The Designer – Fall 2017

thedesıgner ASSOCIATION OF

PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS

Fall 2017

Designer of the Year Matthew Cunningham

2017 APLD INTERNATIONAL LANDSCAPE

Design Awards

editor’sletter Meet Me at the Oasis

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n the fall we celebrate the APLD International Landscape Design award winners. This year there are 28 Gold, Silver, or Bronze awardees in categories including Residential Design, Non-residential Design, Small Gardens, Planting Design, Specialty Projects, Show Gardens, and Details. This issue’s writers, Jane Berger fapld, Lynn Felici-Gallant, Christopher Freimuth, Jenny Peterson, and Benjamin Vogt, have identified key takeaways from each project in hopes of inspiring your work. Doubtless you’ll peruse the pages and note many more.

I’m dying to don a fancy frock and sip champagne while strolling Charles Hess’s Pennsylvania Carriage House garden. Or to host farm-to-table dinners at Jim Douthit's Farm House Gardens, with herbs picked fresh from the potager, and peer through huge sunglasses while I lazily flip through a fashion magazine, lounging poolside at Margie Grace’s Whimsical Retreat in Santa Barbara.

A “best in show” type of catalog drives home the importance of your work in making the world a bit more colorful, comfortable, and engaging. Thank you for letting us escape, momentarily, into your creations. Congratulations to all of the winners!

KATIE ELZER-PETERS

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All photography in this issue is courtesy the designer or firm except where noted. apld.org

PHOTOGR A PH BY KI R STEN B OEH ME R PH OTOG RA PH Y

My takeaway is that a great landscape designer can create an oasis that beckons you in and makes you reluctant to leave. Starting with Landscape Designer of the Year, Matthew Cunningham, and his project on a hilly lot in Stoneham, Massachusetts, each of the award-winning designers has crafted landscapes that look like they’ve been growing in place, while artfully tended, for decades. Every single project is seamlessly integrated with the house or building it surrounds, each a little world I want to crawl into and stay. Forever.

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contents 2017 A PL D I n te r n a ti on a l De si gn A wa rd s 8 PRESIDENT ’S MESSAGE

A wa r ds by C a te gor y 12 DESIGNER OF

THE YEAR

BY KATI E ELZER -PETER S

22 RESIDENTIAL

BY J EN N Y PETER SON A N D JA N E B ER GER , FA PLD

82 NON-

RESIDENTIAL

BY B EN JA MI N VOGT

92 DETAILS

BY B EN JA MI N VOGT

96 SPECIALTY

PROJECTS

BY LYN N FELI CI -GA LLA N T

106 SMALL

GARDENS

BY LYN N FELI CI -GA LLA N T

120 PLANTING

DESIGN

BY CHR I STOPHER FR EI MU TH

128 SHOW GARDENS

BY LYN N FELI CI -GA LLA N T

ON THE COVER : DESI GN ER OF THE YEA R MATTHEW CU N N I N GHA M’S “ WA B A N HI LLSI D E” THI S SPR EA D: R ESI DEN TI A L GOLD AWA R D CHA R LES HESS’ S "CA R R I AGE HOU SE" PHOTOGR A PH BY STEVE N GOV EL PHOTOGR PA HY

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thedesıgner EDITOR IN CHIEF Katie Elzer-Peters ART DIRECTOR

Marti Golon COPY EDITOR

Claire Splan PROOFREADER

Billie Brownell EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Denise Calabrese, CAE ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Lisa Ruggiers MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR

Angela Burkett COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Michelle Keyser EVENTS DIRECTOR

Lori Zelesko ASSISTANT COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Courtney Kuntz MEMBERSHIP, CERTIFICATION & CHAPTER ASSOCIATE

Kelly Clark COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE

Tim Minnick FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR

Jennifer Swartz DATABASE MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATOR

Leona Wagner EVENT SPECIALIST

Jamie Hoffman FINANCE SPECIALIST

Krista Olewine OFFICE SPECIALIST

Joci Sykes

For information on advertising in The Designer, contact communications@apld.org >>Click here for our submission guidelines

thejudges 2017 APLD International Design Awards

Carolyn Mullet

Eva Chiamulera’s “Waterfront Circular Garden” in Darien, Connecticut, is a 2017 APLD Silver award winner.

Carolyn Mullet is an awardwinning designer who received formal training in residential landscape design from George Washington University following her first career as a potter.

After more than two decades as a landscape designer for prominent design/build firms, Carolyn now provides design services through Carex: Garden Design by Carolyn Mullet and hosts European garden travel experiences through carexTours. Whether working as a designer or hosting tours to exemplary European gardens, Carolyn is driven to connect people with nature and the outdoors through garden spaces. She serves as the APLD DC/MD/VA chapter president and board member, a Garden Conservancy regional representative, and volunteers with the Takoma Park Open Space Committee. She has received five Grand Awards and two Awards of Distinction from the Landscape Contractors Association.

Gregory M. Pierceall ASLA

Greg Pierceall is a Professor Emeritus of Purdue Landscape Architecture, where he has taught for 29 years. He has been involved with APLD for 20-plus years and was the recipient of the International Award of Excellence from APLD in 2003.

As a site and landscape designer, Greg’s philosophy is that landscape design should reflect the space, place, case, taste, and time, as well as the individual, personal aspects associated with the design context and program. As an educator, Greg works to take landscape design issues and simplify them to their elemental parts and components.

Greg has authored numerous books on landscape design and interiorscapes, including Residential Landscapes, one of the first landscape texts written for the industry. He has been extensively involved with the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association, and was the recipient of their Service Award in 2004 and the Man of the Year Award in 2008. He currently is a consulting educator and lectures nationally and internationally on landscape design. apld.org

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president’smessage Steal This!

A

rrangement of design elements—line, form, and shape, in combination with design art principles such as balance, unity, color, and texture—are brought together masterfully in this year’s APLD award-winning landscape design projects and displayed on the pages of The Designer Fall edition.

I am intrigued, inspired, and encouraged by the work that professional landscape designers have created in their clients’ gardens. Matthew Cunningham’s masterful use of stone and Damien Harrison’s stylish New York roof terraces embrace the excellence in landscape design that embodies this organization. Combinations of succulents and stone placement in Margi Grace’s California design and attention to the ecology of the Pacific Northwest landscape from Tina Nyce exemplify and gracefully represent the best APLD has to offer.

Every year I look to these award-winning designs for inspiration in my own garden and for the gardens that I design for others. I search out details that will encourage me to reach further, dive deeper, and explore our craft using hardscapes, plant material, and creative and innovative solutions to environmental problems.

Not only do these designers carefully combine landscape elements to become functionally satisfying designs, they also create magic and a sense of place that one feels even in the pictures of a magazine.

Please look through this edition of The Designer to find your own examples of inspiration, creativity, and sense of place as you experience the APLD awardwinning landscape designs for 2017.

Enjoy!

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LISA PORT APLD

thank you to our

sponsors GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

>>Click logos for link to their website

contributors Lynn Felici-Gallant Christopher Small Gardens, Freimuth

Jenny Peterson

Residential Award Winners

Show Garden, and Planting Design Specialty Projects Award Winners Awards

Jane Berger, FAPLD, has been designing gardens for the past 20 years and writing about them even longer, for Landscape Architecture Magazine, The American Gardener, The Associated Press, and others. After a career as a radio news correspondent in Washington, DC, Jane graduated from the Landscape Design Program at George Washington University. She served on the Board of Directors at APLD as Communications Chair and was editor of The Designer from 2009 to 2013.

Lynn Felici-Gallant is a recovering attorney, garden designer, and former editor with Coastal Home, Leaf, and Fine Gardening magazines. She works as a design and marketing assistant for Spring Lake Garden Design in Sherman, Connecticut, where she specializes in container gardening.

Contact Lynn at indigogardens@ gmail.com.

Jenny Peterson is an Austin, Texas–based garden designer with her firm, J. Peterson Garden Design, as well as an author and speaker.

She specializes in designing, writing, and speaking about gardens that enhance the quality of life, heal from the inside out, and help to create balance and wellness. She is author of The Cancer Survivor’s Garden Companion: Cultivating Hope, Healing and Joy in the Ground Beneath Your Feet (St. Lynn’s Press, 2016).

Jane Berger FAPLD

>>Click bold names for link to website 10

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Christopher Freimuth is the founder and director of CF Gardens, a landscape design firm based in New York City. He collaborates with a dedicated team of gardeners to design, install, and maintain rooftop and backyard gardens throughout NYC and the metro region. Trained at the New York Botanical Garden's School of Professional Horticulture, Christopher's aesthetic brings horticultural sophistication into the urban environment.

By prioritizing ecological planting design, he creates gardens that support the people, plants, and pollinators of his beloved city and its surroundings.

Residential Award Winners

Benjamin Vogt Details and Non-Residential Award Winners

Alexander Gunn's Chelsea Terrace in New York, a 2017 APLD Silver award winner.

Benjamin Vogt owns Monarch Gardens, a prairie garden consulting and design firm in Lincoln, Nebraska.

His personal garden has been featured online at ApartmentTherapy. com, FineGardening. com, and GardenDesign.com.

Benjamin’s weekly column at Houzz. com has been read nearly two million times, and he speaks nationally on native plants, climate change, and garden philosophy. You can link to his social media pages at www. monarchgard.com.

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Gorgeous new Serviceberry trees command attention when in full bloom.

2017 APLD INTERNATIONAL LANDS

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Designer

SCAPE

of the Year

MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM| apld.org

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designeroftheyear RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $100,000 Waban Hillside, Newton, Massachusetts

Matthew Cunningham

Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC Stoneham, Massachusetts U S DA ZO N E : 6 B

Designer Matthew Cunningham is the 2017 APLD International Designer of the Year, awarded for his work on the Waban Hillside project, a landscape carved out of a rare double lot in the historic district of one of Boston’s most affluent suburbs.

B Y K AT I E E L Z E R - P E T E R S

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unningham says, “Buildable land in these neighborhoods comes at a premium. Our clients wanted to build their dream home, and it was incredibly important to them that the house feel as though it were ‘tucked’ into the hillside, and that it be surrounded by life.” Because the clients were building from scratch, Cunningham and his team had the opportunity to create exactly the outdoor spaces desired by the clients.

“We studied every aspect of the proposed house footprint— from interior viewsheds, vantage points, egress conditions, and even how the new home might impact adjacent homes,” says Cunningham. “Our clients Antique granite slabs wanted a sophisticated home that and lawn glide through offered opportunities to be the woodland garden. ➸ apld.org

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designeroftheyear The soothing water feature further embellishes the family's outdoor enjoyment.

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outdoors in any season, at any time of day.” No easy feat in New England.

The fire table with movable seating area is a favored destination.

The result, as described by the judges, is a “before and after that tells the story of the value and benefit of planning and design. The materials, plant choices, and arrangement meet the site and client needs, and the plan geometry and construction materials reinforce a definite order to this natural setting and environment. A great design structure that is functional and encourages exploring and enjoyment. This site, designer, and client show how ‘fun’ is part of ‘fundamental.’”

MULTIPLE LAYERS, EXPLORED

The Waban Hillside landscape includes expertly crafted stone walls and staircases that cleverly define new spaces, and distinctively programmed outdoor rooms that nestle purposefully into the terrain of the terraced back yard. A flat expanse of drought-resistant turf invites children to play Frisbee, golf, and soccer, just a single step from the daylight basement. On the lawn’s west edge stands a retaining wall that elevates an abundant kitchen garden filled with herbs. A promontory is formed, where on cool evenings, a custom fire table invites people to join post-dinner marshmallow roasts at dusk. ➸ apld.org

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designeroftheyear

A habitat-friendly meadow invites guests to the front door.

On the upper level a natural cleft bluestone terrace overlooks the whole property. A staircase composed of lawn and antique granite risers harvested from the site glides down the sculpted hillside, where gorgeous serviceberry trees embellish the vibrant new woodland garden.

LANDSCAPE IN CONTEXT RATHER THAN AS CONTEXT

Cunningham elaborates, “I thrive on studying the tension between buildings and the land. In my mind, there is no better place to explore this relationship than here in New England. As I age and my career matures, I realize more and more that I have become a regionalist. I deeply appreciate the importance of working within the framework of an established ecological system. I find great inspiration when thinking about all of the ways our projects are situated in the myriad scales and contexts they sit within—be they urban, suburban, rural, or remote.”

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Dynamic seasonal changes are made evident through thoughtful planting design.

Rather than picking where each individual plant will go, Cunningham focuses on creating plant communities. “I think this approach was heavily influenced by my childhood exposures in Maine,” he says. “I tend to like plants that can hold their own from a drought tolerance and soil composition perspective. From the moment I interview for a project, I explain to my clients that we create living systems that evolve. In that same spirit, I really like to work with plants that exhibit lots of multi-seasonal interest. Nobody likes a one-hit-wonder, so why settle for that in your garden?”

The Waban Hillside includes many native tree and shrub materials that produce fruit for birds and other wildlife, have incredible form, and exhibit excellent fall color. “We wanted to attract pollinators,” Cunningham says, “so we incorporated many fragrant natives to draw insects and birds into the property. We used hay-scented fern, fragrant sumac, blueberry, and sedges for groundcovers, which gave the garden an almost immediate sense of establishment. Thoughtful planting design is probably one of the most important tools we can use to create outdoor spaces.” ➸ apld.org

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designeroftheyear

CLIENT PARTICIPATION

Indoor and outdoor spaces seamlessly blend on a resculpted hillside.

Cunningham says, “We will often invite our clients to come with us to specialty nurseries where they can touch and see the trees and shrubs we want to use. It creates an instant connection for homeowners, and it helps them understand all of their options, especially when it comes to sizes and species.”

For hardscaping, Cunningham goes to great lengths to show materials well in advance.

He collects samples and shows pictures to the clients before a single piece of stone even arrives on site. He says, “We are very process driven, and as a result, I think when a project is complete, a client can really feel like they are actively participating in the creation of their own garden.”

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That way, when the designer has moved on, the landscape will endure. apld.org

❧

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Image courtesy of McGregor Coxall

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Resident

tial Gold Awards apld.org

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goldaward

RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $100,000 Brookline Residence, Brookline, Massachusetts

Matthew Cunningham Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC Stoneham, Massachusetts

U S DA ZO N E : 5 B JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“This project has it all...beauty, creativity, functionality, wildlife, and sustainability!

Admirable craftsmanship and detail on every level.

An impressive family garden.�

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Gorgeous color and texture combinations create awesome seasonal displays in the restored trout pond.

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goldaward

Outdoor spaces become perfect spots to entertain and relax within.

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ust minutes from urban Boston, a busy family of five longed to enjoy the spectacular surroundings of their historic brick Colonial home located on an enviable multi-acre property. Requesting an environmentally conscious master plan, they turned to Matthew Cunningham of Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC.

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Cunningham designed a family-friendly kitchen garden overflowing with herbs and separate sitting and dining areas placed to drink in the magnificent view. Beyond the private sitting and gardening areas, Cunningham took advantage of the property’s dramatic grade changes and problematic elements to create a sustainable wildlife habitat. He strategically restored a trout pond with wetland plantings, created a managed woodland, and designed a seasonally managed meadow—an endeavor that had far-reaching effects by serving as a catalyst for balanced wildlife patterns. Cunningham masterfully demonstrated how to respect both a home’s history and its surrounding environment to create a powerful, sustainable landscape that defines the heart of stewardship.

JENNY PETERSON

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The restored pond becomes a dazzling year-round amenity.

STEAL THI S:

New, inviting plantings merge with the old plantings to create necessary scale.

Large drifts of fragrant perennials casually spill down slopes.

Don’t fight your property’s existing conditions—use elements that were once considered nuisances as dramatic changes in topography to create views.

Respect a home’s history and architecture while seeking to blend with its environment.

P H OTO GRAP H Y: M ATTHEW CUN N I N GHA M

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goldaward RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $100,000 Farm House Gardens, Wayland, Massachusetts

Jim Douthit a Blade of Grass View from backyard up to the raised patio and deck

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Sudbury, Massachusetts

U S DA ZO N E : 6 B JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“A stellar project with great evolution and implementation.

Good design, materials, and placement for form and function.” apld.org

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goldaward

Gravel courtyard and planting at front of house

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ometimes a change in view is what’s needed to accomplish other goals. Heading up his own home and landscape renovation, Jim Douthit realized early on that his View from patio out farmhouse’s orientation to to river the road in front of the house needed to change to the river behind it. While a row of mixed evergreens, trees, and shrubs shielded the view of the road, the magic really happened out back. Douthit strategically created outdoor rooms featuring a vegetable garden, chicken coop, beehives, and a bluestone patio behind his home, removing a large area of grass and replacing with native plants in the process. The result is a charming, lush garden with views of the nearby river that encourage a daily engagement with the landscape— with not a road or a car in sight.

JENNY PETERSON

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Vegetable garden and barn

STEAL THIS:

Chicken coop and stone wall dividing driveway spaces

PH OTO G R A P H S BY C H ARLES M AYER

Take the property’s best features and orient the design to those, making the landscape more usable and, ultimately, more enjoyable.

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RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $100,000

U S DA ZO N E : 9 B

Whimsical Retreat, Santa Barbara, California

JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

Margie Grace Grace Design Associates, Inc. Santa Barbara, California Left: View looking south from upper slope to entry courtyard. Above: Overview the of back yard (looking east)

“Playful design meets the brief requirement to respond to the architecture.

Living spaces are well thought out and detailed.

Very appropriate plant palette.”

PH OTO G R A P H S BY H OLLY LE P E RE , LEP E RE STU D IO

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his young California family needed outdoor areas for play, adventure, and outdoor living, reflecting their love of nature, curiosity, and fun. And as it happens sometimes, their property also offered the challenges of grade changes, as well as rocky, shallow, and compacted soil. Feeling up for the challenge, designer Margie Grace terraced the property using an enormous amount of sandstone boulders and cobbles that echo the desert-like environment, adding waterwise sculptural plants in unexpected combinations.

To complete the landscape, Grace added an outdoor cooking area, a bocce ball court, and two water features. Drought-tolerant plants are fire-resistant and colorful, perfectly reflecting their surroundings. The resulting landscape is ideal for relaxing, entertaining, and taking joy in the natural world.

JENNY PETERSON

Make the plant palette work to not only to reflect the architecture of the home but also to serve as a bridge between the landscape and untouched wildland.

ST E A L T HIS:

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goldaward

Front courtyard and fountain

RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $100,000 Carriage House, Haverford, Pennsylvania

Charles Hess

Hess Landscape Architects, Inc. Lansdale, Pennsylvania U S DA ZO N E : 7 A

“The designer has handled the traditional vocabulary well. Beautiful craftsmanship throughout.

Mature shrubs, perennials, and ground covers are very pleasing.”

JUDGES’ PERSPECTIVE:

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A metal arch and lamp span the threshold into the front courtyard.

Formal lawn panel with espaliered trees and “sentinel” Boxwoods PH OTOG R A P H S BY ST E P H EN GOVE L P H OTO GRAP H Y

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The renovated pool house, pool, and spa are situated below the main terrace.

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pon renovating their stunning, historic Pennsylvania home, the clients knew they needed additional dramatic changes in the landscape. Charles Hess of Hess Landscape Architects, Inc., prepared a full site plan that considered practicalities as well as aesthetics, and the results are a master class in traditional landscaping. Hess began by removing the tennis court, then continued with renovating the pool and relocating the driveway to provide safer access to the property. Hess created a serene walled lawn area, an enclosed courtyard with a striking central fountain, and gathering spaces adjacent to interior living areas to further extend entertaining.

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And the plants? A luscious mix of clipped Boxwood, colorful annuals and perennials, and espaliered trees soften courtyard walls. The result is a stunning traditional landscape that is anything but stuffy, and offers its owners a gracious place to unwind and entertain in style.

JENNY PETERSON apld.org

goldaward The rich and colorful backdrop thrives behind the chaise lounges.

STEAL THIS:

Visitor entrance leading to front door (not visible).

The perimiter walls surrounding the motorcourt entrance is covered with vegetation.

Commit to functional considerations first, then let form follow. Relocating a driveway was an expensive, but necessary, element in the overall functionality— and safety— of this new landscape.

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Evening view of the pergola and surrounding garden.

Renovated pool with surrounding yard and garden spaces.

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goldaward RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $100,000 Villanova Residence, Villanova, Pennsylvania

Charles Hess

Hess Landscape Architects, Inc. Lansdale, Pennsylvania U S DA ZO N E : 7 A JUDGES’ PERSPECTIVE:

“A very unified, gardenesque design. Interesting, bold, textural plantings throughout. The handsome living spacings work beautifully.”

Birch grove at garden node, trimmed with lush perennials.

PH OTOG R A P H S BY ST E P H EN GOVE L P H OTO GRAP H Y

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A view peeking through the lush border, behind the main terrace.

Unique furnishings and a handsome border are located near the pool.

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everal years of vacancy left this lovely property in neglect and decline, and with the new owners eager for usable outdoor space with picturesque and eclectic gardens, designer Charles Hess went to work. He joined the existing pool and tennis court with a realigned parking and driveway area, and a main entertaining terrace with a double-sided fireplace and pergola.

Hess employed broad sweeps of plantings to create the pool garden and terrace garden, with seasonal container plantings for a bit of drama. The outlying border plantings provide privacy and definition from evergreen and deciduous material.

The clients had strong opinions on plant choices, building materials, and furniture selection, and with a strong designer at the helm to pull it all together, the outcome is enchanting.

JENNY PETERSON

STEAL THI S:

The family entrance's color scheme was pulled out into the garden.

Use sweeping curves and bold plantings to link outdoor features and direct the eye to favorable views while simultaneously screening views deemed unfavorable.

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RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $100,000

U S DA ZO N E : 7 B

Hunt Sustainable Landscape,

JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

Bellevue, Washington

Tina Nyce Nyce Gardens Sammamish, Washington Left: Water feature, creek bed, stone bridge, rain garden. Above: Backyard with paths, sitting area, play area.

FAPLD

“So many fun destinations in this garden and welldesigned living spaces!

What family wouldn’t love to live here?

I especially liked the raised, curving wood path with its boulders and low plantings.” apld.org

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Above: Raised path from ollowing a recent home remodel, the driveway to house side owners were eager to reinvent their entrance. Right: Nurse landscape, desiring improved curb appeal, log, bocce ball court, usable areas for entertaining, and access to the wetland area. nearby freshwater lake. Designer Tina Nyce took the opportunity to create layers of intriguing usability including an expansive patio with a fireplace and sound system, a bubbler water feature, a hidden seating area, and a bocce ball court. Sumptuous plantings evoking meadows, woodlands, and wetlands allow the house to relate seamlessly to the surrounding environment—including a 100-foot-long waterfront buffer that supports local wildlife.

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Natural elements like stone bridges, nurse logs, winding pathways, and significant boulders serve to ground the area while linking it to its surroundings. A stunning representation of designing—and living—with nature.

JENNY PETERSON apld.org

â?§

New master bedroom patio

STEAL THI S:

Find opportunities to create multiple layers of outdoor living, even on smaller properties.

Sitting, gathering, and recreation areas encourage homeowners to relate to their landscape rather than simply admiring it.

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Residenti

ial SilverAwards apld.org

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silveraward RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $100,000 Bayberry Hillside, New Canaan, Connecticut

Chris Elkow & Mark Hicks

Elise Landscapes & Nursery LLC New Canaan, Connecticut The upper terrace redesigned with a custom fireplace and hillside plantings.

U S DA ZO N E : 6 B JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“Plantings blend the hardscape and site context. Overall, a fluid design and execution that increase the function of entertaining and the garden.” apld.org

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Above: Built-in grill ne of the most difficult landscape with upper terrace and situations is one where a steep slope fireplace behind. Above angles down toward the house, right: Lower terrace with making the space not only unusable but dining area and specimen potentially hazardous. Designers Chris Elkow Dissectum Maple. Right: and Mark Hicks of Elise Landscapes & Nursery New vegetable garden with fieldstone walls LLC saw the possibilities for this space to tying into rear terraces. become a functional and inviting retreat for their clients. They created a multilevel terrace in the hillside, featuring an outdoor kitchen on the lower level and a cozy fireplace on the upper one and in the process, offered the homeowners a backyard that spans the seasons.

A fenced-in vegetable garden sits close to the kitchen, with a stone border that echoes material in other parts of the landscape for cohesion. Plantings include an evergreen screen for privacy, perennials and grasses over a septic field, and a mixed planting on the slope itself. The transformation is nothing short of spectacular.

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STEAL THIS:

When working with a steep slope, create terraces in multiple layers to increase functionality and depth.

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U S DA ZO N E : 1 1 A JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“The stream/waterfall was just the right touch for this sloping garden and the plantings that surround it seem appropriately playful.”

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silveraward RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $100,000 Enchanted Oasis, Los Angeles, California

Debbie Gliksman

Urban Oasis Landscape Design Los Angeles, California

The waterfall flows down the levels into a fish pond below.

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CorTen vegetable beds supply almost 100% of the clients' year-round produce.

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his Los Angeles home sat on a hill with existing, but deteriorating, terraces. The owner dreamed of a welcoming, more usable backyard where his grandchildren could gather and have fun, as well as allow him to expand his edible garden. Working with existing features and plants, designer Debbie Gliksman of Urban Oasis Landscape Design created an inviting Mediterranean garden with warm rock, a multilevel stream ending in a fish pond, and CorTen planters for vegetable gardening.

Gliksman designed a unique—and stunning— dining pavilion with an arched roof on the upper terrace, using the same material and style to create a nearby fence. Brick and stonework were also repeated to ensure continuity. A rustic fire pit with sawn log seating completes this urban oasis to perfection, allowing the homeowner to reclaim his forgotten backyard for food, family, and fun.

JENNY PETERSON STEAL THIS:

When combining existing and new elements, repeat materials, like brick, stone, and steel, to create a cohesive look.

The dining area (above) and fire pit are on the top level. apld.org

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RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $100,000 Fidalgo Island, Anacortes, Washington

Susan Harrison Private Gardens Design Inc. Bellingham, Washington

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APLD

U S DA ZO N E : 8 B JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“A great site residence and landscape that integrates the insideout relationships. The aperture concept is seen in the choices of lines, forms, and materials. This is a complete composition and well implemented.�

Bay view from dining terrace while looking toward curved stairway

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Reflecting channel in the arrival terrace leads to front door STEAL THIS:

Dramatic foliage frames a fire feature in a secluded terrace.

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Create a journey through a sloping landscape with terraces on different levels.

Unify the space with staircases that contain a central design feature.

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View from the dining terrace leading to the sport court

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verything outdoors” is the watchword for this contemporary residence on a steep site with distant views of a bay and island. The clients requested a number of outdoor features for family use and entertaining, including an entry courtyard with water feature, al fresco dining, a small lawn where children could play, an outdoor fireplace, and a sport court. The designer created a series of terraces connected by curving staircases and retaining walls, which lend a modern feeling to the site. A creative infinity lawn incorporates a “ha-ha” on one side that offers views of a neighboring meadow, and large boulders in the planting areas reinforce a rugged mood characteristic of this coastal property.

JANE BERGER, FAPLD

The dining area (left) and fire pit are on the top level.

The side connector path from fire terrace to dining terrace

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silveraward RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $100,000 Del Amigo Residence, Danville, California

Mario Herrada Zacate Landscape Design San Francisco, California

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U S DA ZO N E : 9 B JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“Nicely nuanced people spaces…Corner cantilevered fireplace is a very nice touch.”

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n active family remodeled a mid1970s residence in a new, contemporary style and asked for a complete re-do of the front and back yards to go along with it. Designer Mario Herrada met their requests with a complete landscape update into what he calls “California Modern.� A new circular drive and lush plantings highlight the entrance; the pool was reshaped with modern, clean lines; and the pool deck is now flush with the finished floor level of the house. Beiges and blues were used throughout the gardens, along with silver-blue Mediterranean plants. For the sports-minded family, Herrada designed a number of features: a sports court, an in-ground trampoline, a zip line, a synthetic lawn for active play, and a vegetable garden.

JANE BERGER, FAPLD

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Use a limited color palette to complement a modern house. Choose plants with architectural features for drama and grasses for movement within the landscape.

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Seamless interior and exterior landscape at pool house, Ipe deck

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RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $100,000 Orleans Residence, Orleans, Massachusetts

Kimberly Mercurio

Kimberly Mercurio Landscape Architecture Cambridge, Massachusetts

U S DA ZO N E : 7 A JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“Good pool terrace design and softening of paving with creepers.

I very much liked pulling architectural detail into fence design. To be commended for re-use of barn materials to make furniture.� apld.org

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Details include dilapidated barn bluestone pool coping was razed to make and terrace, Fieldstone way for a new pool walkway with grass house/barn that is integrated joints, Privet, pool into the classic Cape Cod enclosure fence, shell landscape. Around the driveway, and Liriope.

18th century residence, the designer upgraded decks and walkways, re-purposed salvaged barn beams into new furniture, preserved mature plantings at the edges of the property, and re-located specimen shrubs within the new construction area.

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A new inground pool with an automatic cover blends into the adjacent bluestone terrace with joints of creeping Thyme. The fence surrounding the pool mimics the architecture of the pool house. The new design encourages connections between indoors and out, and creates harmony between the Cape Cod aesthetic and a new modern style.

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Pool House open to landscape

STEAL THIS:

Coordinate historic and contemporary styles. Repurpose salvaged materials into functional elements that are consistent with the existing aesthetic.

The dining area (left) and fire pit are on the top level.

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Water flows into second basin and into runnel alongside path.

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silveraward RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $100,000 Woodland Rill Garden, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Julie Moir Messervy Julie Moir Messervy Design Studio Saxtons River, Vermont U S DA ZO N E : 5 B JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“Good development of a curvilinear design theme connecting front and back…Entry garden with native planted wall particularly nice for summer…The before and after for this project are dramatic.

I love the flow of the rill that connects the areas.”

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A steel channel carries water along a curving, sloping path. Right: Pervious pea stone drive court with green wall

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silveraward The water journey begins at this cylindrical steel basin.

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his LEED silver-certified residence and landscape on a tiny urban lot is designed to preserve a stand of white pine trees on the western edge of the site. Designer Julie Moir Messervy created a garden of living walls and self-weathering CorTen steel around the tall contemporary house. A water flow starts at a cylindrical steel basin at the front of the property, descends through a steel channel around the side of the house to the lower-level backyard, and finally empties into a boulder fountain. A small meditation hut is cantilevered over the water and features views of shade-loving shrubs and perennials.

JANE BERGER, FAPLD

Use a repetitive design theme or feature that connects all areas of the garden. Use water features to deaden urban street sounds and provide a soothing garden environment.

STEAL THIS:

The dining area (left) and fire pit are on the top level.

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RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $100,000 Stonehurst, Martinez, California

Colin Miller

Envision Landscape Studio Martinez, California

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silveraward U S DA ZO N E : 9 B JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“To be commended for creating a design that maintains beautiful views.

Meets the client’s brief in terms of function…A good-looking project and the assumption has to be made it works with the adjoining structure and uses.

Overall project is clean and clear.”

Filtered light through oak trees on pool deck

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he clients requested “exciting� outdoor spaces for this landscape in rolling oak-covered foothills with distant mountain views. Colin Miller designed a series of clean, well-organized outdoor garden rooms, each with a specific focal point to attract both family and visitors. The swimming pool and travertine deck are sited within mountain views, perennials and grasses draw the eye out into the landscape, and lighting and a firepit make the outdoor patio usable in all seasons and during all times of the day. The pool house features a pool table, wet bar, TV, and fireplace to extend indoor living to the outdoors.

JANE BERGER, FAPLD

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Above: Water feature and fire pit. Above right: Indoor outdoor Travertine paving.

Below: Mature Oak Trees in Corten Steel Retaining Wall.

RIght: Perennials and grasses peak over top of seat walls

STEAL THIS:

Consider how the clients will use each outdoor garden room and entice them into the space with creative elements.

Install outdoor lighting and fire features for maximum use of outdoor spaces throughout the seasons.

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U S DA ZO N E : 5 B JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“An ambitious family ‘resort’ design…The before and after are dramatic.”

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View from the upper deck shows the integration of the site with mountain views.

RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $100,000 Tiga Sanctuary, Boulder, Colorado

Cheri Stringer TLC Gardens

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t’s a difficult problem to create a back yard that’s a private sanctuary while maintaining open views to distant mountains. Designer Cheri Stringer, apld, met the challenge with a series of multiple outdoor rooms on different levels linked by rugged pathways that descend from the residence to a pool terrace with firepit and outdoor kitchen, a putting green, and a dry creek bed surrounded by native plantings.

Scale and sightlines were considered from every angle to enhance connections to the residence and between the various garden rooms, and to make sure that adjacent neighbors had clear views to a lake below.

JANE BERGER, FAPLD Left: A dry creek bed manages water flow and retention on site. Right: An artificial turf putting green conserves water. Below right: A berm creates a transition from the private and public spaces of the yard.

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STEAL THIS: Create

private areas with planted berms surrounding terraces.

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Second Floor Terrace: Marble paved terrace and bespoke faux fireplace

Baccarat Hotel and Residences, New York, New York

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Perennial borders: retaining wall stonework inspired by local native escarpment

Santa Fe Botanical Garden, Santa Fe, New Mexico

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goldaward NON-RESIDENTIAL DESIGN BETWEEN $100,000 - $500,000 Baccarat Hotel and Residences, New York, New York

Damien Harrison Harrison Green LLC

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Second Floor Terrace: Striking black and white design with a simple evergreen plant palette

U S DA ZO N E : 6 B JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“The client was lucky to have this designer interpreting their brand for the outdoors. It is a handsome and sophisticated minimal design with rich details.

The inspired monochrome color palette makes the plants pop.�

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goldaward Three story bespoke trelliage with custom designed exterior furniture and oversized Versailles planters

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asked with matching the sophisticated elegance of the French Baccarat brand and creating the hotel’s sole outdoor terrace space in a high-trafficked urban area, Damien Harrison bridged the monochromatic palette of the modern hotel and sterile streetscape by using soft evergreen plantings. Adding pressure to the job of revamping the entrance and sitting area is the fact that the Museum of Modern Art sits across the street, almost demanding a sculptural element to the design.

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Harrison Green oversaw all aspects of powdercoat aluminum planters with implementation from design to construcgiant evergreen Boxwood topiaries tion and site administration of installation.

Perennial plants were sourced locally and installed with drip irrigation, and the paving materials were chosen specifically to reflect more sunlight and reduce the urban heat island effect.

BENJAMIN VOGT

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STEAL THI S:

Paying attention to scale makes the terrace and entrance spaces aesthetically functional. Ivy growing up the terrace’s threestory wall is both subtle and dramatic while serving as a living sculpture that cools and muffles the urban space.

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silveraward NON-RESIDENTIAL DESIGN OVER $500,000 Santa Fe Botanical Garden, Santa Fe, New Mexico

W. Gary Smith W. Gary Smith Design Austin, Texas

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U S DA ZO N E : 6 B JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“A great public project that illustrates good site and landscape design.

Well-defined and executed spaces.

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Rose and Lavender Walk: heirloom Roses, Lavender cultivars, fragrance

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he Santa Fe Botanical Garden’s one-acre site began as an eroded arroyo with poor soils and stressed native trees. With the goal of creating a space that included a broad palette of plants adapted to the region and a variety of design themes that could be replicated at homes and businesses, W. Gary Smith sought to highlight how artistic beauty and sustainability can go hand in hand.

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Locally sourced stonework delineates each of the six garden areas while providing a harmonious composition to the entire site. A meadow gives way to the Rose and Lavender Walk, which adjoins an orchard and Xeric garden. Zuni bowls—stone structures that collect and slow the flow of stormwater—were used as a functional and aesthetic element. Smith coordinated SFBG staff, engineers, horticulturalists, storm water specialists, artists, and a local architect throughout the process, as well as spending time in the area sketching and painting.

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Granite Sculpture: “Emergence” (collaboration with local artist Candyce Garrett)

Welcome Garden Ramada: steel and bundled sticks (collaboration with architect)

STEAL THI S:

Collaboration among specialists not only provides an opportunity for learning on a difficult site, but helps a public space emulate how plants and people can work together for landscape success.

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Arial view from 2nd floor window

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Full view of courtyard appears after sharp turn in driveway.

D E TA I L S Kyoto Meets New England—An Entrance Courtyard, Reading, Massachusetts

Christie Dustman

APLD

Christie Dustman & Company Inc. Boston, Massachusetts U S DA ZO N E : 6 B JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“This project has beautiful materials used well. I especially liked the paving pattern and joints filled with moss.”

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Studio & Entrances View: Looking at Studio (top of garage), main entrance and owner’s entrance.

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onoring both the client’s penchant for Asian-influenced design and the wilder surrounding woodland, designer Christie Dustman, apld, transformed a tight 700-square-foot area into a space that welcomes guests to a hidden front door and an outdoor deck. By using Japanese-styled granite slabs, sourced locally, the design draws out both the home’s elevation and the stark verticality of nearby pines. Harrison Green oversaw all aspects of implementation from design to construction and site administration of installation.

Perennial plants were sourced locally and installed with drip irrigation, and the paving materials were chosen specifically to reflect more sunlight and reduce the urban heat island effect.

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Since Dustman’s clients are graphic designers, aesthetic considerations were paramount—especially as Dustman was the first designer of any kind they ever hired. The clients chose and placed all the plant material themselves, while Dustman installed sustainable features in the hardscape, including a rill and underground piping placed along the base of the ledge, and open spaces between the granite to allow for groundwater recharge.

BENJAMIN VOGT

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Looking at two house decks, ledge, existing sculpture and rill.

STEAL THIS:

Visitor entrance leading to front door (not visible).

Consider how a single hardscape feature can bring harmony to distinct outdoor living areas. Here the use of granite acts as a bridge to unify the driveway and three separate entrances while visually directing guests.

P H OTO G R A P H Y BY M IK E RITTER

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Chelsea Terrace

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Fifth Avenue Terrace

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silveraward S P E C I A LT Y P R O J E C T S Fifth Avenue Terrace, New York, New York

Damien Harrison Harrison Green LLC

New York, New York

U S DA ZO N E : 7 B

“Beautifully detailed terrace that wisely didn’t get in the way of the star of the site, Central Park. Handsome herringbone Ipe decking.

Love the floor surfacing and furnishings.”

JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

The design approach was an exploration in aesthetic simplicity.

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ituated in an iconic mid-century building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, this intimate terrace perches proudly over Central Park. With an uninterrupted view of the park and Manhattan’s skyline as a dramatic canvas, the design approach necessitated simplicity.

The immediate goal was to create a visual link between the terrace and park, using the borrowed landscape to produce the illusion of an unfolding. To achieve this sensation, the designer filled sleek, unobtrusive planters with a low boxwood hedge around the perimeter of the space; these harmonize with the park’s cloudlike canopy, framing the iconic skyline beyond.

A custom-designed herringbone Ipe deck echoes the interior flooring, while a stained black cedar trellis wraps an existing wall, allowing vines to dress an otherwise ordinary corner. The soft glow of vintage Hans-Agne Jakobsson lighting brings alive the evening garden. A mix of Hydrangea, Nepeta, and Rhododendron planted in a vessel hidden by seating provides seasonal flowering.

LYNN FELICI-GALLANT STEAL THI S:

The herringbone Ipe deck

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Sometimes it’s best to step back and allow an area’s natural canvas to direct a design. Resist the temptation to overcomplicate a space in such situations by taking your cue from the surroundings and keeping all plantings and elements simple.

Simple, structured design retains the intrinsic link between the terrace and park. Left: Simple evergreen boxwood border

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silveraward S P E C I A LT Y P R O J E C T S Chelsea Terrace, New York, New York

Alexander Gunn & The Gunn Landscape Architecture Team Install by Vert Gardens New York, New York

U S DA ZO N E : 7 B JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“Admirable attempt at creating an ‘urban oasis’ in narrow spaces. A well-presented project, great photos.”

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he owners of two terraces on opposite sides of a Chelsea penthouse apartment had distinct goals for both spaces. For the north terrace, they requested a dining and entertainment area; for the south, they wanted a place to cook near the kitchen, a tranquil meadow, built-in seating, and a water feature.

The designer created distinct outdoor rooms on both terraces to maximize space and provide flexibility for entertaining, dining, or relaxing.

He wrapped the periphery of both with trees, shrubs, and perennials in modular wooden containers, ensuring privacy while allowing views of a distinctive skyline.

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On the north terrace, the designer fashioned a wooden banquette that concealed an irrigation system. On the south, he placed a grill close to the indoor kitchen. Low, raised beds that step up from the penthouse feature a mixed meadow, while built-in wooden seating and a tranquil water feature complete the scene.

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ST EA L THIS:

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Brooklyn Townhouse

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Upper Eastside Maisonette Terrace

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SMALL GARDENS Brooklyn Townhouse, New York, New York

Lauren Pucciarelli & The Gunn Landscape Architecture Team Install by Vert Gardens New York, New York U S DA ZO N E : 7 B

“Great before and after, as well as nice to have two spaces to work with. Good use of details in staging that conveys the function and form aspects of design. This is an excellent project.”

JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

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STE A L T HIS :

Create the feeling of a large garden in an urban setting by using trees, shrubs, and perennials in containers. Using moveable vessels allows you to work with the changing light of multiple seasons.

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he owners of this small urban property had multiple goals for their garden and rooftop terrace. They wanted a design to connect the interior and exterior, screen out unsightly buildings while retaining views of the city, and reflect their love of nature. And they planned to dine and entertain in both areas.

Roof Terrace at night

To achieve a seamless transition between interior and garden, the designer coordinated the earth tones of the interior with outdoor elements and the kitchen floors with gray stone on the patio. She also created outdoor living zones to extend the indoors, including a private dining area, Zen garden, secret barbeque space, and rooftop bar and entertainment area. The design addressed the clients' love of nature through careful plant selection, and the use of moss, wood, and stone. LYNN FELICI-GALLANT

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SMALL GARDENS Upper Eastside Maisonette Terrace, New York, New York

Damien Harrison Harrison Green LLC

New York, New York

U S DA ZO N E : 7 B

“Well done! Would love to see this in ten years when the trees will add so much character and grace to this sophisticated garden space.”

JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

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Ivy-laden fences provide yearround green.

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s avid entertainers, the owners of this iconic and quintessentially Upper East Side building wanted a place to host cocktail parties and al fresco dinners. The space also needed to reflect the sophisticated aesthetic of the building’s architecture.

To achieve these goals, the designer created two tiers separating the single space into a dining and a lounging area. A harlequin-patterned fence draws the eye into the space—turning attention away from adjacent buildings—while ivy-laden fences enclose the area with a year-round living wall.

For a pop of color, the designer planted the client’s favorite blue Hydrangea in Italian terracotta pots in the dining area, and again in beds in the rear garden. A mass planting of sculptural Boxwood in the lounging area echoes a manicured topiary in the dining room. And formal, yet comfortable, outdoor furniture completes the space, adding classic elegance and modern simplicity to the entire area.

LYNN FELICI-GALLANT

Draw the eye into a small garden and away from competing unsightly elements by designing a decorative fence as a destination. Doing so not only provides a nice backdrop, it leads the visitor into the garden and to spaces within it you want them to enjoy.

ST EA L T HIS:

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View of enclosed patio and vegetable beds

SMALL GARDENS Brookline Residence, Brookline, Massachusetts

Andrea Nilsen Morse Nilsen Landscape Design Marblehead, Massachusetts U S DA ZO N E : 6 B

“Good resolution to a difficult site and brief. Nice use of a decorative screen on the house facade. Masonry craftsmanship is good.”

JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

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he owners of this home wanted to use their tiny front yard as a place to relax in privacy. They preferred a contemporary look with clean lines, and they also wanted a dedicated vegetable garden.

The plan addressed the cramped front with a generous bluestone landing clearly denoting an entrance. From the landing, steps lead to a formal bluestone patio large enough for a settee. A Parasoleil panel echoes metal skirting under the house, filling a void on the home’s façade.

To create privacy, the designer fashioned large, contemporary bluestone planters filled with tall grasses and perennials on either side of the walkway. The inside edges of the planters provide additional patio seating.

Three cedar raised vegetable beds at the side of the patio include vertical trellises for privacy from adjacent neighbors. Lighting under the wall cap ensures the space can be used into the evening.

LYNN FELICI-GALLANT

Do not be afraid to use bluestone or other decorative stone to create raised beds or large elements in a landscape.

Rather than commit to using expensive (and heavy) stone for the entire element, create a less wieldy base with concrete, reserving the better stone to create a veneer.

ST EA L T HIS:

Front landing and side steps to driveway, Parasoleil panel, and bench

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Wickie Rowland & Labrie Associates, Inc. New Castle, New Hampshire U S DA ZO N E : 5 B

“A great small-scale site design opportunity. Good before and after that works within a budget.

Great example of potential.”

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he owners of this garden were a young, soonto-be married couple. This was their first home.

An area in their front yard flooded each time it rained, creating an unsightly mess. The design needed to address the flooding, and be visually appealing. The couple had no interest in gardening.

To achieve these goals, the designer has created “a modified rain garden” with a dry stream center. The designer created slight berms with new loam along the banking, as well as three wells to address the water flow.

Unlike a true rain garden, where all plants must tolerate wet and dry conditions, only the plants closest to the deep part of this space need to be so adaptable. With more freedom in plant selection, the designer added low-maintenance perennials and ornamental grasses along both sides of the dry stream. Three years later, the homeowners report no issues with flooding, and the garden is thriving.

LYNN FELICI-GALLANT

Whether or not you have a drainage problem, a standalone dry stream can be an attractive design feature for a suburban landscape. Depending on plant selection and choice of stone, a dry stream bed can have the feel of a desert garden or rain garden,

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SMALL GARDENS Urban Courtyard, Boulder, Colorado

Cheri Stringer APLD

TLC Gardens Longmont, Colorado U S DA ZO N E : 4

Great before and after results. This is an inviting and functioning space. Thoughtful design solution creating a good rhythm between elements.�

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he all-too-often-neglected space between a house and garage presented Cheri Stringer, apld, with a number of design challenges: create a functional area for family use; provide a drainage solution; and connect the space aesthetically so it looks nice from key areas within the home—all on a low budget.

To address the drainage issue, the plan moves standing water through natural swales that direct moisture back into the water table through concrete drains. The designer worked with the competing lines of house and garage by building raised-seat walls that double as planters. A custom water element on one wall creates sound and upscale visual interest while balancing dominant horizontal lines, softening the impact of the garage.

STEAL THI S:

Work with, and not against, dominant horizontal lines by creating smaller, subtle horizontal elements such as wall planters and water features that connect the space, rendering the area less jarring.

An existing recessed area finished with flagstone steps, boulders, and polished beach pebbles offers contrast and visual appeal. Finally, the addition of LED wall and café lights make the area suitable for entertaining.

LYNN FELICI-GALLANT

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A Grand Gesture, Warren, New Jersey

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Waterfront Circular Garden, Darien, Connecticut

Planting Design Awards apld.org

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Views across garden of preserved trees, harbor, and sitting area.

PLANTING DESIGN Waterfront Circular Garden, Darien, Connecticut

Eva Chiamulera Austin Ganim Landscape Design LLC Fairfield, Connecticut U S DA ZO N E : 7 JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“The design has addressed the goal of having a seasonally interesting planting by using a conventional planting scheme.�

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A combination of shrubs and perennials provide lasting color.

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Late summer Hydrangea, Phlox, and Hibiscus accent the path to the drive.

An easy way to make a garden feel more lush is to choose plants that lend themselves to spilling over pathways, railings, walls, and other structures. Plants that appear to “burst out of the seams” trick the eye into believing that the entire garden is equally rich and full, even if it isn’t. The spilling effect is also helpful in softening the edges of rigid hardscapes.

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itting a stone’s throw from Long Island Sound—in fact, across the street from the water’s edge—this Connecticut home was calling for a landscape that would complement and showcase the beauty of its coastal environment. In response, designer Eva Chiamulera drew on a classic New England aesthetic, using a planting design that pairs simplicity with elegance. Her well-placed perennial borders spill over walls and walkways, hosting a parade of blooms from early spring through late fall.

These are combined with mixed evergreen shrubbery to anchor the space and provide winter interest.

“The client chose to embrace the open nature of the site,” Chiamulera says, “rather than enclosing the property with screen plantings.”

Her design achieves its goal both of enhancing, and being enhanced by, the shore next door. CHRISTOPHER FREIMUTH

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A view across koi pond to raised terrace and perennial beds.

PLANTING DESIGN A Grand Gesture, Warren, New Jersey

Lisa Mierop Mierop Design

APLD

Montclair, New Jersey

U S DA ZO N E : 6

“This project was a true transformation that met the clients’ brief to create ‘a highly showy garden.’”

JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

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I Double waterfalls and naturalistic boulders define the koi pond.

n a small, affluent town just 35 miles west of New York City, designer Lisa Mierop, apld, turned a classically humdrum back yard into exactly the kind of open and welcoming space her clients had hoped for. The project was approached and executed with the intention of creating “a grand oasis featuring dramatic, painterly vistas surrounding a family-friendly space set up for entertaining children and grandchildren.” Through her tasteful hardscape design and creative planting combinations—shrubs interacting with multi-layered perennials that offer four-season interest—her work seamlessly merges the tone of the natural environment with the practical needs of her clients.

CHRISTOPHER FREIMUTH

Materials matter. When thinking about your planting design, don’t forget that the frame for your garden is its hardscape. Choices regarding the texture of a patio stone, for example, or the material used in a deck railing can vastly change the way your garden is viewed and experienced.

STEAL THI S:

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PHOTOGR A PH BY ZHIJIA N TA N

2017 APLD INTERNATIONAL LANDSCAPE

Show Gardens Award Silence, Singapore, Gardens by the Bay

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SHOW GARDENS Silence, Singapore, Gardens by the Bay

Gavin McWilliam & Andrew Wilson Wilson McWilliam Studio Chiswick, London, England

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JUDGES' PERSPECTIVE:

“Excellent concept for a show garden. Liked the sophisticated use of ‘peep show’ idea to enhance the theme. Very well detailed with witty use of Morse code.”

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ilence” explores the concept of quiet in a world of sensory overload. Central to the design is a monumental spiral of distressed concrete that represents separation from the outside. An inverted cone widens toward the sky, creating a dramatic play of light and shadow and an exhilarating feeling of space.

Those outside the concrete “peep” into the garden through Morse code messages punctured into the walls at varying eye levels, and through slits where the walls nearly meet.

The messages themselves represent noise.

Inspired by the natural world, hard-and soft-scape elements create a spiritual experience. Foliage recolonizes broken concrete, while groundcovers and moss soften fissured paving. Water calms the space and Rain Trees (Albizia saman) with elegant, wide branches offer shade. The entrance to the garden is intentionally obscured to create a sense of drama, pulling visitors in for even a momentary respite from the cacophony of the day.

LYNN FELICI-GALLANT

A spiral can create a feeling of either calm or desperation. On the one hand, there is comfort in walking toward a destination; on the other, it can be jarring to travel toward an unknown end. A calming planting plan and limited color palette can make all the difference between a soothing or chaotic journey.

STE A L T HIS :

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Where your vision feels right at home.

From pergolas and outdoor kitchens, to fences, arbors, and more, Walpole will meet your custom design needs. Our finished handcrafted structures are kitted and shipped nationwide.

Call 800-343-6948 or visit walpoleoutdoors.com TM

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2017board of directors EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE PRESIDENT Lisa Port, APLD Banyon Tree Design Studio 3630 Northeast 123rd Street Seattle, WA 98125 (206) 383-5572 PRESIDENT-ELECT Danilo Maffei, APLD Maffei Landscape Design LLC 202 N. Garfield Street Kennett Square, PA 19348 (610) 357-9700 SECRETARY/TREASURER Jock Lewendon, APLD Outdoor Living Spaces, LLC 766 Schoolhouse Lane Bound Brook, NJ 08805 (732) 302-9632 IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Colleen Hamilton, APLD Bloomin' Landscape Designs 7122 Willey Way Carmichael, CA 95608 (916) 961-0191

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DIRECTORS Paul Connolly, APLD Sundrea Design Studio 4999 North Sabino Canyon Rd. Tucson, AZ 85750 (520) 302-7441 Eric Gilbey Vectorworks 7150 Riverwood Drive Columbia, MD 21046 (443) 542-0658 Laurin Lindsey, APLD 1646 Harvard Street Houston, TX 77008 (832) 868-4126 Nick McCullough, APLD McCullough’s Landscape & Nursery 14401 Jug Street New Albany, OH 43054

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Lisa Orgler 304 N. Second Avenue Huxley, IA 50124 (515) 509-4119 Richard Rosiello Rosiello Designs & Meadowbrook Gardens 159 Grove Street New Milford, CT 06776 (860) 488-6507 Joe Salemi DynaSCAPE Software 3426 Harvester Road Burlington, ON L7N3N1 (800) 710-1900

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The Designer is an official publication and member service of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), 2207 Forest Hills Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17112. Ph: 717-238-9780 Fax: 717-238-9985.

Disclaimer: Mention of commercial products in this publication is solely for information purposes; endorsement is not intended by APLD. Material does not reflect the opinions or beliefs of APLD. APLD is not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. All printed articles become the copyright of APLD.

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APLD International Landscape Design Conference

TORONTO September 13 – 17, 2018

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thedesıgner wants you!

The only magazine written by designers for designers, The Designer is looking for talented members like you to share your stories, teach new techniques, and inspire with your designs.

All submissions from APLD members are considered, but The Designer is particularly interested in articles that fit the issue’s editorial theme or are appropriate for one of the magazine’s regular columns spotlighting technology or business strategies.

calling all writers

Seeking pitches for the Spring 2018 issue. We're always looking for writers for regular features including Wander.Lust., Travel Inspiration, Plant App(lication)s, Design 101, and Design Masterclass articles.

Not sure if your story is a good fit? 2017 Editor in Chief Katie Elzer-Peters is happy to discuss your idea with you. Reach her at editor@apld.org.

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CONTEXT THERAPEUTIC GARDENS PROBLEM PLANTS WINTER BOOK ROUNDUP

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D E S IGN BY 2 017 A PLD GOLD AWA R D WI N N ER CH ARLES H E SS OF HESS LA N DSCA PE A R CHI TECTS. P H OTO GRAP H BY STEPHEN GOVEL PHOTOGR A PHY

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