It was time to reclaim what was mine. I swung my Hori knife like a machete, slicing through thick stalks of pokeweed and tangles of morning glory vines. Woody saplings fell before my expensive, ergonomically designed pruners. In a matter of minutes I built a … Continue readingI’m getting older – what that means for my home landscape
One of my favorite things to do on this blog is to profile recent projects. It’s a fun opportunity to show what’s possible, and maybe brag a little. Hey, my clients let me create some great landscape designs for them! As I was thinking about … Continue readingOne That Got Away: Challenging Retaining Wall in DC
In the past year I decided to become a dealer for Danver stainless steel cabinets. I get approached many times a year by companies who want me to hawk their products, so what made me decide to take this opportunity? First and foremost, these cabinets … Continue readingWhat Makes Danver Stainless Steel Cabinetry So Great?
Well, it looks like Winter Storm Titan!!! (cue dramatic music) is fizzling out already, but that’s not to say it didn’t bring ice and snow with it. Luckily it’s still early enough that deciduous trees haven’t leafed out yet so those should be ok, but … Continue readingReplacing Storm Damaged Trees in Virginia, Maryland, or DC
I’m a charcoal snob. It’s one of the reasons why I really only deal with the higher end gas grills, because an infra-red sear burner is the only way to get the same sort of awesome heat that comes pre-loaded with a bag of charcoal. … Continue readingCan a Built-In Charcoal Grill Be Installed in an Outdoor Kitchen?
One can break landscape design clients into general categories. There are the “I don’t care whatever you want” types; the ones who are excited about the project and invested in the result but only really care about what I think is important to their yard; … Continue readingWhy Landscape Design for Plant Collectors is So Haaaaaaaaard (and How to Make a Cohesive Collection)
The internet is great. I mean, where else do you get to see stuff like this? I spend a good bit of time online, as my social media activity (it’s all for work!) will attest, and I enjoy some of the industry-specific forums. I occasionally … Continue readingWill an online design forum make you hate your yard?
I’ll admit that I’m not always the most extroverted person. When we visited the beautiful Annefield Vineyards in Saxe, Virginia, the thought of an old house in the middle of 100 rural acres sounded… pretty darn awesome. That said, we live in a downtown neighborhood … Continue readingGood neighbors don’t plant running bamboo!
If you live in Virginia, Maryland, or DC and someone says “flagstone patio”, what comes to mind? Something that looks like this, maybe? I’d wager at least 90% of the flagstone patios installed in the DC metro area use this type of stone, generally referred … Continue readingDo I Have Color Options for Flagstone Walks and Patios?
I get asked that question a lot, as you can imagine. After all, Virginians love their brick homes, so I design a lot of patios for brick homes. I always look at two things: color and size/style. Color Color is the easiest to deal with … Continue readingWhat Concrete Paver Goes with My Brick House?