferry gets you to Provincetown in just 90 minutes, a great way to beat the weekend traffic. I went for a quick trip about a week ago, and couldn’t h

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