Last week, on a fairly brisk morning, I took a walk along the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston.  I specifically went out to gather inspiration for a potential design project.  I had met, a few days earlier, with residents of a multi unit condo building in South Boston.  Their property

One of my favorite design projects this year tackled a very common problem in residential landscapes; a sloping yard that renders outdoor space pretty much unusable.  That was the condition at this residence in Watertown when I first visited the site.  The back yard was a generous siz

Last week I was in Orlando for the annual conference of the APLD (Association of Professional Landscape Designers).  It is one of my favorite weeks of the year, where I get to connect with designers from all around the country (and world), hear great speakers, see gardens and generall

I have some wonderful clients who are building a new home in Concord (an historic town west of Boston).  Their front steps are beautiful slab granite, and we’ve been talking about what kind of railing would look substantial enough for the front entrance, and also have a bit of h

An interview in the Boston Herald with Principal designer Andrea Nilsen Another growing residential landscaping trend is low-mow or no-mow lawns, said Andrea Nilsen of Boston’s Nilsen Landscape Design. “Traditional lawns are intensely needy — water, fertilizing, chemicals, mowing,” Ni

I spent yesterday morning out at Weston Nurseries in Hopkinton looking at plants with a friend and client of mine. Though we were checking out large evergreen trees for a privacy screen, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the ornamental grass area. It’s this time of year that

Northeast Harbor, Maine, is a beautiful place to enjoy a few days in the summer.  Located on the Southern shore of Mt Desert Island, the town is a haven for boaters and for those looking to enjoy the nearby trails of Acadia National Park. I spent a few days there last week and was luc

I love finding new public outdoor spaces, especially when they’re almost in my back yard.  A few weeks ago I went out for a run and instead of taking my usual route, I took the Boston Harborwalk over to the (relatively) new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.  This location in Ch

I read an article this morning about The Ruth Bancroft Garden in California.  I was fortunate to visit there a few years ago with the APLD Annual Conference.  It is an a amazing, arid garden, featuring the most stunning cacti, agave, and other succulents.  Given the very dry, hot weat

Choosing a front-yard fence should be a calculated decision — a fence changes the way your home is seen, affects the layout of the landscaping and lasts, typically, the life of your home. And with the hundreds of fencing options out there, it’s no small hurdle to find a fence that fit