Last summer she emailed to say that she needed an herb garden behind her new outdoor, commercial grade pizza oven! She told us to make sure that the design included LOTS of lavender! Since the beautifully built oven was the focal point, we did not center the pattern on it. Instead, we designed and constructed a double knot garden of boxwood and lavender so that both knots could be enjoyed from the second floor. The pattern of the knot was taken from Gevase Markham's book, The Countrie Farm, of 1616.

We are grateful to contribute still to the maintenance of both gardens. Just this fall, we top-dressed the pleasure garden with mushroom compost and planted 200 pastel tulips in the herb garden. We will return to plant the herbs. We're noticing the opportunity for a dooryard garden to one of her many outbuildings and hope to also address her expressed desire for hornbeam hedges on stilts at that time!

We were asked to transform a sloping, urban backyard. Our client was elegant. A Judge and a marathon runner, he primarily needed formal outdoor dining space to entertain small groups, but wanted a garden that could accept larger groups occasionally as well.

We were inspired by the arches in the porch of his home, and designed a sunken lawn, cut into an arch with the same proportions. We installed nine "Nigra" Arborvitaes. Our favorite nursery, Lake Forest Gardens, allowed us to choose our group from many, out in the field, before they were dug. They were gorgeous on all sides, and perfectly balanced. Each had a root ball weighing at least 900 pounds, which made hydraulics and lots of labor necessary! The payoff in planting trees that mature was an immediate sense of permanence and privacy.

As a transition between the dining area and the lawn, we created stone stairs and a dry-stacked sandstone wall. A miniature allee of standard hydrangea serves to mark the area between dining area and gardens. Our client was so reserved that we decided to adhere to a green and white color palette. We planted "Annabelle" hyrdrangeas so closely together that they should stake themselves. Late blooming tulips, in a pastel stretch mix, were planted as well. Still to be built are a screen to disguise the storage area under the outdoor staircase, a pergola over the stone terrace with flowering vines and roses to provide shade - and a fountain as the focal point in the center of the arched sod. We hope to be permitted to add some Spring flowering shrubs and additional perennials to add more texture and extend the succession of bloom in this and later years.

Recognized by the Western Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in the Landmark Gardens Tour, 2006

The Merrick Art Gallery, listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings, houses a superb collection of 19th century oil paintings collected by founder E.D. Merrick. The Director wished to create an outdoor exhibition, not only to harmonize with the building's architecture, but also to serve the Merrick's ongoing mission to educate members and visitors.

Since the years of importance for the museum were in Victorian times, we presented the idea of installing a carpet or "embroidery" garden. Inspired by the fleur-de-lis shaped finials on the perimeter fencing, we found a detailed crochet pattern originally intended for a 19th century lady's handbag. Next, we painstakingly "stitched" the pattern into the ground with over 150 boxwoods (each representing one stitch). We found a beautiful cedar arbor, had it stained black, and created yew hedges in curves to delight even the fussiest of brides and wedding photographers! If you visit, please take some time to enjoy the galleries, which some say were the forerunners to the Carnegie.