by Heather McCargo
A native hedge introduces beauty and vitality into the landscape. While a fence may be a great solution in a tight space, shrubs can create a “living fence” for enclosure, privacy, and beauty. Additionally, shrubs add three-dimensional diversity to a landscape and provide important year-round habitat for fauna such as birds, pollinating insects, and other small creatures.
ELA’s Native Plant Tours are an enjoyable way to see native plants in all kinds of landscapes – urban to rural. Hosts generously share their gardens for a few hours, but they also share invaluable lessons they’ve learned about incorporating natives into their landscapes. Two former hosts share how they became interested in native plants and their insights into use of native plants in home landscapes.
by Laura Hansplant
While a green roof planted with a carpet of sedum will manage stormwater efficiently, a design that incorporates more sophisticated habitat structure and diverse native species will increase habitat value and overall resilience. Observations from successful plantings in extreme conditions also translate into lessons for resilience for on-ground landscapes.
Written by Walter Cudnohufsky with Mollie Babize
Reviewed by Trevor Buckley and Emily Davis
Cultivating the Designer’s Mind: Principles and Process for Coherent Landscape Design, readers will find a window into the mind of Walter Cudnohufsky, founder of the Conway School of Landscape Design and a visionary educator in design and planning. Accompanied by co-author Mollie Babize, a Conway alum and former administrator of the graduate program, Cudnohufsky presents an ably written and accessible book that demystifies the sometimes elusive design process and espouses a democratic design ethos. Through the lenses of landscape and ecology, they lay out a vision for applying a deliberative and compassionate mode of design-thinking to our complex and frenetic world.
by Tovah Martin
Spring sneaks in through a crack in the window. It steals in when you push the panes open for that whiff of fresh air you’ve anticipated for so long. You’ve almost forgotten what the mingling of indoors and outside feels like; it’s been an eternity since you bonded.
by Amanda Sloan
You’ve designed an ecological landscape, but the contractor hired to build it is not familiar with ecological practices. What to do? One landscape architect shares strategies for ensuring an ecological design results in an ecological landscape.
by Karen Bussolini
As the season lurches from winter to spring, it can be a good time to scan the landscape for microclimates. Rocks, walkways, slopes, water can create slight climatic differences across a relatively small area.
by Bryan Quinn
Showing examples of previous work can get a client to consider other visions. Another option? Build a three-dimensional site model. The author shares ten reasons he advocates for 3-D models and shares how his company incorporates model building into their projects.
by Trevor Smith Water’s most amazing quality is that it is simultaneously part of the mystery of life and an essential element in the most mundane routines of life. We…
by Kerry O’Kelly and Darcy Paige There is a growing understanding that people need to make a connection between their food and its sources, but this is often difficult to…
by Marie Chieppo I looked out the window this morning and with great pleasure watched the wide variety of birds at my feeders. The speed at which they landed and…
Text by Kate Brandes Illustrations by Tom Maxfield Social scientists have looked at how people feel about their yards, and their research shows that preferences are determined mostly by people’s…
