Landscape Design Articles
Create Shaded Outdoor Living in University Park Backyard
New University Park Landscape Design Clients Need Shade In my first conversation with Jay, the words he used to describe what he wanted for his back yard were oasis, outdoor sanctuary, shady and cool, privacy, colorful lush plantings, and low maintenance. Then he...
Time Travel a Willamette Heights NW Plant Lovers Garden
Decades Designing a NW Natural Garden Landscape Design Creating a NW Natural Native Garden Design for a hillside home in Portland, Oregon? Why say time travel? I met D and R and we created their first native garden design in 1997 and they are still enjoying their...
Protecting Plants from Dogs
Protecting Plants from Dogs in Portland Landscapes Carol had the opportunity to be interviewed by Houzz about Protecting Your Pet From Your Yard and Your Yard from your Pet. There are more tidbits and photos in this blog. But first, a story... Some clients of mine...
Tips for Privacy Landscape Design In NE Portland
Happy Landscape Creating Privacy in Kerns Neighborhood I love to create privacy landscape design solutions that integrate solutions to all the issues. Next let me say I love this property because it's tricky and the design is going to be all about happy outdoor...
Tips for Planting Under Mature Trees
Planting Under Mature Trees in Portland Landscapes A designer pal of mine asked for some help with selecting plants to grow under large mature trees. Here is what I have learned over many years. Also a thank you to Bruce Hegna (Nature Nurture Landscape Design) for...
Front Yard Cottage Garden Make Over in North Tabor Neighborhood
Instant Gratification for Cottage-Style Front Garden Design Marian recently moved into her Southeast Portland home and knew how much love and care the previous owner took in the garden. The backyard is beautiful and oversized for the neighborhood but the front yard...
Native Garden Design in Portland
Native Garden Design Gardening for Birds Gardening for Birds Alan and Paula's home backs to a wildlife haven, a park managed by the city. Before Landscape Design in a Day, they set up many bird feeders and thoroughly enjoyed watching the various species visit. From...
Front Yard Landscape Designs in NE Portland
Four Portland Front Yards Get Landscape Makeover Pathways are an opportunity to connect your house to the land. These clients in the Irvington neighborhood had a pretty dinky underwhelming entry path from the sidewalk that did nothing for their home. The 2 huge...
Wild Style Portland Entry Garden with Curb Appeal
Wildlife Friendly Front Yard Landscape Design The front of Erin's home is a very wonderful spot to sit. It has a high roof and deep overhangs- perfect for an outdoor loveseat. What the front yard did not have was any reason to sit out there at all. In fact, when Erin...
Portland Landscape Designers Visit front yards in NE Portland
Portland Landscape Designers Visit Front Yards in NE Portland We enjoy visiting our installed landscape designs and today we are in North and NE Portland. We will see installed front yard landscape designs and gardens in St. Johns, Rose City Park and Cully...
Drought Tolerant Landscape Design for Small Portland Front Yard
Creating A Dream Portland Front Yard with Drought Tolerant Plants Jazz up the Entry of this Modern Style Home Ashley and family had just taken down two huge trees in the front yard. As they stared at the piles of mulch from grinding the stumps, they thought "now...
Hummingbird Candy – Gardening for Hummingbirds
Gardening for Birds Makes Year-Round Entertainment 12 Portland Plants to feed Hummingbirds Did you know Hummingbirds stay in Portland over the winter? You can attract these beautiful creatures to your yard, and provide much needed nectar, with a variety of plants....
Outdoor Living Landscape Design in Mt. Tabor Backyard
Outdoor Living in Mt. Tabor Backyard These clients wanted to entertain and relax in their back yard Matt and Nicole wanted all the classic elements for backyard outdoor living: outdoor kitchen, outdoor dining Area, and lounge area. They wanted to nix the lawn while...
Creating Privacy with Plants for Small N.E. Portland City Landscapes
Privacy Designs for Small City Landscapes I like to use clumping bamboo for my small city properties to achieve privacy and to screen out unattractive views. Here are 3 small city landscapes that make good use of clumping bamboo. Private Entry Garden in Busy...
North Portland Landscape Design Tips for Modern Ranch Front Yards
Curb Appeal Tips for North Portland Mid Century Modern Ranch Front Yards Here are three landscapes where we focused on the treatment of the front porch and steps, downspouts, railing, columns and brick planters of mid century ranch homes in Portland. Let's make your...
Affordable Landscape Design for a Gardener’s Budget
Portland Affordable Landscaping Using Existing Plants Priscilla knew she would be doing a majority of the work herself, so the design needed to be within her abilities with affordable landscaping. She needed a designer who understood that. She selected Landscape...
Entry Garden for Ranch Style in Cully Neighborhood
Drought tolerant garden design in North Portland My client Laurie had lived in her 1950’s ranch style home for over a decade and was only the 2nd owner. She removed all the lawn and added exuberant plantings that hid much of the house from the neighborhood. She loved...
Outdoor Living Garden Retreat
Outdoor Living Back Yard for Baby Boomer Edibles, chickens, colorful flowers and the works for my new garden please. Victoria had recently purchased a corner property in the city and was ready to transform her back yard into her outdoor living dream garden. Our fun...
Baby Boomers Downsize to NE Portland & Landscape Beautifully
Landscape in Irvington Neighborhood for Downsizing Boomer Clients My clients had just moved into a bungalow on a small lot in NE Portland. They are baby boomers and were downsizing from a larger home and property. This house was "charm" itself with a gracious front...
Beaumont Bungalow gets Front Entry Hardscape Makeover
Portland Hardscape Landscaping Makeover in Beaumont Neighborhood In May, I met with Pam and David to collaborate on their front yard design. They knew they wanted a new approach to the front door; the existing access up the driveway was not what they wanted but didn't...
Colorful Backyard Low Maintenance Garden Design in Portland
Low Maintenance Garden Design for Backyard in Woodstock Neighborhood Client Wish List: Jill recently moved to Portland from an entirely different climate. She is a gardener and knows that a different climate means an entirely different set of plants, watering...
Modern Landscape Design for Kenton Neighborhood Front Yard
Modern Landscape Design for Kenton Neighborhood Front Yard Client Wish List New homeowners Katie and Jeni (Kenton neighborhood Portland, Oregon) enjoy chatting with their neighbors in the front yard. Before the overhaul, they would just pull some chairs and a firepit...
A Pollinator Garden Paradise
Designing a Garden for Bees & Birds Client Wish List Doreen and Sam wanted a no-grass pollinator paradise in their backyard. They are successful vegetable and fruit gardeners and wanted to maintain that function in the new garden without sacrificing beauty. The...
St. Johns Front Yard with Rain Garden
Colorful Low Maintenance Landscape Update In St. Johns Clients Wish List Terry and Connie wanted a carefree front yard with nice curb appeal. After new construction finished next door, they felt motivated to update their mess of a front yard (their words, not mine!)....
