Focus — The Pros at Home ILCA Visits with Chicago Landscape Designer Clare Johnson

by Nina A. Koziol

When Clare Johnson was in school she took part in a project involving playground design. It was perfect because she was only eight years old. “I went to a progressive school in Mundelein and the project focused on visual-spacial models.” Her design? A merrygo-round. “I built a little model out of toothpicks,” she said with a laugh. “My mom told me it was architecture and later in high school I learned about landscape architecture.”

Those early experiences instilled a love of creating spaces that invite people to enjoy nature. “My dad gardened and we were always outside. As an avid gardener, hiker, and explorer, I feel it’s critical to engage with the outdoors, to connect with it and to protect it. I love to create spaces on my computer screen and see them come to life. It’s rewarding every single time.”

City in a Garden

Johnson started her career in 2011 at the Chicago Botanic Garden where she designed and worked on programming for therapeutic garden spaces. She also worked as director of design for Himsben Design Studio in Chicago, doing residential work in the city, often dealing with very confined spaces. In April she joined Site (Site Design Group, Ltd.,) in Chicago where she is a project manager.

“People want areas to lounge, to dine, a play space for kids, a place to plug in computers. We really created zones without making anything feel too boxed in.” Another challenge was estimating labor costs when machinery couldn’t be brought in.

“We’re often dealing with two to three microclimates per site. We may need to blend areas of full sun to dense shade and everything in between. A site may be taking in water from the neighboring lots.”

And then there are the clients who find the “garden of their dreams” online. “People come to us with beautiful ideas and Pinterest boards. We take the opportunity to educate them so they have some ownership— so they know what plants are going in and why, their benefits, and how big they’ll get.”

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