Mountsier Garden in New Jersey reflects 30 years of attention to planting. Photo by Clair Takacs The big Picture Ten acres of gardens at this Issaquah project will define the property. There are so many components that come together to make a garden. There are the initial ideas and styles that cater to the garden owner’s preferences and functional requirements; the spatial arrangement of the available area; and the crafting of spaces through architectural elements such as wood, metal, concrete, stone, polycarbonates, and a wide variety of historical and newly developed materials. Above all ..read more

For a new estate project in Dallas, Texas, the gardens have a formal English garden style. Our team has gone through a series of iterations for entry gate designs that speak to and hint at the gardens hidden behind the estate walls. The form of the entry gate will also determine the gates, fences, and railings around the site. For the initial concepts presented to the client, we played heavily with star and sun motifs, in homage to the Texas star and the existing residence’s historical significance. We looked at reference books for historical metalwork imagery, and drew many sketches that p ..read more

Anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’ Photo by Miranda Estes Photography Japanese anemones are graceful herbaceous perennials that bloom June through October. With blossoms rising several feet above a dense mass of basal foliage, these plants offer both seasonal interest and ground cover. Smaller cultivars look attractive when planted in mass along paths, while taller varieties pair beautifully with roses and peonies in mixed perennial borders. Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ is a popular cultivar whose dramatic white blossoms reach heights of three to four feet. When more compact plants are needed ..read more

Yew Dell Botanical Gardens hired Land Morphology to conceive, define, and plant the new Castle Garden, which will be the first new garden on the property since Yew Dell opened to the public. The new garden will improve pedestrian circulation and link historic features and gardens to an existing meadow, while providing an opportunity to increase botanical collections and display horticulture.  A central water feature will be the heart of the space. This post shares some of our design process, including thoughts and options for the design of the central water feature. In our initial design ..read more

Graphic courtesy James Corner Field Operations May Day 2023, marks the completion of the Seattle Waterfront project tree and understory plantings along the east side of Alaskan and Elliot Ways and much of the median.  While there is still much more to look forward to plant-wise along the western corridor, the presence of the trees along the road is beginning to define what one day soon will be a wonderful tree-lined corridor with gardens, parks, developed public spaces, the aquarium, and much more. The trees along the corridor are in distinct mixed planting zones and each zone goes fo ..read more

My grandmother planted a flowering shrub for each of her grandchildren that would bloom each year on the day they were born. But I was born in late November, a month better known for its state of decay than for its flowers. While the options were more limited, my grandmother knew what she was doing. She planted a Sasanqua camellia, which she trained up and over her front arbor. Thirty years later, my grandmother has passed away and the house has changed hands, but the camellia continues to bloom each autumn, welcoming visitors up the front walk. While I may be predisposed to love these late b ..read more

A botanic garden is a place set aside for the collection, cultivation, and study of plants, serving a variety of scientific, educational, and aesthetic purposes. The fireside terrace and pavilion at Leach Botanical Garden provide spaces for teaching visitors about the site’s plants and ecosystems. Botanic gardens lend themselves to teaching because of their inherent relationship to the land and plants, locations based in populated areas, expert staff, and institutional memory.  As Land Morphology develops new gardens for our botanic garden clients, we see these new spaces as a chance to ..read more

Dynamic landscapes become more resilient with each passing year. Plant communities have evolved over time to recover from and thrive in the wake of all kinds of disturbances including drought, fire, grazing, floods and landslides. By studying the resilience of natural ecologies, we can create gardens with dynamic and enduring beauty. Resilient planting design is dynamic There is a certain grace one finds in a well-structured garden where plants are allowed to move and grow and develop their own rhythms over time. Meadows, woodland borders and the water’s edge area all areas of the garden tha ..read more

A combination of sand-set brick and concrete pavers draw your eye yet define this terraced seating area. Photo by Miranda Estes Climate change is on everyone’s mind these days, and it can feel overwhelming.  But there are some things you can do in your garden to help.  Material choices can make a big impact on the sustainability of your project, without needing to change the broader design features. ‘Embodied carbon’ is a measurement of the CO2 caused by the manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of building materials.  By choosing more sustainab ..read more

Paeonia ‘Canary Brilliants’ Photo by Cheryl van Blom, Bellevue Botanical Garden Richard often jokes that we plant peonies for their foliage, and when you see the finely divided leaves of Itoh peonies you will understand why. While common herbaceous peonies are prone to fungal disease, these intersectional hybrids are resistant, remaining healthy and green from spring through fall. Growing to three feet tall and wide, they are the perfect garden height. Their low, mounded form and lush texture make them great candidates for elegant mass plantings.  While certainly handsome foliage plants ..read more