As a kid, my parents took me to nature centers weekly.  I loved reading the displays, watching the animals in the glass tanks, and listening to the guides tell us weird facts about the outside world.  One thing that kind of thrilled me and freaked me out all at the same time was the inevitable box you stuck your hand in.  You know, the ones where you stuck your hand through a hole and felt various objects trying to guess what they were?  The exercise engaged your sense of touch based on the textures you felt.  Similarly, the autumnal season before us brings texture center stage in the landscape around us.

Being landscape designers exposes us to many interesting requests.  One ask that is becoming more and more prevalent is incorporating dog-friendly elements into outdoor spaces.  These four-legged friends of ours hold big spaces in our hearts!  Why not incorporate their needs into outdoor living spaces too?

The first pieces of outdoor furniture I remember were on my grandparent’s screened porch in Worthington, Ohio.  My Grandpa Lyle had a willowy rocking chair and nearby sat a wooden picnic table – you know, the clunky kind with attached wooden benches that took a small army to move on account of its bulk.  We spent hours on that porch eating summer lunches and playing games.  Furniture in an outdoor space may come as an afterthought to some.  But just like in interior spaces, careful selection can mean the difference between a space that is lived in and one that is not.  

Here in the Midwest it’s easy to dismiss the idea of color or showiness in the landscape during the long winter months. The weather draws us inside to warm and cozy. Evidences of life out of doors present a challenge to witness. But gems shine even now. We’ve put together a line-up of some winter interest plant staples as well as some less-known species.

Of the many elements we consider introducing into an outdoor space, adding art brings unique offerings to a garden. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving.  Britannica Dictionary defines art as “something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings.” Needless to say, this can take on many forms, especially in outdoor applications. The discussion spans far beyond these thoughts, but let’s explore a little.

I grew up in Maryland outside of our nation’s capital and spent endless hours outside as a kid. One of my favorite things to do was to go hiking. And if the trail happened to traverse a bit of rockery, all the better! I remember a trail called ‘The Billy Goat Trail’ we frequented often near Great Falls in Potomac, Maryland. It was experiences such as these that inspired a new purpose for my pile of rocks.

“How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon, December is here before its June, My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?” – Dr. Seuss.

The past several months whirled past me like racers out of the starting blocks.  Only in this case, the starting gun that went off sounded of my cell phone ringing.  Spring arrived and with it, miles of work for me.

Over coffee this morning and heart shaped donuts, talk of blogging surfaced. Blogs are supposed to be short. Not long winded. And surprisingly enough, what unfolds holds true design grit and creativity.

We’re all familiar with Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words, “The earth laughs in flowers.” I for one could stand to hear some of her laughter in these gray winter days. Pining away here in St. Joe, Michigan watching the snow, flowers speak in my thoughts today. I miss their conversation.

My wife is an artist more than any woman could be.  And, like most artists her craft doesn’t always consist of dabbling in the same media but rather is constantly in flux. Even…if it’s steel balls.

The ultimate goal in taking on a design project is to help our clients connect in some way.  Connect to nature.  Connect to warm and fuzzy feelings.  Connect to dreams and aspirations.  Connect to Life.