I just got back from a quick trip to the Netherlands. My husband and I spent two days in Rotterdam (he was there for work) and while he was in meetings, I had the great pleasure of heading to Utrecht to spend the day with local designer Carrie Preston. We had a great time, and while m

Last week I had the opportunity to attend an all day landscape lighting seminar sponsored by Cast, a supplier of beautiful cast bronze landscape lighting fixtures.  I had taken courses before on lighting design, and knew the basic concepts of how and what to light in the landscape, bu

The Great Outdoors: Landscapes as Special as the Houses they Surround Interior designer Emily Pinney and landscape designer Andrea Nilsen Morse combined their talents to give a couple the retreat they longed for on the roof deck of their Boston condominium. Continuing her theme for th

During this long, snowy winter, I’ve been spending a lot of time researching outdoor furniture and setting up trade accounts to be able to offer some of the finest site furnishings to my clients at great prices.  Here is a primer on the different materials available for outdoor

The NE Grows conference kicked off today with a fabulous presentation from Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home. Doug offered a strong message that our current open spaces are not enough to support the diversity of wildlife we need to deliver ecological benefits (like support

It’s been brutally cold this week, good weather for indoor activities.  Yesterday morning I took a trip over to the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard, a perfect way to spend a chilly day (and free for MA residents Saturdays from 10am-12pm) My first stop was the Rothko exhibit to see th

It’s a grey, rainy day here in Boston, but I’m still on Cloud 9 after my wedding this past weekend to the most wonderful guy I know!  I’m really a very private person, and don’t often post about myself, but I’m still giddy… so why not! Of course, given my

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