ABOUT ME
Rocky Mountain Landscape Design:
Honoring Plants, Place, and Spirit
“I want to make myself useful in the world -- to make others happy – to help advance the condition of society.”
-Frederick Law Olmsted Sr., in a letter to his friend Frederick Kingsbury, June 1846
The above quote resonates with me: I, too, want to make you happy with my design by faithfully translating your visions of your future garden into an inviting, unified and harmonious outdoor living space. I will help you express yourself in a unique garden environment that is durable and comfortable.
With a passion for plants, I design colorful landscapes with an emphasis on practicality and beauty. I prefer unfussy yet exceptional plants that thrive in our Montana gardening zone. In my workbook, Montana Native plants rank on top: They are the plants that make the garden come to life, literally, with insect-hum, birdsong and other wildlife ; it’s the native plants that have evolved with our local pollinators and all sorts of wildlife; it’s the native plants that sustain them and are the most sustainable.
However, I love all plants when they are carefully selected for your space and environment, when they provide interest and color and demand little in maintenance and water, when they delight you and provide that satisfaction that a good combination of plants is meant to provide.
But how did I get here?
After 25 years in landscape design in the San Diego region, my family had grown to include my grandchildren in Montana, and their attraction was so strong that I decided to move my gardening and design passion to the Missoula area to be near them. Being in the mountains means discovering how to create gardens that survive the winters here (and the deer and gophers and squirrels!)
But this is not only about learning what grows in the Rockies: When observing a wintry landscape here I’m well aware that it’s also important to learn which plants to use and how to combine them to create Montana landscape designs that hold their visual appeal even when covered by several inches of snow. And that’s another goal that I want to help you reach in your landscape.
My background in working and gardening in various climates and cultural/physical environments provides me with a range of resources. So now I offer my gardening and design experience, as well as my love for Montana native plants (as for many other climate-adapted plants), to homeowners who are looking to transform their properties into inviting outdoor living spaces. I truthfully translate my clients’ dreams into harmonious gardens, using local materials and plants that fit into our environment and give you a sense of place.
I also offer my horticultural and design experience in consultations with homeowners who are do-it-yourselfers, or who need a survey of their property’s potential and are seeking suggestions for its improvement.
Training/Experience
30+ years in landscape design. View My Portfolio
Hands-on training at several nurseries and with licensed, award-winning landscape contractors.
Certificate in Landscape Design and Ornamental Horticulture.
I bring a unique cultural sensitivity to the art of landscape design that is formed by the experience of living and gardening in the western Montana region, as well as Southern California, France & Germany.
Gardens of the Year Award 2013, San Diego Home Garden Lifestyles Magazine.
Leadership
Landscape design instructor at the Lifelong Learning Center in Missoula.
Presentations, talks, and workshops on Native plants and landscape design in Missoula and Thompson Falls and various garden clubs in Southern California.
Professional Memberships:
MNPS Montana Native Plant Society
Style
You can see in my designs many different styles that are true expressions of the homeowner’s preference: Exuberant or controlled, formal or informal, relaxed or dynamic. Regardless of desired style, in my designs "hardscape" and water features have more importance than exceptional plants: My first concern is a dynamic or relaxed but convincing architectural layout and structure of spaces with sound form and function and beautiful materials. With carefully selected perennials, structural ornamental grasses, dramatic succulents and lasting shrubs these gardens delight in an all-seasons display of color, texture and shape.
Sustainability
I specialize in sustainable spaces that require less work and fewer resources as time goes on. I might incorporate exceptionally finished concrete, interlocking pavers or brick, natural stonework, or salvaged or recycled materials in combination with drought-tolerant, water-wise plants, be they Mediterranean-type plants, California natives or succulents.
Passion
My passion for design and gardening was instilled in Germany and France, where I grew up and spent my young-adult years. There naturalistic planting schemes were the preferred style: lush perennial flower beds incorporating many native species were set against dramatic and bold sweeps of ornamental grasses and held together by ‘backbone’ shrubs. Ornamental and fruit trees were a necessity in those gardens, which were often enclosed by walls or native hedges. This gave them a romantic, secluded and exciting atmosphere with year-round beauty, as even in winter the seeds and dried flowers were allowed to remain to give the garden texture and interest.
Needs
Of course in California, our tastes, environment and resources are quite different from those in Europe and demand their own garden style. Yet the need for a home landscape that stimulates the senses and sets the stage for play and entertainment or simply a restful retreat is the same. My goal is to harmonize our Southern California lifestyle, its magnificent clear skies and native chaparral, with a naturalistic blend of sound hardscape layout and properly selected plants.
Professionalism
With a California Certificate in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design I have been designing residential landscapes in San Diego County for the past 10 years. Additionally, I have worked in several excellent nurseries in Southern California to broaden my knowledge of locally grown plants and to better understand clients’ tastes. Designing for a landscape construction company deepened my understanding of outdoor spaces that “work,” and feedback from maintenance professionals and my own gardening experience have given me better insight into the maintenance needs and practicality of particular plants.
Consultations and Speaking
I am available for on-site consultations as well as for public presentations to homeowners and garden clubs. Previous topics of presentation are “Landscaping with Drought Tolerant Plants” and “Smaller Garden spaces that delight and excite with a minimum of water and care”.
I look forward to assisting you in creating a delightful, memorable garden.