Tree vs. Architecture

Secret Path

Autumn in the Suburbs

Details

highrise

before and after...

Midwest Modern

Proportion and scale...

These design elements can make or break any landscape scheme. Relating house to landscape to client is a balancing act of great importance, but with a calm eye and innovative spirit, this grand goal is happily achievable. Who doesn't love a challenge, after all?

transformation

Out with old......





....and in with the new!

Giving

In the landscape world, we gardeners and designers seem to be a sort of professional giver...that is, giving our creativity, our passion, our energy, and our knowledge. Of course we are reimbursed for these gifts on a monetary level, but sometimes, when the designer-client relationship is a happy one, we are reimbursed with gratefulness and joy. And this is so much more about why I love what I do.

Well, I'm excited to report that I have a side project designed specifically with giving in mind...it's still in the works, but it's one that will help me--with your generosity--to donate more to my company's annual charitable contribution. With the help of a friend, I am excited to be offering Dirt organic soy candles in their Nitty Gritty Scent..."This herbal organic delight contains organic soil, ripe tomatoes, fresh Mediterranean sage and a hint of Malabar grass and celery seed, creating a unique combination down to the the nitty gritty dirt." Appropo, don't you think? I'll be selling each one for $35 with all proceeds going towards bolstering the monetary donation to the charity I choose. For those unaware, the last 3 years or so have seen my company supporting various local, grass roots, charitable organizations whose focus lies in land or natural resource preservation. Some of the recepients in the past have been Garfield Farm and Chicagoland Wilderness. This year's candidate is likely to be the Land Conservancy of Lake County.

If you're interested in getting involved with my big idea and you'd like to order a candle (the holidays are coming!!!), please send me an email and let me know how many you'd like. Shipping and postage is included in the price, and orders will go out at the beginning of December. It's an easy and effective way to get more involved! Thanks!

Framing

What I do...

I find inspiration every day in the natural world we live in: frost clinging to leaves in the pre-dawn haze; the bravery of tulips as they push through the cold spring soil to reach the warming sun. The natural cycle of birth-life-death as we experience our growing seasons. It takes vision and a great sensitivity to client and site to create gardens that are lasting compositions of light and shadow, color and texture. I believe that a thoughtfully designed garden can change the relationship our clients have with their home and landscape, and I strive to create living environments that are in harmony with the existing ecology of the landscape. Above all, the landscape scheme must meet the needs and expectations of the client while highlighting the beauty of the plants and the thoughtfulness of the design.

volcanic

Visiting a place like Kaua'i, Hawai'i certainly puts things in perspective for those open enough to receive some world wisdom. The sheer magic of a place that exists because it bubbled and oozed up out of the ocean...at first barren and naked, then slowly receiving the components necessary for life of any kind. The first grain of soil, the first seed sprouting the first bit of green, the first insect which would ultimately feed the first bird...and so on. All the things that we take for granted everyday are amplified here, and so, more sacred. And yet surprisingly, an idea that would make the most sense anywhere--let alone on a chunk of land surrounded by thousands of miles of salty blue ocean--is new and controversial and even unknown. The idea of sustainability. If there is anywhere on the globe I've had a chance to visit which has made me cherish the earth beneath my feet, it is Hawai'i. Thankfully the people of these islands are cautiously trying to overcome their aversion to change...acting now so that future generations will see an island not overrun with landfills and polluted waters, but one where the incredible mountains, rivers and ocean wildlife will be protected and revered for what they are...ecologically and globally priceless.