cucinellij_BACK1flickr, originally uploaded by greeneyedesignllc. The design is beginning to take a fuller shape.

One challenge I’ve faced in graphically representing all aspects of a woodland design is the groundplain, which is often heavily layered with colonizing bulbs, perennials, groundcovers, and ephemerals. In the past I’ve done trace overlays, weird or awkward (to me) ‘maps’ with keys explaining what goes where, CAD drawings with all other layers turned off [...]

(History of this space & design) Beginnings of the front bed which is enclosed by the semicircular driveway. There are a myriad of further layers of planting and textures to consider, most notably perennial choices, annual displays and compositions, containers, and sculptural elements (art, water features, etc.). click the image for humongous version closeup I [...]

Back at the beginning of April I had me some scoop: Stick artist Patrick Dougherty would be coming to Dumbarton Oaks to create one of his famous art installations sometime in September of 2010. I spoke with the wonderful Assistant to the Director at Dumbarton, Jane Padelford, who promised to let me know when the [...]

A tiny copse of mature lovely deciduous hardwood trees. No understory plantings to break up the strong vertical lines of the mature trunks. Two bare earth beds with a turf path running between them. What to do? I say plant in massive amounts of colonizing woodland ephemerals and perennials, along with flowering vines. Crocus-Spring – [...]

Several weeks ago one of my designs caught the eye of Michelle Gervais, an editor at Fine Gardening. We had a fun exchange of tweets and emails about various aspects of the design– especially the eye-popping colors of the furniture, which she loves– and she was kind enough to ask me to submit a few [...]

And I managed to find things to do outside– namely measuring and taking site inventory for two new, small designs. Bloody hot out, but no too bad in the shade.