Landscape Design Articles
Colorful Flowering Plants for Portland Landscape Designs: Geum (aka Avens)
Brighten Your Portland Landscape with Colorful Orange Flowers - Geum (Avens) If you're looking to add lively colors to your garden, let me introduce you to Geum, also known as Avens. This charming perennial bursts with vibrant blooms ranging from soft yellows, pumpkin...
Low Maintenance Ornamental Grasses for Your Portland Garden: Part 3 of 3
Switch Grass is a Native, Low Maintenance Addition to Your Portland Garden Design Switch Grass: Colorful grass blades with drought tolerance too Switch grass is a native American grass that offers dramatic color and form, making it a standout in any garden:...
Low Maintenance Ornamental Grasses for Your Portland Garden: Part 1 of 3
Creating Stunning Landscapes with Ornamental Grasses: Expert Tips from a Landscape Designer As a landscape designer, one of my favorite elements to incorporate into a garden is ornamental grasses. Not only do they provide year-round interest, but they are also...
Low Maintenance Ornamental Grasses for Your Portland Garden: Part 2 of 3
Low Maintenance Fountain Grass: The Steady Eddie of Ornamental Grasses In Your Portland Garden Design Fountain Grasses: Versatile, Vibrant and Low Water Fountain grasses are popular for a reason – their graceful, often arching foliage and feathery plumes add movement...
Landscaping A Mixed-Use House & Office Property in Eliot Neighborhood: Part 2
Including Existing Trees & Plants In Eliot Neighborhood Front Yard Landscaping When revamping a landscape I like to start with the existing trees. The tiny front yard of the Eliot Neighborhood property features two prominent trees: a young Dogwood, approximately...
Landscaping A Mixed-Use House & Office Property in Eliot Neighborhood: Part 1
A Garden Full of Joy in Portland Starts with Planning & Hardscaping I always love designing for small city backyards. Then there's something incredibly rewarding about working with a repeat client—especially one like Leslie, whose vision challenges me to push my...
Add Hen & Chicks to Your Pollinator Friendly Garden: Part 2
Care and Maintenance of Pollinator Friendly Sempervivum Important Tips for Establishing Sempervivum in Portland, Oregon Plant them in a well draining soil. They will tolerate our clay top soil as long as it is not in a low spot where water collects. I find adding a...
Transforming Outdoor Living Space Dreams Into Reality: Part Two
New Backyard Combines Function & Beauty in NE Portland The custom design process of my NE Portland clients' backyard checked off a lot of their wish list. I was also able to incorporate existing plantings into the new design. Let's look at a few details of the...
Transforming Outdoor Living Space Dreams Into Reality: Part One
A NE Portland Backyard Makeover Design Studio garden for entertaining in spring NE Portland in its first year. In the background a new Italian oak tree was planted for shade and privacy. Quercus frainetto - Forest Green Oak Transforming Dreams into Reality: A...
Custom Landscape Design for Your Portland ADU: Part 2
Many Types of Portland ADUs Requires An Experienced Landscape Designer Finding a design/build contractor with an emphasis on design is necessary to learn what the potential of your property will yield. There may be multiple ways to site the structure. Exploring...
Adding Curb Appeal With No Lawn Landscaping to Portland 1960s Home: Part Two
Pacific Northwest Native Garden Design Updates Portland Home Curb Appeal We continue to transform the front yard of the windowless ranch house in the Reed neighborhood of SE Portland. The homeowners wanted curb appeal with pacific northwest plantings to give a...
Adding Curb Appeal With No Lawn Landscaping to Portland 1960s Home: Part One
Portland 1960s Ranch House Transformed With No Lawn Landscape Updating Curb Appeal for Windowless 1960s Ranch Home As a landscape designer, I recently had the opportunity to transform the front of a windowless ranch house in the Reed neighborhood of SE Portland. The...
Designing a Charming Outdoor Living Space in Overlook Neighborhood for 20 Guests: Part Two
Pollinator-Friendly Garden Creates Oasis in North Portland Small City Backyard A continuation of Landscape Design in a Day's Overlook Neighborhood design of a welcoming party garden space that comfortably seats up to 20 guests. Part One discussed the outdoor living...
Designing a Charming Outdoor Living Space in Overlook Neighborhood for 20 Guests: Part One
Small City Living Space Designed as a Lush Outdoor Oasis in North Portland Welcome to the world of landscape design, where we transform unattractive and unusable spaces into vibrant outdoor living spaces. In this blog post, we'll explore how Landscape Design in a Day...
Custom Irvington Neighborhood Landscape Sees New Life With New Owners
Good-Bye To A Favorite Irvington Neighborhood Landscape Design I couldn't believe my eyes when I swung by to pick up my yard sign and realized I was a few days too late. My clients were gone, and in their place were new faces and the signs of a move-in process. As I...
Update on Back Yard Design for Irvington Neighborhood Baby Boomers – Part 2
Combining Hardscape Design With An Irvington Neighborhood Custom Landscape One Level Landscape Makes the Most Powerful Change All of these adjustments worked seamlessly, creating a relaxed and comfortable all weather environment for our clients. I think creating a...
From Wasted Space to Outdoor Oasis: Grant Park Custom Landscape Design Part 2
Using Feng Shui to Create A Cozy Custom Landscape Design The New Angle Creates Welcoming Energy and Better Space When I saw the drawing Alana and the clients selected I was pretty excited. So I'm going to make a big fuss about the direction Alana took this design. ...
From Wasted Space to Outdoor Oasis: Grant Park Custom Landscape Design Part 1
A Landscape Designer's Perspective on Transforming Tricky City Properties in NE Portland I knew from the first phone call that transforming this tricky city property was going to be challenging. The client told me she wasn't sure any designer could carve out what she...
Update on Back Yard Design for Irvington Neighborhood Baby Boomers – Part 1
Irvington Back Yard Transformed into Baby Boomers' Outdoor Paradise Three years ago we transformed a clunky Irvington back yard into a baby boomers outdoor paradise. I can't wait to share with you how it has matured and transformed. Lets walk through the success of...
Portland Pollinator Friendly Garden Plants for the Ardenwald Neighborhood Front Yard part 2
A Mid Century Inspired Ardenwald Neighborhood Garden Includes Pollinator Friendly Plants In the second part of our blog series about the Front Yard Makeover in the Ardenwald neighborhood of Portland, we'll delve deeper into the selection and installation of the plants...
A Stylish Mid Century Inspired Front Yard Landscape in Portland’s Ardenwald Neighborhood part 1
Hardscape Landscaping Design Leads the Way for the Perfect Mid Century Welcoming Front Yard. Are you tired of your front yard lacking curb appeal? Is it downright unattractive? Do you want a space that is not only beautiful but also eco-friendly but can't imagine how...
Privacy Screening Landscape Design for Kerns Neighborhood Portland: Part 2
Portland Plant Tips In Kern Neighborhood Residential Landscape Design In Part 1, I dropped by my clients Chris and Veronica’s Kern neighborhood back yard to get my eyes on their privacy tree, a Japanese elm called City Sprite planted 3 years ago by Landscape Design in...
Privacy Screening Landscape Design for Kerns Neighborhood Portland: Part 1
Japanese Elm Update for Portland Privacy Landscape Design I dropped by my clients Chris and Veronica’s Kern neighborhood back yard to get my eyes on their privacy tree, a Japanese elm called City Sprite planted 3 years ago by Landscape Design in a Day. It is lush and...
Outdoor Living Oasis for Grant Park Backyard Part 2
Dream Cottage Garden Plantings for NE Portland Outdoor Living Space Shade Trees for Small City Properties An aside about shade trees…..Most clients these days want to invest in a shade tree given how much hotter summers in Portland are with global warming. It's...
